$625k Invested + Two Powerhouse Events: NYA News - December 2025Including interviews with NYA's Robert Peck, CFA: When Jack Ma Called in 2003 and IRL's Lauren Steidl: The Diverse Expertise of NYA Members
November has become a momentous month for New York Angels, as we hosted our highest-attended Plug and Play and Techstars Preview Days for 30 of the top angel groups in the country. NYA members are thankful for the strong relationships we have built with our angel partners nationwide to increase access to deal flow. Read this edition of our newsletter for all the latest NYA news.
Throughout November, New York Angels Members and the NYA Fund 2024 invested $625k.
NOVEMBER INVESTMENT HIGHLIGHTS
CardiaCare is a medical device company developing the world’s first non-invasive neuromodulation therapy for AFib, delivered through a discreet, easy-to-use wearable. CardiaCare provides fully remote, personalized care by combining proprietary neuromodulation technology with AI-enabled cardiac rhythm monitoring. After interviewing one of the top electrophysiologists in the country, NYA Members moved forward with investing in CardiaCare. Rob Hedlund and Tom Hirschfeld led closing the deal for New York Angels.
FOUNDER SPOTLIGHT
Lauren Steidl, co-founder and CEO of Integrated Reality Labs, started the company in 2022 with Ian Andolsek, Scott Nissenbaum, Marc Ilgen, and Sean Nissenbaum, to build the first-ever game engine that powers multiplayer games in the real world. Their first game, SLAP, combines the social, multiplayer mobile aspects of Fortnite with the real-world gameplay of Pokémon Go. Lauren shares how she works with several NYA Members who have different areas of expertise, why investors need to be brutally honest, and how IRL is using technology to drive real-life human connection and experiences.
PORTFOLIO NEWS
EPICURED
Epicured CEO and Co-Founder Richard Bennett has been named one of Crain's New York Business 2025 Notable Healthcare Technology Leaders. He is recognized for his vision, leadership, and Epicured's profound impact on communities by advancing health through nutrition. See Details on Award
PORTFOLIO NEWS
IC360
IC360 was featured on ESPN for alerting the UFC to abnormal betting interest in a featherweight bout between Isaac Dulgarian and Yadier del Valle at UFC Fight Night. UFC has a longstanding partnership with IC360 and is constantly monitoring any suspicious betting activity. Read News in ESPN
PORTFOLIO NEWS
KIND DESIGNS
Kind Designs was named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025 for Sustainability. The company’s Living Seawalls dissipate waves while providing habitats for sea life. Kind Designs has installed nine Living Seawalls across the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area, and won grants from the U.S. Navy and Air Force to fortify their coastal bases. Read About TIME's Best Invention of 2025
PORTFOLIO NEWS VELICO
Velico is making a significant expansion of its manufacturing and supply chain operations to meet growing demand for its FrontlineODP System. This increases its ability to manufacture 250,000 units annually, over double its current production. The system allows military and civilian blood centers to produce their own dried plasma from liquid donor plasma in just 30 minutes. Read Press Release
NYA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
After joining New York Angels 18 months ago, Bob Peck has made a significant impact as both an active investor and leader of NYA Marketing. Bob offers his deep expertise in M&A, IPOs, and equity valuation, drawing on 35 years of experience in technology investment banking and research on Wall Street. In this interview, Bob shares meeting with Jack Ma in 2003 during Alibaba’s early days. Bob’s experiences with the founders of Alibaba, Google, Amazon, Snapchat and others make him an invaluable investor and mentor. Read more about why choosing investors is like choosing a marriage partner and how his interests in astrophysics helped him see that TAMs can expand like the constant expansion of the universe.
MEMBER EVENTS ANGEL GROUPS X PLUG AND PLAY PREVIEW DAY & TECHSTARS SPECIAL PITCH DAY
In November, New York Angels hosted two powerhouse events that brought together angel investors from more than 30 angel groups. Our angel ecosystem gained special access to 20 hand-selected, high-momentum startups sourced from top accelerators Plug and Play and Techstars. These semi-annual events have gained significant visibility year-over-year and have become a critical way for angels to increase their deal flow and build collaboration between the leading angel groups. Several of the companies have already moved forward with further conversations with investors.
CRUNCHBASE STARTUP FUNDING CONTINUED ON A TEAR IN NOVEMBER AS MEGAROUNDS HIT 3-YEAR HIGH
November was another outsized month for venture funding as investors poured $39.6 billion into startups globally. The funding total was on par with October and up 28% year over year from $31 billion, according to Crunchbase data. November Angel-Seed investment was up only 4% while Early-Stage investment increased 40% vs. last year. AI-related startups accounted for 53% of global venture funding last month.
UPCOMING MEMBER MEETINGS
Investment Forum (Hybrid):
• December 15th (9:00 AM - 12:30 PM)
Screening (Hybrid):
• January 5th (9:00 AM - 1:00 PM)
FOUNDER DEADLINES
January Screening Application:
• December 11th
*New York Angels, Inc. ("NYA") is a not-for-profit corporation that is funded by membership dues for individuals and/or entities that NYA has designated as members as well as from certain sponsors. Its purposes include providing administrative support to its members. NYA does not invest in companies. Investments, if made, are made by individual members of NYA.
