NYA News - October 2025: >20% in Investments YTD and NYA Founder David S. Rose Book LaunchNYA Members investments increased more than 20% YTD vs. LY. New Investments: Centese & Dirty Shirley.
This was a fun month for NYA Members highlighted with the book launch by NYA Founder and Chairman Emeritus David S. Rose. New York Angels also had another solid month of investments surpassing its Member investments by more than 20% YTD vs. this time last year.
New York Angels Members invested $735k across two new deals in September.
SEPTEMBER INVESTMENT HIGHLIGHTS
Centese is a medtech company transforming post-surgical recovery. In peer-reviewed clinical studies conducted at world-class institutions like Stanford University Medical Center and NYU Langone Health, its Thoraguard system has demonstrated the ability to shorten hospital stays, automate care, and provide superior monitoring of critical patient parameters. NYA Members interviewed experts in cardiac and thoracic surgery, both who strongly advocated for the system. Tom Hirschfeld and Mauri Rosenthal led the deal through diligence and close.
Dirty Shirley has recreated the Shirley Temple for adults by adding vodka into the kid-favorite drink. After being named one of the most trending drinks in 2022, Dirty Shirley has continued to expand nationally. Dirty Shirley is available in 25 markets nationwide with plans to expand into eight new markets including NY, NJ, AZ, LA, NV, CT, and RI. Craig Frischling and Alexandra Jenkins were the deal leads on behalf of NYA Members.
PORTFOLIO NEWS
COPYLEAKS
Tech & Learning recently named Copyleaks the Back to School 2025 Award of Excellence winner for AI Logic. Copyleaks also announced that its platform is now natively embedded within D2L’s Brightspace Assignments. While Copyleaks is the leader in content authentication and AI detection, Brightspace is one of the easiest to use LMS platforms used across universities nationwide. Read Press Release
PORTFOLIO NEWS
CROWDIQ
CrowdIQ’s latest report, “Quantifying the Female Fan Advantage,” was featured in Forbes for its unique ability to use advanced crowd analytics to measure beyond ticket sales and attendance. CrowdIQ examines in-venue fan behaviors of female fans across both men’s and women’s sporting events and has become a global leader in capturing live event data through high-resolution gigapixel photography. Read Forbes Article
PORTFOLIO NEWS SKYFIREAI
SkyfireAI has announced new partnerships with the U.S. Space & Rocket Center (USSRC) and W.S. Darley & Co. The initiatives aim to strengthen real-world drone training, expand STEM education, and reinforce Huntsville’s growing role in aerospace and unmanned systems innovation. Under the agreement, SkyfireAI will deliver scenario-based drone training at the USSRC. Read About Partnership
PORTFOLIO NEWS UNRULY STUDIOS
Through a statewide initiative, Unruly Studios is partnering with the Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network (GSAN), and the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) to provide 20 afterschool and summer programs at 106 sites serving nearly 7,000 students. With funding from GaDOE, programs receive not only equipment but also professional development, 130+ hours of standards-aligned curriculum, and ongoing support. Read About the Full Program
NYA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
After previously angel investing on her own, Sukriti Chadha joined New York Angels to invest in a more disciplined way by learning from other experienced angel investors and gaining access to greater deal flow. While Sukriti works full-time, she finds angel investing helps her be more effective in her day job. Sukriti shares how she views screening as a clarity test and diligence as a reality check, her first impressions of meeting NYA Members, and her personal experience as a recreational pilot.
MEMBER EVENTS DAVID S. ROSE BOOK LAUNCH
NYA Founder and Chairman Emeritus David S. Rose launched the newest version of Angel Investing: The Gust Guide to Making Money & Having Fun Investing in Startups in an exclusive event for New York Angels Members and our angel ecosystem partners. In the book, David explains the fundamentals of evaluating startups, structuring deals, building a portfolio, and navigating the risks and rewards of early-stage investing. As a New York Times Bestseller, this book has been frequently named the top book for angel investing and has received critical acclaim from leaders in investing and entrepreneurship nationwide.
ANGEL CAPITAL ASSOCIATION 2025 ANGEL FUNDERS REPORT
The Angel Capital Association 2025 Angel Funders Report shared the latest data in angel investing trends. While total angel investment decreased in 6% in 2024, the percentage of deals in both Series A and Series B investments grew, 2% and 3% respectively. Angel investors have shifted to investing more in follow-on rounds (52%) than first-time/initial deals (48%). While Preferred Stock is the primary investment vehicle in all other regions, New York leads in Convertible Notes, which is gaining traction in other regions. New York is also recognized as the top region for investing outside of their local network with 81% of investments outside of New York.
UPCOMING MEMBER MEETINGS
Investment Forum (Hybrid):
• October 20th (9:00 AM - 12:30 PM)
Screening (Hybrid):
• November 3rd (9:00 AM - 1:00 PM)
FOUNDER DEADLINES
December 1st Screening Application:
• November 9th
*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.
