Welcome to the Holiday edition of the Newsletter. 2023 has been a challenging year for VCs, angels and founders alike. We asked our members what they thought of the past year and their responses were not all what we had expected (see Member Perspectives). Also, in this edition we speak to Thomas Kramer, Co-Founder & CEO of social media analytics company Measure Studio, as well as member Enrdi Tolka, and share news from our portfolio companies and community.
Despite the environment, 2023 has been a good year for New York Angels. We have had over 1,100 applications from founders, over 100 inquiries from angels wishing to join our group, and the circulation of this newsletter continues to grow.
We would like to wish our readers a Happy Holidays and a peaceful and prosperous 2024.
NOVEMBER INVESTMENTS
As 2023 came to a close, New York Angels members added $320k in investments in November, bringing the total investments for the year to almost $5M. This figure represents a slowing over the past couple of years, which prompted our analysis of member sentiment.
NOVEMBER INVESTMENT HIGHLIGHTS
FUEGO DANCE
For the third year in a row, New York Angels members invested in Fuego, Inc. Steve Kapner, Bruce Kaminstein, Elaine Gilde, and Margot Malin led this follow-on round to continue to support the world's best dance sneaker. Fuego shoes fuse dance with street wear, and their breakthrough technology in their outsole allows users to easily turn, pivot, and spin. Fuego continues to expand across 100+ countries and partners with world-class dancers to collaborate on shoe designs. Women's Health named Fuego's Low-Top Dance Sneaker as the Best Dance Sneaker of 2023.
FOUNDER SPOTLIGHT
Thomas Kramer, Co-Founder & CEO of Measure Studio, launched the social analytics startup to offer high performance data tools that are accessible to huge companies like Disney. Measure Studio provides next generation social media content intelligence and AI-powered data analytics for media, brands and agencies. Thomas is also an angel investor at Kaukus. Prior to these roles, Thomas was the Co-Founder & COO at Paladin Software, a global influencer marketing platform. Thomas also served as the VP of Product at Bent Pixels, where he oversaw product development and managed a global team. Earlier in his career, he worked at The Walt Disney Company as Senior Director of YouTube Content Strategy + Optimization and at Channel Factory as Manager of Ad Operations. Thomas shares his experiences fundraising with angels and VCs, why he’s enjoyed NYA Member Dan Zitting on his board, and why founders need to take care of themselves in addition to their companies.
COMPANY NEWS
MAGELLAN AI
Magellan AI, the world’s largest podcast advertising database, has announced its strategic partnership with Sounder, a first-to-market AI-powered brand safety and brand suitability solution for podcasting. This initial collaboration provides advertisers with a holistic solution for comprehensive post-campaign measurement, with verification of ad placements in brand-safe and suitable audio content. Read More About Partnership
COMPANY NEWS
TRUE MADE FOODS
True Made Foods was recently recognized as one of the top innovation highlights from Expo East 2023. True Made Foods was commended for being a better-for-you-twist on staple goods. Their ketchups and other condiments are made with 0% sugar and sweetened only by fruits and vegetables. Read Article
COMPANY NEWS
LIQUID DIAMONDS
Liquid Diamonds recently hired Jeff Strang as Head of Retail Sales to leads the company's expansion into direct collaboration with jewelry retailers. Jeff adds a wealth of knowledge and connections after spending over 40 years in the lab-grown and natural diamond industry. Read Announcement
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Shortly after joining New York Angels in 2020, Endri Tolka co-led his first major deal. His active initial engagement has been representative of his leadership these past few years with NYA. Prior to NYA, Endri co-founded YouVisit, a proprietary SaaS-based technology platform to enable deep user engagement and drive conversions through highly interactive 360° experiences across VR/AR, mobile and web. At the end of 2019, Endri sold the company to Vista Equity Partners and now acts as an advisor to several startups. Endri discusses why founders appreciate his perspective as a successful founder himself, the importance of speed of execution and how angel investing is like finding a needle in a haystack.
MEMBER PERSPECTIVES 2023 IN REVIEW: NYA MEMBER REFLECTIONS
New York Angel investments slowed significantly in 2023. While this is in line with the rest of the startup industry, NYA Members address the specifics leading to the declines over the past year including the macroeconomic challenges, increase in alternative investments, concerning valuations and more. Members also provided some positive outlooks on the year. Read more from NYA Members
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
FOUNDERSHIELD NYA SPONSORS
This November, Founder Shield joined NYA Members to share how they support rapidly evolving, high-growth companies. NYA Members appreciate our longstanding partnership with Founder Shield as we work with early-stage startups. Check out Founder Shield's Resources, Insights and More
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
PENN GSE CATALYST JOHN GAMBA
John Gamba, Entrepreneur in Residence, joined November Forum to discuss EdTech investing in a post-pandemic world. John invited members to join Penn GSE's Catalyst program as mentors, judges and in potential ventures in EdTech. Globally EdTech VC funding rose dramatically in 2020 and 2021, but has precipitously dropped off in 2022 and 2023. Read about Catalyst
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
NYA HOLIDAY PARTY 2023 YEAR END
Earlier this week New York Angels held its Holiday Party at Dear Irving on the Hudson, a rooftop bar on the 40th floor. The NYA Holiday party is always very well attended by members, founders and sponsors, allowing conversations on investments, companies, and whatever else, to take place in a social setting.
REUTERS NEW CALIFORNIA LAW REQUIRES DIVERSITY REPORTING FOR VC AND PE FIRMS
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 54, titled Fair Investment Practices by Investment Advisers, which requires venture capitalists to disclose the demographic information of the founding members of companies in which they invest. The new law intends to promote access to venture capital funding for women-led and minority-led startups. While the law does not mandate diversity, it does require disclosure. The law will go into effect March 1, 2025 and is expected to have long-lasting effects on the landscape of the venture capital ecosystem in California and across the US.
Investment Forum (Hybrid):
• December 18th (9:00 AM - 1:30 PM)
January Screening (Hybrid):
• January 8th (9:00 AM - 1:00 PM)
FOUNDER DEADLINES
January 8th Screening Application:
• Due Dec 13th
*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.
