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Happy New Year! New York Angels Members wrapped up 2024 with over $9 million in investment proving that our pipeline for attractive early-stage investment opportunities remains robust.
Read more in this newsletter:
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RECENT INVESTMENT ACTIVITY
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In the final month of the year, NYA Members over $900k in new investments and two follow-ons for a total of over $9 million for 2024. |
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DECEMBER INVESTMENT HIGHLIGHTS
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Magsorbeo Biomedical is a developer and manufacturer of advanced absorbable implants created from their proprietary Curasorb metal alloy technology. Co-Founders Jake Edick and Carolyn Woldring learned from some of the world’s foremost renowned experts in development and commercialization of novel biomaterials in their early-careers at Boston Scientific. Elliot Decker and Mauri Rosenthal managed the deal.
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1Logtech Inc. is B2B integration platform that allows shippers, third-party logistics provides, and carriers to create fast, reliable connections. 1Logtech does not use any code to eliminate the expense of programmers and dev projects. The platform leverages AI-enabled SupportOps to assist in data setup and identification of anomalies. New York Angels Members were impressed with the founders, who have previously built four successful logistics companies. Steve Shwartz led this investment.
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DSTLRY is the next-generation comics publisher and physical-digital collectibles company that redefines creator-owned comic books for consumers everywhere. By giving creators an equity stake, DSTLRY is creating a more sustainable and equitable future for comic book creators. This is NYA Members' second-time working with DSTLY Co-Founders David Steinberger and Chip Mosher. NYA Members had also invested in David's first company, ComiXology, which was sold to Amazon. This follow-on round was led by Kit McQuiston and Rob Hedlund.
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Rubywell is a digital healthcare platform that is creating a path to financial security for all family caregivers. Their platform offers a comprehensive guide to be used for all caregiving needs, enabling users to save money, and time, and reduce worry with free and personalized care maps, resources, and benefits. Jason Klein and Naomi Truax led this deal.
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Unruly Studios creates interactive games that empower children with critical STEM skills while stimulating creative problem solving. Their platform, Unruly Splats, is the first STEM tool to combine coding with active-play. CEO & Founder Bryanne Leeming was exposed to coding for the first time through a computer game in fourth grade. She realized how that early exposure to coding prepared her to feel confident in technology and ultimately start her career in the industry. Joshua Powe and Alyssa Tam supported New York Angels in this follow-on round.
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DSTLRY CEO & Co-Founder David Steinberger is working with New York Angels for the second time in his career. David first met NYA with ComiXology, which won the 2007 NYU New Venture Competition, secured NYA Member investment, and was acquired by Amazon in 2014. Now, David along with Chip Moser (former Head of Content at ComiXology) are redefining the comic book industry with DSTLRY by giving comic book creators equity and ownership in their work. David shares his story about how he originally came to New York to pursue a career in opera singing, how being a second-time entrepreneur is much easier, and how building trust with investors and industry professionals led to the success of DSTLRY.
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COMPANY NEWS
AMPER MUSIC
Amper Music was named one of the Top 37 AI Content Generators to watch in 2025. Amper is an ai-powered music platform that allows users to create and customize original music to use for their videos and other projects.
See the Full List of AI Platforms
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COMPANY NEWS
EPICURED
Epicured Inc. launched a new "Fair Start" initiative with Staten Island Performing Provider System and Columbia University. The program demonstrates how access to healthy food, regular primary care, public health resources, and exercise can significantly improve health outcomes.
Read Press Release
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COMPANY EXIT
LOVE STORIES TV
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Love Stories TV was acquired by David's Bridal to help the company shift from a wedding dress retailer to the all-in-one wedding planning and inspiration network. With over 20 million monthly viewers and more than 30,000 wedding videos, Love Stories TV is the world's largest wedding content provider. With this acquistion, David's Bridal is also launching its Pearl Media Network.
Read Acquisition Announcement
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COMPANY NEWS
GAMEWAY
Gameway launched its newest state-of-the-art video gaming lounge at JFK International Airport just in time for the busy holiday travel season. This is the company's 7th location, and it plans to open a second JFK location in 2025. Co-Founder Emma Walbridge is pictured above alongside NYA Member Jeff Seltzer and his son, Ian.
Read Launch News
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COMPANY NEWS
MAGELLAN AI
Magellan AI has created a partnership with American Public Media to provide advanced measurement to advertisers. APM’s integration of Magellan AI signals a major shift for public media as it gives advertisers real-time insights that enable clients to understand the impact of their investments and target their messaging as effectively as in commercial media spaces.
Read About Partnership
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Prior to becoming a New York Angels Member in 2022, Steve Temares practiced real estate law and then spent 27 years at Bed Bath & Beyond, where he ran the company for 22 years - first as COO, then eventually as CEO. Steve grew the company significantly to 65,000 associates and $11 billion in revenue and managed several brands, including Christmas Tree Shops, Cost Plus World Market, and buybuy BABY. Steve shares how New York Angels is a great way to fulfill his intellectual curiosity and maintain relevancy, what he looks when investing, and how successful companies execute with excellence.
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COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
ASK ME ANYTHING WITH DAVID ROSE
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Have you ever had a question about angel investing? Reddit users across the country had the opportunity to ask their questions with NYA Founder and Chairman Emeritus David S. Rose. With over 26,000 views on the AMA, David answered questions on topics ranging from what he looks for when he invests, his most profitable investments, and his childhood experiences.
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COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
FOUNDERS N' FUNDERS
NYA Founder and Chairman Emeritus David S. Rose also presented at the Founders N' Funders Reverse Pitch in NYC. David was joined by other leaders from Primary Venture Partners, AlleyCorp, Eniac, and Antler. With nearly 150 founders and investors, the event offered valuable insights into the investment landscape.
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MEMBER EVENTS
2024 NYA HOLIDAY PARTY
The NYA 2024 Holiday party was a huge success. Held at The Allure Lounge, it gave NYA members an opportunity to meet socially, as well as mingle with members of the New York investment community and founders from our portfolio companies. NYA Chair Cindy Cook presented awards and demonstrated her mastery of AI-generated poetry.
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MEMBER EVENTS
AI HYPE VS. REALITY
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As NYA Members continue to invest in AI, the NYA Member Engagement team gave members an opportunity to learn about the latest in AI-applications. AI-expert Steve Shwartz moderated the panel that featured three industry-leading startups that showcased how they used AI to create high-potential investment opportunities:
- IC360 (US Integrity): Uses AI to analyze wagers and provide accurate and more sophisticated ways to identify abnormalities in sports betting
- Measure Studio: Analyzes content and social media conversations using AI to improve companies' content strategy and social performance.
- Aline: AI-powered legal document system that helps business teams revolutionize the way legal contracts are handled.
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INVEST IN WOMEN TASKFORCE
FEMALE ANGEL INVESTORS NEEDED
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If we want more women-led businesses, we need more female angel investors. While New York Angels maintains a female membership higher than the industry average, NYA continues to focus on recruiting more female members and support female founders. Last year, in 2024, NYA also elected its first woman Chair, Cindy Cook. To understand how to increase the female angel population, the Invest in Women Taskforce has partnered with The Entrepreneurs Network to produce a report that showed angel syndicate and groups really do make a difference. For women-led businesses, female angel investors play a critical role in helping them take off.
Read Full Article
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UPCOMING MEMBER MEETINGS
Investment Forum (Hybrid):
• January 27th (9:00 AM - 12:30 PM)
February Screening (Hybrid):
• February 3rd (9:00 AM - 1:00 PM)
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FOUNDER DEADLINES
February Screening Application:
• January 13th
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