Built in NYC recently released their 50 Startups to Watch in 2020 list. Of the 50 startups (all founded within the last 3 years!), 13 have NYU founders. Find out more on the list below:
The Clear Cut
Not looking to spend hours at your musty neighborhood jewelry store, but don’t want to order an engagement ring on Amazon? Meet The Clear Cut. Founder and CEO Olivia Landau is a fourth-generation jeweler who advises customers looking for the perfect engagement ring on design, cut, color and fit. The company markets mainly on Instagram and allows users to purchase directly from the platform.
NYU founder: Olivia Landau (Steinhardt '13)
My Wellbeing
On the off chance any city-dwelling young professionals haven’t been persuaded of the benefits of talk therapy, My Wellbeing is working to make what is often the hardest part that much easier: finding a quality therapist. The free SaaS platform matches users with three personalized NYC therapists within 24 hours based on their answers to a questionnaire regarding logistics, technique, personality factors and more. Founder Alyssa Petersel started the company after struggling to find a therapist for herself in New York.
NYU founder: Alyssa Petersel (Silver '17)
xIris
xIris leverages the power of artificial intelligence to provide homeowners with monitoring services as a preventative measure against theft, accidents and explosions. What makes this more effective than traditional security systems? It detects multiple kinds of threats — like unauthorized entry and vandalism — operates completely in the cloud, provides real-time alerts and integrates with police systems. The software also integrates with pre-existing CCTV cameras. CEO Michael Bingham previously co-founded social media tool Swap.
NYU founders: Micheal Bingham (CAS '21) & David Slakter (Tandon '20)
Mixlab
Dog medication can start to look the same pretty quickly, but mixing up pills could cause a beloved pet serious harm. Mixlab customizes pet prescription ingredients, strengths, forms and flavors and delivers them to your door. According to its website, the company uses a strategy known as “compounding” to personalize each prescription for a user’s pet. In fact, the team is a member of the Professional Compounding Centers of America.
NYU founder: Stella Kim (Tisch '09)
Choosy
Aptly-named Choosy gives customers an online shopping experience based on feedback from social platforms and consumer preferences. The company’s target demographic? Modern women who want a say in popular trends. Choosy uses Instagram as its main marketing tool –– and source of design inspiration –– to compete with modern brands like Zara and H&M. According to a 2019 Glossy article, the platform scans “some 95 million Instagram posts a day to pinpoint the most popular styles.”
NYU founder: Mo Zhou (Stern '14)
Generation Transfer
In a 2017 American Journal of Preventive Medicine study, people who visited social media platforms 58 times or more per week were over three times as likely to perceive social isolation than those who logged on just nine times per week. Generation Transfer is looking to reduce that correlation. The app helps parents and grandparents make meaningful digital connections with younger generations on a private platform. The content is meant to strengthen relationships rather than strain them.
NYU founder: Danny Feltsman (SPS '07)
Great Jones
Great Jones helps property investors find quality renters, deliver reliable income and access local vendors for unit upkeep. They do so with services like data-driven rental analyses and full walk-throughs at move-in. According to the website, the founders’ mission is to make residential real estate ownership more profitable and more transparent. The team currently operates in seven states and has plans to expand this year.
NYU founder: Abigail Besdin (CAS '08)
Queerly Health
Finding a health or wellness provider can be daunting. Finding a supportive, inclusive health or wellness providers as a member of the LGBTQ+ community can seem insurmountable. According to The Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2019 Healthcare Equality Index, 70 percent of transgender or gender non-conforming patients surveyed had experienced some type of discrimination in healthcare. New York City digital health company Queerly Health is on a mission to democratize access to LGBTQ+ healthcare via an online marketplace of vetted providers. The founders, who identify as LGBTQ+ themselves, said they are carving out an inclusive space in digital health that they would want to use.
NYU founder: Derrick Reyes (Steinhardt '15)
rOcean
rOcean’s mission is to help free the world from single-use plastic water bottles, a habit that, according to its website, uses up to 32 times more greenhouse gas emissions than drinking from the tap. When put that way, rOcean is hoping consumers will see the benefit of putting down the Fiji and Perrier — especially since rOcean’s device filters, flavors and carbonates water as well.
NYU founder: Sunjay Guleria (Stern '92)
Rhino
Imagine a world without security deposits. Or, just google “Rhino NYC.” Rhino partners with rental spaces around the country to allow users to save their security deposits and call their new place “home” faster. By charging users for a monthly insurance plan that provides property owners the same coverage a deposit would, the startup claims that rooms rent 30 percent more quickly, with losses covered. The founders have raised over $22 million to date.
NYU founder: Paraag Sarva (CAS '05, GSAS '05)
Stoop
If New York City is known for one thing, it’s either the pizza or the terrible rental market. Stoop, a flexible living platform added onto residential firm Mdrn, takes advantage of empty, move-in ready private rooms across the city. The company offers those rooms to users for an all-in-one monthly price. That means that on move-in day, there’s no setting up cable or bed-delivery logistics to iron out.
NYU founder: Zach Ehrlich (Stern '11)
Tend
Tend is breaking the (dental) mold and freeing people of one of their most common fears: going to the dentist. The platform allows users to book appointments online and finish their Netflix binges straight from the chair. Tend aims to make checkups more pleasant, emphasizing the dental office Briarwood as a judgment-free zone. The company currently has two studios in Flatiron and Wall Street, with three more locations set to open in the coming months.
NYU founder: Andrew Grover (SPS '12)
Unqork
Unqork helps enterprises like Transamerica, Liberty Mutual and Goldman Sachs build custom software without back-end code. The product allows for UX configuration, data input and exportation as well as performance monitoring. The company recently raised a Series B round to the tune of $80 million, pushing its overall funding above $100 million.
NYU founder: Gary Hoberman (Stern '94)
