Maya Komerov, Founder of ShopIN.nyc, steps onto the New York Launch Pod to discuss her same day delivery e-commerce platform that allows you to shop from stores in your neighborhood all from the comfort of your home. With the rise of commerce giants like Amazon, traditional brick and mortar retailers have suffered declining sales year after year. Despite most New Yorker's wish to shop local and support their communities, local retailers have found it hard to compete on price and...

Michael Chad Hoeppner, Founder of GK Training and Communications, returns to the New York Launch Pod for his third appearance to discuss how he's pivoted his company and adapted to new methods of communication during the Covid-19 pandemic. In Episode 28 and How You Doin' Volume 5 we spoke to Michael about the techniques he used to teach high powered executives and political candidates. Before the pandemic, most of GK Training and Communications' business was conducted in-person. In...

Jonathan Rosen, Co-Founder of NY Forever, steps onto the New York Launch Pod to discuss his celebrity studded and corporate sponsored non-profit initiative which is encouraging New Yorkers to commit to New York City, support our front line workers and give what you can to keep the city strong. As the successful founder of a PR company, BerlinRosen, and a New Yorker for over 20 years, Jonathan has seen the way the city has been hurting since the Covid-19 pandemic started last year. In...

David Suk, Co-Founder and CEO of Saint Luna Moonshine, steps onto the New York Launch Pod to discuss his new moonshine brand which promises to popularize a traditional American liquor and a variety of new cocktails. While David was the COO of a baby blanket company, Aden + Anais, he started talking to one of his co-workers whose passion was distilling moonshine. Soon they both realized that moonshine was the only liquor that had not yet experienced a premiumization and set out to...

Kate Sokolov and Lisa Sokolov, sisters and Co-Founders of Social Goods, step onto the New York Launch Pod to discuss their online retail store that offers statement making gifts which incorporate donations to the causes they represent. Before starting Social Goods, Lisa worked in fashion while Kate was active in non-profits and political causes, together the sisters and Co-Founders set out to create a brand that combined their expertise into a socially-conscious way to shop. By...

Rob Pachter, Co-Founder of Realty Crunch, steps onto the New York Launch Pod to discuss his collaboration platform for brokers and clients dedicated to facilitating and providing efficiency to real estate transactions. While trying to purchase properties several years ago Rob identified several pain points in the broker/client experience including the difficulty of aggregating properties across multiple platforms, communicating effectively between clients and brokers and creating and...

Wole Coaxum, founder of MoCaFi, steps onto the New York Launch Pod to discuss his challenger bank and project management company dedicated to serving the unbanked and underbanked and providing essential financial services in marginalized communities. As former managing director at JPMorgan and head of business banking sales at Chase, Wole recognized that many people were using payday lenders and check cashers instead of traditional banks, either because banks did not have branches in...

Stacey Weismiller of SecondMuse steps onto the New York Launch Pod to discuss her startup incubator and impact firm dedicated to designing, developing and implementing entrepreneurial programs specifically geared to hardware manufacturing in New York City. SecondMuse identifies opportunities in a wide variety of unconventional sectors, including hardware manufacturing and climate technology, which benefit the city as a whole and then develops and mentors startups to fill those gaps in...

Stacey Weismiller of SecondMuse steps onto the New York Launch Pod to discuss her startup incubator and impact firm dedicated to designing, developing and implementing entrepreneurial programs specifically geared to hardware manufacturing in New York City. SecondMuse identifies opportunities in a wide variety of unconventional sectors, including hardware manufacturing and climate technology, which benefit the city as a whole and then develops and mentors startups to fill those gaps in...

Harlan Milkove, Managing Partner of Foundational, steps onto the New York Launch Pod to discuss his company that uses a data driven approach to prepare startups for venture capital fundraising. After founding several successful companies, Harlan realized that his venture capital expertise and technical know how could solve a problem that many founders face: learning how to efficiently prepare for new rounds of fundraising and target potential investors while still running a company at...

In a special episode of the New York Launch Pod Hal Coopersmith discusses his intelligent residential lease management and compliance software called RezCue, and who else to interview Hal Coopersmith, the longtime host of the New York Launch Pod, than his mother, Martha Coopersmith. This is an episode you won't want to miss! Last summer New York State enacted the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act (HSPTA) which created more requirements for residential landlords, many of which...

Hector Castillo Carvajal, Founder of Don Carvajal Cafe, steps onto the New York Launch Pod to discuss his delicious eco-friendly coffee company. Don Carvajal Cafe offers a sustainable approach to the coffee industry by using exclusively compostable materials, contracting directly with farmers that Hector personally vets, and implementing new processes that help to protect the environment while roasting the beans to perfection. Hector was inspired to start Don Carvajal Cafe while he was...

Fresh off of a successful appearance on ABC's Shark Tank, we speak to Laura Schubert and Lillian Tung, co-founders of Fur. After multiple offers, Laura and Lillian accepted an offer from Lori Greiner of $500,000 for 8% equity in the company and a $50,000 donation towards promoting body positivity. Listen to our special behind the scenes Shark Tank follow-up episode to hear how Laura Schubert and Lillian Tung prepared for their appearance, what it was like negotiating with sharks and a...

Cate Luzio, Founder of Luminary, steps onto the New York Launch Pod to discuss her woman-focused collaboration hub right in the heart of Manhattan. Luminary offers a unique co-working and networking space for women of all professions to build their careers through hosted events, notable speakers, and a variety of amenities that are all designed make the Luminary space feel like a second home. Before starting Luminary, Cate was the Executive Vice President and Global Head of...

Umber Ahmad, founder of Mah Ze Dahr, steps onto the New York Launch Pod to discuss her bakery located in the West Village that is expanding to new locations in New York City and the Washington D.C. metro area. Mah Ze Dahr prides itself on the quality of its baked goods, its sustainable approach to food, and its commitment to hospitality, all in the effort to create a heritage brand. Before founding Mah Ze Dahr, Umber worked in finance while baking “on the side”. Through her work, she...

Laura Schubert and Lillian Tung, Co-Founders of Fur, step back onto the New York Launch Pod to discuss their company’s exponential growth and success in the self-care industry. Back in Episode 49, we learned how Fur is changing the conversation around body hair care and meeting the needs of men and women who want all-natural products in their daily routine. Since then, Fur has doubled their sales, tripled their retail presence (including with national retailer ULTA Beauty) and brought...

Lena Imamura and Sas Simon, Co-Founders of NAME GLO, step onto the New York Launch Pod to discuss their custom neon design studio that lets customers commission unique artwork for every special moment in their lives while also providing pre-made artisan items for sale. Lena and Sas didn’t set out to start a business that would light millenials’ Instagram accounts on fire. Instead the idea for NAME GLO began when Sas was searching for a neon to celebrate her nephew’s birth. Sas soon...

Matt Bennett, founder of Dreams Aren’t This Good, steps onto the New York Launch Pod to discuss his delicious new salsa company that’s spicing up the market with fresh tasting homemade recipes and sleek modern designs. Matt founded the company with the insight that the $1.3 billion dollar salsa industry has remained largely unchanged, even while consumer preferences for other foods has been changing drastically. By offering consumers what he describes as “the full salsa experience”...

Lee Hoffman, co-founder of Heat Watch, steps onto the New York Launch Pod to discuss his boiler based technology company which is helping building owners save 20-30% on their fuel costs, reducing the city’s carbon footprint and making apartments more comfortable too! Heat Watch works by monitoring and calibrating boilers to make sure they’re being used efficiently through machine learning technology. With sensors in every apartment and a personal monitoring system, Heat Watch makes...

Heidi Hertel, founder and Gabriel Schlumberger, CEO of Fitz Frames, step onto the New York Launch Pod to discuss their revolutionary eyeglass company that promises to make shopping for glasses fun and headache free for kids and adults. Despite recent innovations, eyeglasses have been manufactured the same way for years. And while standardized styles and sizes may work for some people, they don't work for others, especially children. However, Fitz has developed a way for everyone to...

Aaron Luo and Carmen Chen Wu, Co-Founders of Caraa, step onto the New York Launch Pod to discuss their luxury handbag company, which sells accessories for the modern woman. Caraa blends quality design with functionality to create bags that look good while still meeting the needs of an active lifestyle.  Originally designed as the all purpose go everywhere gym bag, Caraa’s early success inspired them to apply their formula to a variety of everyday needs. They now sell over fifteen...

Brian Berger, Co-Founder of Mack Weldon, steps back on to the New York Launch Pod to discuss his company’s continued growth and success. Back in Episode 33, we learned how Mack Weldon’s focus on unique fabrics, customer satisfaction, and innovative styles revolutionized the men’s essentials category. Since then, Mack Weldon has added several new clothing lines, opened a store in Hudson Yards, and increased their advertising presence. Listen to this episode to find out about how...

Carrie O'Brien and Craig O’Brien the husband and wife and Co-Founders of Sunswell, step onto the New York Launch Pod to discuss their Hamptons-inspired clothing brand, that offers items designed to look good anywhere and keep you cool at the same time. Sunswell’s high quality performance fabrics and classic designs can be worn anywhere from a day at the beach to dinner at night.  Craig O’Brien is the former VP of Men’s Design at Vineyard Vines so he knows a thing or two about the...

Social justice has become something of a buzzword lately with topics including diversity, equality, and fair representation at the forefront of people’s minds. However, many businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies don’t always have the time or abilities to confront these issues head on. That’s where Seachange Collective comes in. Seachange Collective is a women-led and WBE-certified organization which conducts customized and contextualized workshops, social justice audits, and...

Each year over 16 billion disposable coffee cups are thrown away, oftentimes only moments after someone finishes a coffee.When you think about how much paper and plastic there are in 16 BILLION coffee cups you might start recognizin Each year over 16 billion disposable coffee cups are thrown away, oftentimes only moments after someone finishes a coffee. When you think about how much paper and plastic there are in 16 BILLION coffee cups you might start recognizing a problem. Jurrien...