
Boost Founder Fellowship Program’s Third Cohort of Early-Stage Founders Take on Critical Challenges Across AI, Sustainability, Fintech and Healthcare
June 5, 2025, New York, NY — Fostering tech innovation while addressing funding disparities in New York City’s innovation ecosystem is “job one” for the Boost Founder Fellowship Program. In partnership with New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), Company Ventures, NYC’s Foremost Venture Community, is arming 15 first-time founders with the access to mentorship and fundraising resources that they need to succeed. These venture-scalable tech startups are taking on the critical challenges across AI, sustainability, fintech and healthcare.
Despite ongoing conversations about diversity in venture capital, the fact is there remains a stark funding gap. As just one of many examples, in 2024, startups led by Black founders in the U.S. received just 0.4% of total venture funding, amounting to approximately $730 million — a significant decline from previous years.
“Since our inception, we have been committed to ensuring that the broadest possible cross-section of talented New Yorkers stands to benefit from the promise of New York’s tech sector,” said Matt Harrigan, CEO of Company Ventures. “Venture often prioritizes the repeat or hyper-networked founder, which often excludes, even if inadvertently, a broader population. In partnership with NYCEDC, we are working to widen the aperture, actively seeking out extraordinarily talented people but that don’t have the requisite depth of network to create material inroads with top venture firms. We are incredibly excited about this year’s cohort and look forward to supporting them on their growth journey.”
New York City has emerged in recent years as the second most consequential tech hub in the world, home to 25k+ tech-enabled startups, with total venture capital funding from 2019-2023 reaching $145bn, compared to a global average of $4.6bn [source]). Boost’s mission is to capitalize on this momentum, creating pathways for talented founders city-wide to learn how to access the funding and resources they need to succeed.
Over the course of four months, Boost fellows participate in expert-led workshops, investor introductions, peer networking opportunities and tailored programming to help them refine their business models and prepare for fundraising. Benefits of the Boost program include mentorship, professional services and access to communal co-working space at Company Ventures.
The full list of this year’s cohort represents an exceptional group of entrepreneurs. These founders are tackling a range of critical challenges, such as automating banks' commercial lending workflows with AI agents (stealth), creating a sustainable investor solution that matches professionals with their financial and climate goals (GreenPortfolio.com), and developing a gut microbiome-based solution for the elimination of premenstrual disorders (MyPinkMatter.com).
Pinkmatter was born out of my frustration with the lack of solutions that address my severe PMS,” said Roma Vishwanath-Deutsch. “As a biotech scientist, I took it upon myself to create a solution that worked for me and now I want to bring that to the millions of women who are silently struggling with their PMS. As a first time founder, there is so much to learn about how to build a successful women’s healthcare company. Company Ventures' Boost fellowship offered unparalleled mentorship that has been pivotal to Pinkmatter's growth.”
“The Boost program came at a pivotal moment - right after our pre-seed fundraise - as we were navigating everything from sales and hiring to product and culture,” said Krida Co-Founder Shivangi Khanna. “The mentorship grounded us, and the founder community was a rare kind of support in a journey that can often feel isolating. We’re grateful to be part of such a special group.”
Since its launch in 2022, the NYCEDC has empowered entrepreneurs and accelerated their business growth in New York City and beyond, by expanding founders’ access to industry connections, venture capital and grant funding, mentorship and business development support, to build and scale their companies.
"Since its launch in 2022, the Founder Fellowship program has been a driving force behind the equitable growth of New York City’s tech startup ecosystem, creating meaningful economic impact across all five boroughs,” said Daria Siegel, NYCEDC senior vice president of Innovation Industries. “We’re proud to continue to partner with Company Ventures to empower diverse tech entrepreneurs with the tools, resources, and support needed to scale their businesses and ensure the next generation of technology entrepreneurs represent the diversity of New York City.”
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About NYCEDC
New York City Economic Development Corporation is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization that works for a vibrant, inclusive, and globally competitive economy for all New Yorkers. We take a comprehensive approach, through four main strategies: strengthen confidence in NYC as a great place to do business; grow innovative sectors with a focus on equity; build neighborhoods as places to live, learn, work, and play; and deliver sustainable infrastructure for communities and the city's future economy. To learn more about what we do, visit us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
About Company Ventures
Company Ventures is NYC’s foremost venture capital firm that invests in new technology-driven businesses at the earliest stages. We predominantly invest in healthcare, fintech and B2B software businesses at pre-seed, seed and series A stages. For more information, visit us at Company Ventures and follow us on LinkedIn.
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Audrey Mann Cronin