February 17, 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

New York City, NY – 

Chloe Capital is thrilled to announce a new slate of strategic investments in five New York City based startups as part of its 2025 Founder Fellowship, reinforcing its role as a long-term partner to founders building the next generation of high-growth companies. The investments advance Chloe Capital’s mission to unlock opportunity, drive innovation, and strengthen New York City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem through hands-on support, network building, and unlocking capital.

The Founder Fellowship is delivered as part of a multi-year commitment with New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) to expand access to capital, networks, and resources for early stage founders across the city. NYCEDC’s objective in creating the Founder Fellowship is to eliminate barriers to entry into the venture-backed community and to build a more inclusive tech ecosystem in NYC. Since launching in 2022, Founder Fellowship alumni have gone on to raise $170 million in follow-on capital, with their companies achieving combined valuations of over $1 billion. Additionally, NYCEDC’s investment in the Founder Fellowship program has catalyzed nearly $2 million in dilutive and non-dilutive capital commitments from its private sector partners to be invested across tech startups. 

The Fellowship reflects Chloe Capital’s sustained investment in founder success and ecosystem building at scale. The firm is honored to continue its investment of resources and capital through its partnership with NYCEDC.

“New York City’s innovation ecosystem is strongest when founders from all backgrounds have access to the capital and opportunity needed to thrive across the five boroughs,” said NYCEDC Senior Vice President of Innovation Industries Daria Siegel. “Through NYCEDC’s ongoing partnership with Chloe Capital, the Founder Fellowship continues to support high-potential entrepreneurs building scalable businesses and driving inclusive economic growth across the city.”

Chloe Capital’s 2025 Founder Fellowship cohort welcomed 15 fellow teams from across New York City. Fellows participated in a structured program that provided direct investor introductions, mentorship, individualized growth plans, and ecosystem connections designed to accelerate growth and readiness for institutional capital. The program culminated in a Founder Showcase attended by more than 150 investors, operators, and community partners.

View the full list of Chloe Capital’s 2025 Founder Fellows here.

Chloe Capital is thrilled to reveal its latest investments from the 2025 Founder Fellowship cohort, marking another milestone in its long-term commitment to supporting founders and alumni as they scale across New York City.

“The Founder Fellowship reflects our belief that early conviction capital paired with real partnership can change the trajectory of a company,” shared Elisa Miller-Out, Managing Partner at Chloe Capital. “We’re excited to announce our next tranche of investments in the Fellows, which demonstrates our long-term commitment to backing exceptional founders as they scale and lead the next wave of innovation in New York City. We are proud to support both new Fellows and returning alumni, because sustained partnership is critical to helping strong companies grow, adapt, and succeed over time.”

In addition to investments from the 2025 cohort, Chloe Capital also made an investment in Clip Bike, a company that previously participated in the 2024 Founder Fellowship cohort, underscoring the firm’s long-term commitment to supporting founders beyond the program.

The five companies selected for investment in 2025 include:

Airpals

Founder: Joshe Ordonez
Website: www.airpals.com

Company Overview: Airpals is a B2B platform for workplace logistics that uses an agent-driven approach to automate logistical tasks such as corporate and industrial shipping.

Clip.Bike

Founders: Clement de Alcala, Somnath Ray
Website: www.clip.bike

Company Overview: CLIP aims to make commuting easier and cleaner with the world’s first plug-and-play device that effortlessly upgrades any bike into an e-bike, without requiring any tools or pre-installation.

FibrX

Founder: Kamel Greene

Website: www.fibrx.io

Company Overview: FibrX is a Platform-as-a-Service that uses fiber optic sensors and AI to provide 24/7 non-invasive monitoring of structural health and corrosion for mission-critical infrastructure.

GreenIRR

Founder: Celine King
Website: www.greenirr.com

Company Overview: GreenIRR is a carbon accounting platform for trucking carriers to automatically measure fleet emissions and generate regulation-compliant reports.

inCitu

Founder: Dana Chermesh-Reshef
Website: www.incitu.us

Company Overview: inCitu is on a mission to map the world’s future built environment into augmented reality to empower residents, developers, and city governments. They convert 3D urban planning data into accessible AR experiences for mobile devices.

About Chloe Capital

​Chloe Capital is a venture capital firm that invests with a mission of inclusive innovation ecosystem building. In addition to investing with a gender and diversity lens, Chloe Capital partners with government partners such as NYCEDC, universities, corporations and foundations like ECMC Foundation and the Richard King Mellon Foundation to host programs that help catalyze fundraising efforts for underrepresented founders. This collaborative approach to early stage investing has resulted in millions raised. Today, more than 50,000 people around the world have joined Chloe Capital’s Movement to turn #FoundersIntoFunders. ChloeCapital.com

Media Contact

info@chloecapital.com

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Program Will Serve 60 Startups Across Four Cohorts, Catalyzing Nearly $1M in Private Funding

Since Launching in 2022, The Program Has Supported Nearly 400 Founders Across 243 Companies, of Which Nearly 80 Percent Include a BIPOC Founder

New Alumni Program Will Support Graduates of NYCEDC Startup Programs as they Embark on Next Stage Growth in New York City

November 18, 2025

NEW YORK, NY—New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) today announced the launch of 2026 applications for its flagship tech startup accelerator program, the Founder Fellowship, and the launch of the new Founder Alumni program to support graduates of NYCEDC-funded entrepreneurship programs. Each year, the Founder Fellowship program supports a diverse community of New York City-based tech startup founders with access to industry networks, fundraising, mentorship, business development, and other opportunities necessary to build and scale their enterprises. The program aims to eliminate barriers to entry into the venture-backed startup community and build a tech economy that reflects and leverages New York City’s unique ecosystem.

The Founder Fellowship program has accelerated 393 New York City-based founders and co-founders across 243 tech startups, selected from more than 2,300 applications. Founder Fellows have gone on to raise more than $170M, are valued at over $1B, and have hired more than 160 new employees. Approximately two-thirds of Fellow teams to date have least one female founder, 77 percent have a Black, Latinx, and/or Asian founder, and 15 percent have at least one LGBT+ founder.

For the first time, NYCEDC is introducing the Founder Alumni Program, operated by Founder Fellowship operator Visible Hands, with Main Street Assembly. This new program will provide ongoing resources and support designed to help graduates of NYCEDC-funded alumni programs navigate the next stage of growth. The program will support current and future alumni of NYCEDC entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives, including, but not limited to: City Fellowship, Fashion Manufacturing Initiative, Founder Fellowship, NYC Mass Timber Studio, Game Design Future Lab, Scale Ready Studio by Women.NYC, Offshore Wind Innovation Hub, Pilots at Brooklyn Army Terminal, Resilient Energy Studio, LifeSci NYC Expansion Fund and more.

“Now entering its fifth year, the Founder Fellowship is one of NYCEDC’s core entrepreneurship programs that has helped hundreds of diverse founders scale, grow, and contribute to the immense economic impact of New York City’s tech sector,” said NYCEDC President & CEO Andrew Kimball. “As we kick off this year’s Founder Fellowship programming, NYCEDC is so proud to also launch the first-ever Founder Alumni program, ensuring that graduates of our wide-ranging entrepreneurship initiatives remain supported as they take their ventures to the next level across the five boroughs and beyond.”

“It has been a privilege to partner with NYCEDC over the past several years to support dozens of founders through our Founder Fellowship. Through this work, we’ve seen firsthand the incredible depth of talent that exists across New York City, spanning industries, skill sets, and backgrounds. We’re now thrilled to expand that partnership by helping to strengthen the alumni network, ensuring that the hundreds of companies NYCEDC supports each year have access to ongoing community and resources of this great city,” said Visible Hands Co-Founder & General Partner Justin Kang.

“Chloe Capital is honored to continue our multi-year partnership with NYCEDC through the Founder Fellowship,” said Myneco Ramirez, Partner, Chloe Capital. “Over the past several years, we’ve seen firsthand how access to capital, mentorship, and networks can transform the trajectory of diverse founders and their companies. The 2026 Fellowship continues this momentum, fueling the next generation of entrepreneurs who are redefining what’s possible for New York’s innovation economy.”

“Company Ventures is privileged to partner with NYCEDC for another year of the Founder Fellowship, supporting exceptional founders who are building high-growth, high-impact companies. The Fellowship is tailor-made for first-time founders by providing targeted support in core areas of company building including capital readiness, customer feedback, and access to talent,” said Matt Harrigan, CEO and Managing Partner of Company Ventures.

“The Founder Fellowship channels the energy and ambition that define New York,” said Michelle Brechtelsbauer, VP of Strategy at Newlab. “Through access to community, capital, and mentorship we’re helping founders turn ambitious ideas into critical technologies that fuel economic growth in the city and across the globe.”

“We’re proud to support programs like the Founder Fellowship that ensure the next generation of entrepreneurs—innovative and deeply connected to this city—have the resources and community they need to grow their companies right here in New York,” said Julie Samuels, President & CEO of Tech:NYC. “By expanding access to opportunity, this program is fueling a stronger, more inclusive innovation ecosystem, and that benefits every New Yorker.”

The Founder Fellowship is a signature program of NYCEDC’s Venture Access NYC, a suite of programs designed to build the world’s best and most inclusive tech ecosystem in New York City while addressing inequities faced by founders and funders traditionally underrepresented in the tech sector. The program will continue for its fifth installation in 2026, following four successful annual editions in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. NYCEDC’s investment in the Founder Fellowship program is resulting in nearly $1 million in dilutive and non-dilutive capital commitments catalyzed by its private sector partners to be invested across tech startups selected to the 2026 program.

New York City is ranked as the second largest tech and venture capital ecosystem in the world and is home to over 25,000 tech-enabled startups and 1,200 active venture capital firms. The city’s tech sector employs more than 360,000 people, having grown by over 30 percent in the last decade. However, in 2023, U.S. startups led solely by women founders received about two percent of venture funding in 2023, while startups led by Black and Latinx founders generally receive less than three percent of total funding raised. NYCEDC designed the Founder Fellowship to ensure entrepreneurs traditionally underrepresented among venture-backed startups can successfully build and grow their enterprises in NYC.

Founder Fellowship participants bolster New York City’s leading industries, including tech and AI, healthcare and life sciences, and the climate and green economy. More than a quarter of all Fellow teams to date are in the climate sector; twenty percent are in the healthcare and life sciences sector, and nearly half are using artificial intelligence technology to advance their innovations.

For the 2026 Founder Fellowship edition, NYCEDC selected four program partners to operate four concurrent cohorts of the program. Each operator will provide unique value and offerings to fifteen startups participating in their respective cohorts:

• Chloe Capital, a movement-driven venture capital firm investing with a gender and diversity lens in climate, health, workforce, and education innovation.
• Company Ventures, a NYC-based seed-stage venture firm investing in founders building B2B SaaS, digital health, and fintech companies, grounded in the belief that the best companies are built in good company.
• Newlab, a global venture platform for critical technology startups that will reshape our global economy, lowering the barriers for startups to commercialize faster.
• Visible Hands, a venture capital firm that holistically supports early-stage, underrepresented founders in building high-growth startups.

Applications for the 2026 Founder Fellowship are now open through December 31, 2025. Selected startup teams will be announced in February 2026, and the Fellowship will commence in March 2026. On December 2, 2025, NYCEDC will host an info session on this year’s programming. Learn more and apply.

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, X, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York City, NY – October 16, 2024 – Chloe Capital is proud to announce the launch of its continued Founder Fellowship partnership dedicated to supporting underrepresented tech founders across New York City. This innovative initiative aims to provide diverse entrepreneurs with the resources, mentorship, and funding necessary to scale their tech startups and drive meaningful change in the industry.

In 2025, Chloe Capital will select a diverse group of fifteen NYC-based startup teams to join its Founder Fellowship cohort and receive bespoke resources, access to industry leaders, and critical introductions to investors and partners. As part of the program, participants will engage in workshops, networking events, and mentorship sessions with seasoned professionals.

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Chloe Capital as a cohort operator for the Founder Fellowship program, supporting tech founders across New York City in scaling their startups,” said Fernando Montejo, VP of Innovation Industries at New York City Economic Development Corporation. “Chloe Capital’s commitment to empowering and investing in underrepresented entrepreneurs aligns seamlessly with the Founder Fellowship’s mission to foster a more inclusive and equitable tech ecosystem in our city.” 

Chloe Capital’s Founder Fellowship has already made a significant impact with its two previous cohorts, helping thirty-five founder teams to secure funding, gain valuable insights, and expand their networks. This year’s program promises to build on that success.

“Building off of our mission of inclusive ecosystem, we are thrilled to continue our multi-year partnership with NYCEDC and its trailblazing Founder Fellowship,” said Myneco Ramirez, Partner at Chloe Capital. “At Chloe Capital we believe that by empowering diverse perspectives and giving founders the tools they need to succeed, we unlock groundbreaking innovations that can reshape industries. We are excited to see the incredible ideas that this cohort will bring to life.”

Applications for the program are now open, and interested founders are encouraged to learn more and apply at www.chloecapital.com/nyc-2025.

Join us in supporting the next generation of diverse tech leaders and driving forward the future of innovation in New York City!

About the Founder Fellowship
The Founder Fellowship is a leading initiative focused on fostering diversity and inclusion within the tech industry. By providing underrepresented entrepreneurs with mentorship, resources, and funding, we aim to create a thriving ecosystem where diverse voices can innovate and succeed.

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About Chloe Capital

Chloe Capital is a venture capital firm that invests in women-led technology companies. In addition to investing with a gender and diversity lens, Chloe Capital partners with universities, corporations and foundations like ECMC Foundation and the Richard King Mellon Foundation to host programs that help catalyze fundraising efforts for underrepresented founders. This collaborative approach to early stage investing has resulted in millions raised. Today, more than 50,000 people around the world have joined Chloe Capital’s Movement to #InvestInWomen. ChloeCapital.com 

For more information, interviews, or media inquiries, please contact Kristina Klaas at info@chloecapital.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, NY  — August 19, 2024 – Chloe Capital proudly announces four new investments totaling $300,000 as part of its mission to empower early-stage entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds through its Founder Fellowship cohort partnership with the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). These investments are aimed at fostering innovation, driving economic growth, and building a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem to address inequities in NYC’s tech ecosystem. 

Chloe Capital’s 2024 Founder Fellowship cohort welcomed 15 startup teams from across New York City, of which 80% are women-led and 100% are diverse-led. The Fellows received access to critical resources, investor connections, mentorship, and support to help scale their operations and enhance their market reach. The program culminated in a Founder Showcase that welcomed more than 100 investors, community members, and prospective partners.

To view the full list of Chloe Capital’s 2024 Founder Fellows, click here. 

The companies selected for investment represent a wide array of industries, showcasing the creativity and resilience of diverse founders based in New York City. The four companies receiving investments are:

BOLDER MONEY

Amy Schultz, Co-Founder & Head Coach

Siddharth Singh, Co-Founder & CEO

boldermoney.com

Bolder Money is a chat based money-coaching platform for consumers who don’t work with financial advisors. Bolder helps consumers achieve their financial goals by addressing the emotional and behavioral side of money. Essentially Noom for money.

ELEKTRA HEALTH

Jannine Versi, Co-Founder & CEO

elektrahealth.com

Elektra Health’s digital platform offers evidence-based menopause telemedicine care, education, and community support to improve women’s post-reproductive health. Members are paired with dedicated women’s health clinicians who use Elektra’s proprietary care model to create personalized wellness plans. Elektra provides ongoing symptom and care navigation through clinically validated tools and patient engagement.

JOULEZ

Micah Berdale, CEO

drivejoulez.com

Joulez is an all Electric Vehicle rental and fleet management platform and operator based in NYC. They are dedicated to developing the software, technology and operations necessary for EVs to be successfully deployed in New York City and around the United States.

LILU

Adriana Vazquez-Ortiz, Co-Founder & Co-CEO

Sujay Suresh Kumar, Co-Founder & Co-CEO

wearlilu.com

Lilu is a women’s health company creating tech-enabled products to improve postpartum care for new moms. Their two product lines include the Omni Breast Pump, which uses patented breast massage technology to help moms pump 50% more milk, and the MilkSense Smart Bra + App, which provides data on breast health to support moms struggling with postpartum anxiety and depression. Both products aim to make breastfeeding more comfortable, efficient, and pain-free.

“We are thrilled to support these exceptional entrepreneurs who are not only driving innovation but also addressing critical social issues that disproportionately impact underrepresented communities,” said Myneco Ramirez, Partner at Chloe Capital. “By investing in diverse founders that are solving some of the most challenging problems we face today, we are committed to creating a more equitable and inclusive business landscape within New York City.”

Chloe Capital’s innovative accelerator model is dedicated to providing resources, mentorship, and a collaborative network to help diverse, tech-enabled Seed through Series A entrepreneurs thrive. This latest round of investments reflects Chloe Capital’s ongoing commitment to fostering its mission of inclusive ecosystem building at scale.

For more information about Chloe Capital, please visit www.chloecapital.com.

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About Chloe Capital

Chloe Capital is a venture capital firm that invests in women-led technology companies. In addition to investing with a gender and diversity lens, Chloe Capital partners with universities, corporations and foundations like ECMC Foundation and the Richard King Mellon Foundation to host programs that help catalyze fundraising efforts for underrepresented founders. This collaborative approach to early stage investing has resulted in millions raised. Today, more than 50,000 people around the world have joined Chloe Capital’s Movement to #InvestInWomen. ChloeCapital.com