Online Event
Who's Funding AI Startups in New York? Featuring InsurTech Fund and Founder Institute
Map who is actually funding startups in New York and what it takes to get on their radar.
Date
Sep 29, 2026
Time
02:00 pm - 03:00 pm
Address
Online Event
Founders in New York can name maybe two sources of capital. There are usually more, and several are not obvious.
Join us for a live panel with David Gritz, co-founder of InsurTech Fund, a seed-stage VC fund, and co-founder and Managing Director of InsurTech NY, the largest InsurTech community in North America. He is joined by Ken Parker, Director of the Founder Institute in New York.
We will map the local funding landscape: which funds and angel groups are actively deploying, which public programs and grants exist, what check sizes are realistic here, and what each one screens for. Including AI-native traction, which is what local investors have started asking about and few founders can define.
David has built a five-company portfolio at InsurTech Fund, run a growth-stage accelerator and the Digital MGA Lab at InsurTech NY, and previously co-founded Zero, an InsurTech acquired by Everest Re, so he sees the New York pre-seed and seed market from both sides of the table.
Register now and leave knowing who to approach.
What You'll Learn:
- Which funds, angel groups and public programs are actively deploying in New York;
- What check sizes are realistic locally, and at what stage;
- What each type of funder screens for before taking a meeting;
- What AI-native traction means to a local investor;
- How a founder at idea stage gets on the radar of any of them.
Featured Speakers:
- David Gritz - Co-Founder, InsurTech Fund; Co-Founder & Managing Director, InsurTech NY - A seed-stage investor with a five-company portfolio, David has built North America's largest InsurTech community and previously co-founded Zero, acquired by Everest Re.
- Ken Parker - Director, Founder Institute New York - Ken leads the New York chapter of the world's largest pre-seed accelerator and works with local founders from idea stage through a first raise.
Who Should Attend:
- Founders in New York who do not know where local capital comes from;
- Idea-stage founders planning a first raise in their own market;
- Founders considering whether to raise locally or elsewhere;
- Anyone who assumed there was no money in this city.
Additional Resources: Find more Startup Events, read How to Raise the First Round of Funding, or check Funding Benchmarks and Milestones to see what local investors screen for.
About Founder Institute: The Founder Institute is the World's Largest AI-Native Company Builder, giving idea-stage, first-time founders, and employees making the leap to entrepreneurship the tools, global network, and proven methodology to build an AI-powered startup from zero to funding. Since 2009, our structured programs have helped over 9,000 founders across 100 countries raise more than $2BN in funding. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 6 continents, our mission is to empower talented and motivated people everywhere to build impactful, AI-powered companies.
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