InSITE Companies Raise > $215M
By · CommentsOn the 10th Anniversary of our companies raising funding after graduating InSITE, we have surveyed their accomplishments and found tremendous success in Angel and VC fundraising.
Since Spring of 2001, InSITE’s companies have raised a total of more than $215 million of disclosed funding and have enjoyed at least 6 successful exits. With 96 companies completing our program to date, that’s an average of $2.2 million raised per company – an impressive number, particularly considering the majority of start-ups do not receive funding.
The biggest raise by far was by RecycleBank, totaling $71.1 million dollars over 3 rounds. Even without RecycleBank’s funding success, each InSITE company raised $1.5M on average. That’s a tremendous amount of Angel/VC funding for startups based in the New York City area.
Filling out the top five raises are Silicon Alley Telecom (which became Eureka Broadband and is now part of Broadview Networks) ($44 million), Hycrete ($25 million), Vindigo ($22 million), and ON Networks ($16 million). Our most recent large success has been Organic Motion ($8.28 million), a 2006 and 2009 InSITE Company.
Top Angel/VC investors have been involved in these ventures, including RRE Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield, Rose Tech Ventures, NGEN Partners, First Round Capital, Accel Partners, Kodiak Ventures, PKS Capital, SJF Ventures, Robin Hood Ventures, Foundry Group, Betaworks, and New York Angels.
To date, have been at least 6 successful exits including Klipmart, which is now Doubleclick’s Rich Media Ad serving tool, Motif. Others include:
Design2Launch, acquired by Kodak
EATS Media, acquired by Delivery.com
ASPEED Software, acquired by Simtone
PreClick, acquired by Smilebox
Mycrocept, acquired by Healthpoint
More information on InSITE’s companies is available here.
These numbers do not take into account undisclosed funding amounts. We know of at least 6 companies that have received seed funding, but the sizes were not publicly disclosed, including HopStop, MediaMerx, Frogtek and Catchafire.
Although InSITE doesn’t take full credit for the success of these companies, no one can dispute that the company selection teams each semester have successfully picked the best and brightest entrepreneurs in NYC.
InSITE teams work hard each semester with these companies to refine their pitches and presentations and put them in front of our Venture Capital Advisory Program Sponsors (VCAPS). InSITE congratulates 10 years of InSITE companies on terrific success in raising funding and building successful enterprises!
– Shirley Xu, 2009-2010 Special VP for Alumni Companies
InSITE Celebrates 10th Anniversary
By · CommentsThe resurgence of the New York technology entrepreneurship and start-up activity coincides with the 10th Anniversary of InSITE. The recent wave of innovation and the influx of talent from around the world serve to illustrate what InSITE has known since its inception – New York is the best city in the world to start a business. InSITE is proud to have been an integral part of this community for the past decade.
On Tuesday, April 13th, InSITE (Investments from Student Interaction with Technology and Entrepreneurs) is celebrating its 10th Anniversary, hosting its current Fellows and alumni.
With its first class graduating in 2000 and always comprised of MBA and JD students from Columbia and NYU Business and Law Schools, the program has grown significantly in size and scope over the past decade. InSITE Fellows are selected each academic year though a competitive application process, and only a fraction of those who apply are accepted based on their interests and demonstrated experiences in an entrepreneurial or venture oriented career. This year, the organization received more than 150 applications for 24 new Fellow positions.
Led by Chairman Paul Tumpowsky (CBS/InSITE ’00), each semester InSITE Fellows source a group of early stage New York startups for its advisory program. Over the past decade, teams of Fellows have worked with more than 100 New York startups to help them better articulate their businesses, refine their strategy and sharpen their value proposition. InSITE also hosts a variety of programs, including term sheet negotiations and a speaker series which has included prominent venture capitalists Alan Patricof and Fred Wilson, and supports New York Angels through their Future Angels initiative.
The program has been enormously successful for both the student Fellows and the companies that have completed the process. Since 2000, InSITE companies have raised more than $170 million in venture funding. Notable InSITE alumni companies include Vindigo, Broadview Networks, ON Networks, Hycrete, Recycle Bank, Hopstop, FlavorPill and Organic Motion.
InSITE Fellows have pursued careers in a variety of industries, including investment professionals at venture funds including Bessemer Venture Partners and DFJ Gotham, attorneys from in-house counsel at Amazon’s Lab126 to Wilson Sonsini and Skadden Arps, management consultants at McKinsey & Company, investment bankers and, of course, entrepreneurs.
Recently, Alex Ferrara (CBS/InSITE ’04) was promoted to Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, and Andrew Moss (NYU JD/InSITE ’01) the Founder and CEO of BuyWithMe.com, raised a $5.5 million Series A Round from Matrix Partners.
InSITE Fellows, Alumni, its Board of Directors and invited guests will gather on the 13th to celebrate the organization’s successes over the past decade and elect the next group of student leaders to manage the organization though another successful year.
InSITE is sponsored by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati, the preeminent law firm focused on early stage technology businesses, as well as a number of top venture capital firms: Canaan Partners, Contour Venture Partners, DFJ Gotham, Greenhill SAVP, Investor Growth Capital, Kodiak Venture Partners, Milestone Venture Partners, and RRE Ventures.
For more information on InSITE Contact:
Paul Tumpowsky
212.999.6200
Paul.Tumpowsky@InSITEny.org
InSITE Board Member Mac Lipscomb Joins RRE Ventures
By · CommentsInSITE’s very own Board Member, Mac Lipscomb, who many Fellows remember from their very first InSITE session for his annual “14 points” lecture on the perfect funding pitch, has just joined InSITE Venture Capital Advisory Program Sponsor RRE Ventures as Operating Partner.
RRE is re-aligning to reemphasize their efforts here in NYC. Mac gives InSITE a great shout-out in the press release.
Mac has given a great deal of time and energy to InSITE since our founding 10 years ago, and recently retired as a leader of the Communications Industry Practice at Accenture and formally joined the InSITE Board. The InSITE community congratulates him on this major move.
– Rich Powell, President 2009-2010
From a group of 40 applicants, InSITE’s Fellows have selected the following companies to work with during our Spring 2010 Semester:
- Bandvest is an online music marketplace where artists raise money to record a professional EP by pre-selling their EP to fans at a discounted price and giving them meaningful incentives including equity in the EP in the form of ‘Bandvest Bucks.’
- EcoSystems offers hardware systems that allow users to easily create or customize furniture under comprehensive, environmentally-friendly frameworks.
- Klickable is an easy-to-use online video platform that allows users to create interactive Klickable videos.
- ProtEquity offers a Home Equity Protection (HEP) product for homeowners that allows them to protect the value of their home against regional housing market declines.
- Active Locations develops location-aware mobile applications that allow organizers and owners of events and venues to place branded information and content at their visitors’ fingertips.
Teams of Fellows have been paired with each company; they will work to improve their pitches over the next two months in preparation for InSITE’s Spring 2010 Final Pitch Event on Friday, April 9th.
InSITE Accepts Six Fellows to Spring 2010 Class
By · CommentsInSITE received 48 applications this semester for a coveted six Fellow slots. We are very pleased to announce an outstanding class of Fellows for Spring 2010:
- Josh Brandley, Columbia MBA ‘11
- J. Ryan Golden, NYU JD ‘11
- Shiv Hira, NYU MBA ‘11
- Alessandro Presti , Columbia JD/MBA ‘13
- Sean Weinstock, NYU JD ‘12
- Ben Zhuk, Columbia MBA ‘11
Bios for new fellows are available here. We thank all those who applied to InSITE for its Spring 2010 Fellow class.
Spring 2010 New Fellow Applications
By · CommentsInSITE is now accepting applications for new Fellows from NYU Law, Stern, Columbia Law and Columbia Business School. The (strict) application deadline is 11:59pm on Monday, January 25.
Our Spring application cycle focuses on law students. Business school students, particularly Columbia J-termers, are welcome to apply, but should explain either their reasons for not applying in the Fall or their significant new experiences in VC and/or entrepreneurship since their last application.
Application guidelines are available here.
Info sessions will be held at:
- NYU Law, Furman Hall Room 216 on Thursday, January 21 at 12:00pm
- Columbia Law on Tuesday, January 19 (details TBA)
InSITE Accepts 18 Fellows to Fall 2009 Class
By · CommentsThis semester, we received a record number of applications from the most talented group of people ever to be together in graduate school. InSITE is excited to annouced 18 terrific new Fellows – they are:
Jon Cooper, NYU MBA
Michael DiBenedetto, Columbia MBA
Seth Goldman, NYU MBA
Sharon Goswami, NYU JD
Daniel Harman, Columbia MBA
Omar Haroun, Columbia JD
Colleen Honigsberg, Columbia JD
Nick Hurley, NYU MBA
Camila Jimenez Villa, NYU MBA/MFA
Christopher Johnson, Columbia MBA
Mike Katz, Columbia MBA
Stephanie Palmeri, Columbia MBA
Greg Pennington, Columbia MBA
Brian Rothenberg, NYU MBA
Alex Shellhammer, NYU MBA
Maria Testani, Columbia MBA
Marisa Tricarico, NYU MBA
Shirley Xu, Columbia MBA
Bios for our new Fellows are available here.

