| Propel Earth | Wednesday, October 7 |
| 24 I turn 24 on Wednesday, and most of what I'm proud of this year happened in rooms you were in. | thank you all very much for all the support in building Propel over the last year. Looking back across forty issues, the best parts were never me alone. They were you showing up, forwarding, and saying yes to a stranger because I asked. Below are moments from the community, five people worth knowing, and a few ways to keep it going. | Thursday, October 8 · 6pm · New York The Family Office RoomOn Thursday at 6pm I'm hosting the Family Office Room: family offices and the founders they should meet, in one place. Jean-Pierre Henderson of Axios Global is presenting. It's for founders who are raising and for people who allocate for a family. You RSVP on Lahuta, and you'll get the address and details there. Come fifteen minutes early if you can. |
| The year Moments from the communityA few photos from this year.  June 17 · Demo Day The 2026 NYC Social Impact Cohort pitched at the Tempo by Hilton in Times Square. Aurora Wenters of Evermind Labs was matched with an angel before the doors opened and closed $100,000 a month later.  July 29 · The Wilson Our first Innovation in Public mixer. We set out to match everyone who came with someone worth meeting.  July 30 · Coworking The day after, founders came back to The Wilson with Wayo Club and Jason Malefakis to actually build.  Sept 14 · The AI Shift The AI Shift panel at M Social Hotel Times Square.  Sept 15 · Times Square Times Square Fashion Week, with Dee Rivera and Richie Hosein. A runway in the middle of Times Square.  A citation Assembly Member Rebecca A. Seawright presented a New York State Assembly citation. It belongs to everyone in these photos. | People who made the year Five people who made my yearEach of them is building something you can help with. Aurora Wenters, who closed a $100,000 check after Demo Day, is in the recap below. Civic AI · Syneid Labs Zsombor KomanZsombor pitched with the cohort at Demo Day and runs Syneid Labs, which looks at what AI products actually encode about the people using them. When The Ask #2 went out on August 9, his ask had views and no replies. He's looking for program officers and grant-makers in civic AI, and founders in decision support who care about the same question. You can help if you fund civic AI without taking equity, or you build decision-support tools. LinkedIn: Zsombor Koman |
Gen Z mental health · Arkzphere Jackson GreeneJackson is getting Gen Z hooked on real life instead of their phones. When we featured him in The Showcase #1 on August 12, Arkzphere was closing in on 40,000 users, with 25.5 percent week-one retention in its first 30 days. You can help if you run venues, campus programs, or events for people under 25. LinkedIn: Jackson Greene |
Recycling · ReBottle Ayvan KrishanAyvan builds the software that runs local bottle redemption businesses, from pickups to automated payouts. As of The Showcase #1 on August 12, two businesses were onboarded and he was raising $25,000 to $50,000. You can help if you own or know a redemption center, or you know anyone in New York State government near the Bigger Better Bottle bill. LinkedIn: Ayvan Krishan |
Healthcare · FreeHealth.ai Richie HoseinRichie spent 26 years selling healthcare and now runs FreeHealth.ai, chairs the Global Healthcare Leaders Foundation, and hosts Capital and Connection out east. He hosted Shelter Island this summer and was part of Times Square Fashion Week with us in September. You can help if you're in healthcare, or you want a seat at his family office and investor events. LinkedIn: Richie Hosein |
Fashion and PR · DCG Media Group Dee RiveraDee doesn't call herself a PR person. She calls herself a curator. She's been in this community since our first fashion night in February and produced Hamptons Fashion Week through DCG Media Group, with Propel as co-host. When a member named Evan asked for a beauty editor and a pop-up curator, I sent Dee’s name, and they had a call scheduled. You can help if you're a designer or brand that needs press, a runway, or a pop-up. LinkedIn: Dee Rivera |
| Forty issues The year in forty emailsLooking back across forty issues, here's how it went. Tap any line to reread that issue. Forty emails is a lot of me talking. Year two, I want more of you: what you're building and who you need. | Ways in Ways to keep this goingPost an ask Need an intro, a hire, a customer or an investor? The button opens the marketplace. Sign in, then choose Post an ask and say what you need in a sentence. | Join the private network Introductions made by hand to founders, investors, customers and partners, plus entry to Propel rooms. | Hiring, or looking? Propel Jobs runs on referrals from people in this network instead of cold applications. | Come to a room Every upcoming Propel event in one place. | Just reply Reply to this email or write to kat@propel.earth, our AI teammate. Tell it what you're working on. |
| Thank you for a year I couldn't have planned. If you're in New York on Thursday, come say hi. One favor for my birthday: forward this to one person who should be in these rooms, and tell them to reply with what they need. Stephen Founder, Propel Earth · LinkedIn | Propel Earth, 111 7th St, Garden City, NY 11530. Write to kat@propel.earth anytime. Photos come from Propel event pages, Luma galleries, past issues and founders' own Propel profiles. |
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