One Year of Lynx Collective: Highlights and What’s Next
Including our Fundraising Summit, talks with Harlem Capital, South Park Commons & more
It's hard to believe it's already been a year since we launched Lynx Collective with a mission to empower NYC startup founders and strengthen the city's tech ecosystem. We've focused on creating impactful in-person events—talks, workshops, socials, and dinners—where founders can access the knowledge and networks they need to thrive.
In numbers:
We hosted 55 events, including 15 “Inside: VC” talks with top firms like Union Square Ventures, AlleyCorp, Techstars, Betaworks, Antler and more.
>3,000 founders and investors have attended our events.
Our weekly newsletter, Early Stage, is nearing 5,000 regular subscribers.
As we look ahead, we're energized to continue delivering meaningful programming and building stronger connections for NYC founders. We're particularly excited about our upcoming Startup Fundraising Summit on October 15—an incredible opportunity for founders to connect with investors and gain essential insights on raising capital.
With 1-2 events now happening each week, we’re seeking volunteers to help - just a couple hours here and there to help our events run smoothly. If you’re interested in getting involved, fill out this form to reach out. It’s a great way to ensure you can attend our always sold out events.
Here’s what we have coming up:
October 9: Founder Dinner - with The Talent Management Collective
We are excited to host a Founder dinner with special guests Dan Fisher, co-founder/managing partner of The Talent Management Collective (TMC) and TMC member Renee Vieira, Head of Organizational Effectiveness at Justworks. TMC is a renowned network of talent management leaders from some of the world’s top companies. This intimate dinner offers a unique opportunity to engage with these experts, gain valuable insights on scaling your business, and explore best practices for managing a dynamic, high-growth company.
Who should attend: Founders who are scaling their companies or Founders who want to connect with talent executives.
October 10: Inside: Nyca with Jasleen Kaur
Nyca Partners is a venture capital firm connecting innovative companies to the global financial system. The firm has just under $1 billion under management and investments in over 100 portfolio companies. In this talk, we'll hear from Nyca Investor Jasleen Kaur, who leads investments at the fund in companies focused on Wealthtech, Capital Markets, and Commerce Enablement.
Who should attend: Founders who are focused on fintech.
October 15: Startup Fundraising Summit - By Investors, For Founders
This summit is designed to give Founders the opportunity to meet and learn from Investors. It’s designed for early-stage tech Founders actively raising capital.
The Agenda
3:30 pm - Check-in and Founder networking
4:00 pm - Inside Flybridge Capital with Jesse Middleton - Securing a Lead Investor
4:45 pm - Preparing for your Capital Raise with Colin Kirby, Foley Hoag
5:00 pm - Scaling your team
5:15 pm - Investor Perspectives: Panel discussion with Angels, Family Offices, Micro-Funds and others - including Ashwini Anburajan (Side Door Ventures), Sumeet Shah (VHS Ventures) , Diane Choi (Samsung NEXT) and Jessie Lam (Alinea Ventures)
6-8pm - Investor/Founder networking reception: Meet 20+ VC and Angel investors
Who should attend: Founders who are currently fundraising
VCs and angel investors can request an invite to the networking reception here.
October 17: Female Founders Dinner
Come hang out with other early stage technology startup founders who are tackling ambitious dreams. We'll have good food, good company & good vibes. This dinner has very limited space and will be held in a restaurant in lower-midtown NYC.
Who should attend: Early stage female founders
October 23: AI Investors Dinner
Join us for an exclusive dinner with a select group of 9 other early stage startup investors focused on AI.
Who should attend: VC investors focused on AI
October 29: Inside: Harlem Capital w/ Gabby Cazeau
Harlem Capital is a VC firm on a mission to change the face of entrepreneurship by investing in 1,000 diverse founders over the next 20 years. Harlem Capital invests at the early stage, focused on backing women and diverse founders building B2B SaaS companies. In this talk, we'll hear first from Partner Gabby Cazeau about Harlem Capital's investment philosophy and approach. Lunch will be served during this event.
Who should attend: Founders who are building B2B SaaS companies
November 7: Inside: South Park Commons
South Park Commons is a community of builders & technologists that specializes in helping founders build conviction in an idea - or as they put it "moving from -1 to 0.” In this talk, we'll hear from Arian Agrawal (Partner) and Dylan Itzikowitz (Principal) on their unique approach to investing in founders and where they see the biggest opportunities.
Who should attend: Founders interested in learning about South Park Commons
More to come in November and December, including talks with Greycroft, The Venture Collective, J2 Ventures, Primary Venture Partners and more. As always space is limited, so please limit your RSVPs to events you can attend and are relevant to you.