Fashion, Photos, and Marketing Loom Large Among Startups at ERA Demo Day

Graduates from the Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator’s winter class took the stage today at the New York Institute of Technology to impress investors and other attendees at its demo day event. Ten startups offered up their ideas on how to disrupt fashion, retail, marketing, and other industries that are rooted in the city yet extend far beyond its borders.

Jonathan Axelrod, co-founder and managing director of the Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA) in New York, said more than 500 startups applied for the winter edition of the program. ERA is an offshoot of Entrepreneurs Roundtable, which hosts events in New York, Istanbul, and Tokyo for investors and entrepreneurs. Sponsors for the accelerator program include Founder Labs, SecondMarket, Microsoft Bizspark, and SNR Denton.

ERA takes an eight percent equity stake in the companies accepted into the program. In exchange, each startup receives $25,000 in funding, free office space in New York, legal and accounting services, software, and airline tickets for business travel. The program also provides mentors to help the companies advance their ideas.

Axelrod said ERA focuses on early stage technology startups that leverage the city’s

Author: João-Pierre S. Ruth

After more than thirteen years as a business reporter in New Jersey, João-Pierre S. Ruth joined the ranks of Xconomy serving first as a correspondent and then as editor for its New York City branch. Earlier in his career he covered telecom players such as Verizon Wireless, device makers such as Samsung, and developers of organic LED technology such as Universal Display Corp. João-Pierre earned his bachelor’s in English from Rutgers University.