CRAINSNEWYORK.COM I MAY 13, 2024
Women’s health VC checkup Four funders share advice on standing out in a crowded landscape By Jacqueline Neber When Brooklyn Heights-based angel investor Leslie Schrock met with Dina Radenkovic, co-founder of women’s health startup Gameto, in 2022, Schrock noticed Radenkovic seemed exhausted. Just the day before, Radenkovic had donated her eggs to test her company’s protocol, which uses cell engineering to develop reproductive medicines for women. Schrock was impressed by RaBY THE denkovic’s dediNUMBERS cation. “I knew Dina was the real deal,” The total Schrock said. “I amount of thought to myself, investments Wow, not all founders are willfor women’s ing to do that. And health-tech they’re certainly companies in not willing to show New York up to work the next day.” Radenkovic’s commitment convinced Schrock to join the bioethics committee for Midtown-based Gameto, which has raised about $40 million in a quest to bring women more treatments as they age. Schrock is also an adviser for Maven Clinic, one of the superstars of New York’s women’s health industry, and an angel investor for several other
$256M
See STARTUPS on Page 30
Angel investor Leslie Schrock (left) and Maven Clinic founder Kate Ryder | BUCK ENNIS
Adams spends $250K of city money on tech conference with ties to Frank Carone By Nick Garber
Mayor Eric Adams promoted the upcoming Smart City Expo USA in a promotional video released by the conference in April. | SMART CITY EXPO USA
Mayor Eric Adams’ administration is spending $250,000 of city money to sponsor an upcoming tech conference whose organizer recently worked for Frank Carone, Adams’ political fixer and former chief of staff. The Smart City Expo USA is scheduled to be held in Lower Manhattan from May 22 to 23, and is touting Adams and more
than a dozen other top city officials as speakers. Initially scheduled for October 2023, organizers canceled the conference four days before its start date. They publicly blamed heavy rainfall, but five people familiar with the event’s planning who spoke with Crain’s New York Business attributed the postponement to poor ticket sales and a lack of corporate sponsorships. Mayor Adams has promoted the revived Expo as a chance to explore solutions to
climate change and public safety: “As the tech mayor, I am committed to pushing our city forward,” Adams said in a video message first posted to the conference’s YouTube page in April. But Adams has not publicly mentioned his administration’s financial support for the event, nor the organizers’ ties to his personal orbit: Aarti Tandon, the CEO of See CARONE on Page 28
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EDUCATION Does attending a New York law school help grads pass the state bar exam?
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT Startup wants to make EV chargers as common as lampposts.
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