We often hear that investors shy away from investing in married couples. What about family members who start companies together? New York has its share of fathers and sons, brothers and sisters, brothers and brothers and even cousins who do. They’re investors and entrepreneurs. Cofounders and cofounders. They’re the teams who make it work, then sit down to Thanksgiving Dinner together.
Above all, they keep it in the family.
CLICK HERE TO SEE 10 NYC FAMILIES WHERE TECH IS IN THE BLOOD
Heidi & Stephen Messer
Collective[i]
Back in 1996, when the brother-sister duo Stephen Messer and Heidi Messer first started Linkshare, there was no such thing as ‘affiliate marketing.’ Well, the Messers not only changed that: nearly 10 years later, between publishers and advertisers, the pair had amassed 10 million and Linkshare was acquired by Rakuten for $425 million.
In cash.
They’re at it again. Their new venture, Collective[i], a data-driven technology and network that transforms massive amounts of raw data into enterprise shared strategic knowledge. Heidi and Steve are cofounders – again – and the company was recently selected as one of OnMedia’s 100 Top Private Companies.
So, please don’t ask Heidi if Steve is her husband. He’s her brother. Her husband is Tad Martin, Collective[i]’s third cofounder and CEO.
Nothing quite like keeping it in the family.
Keep up with Heidi:
Twitter
LinkedIn
Keep up with Steve:
Twitter
LinkedIn
Image credit: Success Stories
Alexa & James Hirschfeld
Paperless Post
Alexa and James Hirschfeld, founders of Paperless Post, are another sibling duo. Paperless Post serves up digital and print stationery to address the needs of everyone from Internet-only crowd to people who like their invitations delivered the old-fashioned way.
Both are Harvard educated, and he was still at the university when he was planning his 21st birthday party and the idea for Paperless Post popped up. So he called his sister, who was working in NYC at the time.
A company was born. She’s Head of Product. He’s CEO.
Keep up with Alexa:
Twitter
LinkedIn
Keep up with James :
Twitter
LinkedIn
Image credit: The Crimson
Avi & Noemi Millman
Stray Boots
This Princeton-educated brother and sister team started the tech-based scavenger hunt company together (along with buddy Scott Knackmuhs) based on the idea that exploring your city could be way more fun if you made it into a game. And did it from your phone. That’s StrayBoots and here’s a twist: he’s the CEO; she’s the CTO.
Keep up with Avi:
Keep up with Noemi:
Twitter
LinkedIn
Blog
Image credit: Avi Millman
Daniela & Jorge Perdomo
GoTenna
Daniela and Jorge Perdoma grew up in Sao Paulo, but they’re both here in NYC now, as cofounders of goTenna, a device that pairs with your smartphone and lets you communicate with others even when you don’t have service. It allows you to send text messages, actually, and it’ll even work when your phone is in ‘Airplane Mode.’
She’s the CEO; he’s the CTO.
The idea for the company came out of pure frustration: Jorge was at a concert and having a hard time connecting with friends, due to connectivity issues. Daniela had issues due to Hurricane Sandy. They decided to do something about it. Together.
Keep up with Daniela:
Twitter
LinkedIn
Keep up with Jorge:
Twitter
LinkedIn
Image credit: Cubanet
Uri & Rebecca Minkoff
Rebecca Minkoff
Uri Minkoff is CEO and founder of Rebecca Minkoff, one of fashion’s latter day icons, especially to young female hipsters. His sister, Rebecca, designer behind the eponymously named line, may well be on her way to become an icon among the smart jewelry set with her line of bracelets that double as phone chargers, and necklaces that buzz when you’ve received an email or text message.
The company has always been fashion and tech forward, and Uri is the man (even if he is her brother) behind the designer.
Keep up with Uri:
Twitter
LinkedIn
Keep up with Rebecca:
LinkedIn
Image credit: Marie Nela
Schlomo Silber & Eric Steiner
Cowork.rs
They’re cousins. Close enough. When Silber had the idea to open a coworking space, he tapped his cousin to run it.
“Shlomo has his own construction company, and has relationships with commercial real estate developers, and a major investor who was working out of an executive suite.“
Which is how Shlomo came up with the idea of putting together Cowork.rs, which has expanded to three floors in the Flatiron District. And they’re growing.
Keep up with Shlomo:
LinkedIn
Keep up with Eric:
LinkedIn
Brian & Trace Cohen
Launch.It
There’s a rule in the Cohen household: you must launch your first startup by the time you’re 26. We’re not sure what the possible consequences are if you don’t (all three of the New York Angels Chairman’s progeny are currently running their own companies), and son Trace is president of Launch.it, an event news and social engagement platform that is currently being used by the world’s largest conferences, tradeshows and expos to create a central location for all their exhibitor and partner news on their websites. Think of it as a digital press room. He cofounded it with his dad, who is the company’s CEO.
Since we’re keeping it in the family here, brother Maxwell’s company is A Fresh Sheet, the world’s first and only fitted sheet with seven soft, comfortable, peel away, disposable (and biodegradable) layers, while sister Nikki is working on bonvoyaging, a travel planning site for the well-heeled traveler with discerning tastes, who enjoys finding curated events, off the beaten track.
Keep up with Brian:
Twitter
Linkedin
Keep up with Trace:
Twitter
LinkedIn
Image credit: Get Funded by Angels and Twitter
Ken & Ben Lerer
Lerer Hippeau Ventures
BuzzFeed, HuffPo, Warby Parker, Rapgenius, Birchbox, Thrillist, GroupMe, Makerbot, chartbeat, Venmo. All, companies that the Lerers, father and son, have either founded, cofounded or invested in. Those are just some of the highlights, and who in New York tech, would turn down an investment from Lerer Hippeau Ventures? Most everything they touch turns to tech gold. Must be in the blood….
Keep up with Ken:
Twitter
Keep up with Ben:
Twitter
LinkedIn
Image credit: TechCrunch
James D. III & James D. Robinson
RRE Ventures
They’re father and son investors, and cofounders of RRE Ventures (with Stuart Ellman). James D. III (Cofounder and General Partner) was CEO of American Express, then The Coca-Cola Company, where he helped the company acquire additional companies; a business strategy that Businessweek reported as, “Widely considered the most successful financial services diversification drive of the 1980s.” He left in 1993 and cofounded RRE with son James (Jim) D. Robinson (Cofounder and Managing Partner), who has led investments in and served on the boards of more than 40 technology companies, and has also been ranked 45th in Forbes Midas List Top 100 VC’s. The firm has made 230+ investments, from BuzzFeed to Quirky, from Floored to Paperless Post. Which qualifies them as a dynasty on the New York business landscape.
Keep up with James:
Twitter
LinkedIn
Keep up with Jim:
Twitter
LinkedIn
Image credit: RRE Ventures
David & Alan Tisch
Spring
David is partial to hoodies. Alan’s got a sneaker fetish. Together they launched Spring, a shopping app that makes it just waaay to easy to find and just about instantly spring for whatever strikes your fancy. Products include men’s and women’s fashions, skin care, beauty and of course there’s a geek factor. Get real.
Alan (who did spend some time at Fab) is cofounder and CEO. David is cofounder and otherwise busy with the Box Group, as one of the most active early stage investors in New York. Of course you’ll find your Warby Parkers is on the platform. They’re a Box Group investment and again, keeping it in the family.
Keep up with David:
Twitter
LinkedIn
Keep up with Alan:
Twitter
LinkedIn
Image credit: Twitter