NYU Law Venture Fund names winners of Business Plan Competition

NYU Law Venture Fund

The NYU Law Venture Fund has named Eli Wallach ’23 as first place winner in a business plan competition held in Fall 2021. A team that included Wolfgang Jorde ’24, Melanie Shapsis ’24, and Sydney Forrest ’24 won second place. 

Each individual or participating team submitted a one-to two-minute video with a business idea addressing a wide variety of challenges faced by cities today, such as climate change and inequities in housing, education, and healthcare. 

Wallach’s plan focuses on increasing investment in flood resiliency by creating a financial services provider and marketplace for flood resiliency and renovation projects that would connect homeowners with vetted renovators. A financing mechanism would enable the cost of services to be covered by reductions in flood insurance premiums, allowing homeowners to invest in resiliency renovations with no upfront costs. The second place team’s proposed project addresses two common urban challenges, high office vacancy rates and lack of affordable produce, with a direct-to-consumer mushroom business that permits landlords to fill otherwise-unused space. 

Launched in 2018 with donor support, the NYU Law Venture Fund encourages entrepreneurship by NYU Law students and alumni through grants and internships, networking events, and early stage investments, among other initiatives. This competition was made possible by the generous support of the NYU Law Venture Fund jury, a group of NYU Law alumni who are leaders in the entrepreneurial and venture capital space. 

Posted January 11, 2022