GREY Journal

Immigrant Founders & Builders in NYC—You’re Not Alone. We get it. The visa hurdles. The cultural shifts. The missing networks. It’s a path that requires resilience, creativity, and relentless determination—and yet, many immigrant entrepreneurs find a way to thrive. This Wednesday, join 150+ founders (and counting) for an honest, no-fluff conversation about what it really takes to build and scale a company in the U.S. as an immigrant entrepreneur. 💡 Why You Should Be in the Room ✔️ Learn from founders who’ve navigated the toughest challenges—without sugarcoating the reality. ✔️ Discover how to turn your global perspective into a competitive advantage. ✔️ Hear the lessons that don’t get shared on typical panels—the setbacks, the pivots, the breakthroughs. ✔️ Meet investors, mentors, and fellow immigrant founders who understand the journey—and want to help you succeed. 🎙️ Meet the Panelists 🔹 Liesel Vaidya, CEO/Founder, @Imera – Building an AI-powered platform to help immigrants navigate life in the U.S. 🔹 Amie Wiley, CEO/Founder, Active with Amie – A first-gen immigrant who turned content creation into a thriving business. 🔹 Craig Montuori, Director at gener8tor – A policy strategist who’s helped immigrant founders secure over $580M in venture funding. 🎤 Moderated by Sagnik Basu, Co-founder of Making In America. Over 150 founders have already RSVPed, and spots are limited. If you’re an immigrant founder—or someone who supports them—don’t miss this Ugly Talk in NYC! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/erxrVBEC

This one hits home

✅ Vibe Check ✅ Mic Check ✅ SoHo NYC ✅ Ugly Talk:What It Takes To Win In eCommerce In 2025   See you at the next Ugly Talk. 😉 #UglyTalk #NYCevents #ecommerceNYC #Shopify #DTC #Entrepreneurship

Effective networking can open doors to funding, partnerships, mentorship, and industry insights, giving you access to resources that wouldn’t be available otherwise. As a founder, understanding how to network strategically is crucial for long-term success. Social capital—the relationships and trust you build—can directly impact your ability to secure investments, gain credibility, and scale your business. https://lnkd.in/egPbFSNy

Raising your first round? The playbook isn’t what you think. . . Pitch decks, warm intros, and polished investor meetings only tell part of the story. The real lessons come from founders who’ve been in the trenches—navigating term sheets, tough negotiations, and the moments when it felt like the deal might fall apart. At Ugly Talk: First-Time Fundraising, co-hosting with FounderSquare, we’re bringing together founders who’ve closed their first round and the investors who backed them to share what actually happens behind the scenes. No fluff. Just real, unfiltered insights. 📅 February 20, 2025 📍 Microsoft Building, 11 Times Square, NYC ⏰ 6:00 - 9:00 PM EST 🎤 Speakers Include: 🔥 Krishna Dosapati – CEO, Clockout | $1.3M raised | 100K+ downloads in 6 months 🔥 Vince Trost– CEO, Plastic Labs | $5.35M raised across 3 rounds 🔥 Michael Bervell – CEO, TestParty | $4M raised (Harlem Capital, Urban Innovation Fund & NSF) 🤔 Moderated by: Igor Volodin – Startup advisor & product expert What You’ll Take Away: ✅ How these founders actually closed their first round (the good, the bad, and the unexpected). ✅ What investors look for when deciding to write a check. ✅ The biggest mistakes first-time founders make—and how to avoid them. If you're a founder gearing up to fundraise, an investor scouting new opportunities, or just curious about venture-backed startups, this is for you. Spots are limited—lock in your invite. 👇 https://lnkd.in/eREfg6HP . . . #NYC #NYCevent #fundraise #VC #UglyTalk #UglyTalkNYC #GreyJournal

Thank you—and over 150 eCommerce founders—for showing up and making Ugly Talk: What It Takes to Win in Ecommerce in Soho New York an unforgettable evening! The energy in the room was off the charts, and we hope you left with raw, unfiltered insights and some solid new connections. Special thanks to our speakers Olivia Landau  Founder & CEO of The Clear Cut  Sahand Dilmaghani Founder & CEO of Terra Kaffe Lauren Melzer Sr. Director of eCommerce of Bubble Skincare Moderator: Brandon Blum CEO & Founder of New Edition and For Others Brand Partners: Shopify GREY Journal New Edition Signifyd Zamp Redrob Beverage Partners OLIPOP PBC Dirty Water Brand Inc. See event details and more photos here: https://lnkd.in/e2JeBDcw #UglyTalk #NYCevents #ecommerceNYC #Shopify

Trying to scale your DTC brand in 2025? Meet the strategist behind one of the fastest-growing skincare brands. Lauren Melzer Sr. Director of eCommerce at Bubble Skincare, has spent over a decade mastering what it takes to build and scale DTC brands. She specializes in seamless, customer-first digital experiences that don’t just drive sales—they create lasting brand loyalty. Lauren understands the real challenges DTC founders face—from rising acquisition costs to increasing customer retention in a competitive market. Join us at Ugly Talk: eCommerce 2025 on Feb 12 in NYC, where Lauren will share hard-earned lessons, the biggest shifts in online shopping behavior, and the strategies every DTC founder should focus on in 2025. 🔗 RSVP now: https://lnkd.in/e2JeBDcw #UglyTalk #eCommerce #DTC #Shopify #GreyJournal

Are you building a hardware startup and wondering how to scale in 2025? .. Meet Sahand Dilmaghani, Founder & CEO of Terra Kaffe, the company that just ranked No. 995 on the 2024 Inc. 5000 for its rapid growth in the competitive coffee market. Sahand set out to redefine home espresso, blending European café culture with modern convenience—without sacrificing quality. Scaling a hardware-first DTC brand comes with unique challenges—supply chain hurdles, customer support at scale, and balancing product development with operational efficiency. At Ugly Talk: eCommerce 2025 on Feb 12 in NYC, he’ll share the good, the bad, and the ugly of scaling a premium consumer brand. If you’re working on hardware, eCommerce, or disrupting an industry, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. RSVP Link: https://lnkd.in/e2JeBDcw #UglyTalk #NYC #NYevents #ecommerce

Is your company disrupting an age-old industry or challenging the status quo? Our next featured panelist, Olivia Landau, did just that. A 4th-generation diamond expert and GIA Graduate Gemologist, Olivia saw an opportunity to modernize a tradition-bound industry with transparency, personalization, and a direct-to-consumer experience. She launched The Clear Cut, now a globally recognized brand featured in Forbes, Vogue, and The New York Times! At Ugly Talk: eCommerce 2025 on Feb 12 in NYC, Olivia will share the pivotal lessons behind her success, how she’s preparing for 2025, and what it really takes to scale a premium DTC brand in today’s market. If you’re looking to disrupt an industry, redefine an experience, or build a standout brand—this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. 🔗 RSVP now: https://lnkd.in/e2JeBDcw #NYCevent #UglyTalk #Shopify #DTC #ecommerceNYC

We’re thrilled to have Brandon Blum joining Ugly Talk as both a featured speaker and moderator. As the Cofounder and CEO of For Others, a NYC-based lifestyle brand that gives back by zip code, Brandon knows exactly what it takes to build a brand with purpose. He’s also the founder of New Edition, a boutique content marketing agency helping DTC brands create, grow, and monetize powerful content strategies. Brandon brings a blend of expertise in eCommerce, branding, and storytelling—skills he’s honed over nearly a decade in digital marketing with industry leaders like Atlantic Media, Meredith Corporation, and Axios. At this Ugly Talk, he will share how he built a mission-driven brand from the ground up and reveal his strategy for taking it even further in 2025. 🪑 Pull Up a Chair on Feb 12 and Be in the Room Where It Happens! RSVP: https://lnkd.in/e2JeBDcw #UglyTalkNY #UglyTalk #Shopify #GreyJournal