Requests for Startups: Jeremy Harper (Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator)
Jeremy is a Principal at Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator and is focused on investing in early stage technology start-ups across multiple sectors, both enterprise and consumer. Jeremy was previously an early employee on the Booz Allen Hamilton commercial team, a digital strategist for Unilever, and the head of marketing for The5thMedium. Jeremy received a B.A. from Brown University, and spends his spare time struggling to keep up on soccer and rugby fields in NYC.
What startup verticals interest you most right now?
Being a New York only accelerator, ERA tends to focus on industries that we see as being housed in NYC. The theory being that if you’re serving or disrupting a major NYC based industry, this is where your startup should be located. Things like fintech, adtech, edtech, fashion, commerce, and more are all verticals that interest us.
Fintech is a particularly interesting one, as NYC is the obvious hub of that industry, we see great opportunity here for both investors and entrepreneurs. Much has been said about the recent trend of un-bundling bank services, and I believe there’s still a long road ahead and plenty of areas to innovate here. On top of that, there are other trends — such as the current generational wealth transfer, millennials becoming more active players in the financial ecosystem, the introduction of crypto-currencies and entirely new asset classes enabled by tech — that make this vertical ripe with opportunity.
What are your biggest predictions for the year ahead?
In general, I’m excited to see how big data and sophisticated analytics can move across more verticals and create new value for players in those industries. We’ve invested heavily in this concept at ERA, whether its Cognical (machine learning applied to lending), Agolo (automated financial news summarization engine), or ModernLend (alternative data for credit card decisions). Highly sophisticated technical teams have a great opportunity to create the next wave of innovation across a range of verticals.
Another — larger and more complex products being purchased online, enabled by tech. It’s not necessarily a new trend, but an ongoing one. It’s a trend ERA is invested in, through TripleMint (residential real estate), FourMine (online jewelry), SaleMove (automotive and financial products), and Machinio (machinery equipment). Just a few years ago many of these complex and consultative-sale products would not have been bought online, but technology and innovative business models are changing that, and purchasing behavior continues to adapt a new level of online transactional comfort.
Are there any specific company ideas that you really want someone to build and would potentially fund?
More solutions focused on reducing friction in government and regulatory processes. ERA is invested in SeamlessDocs, which simplifies PDF form management for governments, and also Smart Screen, which automates background checks for enterprises. Government and regulatory processes have traditionally been avoided by entrepreneurs in part because of red tape and a perceived brutal sales cycle. But we’ve seen companies successfully navigate the landscape, and when they do there’s plenty of opportunity with relatively low competition.
If you could wave a magic wand and instantly have any imaginable solution to a problem you’re facing (personally or at work), what problem would you solve?
These are all relatively personal and aspirational, but…
- Something that solves the problem of inbox overload.
- Limitless battery life (obvious one)
- Something that actually engages all tiers of society in productive and fact-based political discussions (Donald Trump meme’s on Facebook does not count)
And finally, ERA’s application is now open for the Summer 2016 class! Apply here.
If you’re interested in ERA, feel free to reach out to Jeremy directly via email.
If you think there’s someone we should feature in an upcoming issue, nominate them by sending us an email.
Requests for Startups is a newsletter of entrepreneurial ideas & perspectives by investors, operators, and influencers. This issue was curated by Akshay Goradia (email).
