Adam Sternbach ’09 of McCarter & English, LLP, a NYC metro based “powerhouse” law firm, will be the featured speaker at the LaunchPad & Techstars Fireside Chat on Friday, October 2 at 3 p.m. Attend the chat: http://bit.ly/launchpad-fall-fireside-chat and learn about turning your idea into a legally incorporated venture and topics related to different types of business formation, developing founder and operating agreements, structuring for fund raising, and other topics related to the startup world. He has been actively mentoring LaunchPad startups that have recently closed on significant funding.
Sternbach works with startup, early-stage, emerging-growth, and middle-market companies in high-growth sectors such as blockchain, cryptocurrency, proptech, cannabis, Internet of Things, fintech/financial services, and life sciences. He advises clients on corporate transactional matters, including entity formation and structuring, debt and equity financing, technology commercialization, and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining the firm, Adam served as associate counsel to NJ Gov. Philip D. Murphy. In this role, he worked with several independent state authorities where he was responsible for overseeing their managerial, fiscal, and policy operations as well as all board governance matters.
Sternbach received undergraduate degrees from Syracuse University in 2009 in the fields of policy studies and sport management. While at Syracuse, he received the 2009 Department of Sport Management Director’s Award for Academic Promise 2007 Chancellor’s Award for Public Engagement and Scholarship. He then went on to the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University, where he received a 2012 JD degree specializing in corporate law. He was Editor-in-Chief of the Cardozo Public Law, Policy & Ethics Journal as a law student.
Joining him on the Zoom will be Daniel Zimmerman ’20, co-founder and CEO of Verse. Zimmermann holds a degree in Sports Management from the David B. Falk College of Sport & Human Dynamics with a minor in Information Management & Technology from the School of Information Studies. Verse, which just raised investment, is a social media and peer to peer marketplace for friendly wagering. Powered by smart contracts on the blockchain, Verse users can place bets against other users on the platform, and the platform mediates those wagers without the need for a ‘house.’
Zimmermann grew up in London, where he went to an international high school where wagering was a friendly sport. In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court gave states the individual option to legalize commercial gambling and paved the way for online sports betting platforms. Zimmermann and his roommate David Rosen launched the idea for Verse that year and worked with the LaunchPad and Sternbach to legally incorporate it and fund the venture. The app uses its own form of cryptocurrency, called VerseCoin, to represent real monetary values and hold a 1-1 ratio with the U.S. Dollar. This effectively allows people to bet with the equivalent of real money. Zimmermann sees interesting applications this fall – from sports to politics, current affairs and even pop culture wagers.
Fireside Chat feature intimate discussions with innovators, inventors and entrepreneurs who share their journey and insights along the way. Each is a dynamic, successful entrepreneur with a powerful message. They are unique opportunities to meet innovation leaders and enjoy genuine conversations from the hearts and minds of great entrepreneurs. They are offered in partnership with the Republic of Tea.