Meet 16 Founders Joining Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures
This article is sponsored by Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures.
Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures (MSISV) is supporting the future of innovation by backing early-stage startups and nonprofits with the capital and tools they need to scale. Building on the momentum of the Inclusive Ventures Lab and Sustainable Solutions Collaborative, MSISV has already distributed over $30 million in capital to over 130 ventures in the last eight years.
MSISV is home to two tailored accelerator programs: a Lab for tech-driven startups and a Collaborative for emerging nonprofits. Both programs provide critical support to fuel growth and impact, creating a more sustainable and equitable investment landscape.
This year’s cohort is a masterclass in innovation. Meet 16 visionary founders and leaders who aren’t just imagining the future, they’re building it.
Joshe Ordonez, Airpals
Revolutionizing logistics with AI-powered shipping.
Airpals is a parcel management platform that helps logistics and supply chain teams streamline internal shipping. Founder and CEO Joshe Ordenez built the platform after spending too much time tracking packages, juggling carrier logins, and dealing with tasks no one else wanted to do.
“It felt like every other team had software built for scale, while we were stuck with spreadsheets and chaos. That’s why I built Airpals: to give logistics teams a real seat at the table, with tools that simplify the work and free up time for what actually moves the business forward,” Ordenez tells POCIT.
With costs climbing across industries, Ordonez says this tech is more critical than ever. “AI is transforming knowledge work, but operators are still left picking up the pieces. We’re changing that. We’re building tools for the people who actually move things, raw materials, production supplies, parts, you name it. Because the future doesn’t just belong to those who know, it belongs to those who make things happen.”
Jamie Gong, Care Hero
Helping families find easier, safer, and personalized care.
Care Hero, an AI-powered platform connecting families with vetted and certified caregivers, was co-founded by Harvard Business School MBA graduate Jamie Gong after her grandmother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, refused to leave her home for a care facility.
“When my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time and had to undergo chemotherapy while still being my grandmother’s primary caregiver, I witnessed firsthand how broken the caregiving system truly is”, Gong tells POCIT.
The company is using AI to address industry challenges by speeding up caregiver onboarding, matching seniors with caregivers, preventing no-shows through dynamic pricing, and offering 24/7 clinical support. Care Hero is transforming the $173 billion market, says Gong: “by building the technology infrastructure for more accessible home care to support our loved ones to age in place.”
Daniel Lavinkas, Citera
Turning utility bills into blueprints for cleaner, greener buildings.
“Citera helps building owners and managers automate their energy declarations, understand their emissions, and plan decarbonization—all with just their utility bills,” says Daniel Lavinskas. A former ESG strategist and AI development leader, Lavinskas founded Citera after seeing how hard it was for even well-resourced organizations to access clean, usable energy data to make impactful decisions.
The company simplifies energy regulations and makes emissions reduction more accessible, especially for smaller building owners who often lack the resources to navigate complex energy guidelines.
“Our mission is to make every building an energy expert,” Lavinskas tells POCIT. “Being part of the Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures Lab is a game-changer. It will connect us with a powerful network of values-aligned innovators and advisors, and the support will help us sharpen our impact, scale our operations, and think bigger about what’s possible.”
Chris Smith, COUNT
Automating accounting for business owners.
“I started COUNT to make finances understandable for entrepreneurs and to bridge the gap between founders and their accountants,” says Chris Smith, a former engineering manager at Amazon and Meta who co-founded the AI-powered platform.
COUNT automates time-consuming tasks such as categorization, receipt matching, and reconciliations, while centralizing tasks, documents, and communication in one place.
“We are bringing collaboration, approvals, and automations next to the actual transactions so everyone can see the same context and move faster with confidence,” Smith tells POCIT. “As we prepare to join the Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures Lab, the people we have met through the program have already raised the bar.”
Paul Kang, FastVisa
Streamlining immigration processes with a seamless digital experience.
Paul Kang, CEO of FastVisa, is a serial entrepreneur who founded the company to modernize and streamline the immigration process. “FastVisa provides Immigration Lifecycle Management for legal and HR, serving as a central hub for compliance, automation, insights, analytics, and complete operational oversight,” he says.
By combining Kang’s legal, business, and tech expertise, FastVisa aims to transform the way global immigration functions by addressing outdated systems and barriers with efficient tools.
“Immigration is more than paperwork. It’s about unlocking opportunity, driving innovation, and supporting people at pivotal moments in their lives,” Kang tells POCIT. “The MSISV program will be instrumental in helping us scale that vision by providing access to strategic resources, meaningful connections, and a community of founders building with purpose.”
Arion Long, Femly
Reclaiming menstrual care with organic products and touchless tech.
“I started Femly after being diagnosed with a reproductive illness,” says Arion Long, an award-winning founder and CEO. Long is revolutionizing menstrual care through organic products and patented touchless dispensers in restrooms at schools, corporations, and public spaces.
After discovering links between toxic ingredients and popular period care products, she felt a deep responsibility to act. Despite lacking funding or manufacturing experience, her lived experience and drive to create change pushed her to build a solution.
“We’re proving that innovation doesn’t have to be complicated; it just has to be intentional,” Long tells POCIT. “Whether it’s in a public library, a corporate office, or a college campus, I want Femly to be a symbol of what it looks like when convenience meets action.”
Laila Zemrani, Fitnescity Health
Making wellness diagnostics easier.
Fitnescity Health is a consumer platform for wellness diagnostics, offering easy access to health tests and AI-driven analytics. Co-founder and CEO Laila Zemrani has grown the company from fitness and nutrition testing into a national hub for preventative health diagnostics.
A former consultant and data strategist with degrees from MIT and Télécom SudParis, Zemrani is passionate about empowering individuals through consumer-initiated diagnostics and has partnered with nearly 1,000 labs, imaging centers, and hospitals to expand access to consumer-initiated testing.
Jorge Rodriguez, Hamperapp
Leveling up laundry with on-demand services.
“Hamperapp is a tech-enabled marketplace connecting consumers and businesses with professional laundry and dry-cleaning operators,” says Jorge Rodriguez, a Peruvian-born entrepreneur with over a decade of experience in tech operations.
What began as a way to scale his co-founder’s family laundromat quickly evolved into a platform empowering laundromat and dry cleaner owners with access to more customers and larger accounts than ever before.
“We’re digitizing the $40B+ garment care industry and putting local stores to work through smart logistics and automation,” Rodriguez tells POCIT. “Being selected by the Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures Lab has been incredibly motivating. It’s a powerful validation of our business.”
Miho Shoji, Moodbit
Elevating workforces with smarter HR.
Moodbit is an AI-powered platform that automates manual Human Resources (HR) tasks and streamlines workflows by integrating with tools such as Slack, MS Teams, and Google Workspace.
“I wanted to prove that no matter your background or where you’re from, you can create something big, bold, and world-changing,” says award-winning entrepreneur, co-founder, and CEO Miho Shoji. “It’s about showing the next generation that their dreams are valid, their voices matter, and they truly have the power to innovate.”
By turning complex HR and operational data into actionable strategies, Moodbit aims to not only enhance how teams work but also enhance employee engagement, wellness, and security.
Rob Atkin, Pirta
Cooling our warming planet with passive tech.
“As global temperatures rise and extreme weather becomes more common, we looked to nature for inspiration in developing simple, low-impact technologies that improve everyday life for those most affected,” says Rob Atkin, a passionate engineer and founder of Pirta.
Pirta has created a patented climate cooling formula that, when added to paints and coatings, directs solar heat away from surfaces. Its passive cooling technologies help reduce reliance on air conditioning, lower carbon emissions, and cut operating costs.
“Pirta—an Inuit word for blizzard—reflects our commitment to supporting communities disproportionately impacted by climate change, despite contributing the least to it,” says Atkin. Pirta not only offers relief, but supports climate mitigation, addressing both human and environmental needs.
Rebecca Rosenberg, ReBokeh
Empowering the low-vision community with mobile tools.
ReBokeh is a SaaS company creating mobile-first accessibility tools that help individuals and organizations better support the low-vision community. Designed by and for people with low vision, ReBokeh’s technology enhances functional sight by customizing live camera feeds and providing AI-powered cues to help them navigate their environment more confidently.
The company’s name comes from the photography term “Bokeh,” which refers to an artistic blur of light. Re-Bokeh represents a re-clarifying of what is out of focus.
Founder and CEO Rebecca Rosenberg launched ReBokeh as a college student to support people, like herself, who have low vision. “I started ReBokeh to address the undeniable lack of assistive technology for those living with low vision,” she tells POCIT. “In the years since, ReBokeh has grown to achieve a global presence with organizational partners across the US and users in 115 countries around the globe.”
Now part of the Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures Lab, Rosenberg sees ReBokeh’s mission gaining even greater momentum. “There’s no doubt in my mind that their support will be pivotal in achieving this mission and help us make the kind of meaningful impact I envisioned when I founded ReBokeh.”
Sterling Smith, RightMatch AI
Matching people to opportunities based on their skills, not their pedigree.
Sterling Smith is reframing with RightMatch AI. A former venture capitalist and founder with a successful exit, he built his engineering and product expertise at companies like Google, Walmart, Lockheed Martin, and Booz Allen Hamilton.
“I started RightMatch AI because I’ve seen firsthand how broken and outdated hiring can be,” Smith tells POCIT. “Too often, resumes overlook talent, and incredible people are filtered out by systems that weren’t designed to measure true potential.”
“My vision has always been to build technology that flips this dynamic—matching people to opportunities based on their skills, not their pedigree—so that millions can find meaningful work that aligns with who they are and what they can do.”
RightMatch AI is a candidate assessment tool that gives companies clear, data-driven insights, powering bias-free, faster hiring. With MSISV’s backing, the company is scaling toward a bold goal: helping 100 million people find meaningful work.
Anj Fayemi, Rivet
Activating fans to supercharge creator growth.
Rivet is an AI marketing platform that helps brands and creators identify their most engaged fans and boost revenue by powering direct-to-fan marketing across multiple channels. MIT and Imperial College-trained engineer and musician Anj Fayemi founded the company after struggling to connect with his audience.
“I found myself scrambling to find that information and use it to market myself more effectively to the people who cared about my art,” Fayemi tells POCIT. “The sad part was that this led me to pause creations of my own to start trying to solve that problem for myself. The sadder part was when I talked to over 200 creators and brands and found that they had the same problem.”
Rivet is built to solve that exact issue: fragmented fan data. Today, the platform enables thousands of artists and brands to better understand their communities, deepen engagement, and grow their businesses. “As fandom and social engagement explode, we’re excited to be building the future of this new era of commerce for all types of ‘brands with fans!’”
Rick Hernandez, Social Good Software
Helping museums thrive with purpose-built tools.
“I’ve always felt a responsibility to give more, be more, and serve at a higher level, not just in my community, but in the world,” says Rick Hernandez, founder and CEO of Social Good Software.
Hernandez launched the company after years of hands-on work in technology and operations across museums and cultural institutions. His goal: to increase efficiency and make arts and culture more accessible, particularly for communities that have historically been excluded.
Social Good Software provides tools that help museums, zoos, aquariums, and cultural institutions modernize ticketing, memberships, donations, and event management by replacing outdated systems with purpose-built technology.
“My experience with the Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures Lab is already shaping up to be incredible,” he adds. “Their commitment to giving back and lifting purpose-driven businesses inspires me, and I’m excited to be part of a program that aligns so closely with our values.”
Matthew McAllister, SolarAPP Foundation
Making solar accessible to millions of Americans.
“We can make solar accessible to millions of Americans – if we fix permitting,” says Matthew McAllister, CEO of the SolarAPP Foundation. The foundation’s product, Solar Automated Permit Processing Plus (SolarAPP+), cuts clean energy costs by automating residential solar and battery permits, saving cities, installers, and homeowners both time and money.
McAllister, who has devoted his career to using technology to improve public services, tells POCIT that the US spends more on solar power than any other country. “We pay 3-4 times as much as in Australia, and take longer to deploy it and start seeing the return on our investment,” he explains. “This makes clean energy inaccessible, and extends our reliance on dirty energy.”
By replacing slow, complex approvals with a faster, automated process, SolarAPP+ is making clean energy more straightforward, affordable, and accessible for millions of households.
James Jones, Bump
Powering the creator economy with tools for wealth.
Bump is a wealth-building platform offering financial tools for content creators to track income, assess market value, and access credit. Founder, CEO, and former business and entertainment lawyer James Jones Jr. describes his users as “a class of professionals misunderstood by traditional financial institutions,” a gap Bump aims to fill by helping creators uncover untapped opportunities.
“What inspired me to build Bump was a radical vision: to re-architect the financial system for the 21st-century economy—one where creators are not just cultural icons, but economic engines driving trillions in global value,” Jones tells POCIT.
Backed by global investors, the company is shaping the future, says Jones: “Bump isn’t just a fintech platform; it’s a blueprint for a new financial future where creators are treated not as hobbyists, but as full-stack businesses and powerful economic forces.”
Learn more about MSISV here.
This article is sponsored by Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures.
