Author: IBJ News

While most teenagers are navigating homework and extracurriculars, two New York City high school students have built a media company that reaches tens of thousands of finance and technology professionals across multiple platforms. Jasper Gould and Emile Chilingirian, the co-founders of Passing the Torch Media, have created what they claim is the largest Gen Z hosted podcast in the country, alongside a newsletter boasting 35,000 readers and an Instagram account with 35,000 followers. The media venture represents an unusual intersection of youth perspective and Wall Street sophistication. Passing the Torch Media operates across three primary channels: a newsletter focused on…

A private charter broker has reported extraordinary expansion over the past year, with operations now spanning three continents and serving an increasingly high-profile clientele. The growth trajectory positions the company as a notable player in the luxury aviation sector.Jetswave Aviation LLC achieved nearly five times year-over-year growth in 2025, representing a 400 percent increase from the previous period. The expansion was accompanied by a 232 percent rise in professional athletes utilizing the company’s services, reflecting growing demand among elite clients who prioritize privacy, efficiency, and personalized service in their air travel arrangements.The Miami-based aviation firm now facilitates operations across 22…

The creator economy has exploded into a multibillion-dollar industry, yet many professional content creators still manage their sponsorship deals with the same tools they might use to track grocery lists. Scattered spreadsheets, forgotten deliverables, and missed payments have become an accepted part of doing business for YouTubers, podcasters, and streamers who generate substantial income from brand partnerships.A new platform aims to change that reality by providing creators with enterprise-grade business management tools previously available only to traditional media companies. The software addresses a growing need as individual creators increasingly operate as standalone media businesses, often juggling dozens of simultaneous brand…

When Air Control Heating and Air needed a commercial that could compete with private equity-backed competitors flooding the Atlanta market, they didn’t hire a Hollywood production crew. Instead, they turned to a company that created a broadcast-quality spot featuring Abraham Lincoln—entirely through artificial intelligence. AdWaken AI, LLC has carved out an unusual niche: producing AI-generated commercials for businesses ranging from Fortune 500 companies to local startups. Their client roster includes Cox Enterprises, Zevia Sodas, and The Bad Stuff Tequila, but it’s their work with smaller operations that reveals something interesting about where advertising technology is headed. The Air Control Heating…

Most venture capital firms draw a clear line between their roles: they’re either investors or operators, early-stage or growth-focused. Mount Auburn Venture Partners has chosen to do all of it simultaneously. The firm, led by Managing Partner Ollie Howie, operates across the full lifecycle of company building—incubating startups from zero, writing checks from pre-seed through growth stages, and rolling up its sleeves to help portfolio companies reach profitability before pushing for scale. It’s an approach that requires more bandwidth and patience than typical venture investing, but one that MAVP believes creates better outcomes for both founders and limited partners. From…

Small businesses across south-central Pennsylvania are finding a new solution to one of their most persistent challenges: getting noticed online without juggling a dozen different platforms and services.Crawford Designs – Websites Plus SEO, a boutique digital marketing studio based in Gettysburg, has spent more than 25 years helping local businesses build their online presence through a combination of custom web design and search engine optimization tailored specifically for regional markets.What sets the firm apart is its WebPlus program, an integrated system that packages website design, email marketing, blog management, and sales funnels into a single platform. Rather than forcing business…

Organizations across industries are investing heavily in leadership programs, succession planning initiatives, and culture transformation efforts. Yet many still struggle to execute strategy effectively. According to talent strategist Duncan C. Brand, the problem isn’t a lack of investment or intent—it’s that these efforts remain disconnected from how work actually gets done. Brand, founder of Intrinsic Leader, a talent and leadership advisory firm, has spent more than two decades helping enterprise-level organizations build what he calls “future-ready leadership ecosystems”—practical systems that enable leaders and teams to execute strategy, build capability, and sustain performance. The firm works at the intersection of talent…

Greece has long captivated the world’s imagination with its ancient ruins, sun-drenched islands, and mythological heritage. Yet beyond the postcard-perfect vistas lies a more nuanced reality that few literary works dare to explore with genuine depth. A new novel seeks to change that narrative by offering readers an unvarnished look at contemporary Greek society through the eyes of someone who knows it intimately.Nikos Allayiannis brings more than three decades of professional experience across diverse sectors to his debut literary work. His background spans marketing, food and beverage, nonprofit organizations, and government—a breadth of exposure that informs his multifaceted examination of…

Most startups don’t need a full-time Chief Privacy Officer—but they do need someone thinking like one. As companies grow, they face mounting pressure to build robust privacy and data protection programs without the resources or budget typically required for traditional legal counsel. A boutique law firm is addressing this gap by offering senior-level privacy guidance specifically designed for startups and scaling businesses.Sumner Privacy Law provides fractional privacy leadership and embedded legal support to companies navigating complex regulatory landscapes including GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, and emerging AI compliance requirements. Founded by attorney and privacy professional Alexandra Sumner, the firm operates on a…

Event professionals seeking keynote speakers with authentic narratives and measurable audience impact are increasingly turning to presenters whose credentials extend beyond theoretical frameworks. Ovi Vasquez, founder of Leadership Messengers and a nationally recognized leadership speaker, has built a reputation on a biographical trajectory that spans from childhood labor in Guatemalan sugarcane fields to professional roles at Apple, Tesla, Salesforce, Uber, and General Motors.Vasquez immigrated to the United States as an unaccompanied minor in 2006 from the rural village of Aldea El Chontel in La Gomera, Escuintla, Guatemala, where he began farm work at age eight in conditions without electricity. After…