Last week BAM spent the week in New York City, hosting in-person events for our founder, media and venture capitalist communities. 

Our workshops focused on media and communications, culminating in BAM's Media Matchmaking Day, our “speed dating” event to connect venture-backed startups and top-tier media.

Four core themes emerged from our conversations talking about what we are excited about for 2024. See what our media friendlies had to say about what excites them as we enter the new year. 

Artificial Intelligence

AI is all anyone can talk about right now. We heard this from Alastair Goldfisher in San Francisco, and Aaron Mok from Business INSIDER in our latest webinar. This sentiment remained strong throughout our time in New York.  

Samantha Stokes, Business Insider 

“I am most excited about such a crazy boom in AI. More specifically, how companies are focusing more on putting it to use instead of slapping the word AI onto whatever. I want to hear about the creative ways companies are implementing AI into their company, and being smart about how AI works.”

Sarah Lynch, Inc. 

“For me, sports and AI regulation are something I have been focused on. There is a lot happening with the Supreme Court in Europe over the last year to regulate a lot of things going on within the tech industry.”

Sustainability 

Sam Eifling, Freelance 

Sam is interested in cleantech, specifically how new policy is helping move this industry forward. He’s loving watching the real world impact that the Inflation Reduction Act in combination with real tech solutions are having on decarbonizing the economy. He said, “Most people are working on solutions that are vitamins, but not real medicine. It’s been so great to get to see companies that have real policy support behind them take big swings forward.” 

While some carry the sentiment that a lot of the work in climate is overplayed, Sam believes that everyone should be looking forward to the positive impact cleantech can make on the environment this year. 

Fintech

Stacy Tisdale, Money Mind Media Inc. 

During our conversation, Stacey told us that what she is most excited for this year is, “the way that fintech is lowering financial varieties for underrepresented groups and enterprises.”

Frank Gargano, American Banker

Frank told us he is most interested in crypto, fintech and student lending. He said, “In 2024, my attention is captivated by the dynamic world of cryptocurrency, which seems to perpetually ebb and flow. The collapse of FTX saw banks and credit unions slightly retreat, but I think as regulators start to get more comfortable this year, it will grow alongside the fintech industry.” When it comes to student lending, Frank believes that we are going to see more financial institutions try and get more involved through fintech partnerships and the introduction of new products. 

For him, the evolving interplay between regulation, technology, and finance sets the stage for an intriguing journey ahead in 2024.

2024 Economy

Amanda Glodowski, Crain's New York 

Right now at Crain's, we're focused on trying to scope out the next big company and talk to them about their successes and challenges. She said, "The business community in New York is very competitive, so profiling companies individually and sharing that knowledge is what we are focused on, cracking the code in a tough economic environment.”

BAM believes in the value of community and the positive impact in-person networking can have on fostering and deepening relationships. BAM’s events are curated to bring together like-minded communities and spark relationships. Check our Events page to see what in-person opportunities we're curating next!