Founding Story

Co-founder Alex Price had the seed of philanthropy take root at a young age. His dad, Billy, would take him to soup kitchens to help feed the homeless and, despite the family's modest means, provided a full Christmas meal for a needy family every holiday season.

Tragically, Billy Price died of a heart attack in 2005. The following year, Alex, with the help of nycTIES co-founders Mathew Farkash, Bharani Rajakumar, and Danielle Bridie, held a charity benefit for the American Heart Association to commemorate his father's passing. This event raised $10,000. Through its success, Alex realized the potential philanthropic power a collection of young, eager, New York City professionals could wield- nycTIES was born.

Founders

ALEX PRICE

Alex is currently the Director of PR & Branding for the iCan Group, a family of health management companies based in Boca Raton Florida. In this role, Alex is responsible for building global brand awareness through developing thought leadership initiatives, managing strategic partnerships and guiding public relations strategy.

Prior to joining iCan, Alex began his career as an account executive at some of Madison Avenue"s most prominent advertising agencies, including BBDO and DraftFCB. He then transitioned to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg"s staff in New York City government, serving three years as the Manager of Communications in the Department of Education"s strategic partnerships office, led by Caroline Kennedy.

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During his time, Alex co-founded and was president of nycTIES, building it to become one of the leading philanthropic and leadership development organizations for young professionals in New York City. During his nearly 4 years of leadership, Alex was featured in a segment on ABC News" "Young Entrepreneur", named NY1"s "New Yorker of the Week", and was featured in Gotham Magazine"s article "The Future of Philanthropy."

Alex's roots in philanthropy first caught hold as a young child when his dad, Billy, would take him to soup kitchens to help feed the homeless, and when his family - despite their modest means - would annually provide a full Christmas for a needy family during the holiday season. These early experiences inspired him to found the organization in honor of his dad in 2006.

Mr. Price holds a Master's in Strategic Communications at Columbia University and a BFA in Media Design from Florida State University.

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MATHEW FARKASH

Mr. Farkash is currently an Associate Director in the Global Consumer Products and Retail Group at UBS Investment Bank. At UBS, he has been involved in structuring corporate finance models, performing valuations, and advising on M&A transactions including CKE Restaurants $1bn sale to Apollo.

Prior to his interest in banking, Mathew worked in business development at Apel, representing several top tier sport and entertainment properties, including the NHL, NBA and USTA. At Apel, he participated in the delivery of sales presentations and negotiation of sponsorship deals with Colgate, VISA, Unilever, Capital One Bank and Ariel Mutual Funds.

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Mr. Farkash also assists start-up, pre-funded and venture-backed companies in the areas of sales strategy, partnership development and fundraising.

Mathew sits on the Board of nycTIES, 501(c)(3) organization he co-founded in 2006. nycTIES has inspired countless young professionals in NYC to raise over $175,000 and countless volunteer hours for a variety of charities. As a result of these efforts, he has been featured in a segment on ABC News' "Young Entrepreneur" and named NY1's "New Yorker of the Week." Based on his experience with nycTIES, Mathew started Blueprint Summit, a roundtable series that features senior business and community leaders who have found success in career and philanthropic endeavors.

Mathew is an avid traveler, having dove the Great Barrier Reef, climbed the Great Pyramid, navigated Mostar, Bosnia, explored Angkor Wat and experienced the Tsukiji fish market of Tokyo.

Mr. Farkash is a graduate of Brown University and received his MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

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