Your Mission
is Our Mission
Grantx makes it easy to find funding, so you can focus on changing the world.
The Team Fixing the Grant Funding Ecosystem
Jacob Schoenberg
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Former AI strategist and grant seeker with a robust background in finance and digital marketing. Driven by his firsthand frustration with outdated and inefficient grant funding processes while leading various projects in the ClimateTech sector, Jacob founded Grantx to revolutionize how funding is accessed and applied for. Following the inception of Grantx, Jacob dedicated over a year to in-depth market research, collaborating closely with nonprofits, startups, and researchers to hone his vision and deepen his understanding of the systemic challenges grant seekers face.
Sheng Zhao
Chief Technology Officer
Sheng leverages a Master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University and over 20 years of expertise in building enterprise software, with a strong focus on the integration of machine learning analytics and LLMs. An accomplished founder and a visionary leader, he pioneered the first-to-market AI product in the BI industry, MicroStrategy Auto, transforming the way enterprises harness AI for analytics.
Lindell Cumes
Chief Operating Officer
Lindell leverages his deep expertise in Business Strategy and AI/Data Science to drive innovation and streamline operations. With advanced degrees from MIT, Harvard, and The Imperial College of London, Lindell has a rich background in technological strategy, including founding and selling TAG, a company that enhanced supply chain management with smart contracts and deep learning. His extensive experience includes roles as a board member, strategic consultant, and project manager, with a strong track record in managing high-growth teams and funding rounds.
Kevin Wu
Full-Stack Developer
With his experience as a GenAI specialist at McKinsey & Co, and firsthand exposure to the challenges of grant funding, Kevin combines elite preformance with a user-focused mindset as a founding engineer at GrantX. Kevin has a history of contributing impactful software solutions to $1B+ contracts at Fortune 500's (including Citadel), and was also the recipient of NYU's "Excellence in Innovation" Award.
Marco Ramdas
Data Engineer
A Cornell graduate with expertise in AI-driven automation, data pipelines, and operations research, At Grantx, Marco helps develop and refine the platform’s AI-driven tools, while focusing on optimizing data infrastructure, streamlining workflows, and exploring innovative new applications of the latest AI technologies as solutions to long-standing problems in the market.
Steve Demeter
Product Advisor
Ex-Google, Ex-YouTube, & Founder of Trism, Steve is an accomplished thought leader with 60+ speaking engagements, including SXSW, GDC, and Apple Keynote, he has been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Businessweek, and appeared on CNN, BBC, and ABC News and D.I.C.E.
At Grantx, Steve helps guide product strategy, market positioning, and mentors our engineers.
Simran Singh
Technical Advisor
Forbes 30 Under 30. By combining a focus on consumer problems with a proficient understanding of technology, Simran is dedicated to building products people actually find useful. Simran also serves as the Co-founder & CTO of SwayStack, and previously was the Co-Founder and VP of Product for Zogo (acq.) which has partnered with over 250 financial institutions including American Express, US Bank, and JPM Chase.
"The effort to secure grant funding shouldn't hold you back from pursuing your cause. That's where we come in."
Jules M.
Wildlife Rescue Non-Profit
"Grantx found five grants that were strong possibilities for us to apply to within a very short period of time
…Thanks to Grantx, we were able to submit grants at a faster rate than we could have imagined!"
Richard B.
Cultural Marketing Research
"Thanks to [Grantx], we are navigating the complex grant application process with confidence.
…I highly recommend Grantx to any organization"
Greg P.
MedTech Startup
"With Grantx’s help, we felt confident in our grant submissions, and we are grateful for their professional and reliable support. Highly recommend."
Our Story
Grantx was born from a deep frustration and a bold vision. From the very beginning, our mission has been to unlock the world of grant funding, making it accessible to all—no matter the size of the project or the scale of the dream. We are committed to breaking down the barriers that stand between meaningful, impactful work and the resources needed to fuel it.
Our story began when Jacob was working to combat climate change, with the weight of a groundbreaking initiative on his shoulders, he found himself not only leading the effort but also devoting more than 30 extra hours a week towards grants.
The funding was out there, somewhere—he knew it—but the challenge was searching through databases, finding the right opportunities, and navigating the maze of applications. It was an exhausting task that swallowed weeks of effort, leaving Jacob and his team stretched thin.
Despite the urgency of their mission, the grant-seeking process drained their energy, and soon, the team was forced to abandon their project, not for lack of vision, but for lack of time.
The crushing realization came with a simple, heartbreaking truth: securing the funds they needed was harder than the work itself.
In that moment, as disappointment settled in, Jacob realized this problem was a systemic flaw that reached far beyond his own work.
"Someone needs to build a better way to deal with grants"
And thus, Grantx was born—a tool forged out of determination, crafted to empower those who, like Jacob, are driven by passion and purpose, yet shackled by the demands of funding the future they envision.
We are here to rewrite the narrative, where the pursuit of change is no longer hindered by bureaucracy, but fueled by opportunity.
“I probably spend 60% of my time trying to get grant funding, 30% lecturing, and only 10% focusing on my actual research”
– Dr. Michael Sacks, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas.
To solve such a pervasive issue, Grantx needed to be deeply rooted in the real-world challenges and day-to-day pains that grant seekers face. In our early days, we worked hands-on with non-profits and startups to help them find grant funding and reached out to a wide range of grant seekers, including world-class professionals like Dr. Michael Sacks, a globally recognized cardiovascular researcher.
Through these conversations and various collaborations, the challenges faced by individuals across industries became painfully clear: hard working, brilliant minds are being bogged down by the tedious, competitive, and time-consuming process of securing grants.
Solving big problems means building something special, which means bringing together special people.
Transforming the grant funding ecosystem would require more than just cutting-edge technology—it needed a team with the expertise, vision, and relentless drive to fix a broken system. At the heart of Grantx is a team of innovators who are tirelessly working to rewrite the rules of the grant-seeking process. Drawing from deep wells of experience in AI, business strategy, data science, and software development, this extraordinary group is committed to leveraging technology in ways that make the process not just easier, but smarter. They are visionaries, entrepreneurs, and technologists who believe that the true value of a grant lies not in the application, but in the impact that follows.
Together, this team is dedicated to ensuring that no longer will experts like Dr. Sacks be forced to choose between advancing their work and fighting for the funds to support it. The Grantx team understands the intricacies of the problem and is focused on building a future where the grant-seeking process serves the people behind the innovations, rather than holding them back.
Every line of code, every strategic decision, and every customer conversation is infused with this shared purpose: to empower those who are changing the world to focus on their work, not the paperwork