Running a nonprofit is supposed to be about making a difference. But behind every donation, grant, and charitable program is a mountain of financial paperwork.
Fort Lauderdale-based fintech startup Crowded wants to make that paperwork a lot less painful. And with its latest product launch, it’s bringing artificial intelligence directly into the process.
“When I was at JPMorgan, I saw that the nonprofit sector was really broken,” Daniel Grunstein, Crowded’s co-founder and CEO, told Refresh Miami. “The only solutions being offered were about raising more money, not actually managing the organization, its compliance, its grants and payouts, and the back office.”
Grunstein teamed up with co-founder Darryl Gecelter, who brought experience working with nonprofits through a university fundraising technology company. Together, they launched Crowded’s platform in 2022.
The problem they identified was surprisingly complex. Unlike traditional businesses, nonprofits often manage multiple chapters, committees, grants, and scholarship programs, each with its own financial requirements.
“They never really move money and that’s it,” Grunstein explained. “Nonprofits are constantly having to move, track, and report.”
Crowded built a financial platform to handle that process, from setting up dedicated accounts and managing payments to tracking transactions and filing IRS returns.
While the company still offers self-service accounts for smaller organizations, its focus has shifted toward larger nonprofits with more complex needs.
Now Crowded is taking another step forward with the launch of Crowded MCP, a connector that lets customers manage financial operations through ChatGPT and Claude.
Rather than manually pulling reports or exporting spreadsheets, nonprofit staff can ask questions like how much their organization spent on food last month, generate board reports, or prepare tax filings using live financial data.
The system can even prepare thousands of payments through a conversational interface, although users must authorize the transactions within Crowded itself.
For organizations operating with limited staff, Grunstein sees significant potential. “Nonprofits typically hire just the minimum number of people they need because they want to devote more dollars to the mission,” he said.
Crowded now employs 28 people, including nine in South Florida, with an office on Las Olas. Grunstein, who grew up in Australia and previously lived in the UK and Israel, sees the region as an increasingly attractive place to build.
“It’s like a rocket ship,” he said of Miami’s technology ecosystem, citing its international character, access to investors, and ability to attract talent.
Looking ahead, Crowded plans to introduce savings products and international payment capabilities over the coming six months, particularly serving nonprofits that raise funds in the US but operate abroad.
For Grunstein, the opportunity is straightforward: If nonprofits can spend less time managing money, they can spend more time putting it to work.
Pictured above: Left to right are Crowded Co-founders Daniel Grunstein and Darryl Gecelter.
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I am a Miami-based technology researcher and writer with a passion for sharing stories about the South Florida tech ecosystem. I particularly enjoy learning about GovTech startups, cutting-edge applications of artificial intelligence, and innovators that leverage technology to transform society for the better. Always open for pitches via Twitter @rileywk or www.RileyKaminer.com.
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