Since 2018
Three friends started BRTR in 2018 with one idea: neighbors have skills worth trading. Two builders turned it into the first app.
Co-founder. The designer and visionary behind the concept.
Utak is a systems architect. He designs the infrastructure that lets values-driven businesses run, and the spaces where that work happens.
In 2012 he founded HigherSelf, the network behind The 7 Space in Newark and a family of ventures. He is based in New York City and Newark.
Co-founder. BRTR's first CEO.
Delia led BRTR as its first CEO. In 2026 she got the three of us talking about it again.
She studied Engineering Science at the University of Virginia, began her career at HBO in technical project management, and went on to NBCUniversal. In 2018 she was president of the Emma Bowen Foundation's alumni association.
“Good things come to those who wait.”
Co-founder. Community organizing, activism, operations and fundraising.
Najee is an activist, poet and playwright. He founded Spark House and leads it as executive director.
His debut stage play, Little Black Book, was staged at 651 ARTS in Brooklyn in December 2025. The New York Times named him a 2018 Visionary for his work with young people.
Wrote the first BRTR app.
Felix wrote the first BRTR code, on Firebase, and built the V0.1 iPhone app in 2018. That work led to the app you can try today.
He studied at Bowdoin College and is a software engineer at Google.
Helped build the first code, then the web version.
Leo worked with Felix on the first code, and in 2019 built a React version of BRTR for the web.