These Philly-bred founders donated filmmaking iPad cases to their old elementary school

When Josh Apter and Jon Goldberg first met at Germantown Academy in elementary school, they hated each other. But decades later, with a company and friendship-turned-business partnership under their belts, Apter and Goldberg returned to the place where it all began.
On Monday, the two 1989 alumni gifted 15 Padcasters, five green screens, 10 boom microphones and 10 tripods to the private school in Fort Washington.
Apter and Goldberg are the founder and president respectively of Padcaster, a New York City company that makes and sells an iPad case that enables users to shoot, edit, upload and livestream video from the iPad. (The company also has its fulfillment center in Southampton, right outside the Northeast, and a warehouse in Lansdale.)

We're so excited to have Jon Goldberg '89 and Josh Apter '89 of the @padcaster team here today! pic.twitter.com/JNOxR9bwLf

— Germantown Academy (@GA1759) October 10, 2016

Apter trained students and faculty on how to use the Padcasters which are like an “extension of the iPad,” he said.
“The beautiful thing about it is it’s so intuitive,” he said. “Everyone already understands what they’re looking at in a sense.”
Apter said during training sessions, he explains each piece of the system as he builds it and teaches a couple tricks so the users can get the most out of the experience. As they test the Padcaster following the demonstration, Apter acts mainly as a troubleshooter.

Padcaster founders Jon & Josh went back to their high school @GA1759 this morning for training! pic.twitter.com/8qAn7FAO3S

— Padcaster (@padcaster) October 10, 2016

Apter and Goldberg also visited Germantown Academy last year and spoke to the Upper School about the Padcaster during an entrepreneurship assembly.
“Germantown Academy is always a special spot with us,” Goldberg said. 
Goldberg said education has become an important part of the company as it evolved.
“The kids love [the Padcaster], it’s a great way for the teachers to interact with the kids,” he said. “It brings students and teachers into modern day learning and use in technology. … It’s fun and interactive, but there’s real-world applications to it.”
“It brings something to the learning process that is easy to learn and helps students express themselves,” Apter added. “[Schools have] a protective environment where the consequence for making a mistake is just to try again. There’s no price tag on making a mistake.”

5th graders from Jon & Josh's middle school @GA1759 complete their first broadcast with Padcaster! #edtech pic.twitter.com/BMQsEARSBE

— Padcaster (@padcaster) October 10, 2016

Padcaster is both Apter and Goldberg’s first technology project. Apter is also a film editor and director and Goldberg previously ran venture capital and private equity for a family office.
Apter said coming from different disciplines is a benefit to the company because it offers different perspectives.
“I was on the other side of the table [as a venture capitalist],” he said. “I jumped at the opportunity to be on this side.”
Apter is a University of Pennsylvania alumnus but left Philly to attend New York University’s film school. He still returns frequently to visit family (and because he “will never embrace any New York teams because I still despise them.”)
Goldberg added that he often comes back to visit family as well and to work out of the six-person Pennsylvania office, located in the suburbs.
“I don’t know if that’s how businesses do business in present day, but we’re kind of all over the place,” Apter said. “We’re pretty portable, we don’t have to be in one location.”