Josh Adler, the founder of ConvrtX, a venture studio based in Dubai, faces serious allegations from multiple clients who claim the company has failed to deliver on its promises. ConvrtX, which launched in 2019, refers to itself—quite unabashedly—as a “world-leading venture studio.” It has assisted more than 700 fledging entrepreneurs get their new businesses off the ground. Many more complaints have been reported about stalled contracts and poor service.
For Georgia-based truck driver DeShawn Womack, that meant spending thousands of dollars on services from ConvrtX. The app they created for him was incomplete as it didn’t sync missed calls and voicemails, which he raised concerns about. Womack described his experience, saying, “He [Josh Adler] sold me a dream and this is frustrating.” His project sign-off document showed that Adler, as supposed to mayor, had promised him everything the app could do.
Amy, a 37-year-old single mom from the United Kingdom. In 2021, she raised $53,000 (£40,000) to develop a website and an app to launch her non-profit organization. She alleges that ConvrtX violated their agreement by failing to provide any of the services she had paid for. “Why flaunt your money to me? It’s disgraceful,” she remarked about her dealings with the company. That was backed up by two expert software developers who reviewed the app and echoed Amy’s allegations, clarifying that the functionality promised never came to fruition.
There are problems with ConvrtX beyond just creating unhappy consumers. In addition, former employees have come forward with allegations of misconduct on the company’s part related to work outside of its operations. One senior employee remarked, “So don’t tell the client that it cannot be done because we’ll find [a contractor] that can do it when they’ve paid.” Another former staff member echoed these sentiments, stating, “He’s a good talker, he’s good at sales… but he gives a lot of false promises.”
The company’s incredibly high turnover has led to a very short-term focus. Even worse, taking the easy way out has resulted in dangerous failures for our clients. According to multiple confusing reports, ConvrtX regularly engaged fly-by-night contractors, who reportedly created errors or failed to deliver on promises.
In the most shocking such case, Ayesha Imran asked for a refund of $18,000 (£13,500). Rather than address her complaint, the airline reportedly intimidated her with the prospect of a lawsuit. Additionally, Adler creates a fraudulent endorsement by using an Imran testimonial for their ConvrtX website without Imran’s knowledge. She stated that the quote attributed to her was fabricated: “ConvrtX has helped us go from vision, to launch and supported with everything in between. They are really quite holistic [sic], in what they do!”
Moreover, Adler allegedly used a photo of lifestyle and fashion influencer Jen Selter in promotional materials without her authorization. This begs even more questions about ConvrtX’s ethical practices and the transparency of this company.
Clients and investigators have begun to second guess Josh Adler as a result of the allegations made against him. They’re paying careful attention to the business practices ConvrtX is putting in place. A senior investigator stated, “I think it’s fair to say ConvrtX failed to exercise reasonable care and skill when they were providing the service.”
Legal team for Josh Adler has denied these allegations. In their defense, they claim that he “unequivocally” denies any and all allegations brought against him personally and the company. The deepening ordeal exposes deep-rooted issues about customer confidence and business responsibility in the burgeoning entrepreneurial assistance sector.