Entrepreneur killed in motorbike crash in Thailand

Little is known about the death of award-winning entrepreneur and philanthropist Eli Ostreicher, who was killed in a motorbike accident in Thailand, yesterday at 39 years old. Reports say the accident happened in Bangkok.

Eli Ostreicher was born in London’s Hasidic community and later moved to New York City, where he ran five companies including one of his most successful ventures “Regal Wings.”

Regal Wings is a leading company in the luxury travel industry which earned the top spot on Inc. Magazine’s list of 500 fastest-growing companies in 2013, grossing US$54.4 million in revenue that year.

Ostreicher was awarded Inc. Magazine’s “Hire Power award” the same year for his job creation, with Regal Wings expanding into a company with over 300 employees.

Some of Regal Wing’s clients include Rolex, Walmart, Berkshire Hathaway, The United Nations, Bayer, Colgate, Universal Studios, and Maroon 5.

Ostreicher expanded the company into Regal Group, with offices in New York City, San Francisco, London, Singapore, and Shenzhen.

As well as his dedication to entrepreneurialism, Ostreicher was a humble philanthropist. In 2013, he donated US$500,000 to Bonei Olam, a Brooklyn-based organisation that assists Jewish couples experiencing infertility.

Ostreicher intended to keep the donation private. However, Rabbi Schlomo Bochner explained in a YouTube video that he convinced Ostreicher to publicise his pledge to inspire others to donate to charity.

As well as giving to charity, Ostreicher lobbied for the release of his uncle Jacob Ostreicher from a prison in Bolivia where he was corruptly held for 18 months. Award-winning actor Sean Penn went to Bolivia to assist in the fight for his freedom.

In 2019, the New York Times ran a feature article about Ostreicher’s great-grandmother Yitta Schwartz after her death at 93 years old, entitled, “God Said Multiply, and Did She Ever.”

ColLive reports that Ostreicher “maintained close ties with the Hasidic community in London and Brooklyn.”