A look at the New York Tech Scene from the NYCEDC Entrepreneur at Large:
Thanksgiving is a time for looking back -- and thinking about the year ahead. So with that in mind -- I wanted to take this time to share some things I'm thankful for in this growing tech city.
I'm thankful that the world of software and web developers has begun to see the special value of New York as a tech center. With companies like Four Square, Tumbler, and Meetup building companies that mix both tech and human social interaction -- New York is the red-hot center of the next phase of technology. And there are a number of entrepreneurs and startups who've made this happen.
I'm thankful for the start of the Cornell/Technion Tech Campus, and that Google has donated space so that classes can begin even before the campus is ready to accept students.
I'm thankful for the changing landscape of New York City -- with more and more bike lanes and pedestrian walkways making the city even more welcoming to a new generation of urban dwellers and startups.
And, finally -- I'm thankful that the NY tech community has banded together to work to rebuild after Hurricane Sandy. Really great to see the brains and brawn of the tech community working arm in arm.
Now, on to the news from last week.
Chris Dixon's new gig, a plus for NYC?
Gigaom is reporting that NYC founder and startup rock star Chris Dixon will be decamping to the West Coast to take up with Andreessen/Horowitz. But Chris says -- not so fast. He says his aim is to build a bridge between this leading venture firm and the NYC community. And just to prove it -- he's keeping his NYC apartment. So we think he's not changing teams. Bravo Chris.
Boston.com reports that a study was issued by Startup Genome, and put New York at #4, behind San Francisco, Tel Aviv, and Los Angeles. Boston came in number five.
"The broader story is that New York was irrelevant five years ago and now it's incredibly relevant," said Jeff Bussgang, a general partner at the Boston venture capital firm Flybridge Capital Partners in Boston. "We are big believers in the New York ecosystem."
Says Boston.com:
"The results reflect the growth of New York City as a center for technology start-ups and the city's intensifying efforts to promote itself as a hub of Internet innovation. Indeed, some of the hottest new social media companies such as Tumblr and Foursquare call Manhattan home, and over the past year Facebook Inc. and Microsoft Research have opened outposts there."
According to the Huffington Post:
"Sen. Chuck Schumer is urging the New York Board of Regents to approve two initiatives that he says will improve graduation rates and reduce young adult unemployment."
There are two proposals, the first for science, tech, engineering and math -- and the second for tech education. Both are intended to train workers for the state's high-tech and manufacturing sectors. The programs would be alternative paths toward high school graduation says HuffPost:
"The local workforce does not have the skills needed to fill these jobs," Schumer said during a conference call with reporters Wednesday. "A high school graduate with proper training coulee easily fill these positions."
It's great to see news, capital, and government all aligned to help the NY tech scene grow. As always, looking forward to hearing from you.
Tips, events, or N.Y. Tech news? Email me at Srosenbaum (at) nycedc (dot) com.