And Now A Word From Your Sponsor
I was going to post today on the brewing online privacy discussion in Washington but then I saw this video in my twitter feed. It was made by the New York Tech Meetup and is a three minute public service announcement about doing your startup in NYC. I did sit for the film but was left on the cutting room floor. That's just fine with me. It came out great and so today's post will be an advertisement from NYC to all entrepreneurs out there.
We will resume regular programming tomorrow.
Comments (Archived):
Wow.It’s a real good one!!!I like the guy who’s here for the food!
are you seeing the new disqus? i am.
nope
I am
hmm. that means some have it and some don’t. i am still getting used to it.
kinda makes sense to do a staggered roll-out. like twitter did recently, also, with their new ui.
me as well.
The bartender, regular, et al badges of honor are already missed.Connecting with other users seems easier.
No, seems the same.
Yes. It’s very good, but I hate that they’ve implemented a (down) voting system, and told them so. No good will come of it.
What is the difference? I see the same disqus interface.
they are randomly showing to to some people some of the time
I hope it is not a huge change, I love how disqus works now. By far the best commenting system out there. Similar to your post yesterday, a network on top of many networks. If disqus is not the comment engine I do not even engage.
Fun…I love NY.I also love ‘Grey Dog’.
you got a cameo, fred. bit of catwalk action. looks like they decided to make you the sugar for the video. would have preferred some victoria secret models. you were a firm second.
Fred, didn’t realize you knew how to strut. And the tie throw? Bonobos’ new runway model = strong to quite strong.p.s. Great video. Saw Bloomberg speak at the incubator at 137 Varick yesterday about the success his Incubator initiatives have had: Total investment from city: $1.8mm; Total raised by incubated businesses: $78mm; Total employee by these companies: 900 employees. Bloomberg got quite a retun on his investment already, and it’s only been a few years since the first incubator opened. And I echo the concern that the next Mayor won’t be able to sustain the growth Bloomberg has had.
he is an impossible act to follow. i once had to speak after him.
hey fred if you want any tips i’ve had to do it twice now 😉
I find Thant hard to believe that you found it hard to follow Bloomberg!
This is not the regular Disqus.
this is not my beautiful house, this is not my beautiful wife
Same as it ever was…
Where does that highway go to?
Makes me want to have a breakfast meeting at Balthazar.
Let’s do it Dave. Been awhile.
count me in. send me an email arnold and we’ll get it on the calendar.
Cool.
Sounds good.
I’m right around the corner, so if there is room at the table, count me in.
Sounds classy
hmm, I have never been to Balthazar, but then again I think I would have a breakfast meeting in Brooklyn in possibly Prospect Heights 🙂
Tempted to get on the next flight!
hmm, tempting.
This was shown last night at NY Tech Meetup to roaring applause!And you weren’t left on the cutting room floor. That’s you strutting your stuff down the fashion catwalk, Fredio Armani.
yes indeedi did sit for a 30 minute interview. that’s what got cut. i guess i wasn’t very good that day 🙂
well…you were mentioned in the “Special Thanks to” section.
Love this
You weren’t completely cut out. Working the runway like a pro…
I love NYC, and quite like this pitch, but even after a few years of solid improvement coffee situation is still pretty deplorable. Bloomberg should have led with an explanation of how these amazingly talented people tech in the absence of a decent macchiato.
9th St Espresso, Joe the Art of Coffee, La Colombe. But I still haven’t found a good flat white.
Have you tried Milk Bar? (it’s on Vanderbilt).
Nope, I’ll add it to my list.
coffee is not a macchiato….its coffee.Also, try Kaffe 1668
Wash your mouth out with soap!(Thx.)
i like french pressed coffee?
Typo, or too lateral a thought for me, perhaps…
it was more a response to you telling me to wash my mouth out with soap over coffee versus espresso :-p
This is so wrong kids, come to Milan Italy!We can do much better than Mike Bloomberg – he’s only a mayor. Our Silvio Berlusconi used to be the official Prime Minister of the entire country – until his trousers took over his mind that is.And talk about meeting people? You can meet with every single VC in the whole country in just a couple of hours!!Plus we have pizza. I bet you guys don’t have that in NYC…
what about Stockholm http://www.youtube.com/watc…
No pizza there either
Of at least a second office!
Ahh…and MIlan has you David.And super access to wines from Friuli.
Grazie, grazie ArnoldoI drinka a bigga glass to your gooda health
I don’t-a like-a Silvio.He doesn’t wanta to play multiplayera on “Supermodels” with me and my brothera Luigi
The extra syllablsa were priceless after hearing your English with less of an accent than mine.
The coolest thing about Milan, is that you are close to Genova…
To me, MIlan is the jumping off place to Carso/Kras. Super obscure but super tasty wine region.
we have pizza but not pizza like you have
Someday we should sit down over a beer Fred.You can explain investing and I can explain British humour.Your talk will more valuable, mine will be more fun.”Gentlemen. You can’t fight in here. This is the War Room!”http://www.youtube.com/watc…
i love British humor
Actually, I was just in DUMBO – the good pizza disappeared :(But the technologists are all still there.
David – i was just in Milan last week to speak at the Digital Economy Forumagree that it is a fantastic city, but so risk-aversewill be tough to change that psychology, but it can happen
You should have dropped in to say hello. Perhaps next time.BTW, I was being ironic about Milan.Even the pizza is not as good as that found in Naples or Rome.
haha i figured as mucham in Turino tonight, back in Milano tomorrow, but not heaps of time before a dinner meeting :-/
Sure.If you find yourself in the centre (sic) tomrrow pop in for coffee.Our office is 200 yards from Piazza Duomo.
#jetsetterDan rocked it in the video
ha. not nearly as much as i’d like to bethanks on @spinosa’s behalf
We might have few actually…
haha
Hey David — My son and I have been wondering, do they have gluten-free pasta in Italy?Don’t laugh, I’m serious.
I had gluten free Quesadillas for lunch yesterday.Gluten free is a common choice now especially as non-alergenic choices in food become more mainstream.
Thanks to the gluten-free options now available I am hardly missing foods that contain gluten. I was already on a minimal carb diet anyway. Although my son still struggles. Hard for a kid.
My new regime is:Green smoothies during the day except biz luncesNon alergenic, gluton, dairy free cooking at homeSignificant cheating 2-3 times a week eating out.Feel incredible. 10 pounds lighter.
Dunno Donna. I’ll check and get back to you.
No worries, David. Barring a miracle, I probably won’t be in Italy any time soon. Although my gluten-free son has strangely been talking a lot about Italy lately.
Hey Donna, I’m a wheat-free-eating student who’s just spent 3 months living in Italy. It is counterintuitively easier to eat gluten-free there than in the States! A surprisingly large number of Italians have Celiacs, so the markets have a lot of offerings. And if you go to a restaurant in the cities and ask if they have any gluten-free dishes the waiter will look at you funny and say, “What are you kidding? *Of course* we have gluten-free dishes! Here’s 6!!” Buon appetito to you and your son :)Curiously too, their wheat is of the grain semolina, which we don’t use that much in the States, and it didn’t trigger my normal allergic responses at all. I ate better in Italy than I have my whole life.
Wow, this is encouraging. Thank you, Kevin. From what I hear, eating is half the fun of visiting Italy. Although that’s probably true of most places.
i love nyc (specifically brooklyn), love the video, and love almost everything it highlights about the city.however, after some recent trips to sf, it’s really hard to deny that the startup energy out west is not only stronger, but more positive. in relation to startups (and, really, life in general), i found people in the bay area to be more helpful and positive, with a “let’s make this work!” attitude; while in nyc, raised eyebrows and skepticism are standard reactions when sharing ideas.that said, shake shack beats in ‘n out any day of the week :o)
You’re hanging out with the wrong people in NYC! Email me if you want to share startup ideas.
will do, sir. mainly to get some japan tips since you bill yourself as a japanophile. i’m headed there in may. suuuuuper excited.
Plenty of travel tips. Prepare thyself.
i like a bit of cynicism. but i take your point.
You had me at In n Out. Shake Shack would have to be pretty amazing. Although the travesty is that I’ve never been to Shake Shack.
You are missing something special, Donna. In n Out can’t hold a candle to Shake Shack. If the one by USV didn’t have a perpetual hour-wait line, i’m sure Fred and everyone else there would be obese from the over indulgence that would inevitably ensue.
Shake Shack doesn’t have the consistency of In-and-Out. I was impressed by my first burger at the original location. Not so much at the newer outpost on the UWS. Based on that, I’d be skeptical about even newer outposts.Been years since I had an In-and-Out Burger, but have fond memories.
Well, I love all the excitement and potential of unleashing all these efforts!Its even starting to “trickle down” to communities such as mine:http://www.bgdailynews.com/…http://wkuherald.com/news/a…http://www.whywaittheapp.com/Its been a busy year and we are only getting started!Next project is in internship program where we put students in local businesses….
The merits of NYC are what they are and they are considerable.What is really interesting about this video is the collaboration between a politician — an unusual politician and one with extraordinary authority in the area of technology and with the digital illuminati — and business interests.This is a perfect example of the potential for politics — at no great meaningful cost to the taxpayers — to seize the Bully Pulpit to benefit business as a proxy for job creation. Job creation being the life giving force of the economy.Counter that with what is basically a guerrilla war with business at the Federal level. Who in their right mind picks a fight w/ the US Chamber of Commerce? The red tie and ribbon cutting Taliban?The outcomes speak for themselves.I was at a RPT fundraiser in Austin last night and had a quick chat w/ the Gov, Lt Gov and about a million Republican state Senators and Representatives. Texas is a big state and there were a lot of elected officials.I was struck by how ebulliently positive the entire gathering was about the business climate in Texas — not in a political way but in an “inner counsel of war” way.It comes as no surprise that Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Ft Worth and Dallas were just anointed as being in the top 10 cities in the US for job growth 2004-2012.What was truly remarkable was the obvious commitment to maintaining a favorable environment for job creation.NYC, the Mayor, the NYC tech community has it going on and, yes, the food is that damn good in NYC.
They skirted over this in the piece but NY also has density. Largest connected, engaged, on foot population of net natives in the western world.This sandbox is a value in itself.
No question about this. Maybe the most important element of its unique character.
yeah, it’s the food definitely. that’s NY’s edge 🙂
As much as I hate to admit it, NYC has a huge advantage over Texas on this score. I have even had good BBQ in NYC — please, please don’t tell anyone I said this. I could be forcibly expelled for this heresy.
I’m not going to tell your son about this BBQ comment. He would think you’re terminally ill and get home on the next flight. Then he’d have to move you out of Texas for your own safety.
My son is the ultimate Tx BBQ authority and will routinely refuse to “sauce” his Q on the theory that if you have smoked that brisket just right, the flavor is in the smoke.He makes regular pilgrimages to Lockhart, the Mecca of Q in Tx.For the record, he was born in Texas and I was not. He constantly points out that I am but an immigrant subject to constant threat of expulsion and that he is a native.I counter that I got here as fast I could and my decision was a “reasoned” decision — no sale.He also routinely refers to me as his father, the fat cat CEO who is the poster child for all corporate excesses; or, alternatively, a Saul Alinsky radical committed to the confiscation and redistribution of the top 1% wealth.You never really know which child will answer the bell.
That’s hillarious.
i am tempted to tweet out this comment to the world. but out of respect i won’t.
Well, not until after lunch time at least. Green Mesquite BBQ today.
that was not fair. not at all.
my company makes modern technology for restaurants. people like to mention fashion, media, finance, retail and the likes as the big sectors in NYC. in my mind i’ve expanded retail to include restaurants… can’t be that big of a stretch, can it?
spot on
Makes me miss New York, really looking forward to coming back this summer.
we miss you John
Was in NYC last week Fred, and must say you get energy from the city!Is it a must move for us from the West of Ireland?(Well it’s the next stop West of us!)
Amazing what happens when a politician gets behind a startup movement. Wish we had more like him across the country. Maybe I should move retailpitch.com to NYC.
nice landing page. what’s the (ballpark) conversion rate?
We have done very little marketing and a lot of who comes are already members. We have a very low bounce rate which speaks highly given the front page is just one page.
It’s happening in “cities” in general. Tech meet ups, collaboration across sectors and governments, I see bigger companies hiring entrepreneur firms in Birmingham, half the articles in the business section of our paper are either on entrepreneurs, or on our large tech incubator associated with the university downtown. You walk into a coffee shop downtown, and you know 50% of the people (a melting pot of suits and skinny jeans), and 20 of them are working from their Macs on some idea or business.It wasn’t like this 3 years ago in Birmingham, Alabama.
that is so great to hear and what i believe is happening and should happen all over the world
hehe, I sprayed my screen with coffee… when I saw your badass catwalk turn.love it. 🙂
At least it was just coffee…
i hope you have some of those screen wipes handy
proper desgin nerds always have screen wipes handy 😉
didn’t you used to work at r/ga? name sounds super familiar…
correctamente!
dude. we should have a r/ga alumni startup get together, maybe include folks from similar places. was actually talking to a friend from frog design about how places like these have been executing great platforms for years, but since we get covered by adage instead of techcrunch, we’re not afforded the same respect in the tech community. i’ve heard the complaints from many ex-r/ga’ers. need to organize! if you’re still at r/ga, say hi to kris kiger for me. :o)
shoot me an email: amin at amintorres dot com
My favorite aspect of the video is how Mayor Bloomberg and the city says a brief piece at the beginning and gets out of the way to let the builders of new things (BONTs) do the talking.I thought the closing was a perfect slot for Ed Koch’s famous quote: ‘New York is where the future comes to audition,’ but otherwise that reel was a great viewing — thank you NYC.
Phenner what is going on? Good to see you on avc!
hahhaaha fred’s cameo is great here! still, though, nothing compares to silicon valley for software engineering. i think media and governance are becoming more important, so maybe nyc, LA, or some other place can play winner take all from that angle, but until then, network effects make the valley the king of software engineering. there is the earthquake factor out there though. valley is def due for a big one. a number of kooks report black ops personnel saying there is one planned that will be huge. #onlytheparanoidsurviveor if you want to play the macro card, beijing, singapore, sub-saharan africa for the especially bold and daring who want to build the network and get the huge corresponding returns….ghana and ethiopia in particular are growing super fast……also, this video conveniently ignores rent and cost of living. i know there are those who say that’s not a huge factor…..lol, maybe if you’re a millionaire or billionaire…..if not, though, have fun sharing a studio with 3 roommates if you want to live in a hot spot. i lived in queens when i was slumming it new york on my startup……not exactly party central.and linsanity is over. carmelo is back. now somebody teach the knicks to learn to pass, maybe then they’ll actually end up winning some games. to conclude my session of raining on this parade i’d like to mention the nypd, aka bloomberg’s own private army. they’re everywhere. lots of barriers to getting guns in nyc too, so you have an unarmed population and a huge, armed police force. look into occupy wall street to see the result of that. also, bloomberg tried to ban public photography a few years ago (or make it something that required a license). for civilians, that is. nevermind that there drones being put up to monitor everything we do in the land of the free. 9/11 was an inside job,kid mercury
No city in the western world is a better sandbox of density, connected, on foot, net-natives.Want to build a company that connects people…NY is the place to find the community.We aren’t perfect. No place is. Choose what matters most. The engineering talent or proximity to your market. In a blended mix of both, we come out pretty well 😉
i lived in nyc for 10 years, lived in san francisco for 1…..no comparison. nyc has more people so it has lots of people that are in tech, but norcal is primarily technology. nyc barely has functional wifi. i agree that nyc has some advantages because of being a blended environment. so if you are in financial technology, a new media play…..maybe some opportunities. for the bootstrappers, though, it’s all about saving money. that’s one of the reasons i’m moving to chicago instead of moving back to nyc…..for the kind of place i’d like to live in, i’d have to pay almost 2X as much to get it in new york city. #dealbreaker
True…I think about markets first. Can’t help it.Online/offline plays. Connect the dots w/people on the streets. Big brand connects. Gateways into Europe. NYC is the stage for that.So maybe the restate is, build it where you can afford to, have a presence for community and sales here. Many are doing that.What I always balk against is build it w/o connection with your market. If your market looks like the line of people in front of Shake Shack in Madison Park, then you should be on that line.
Where in Chicago? I lived there for almost three years. The West Loop is turning into a mini tech hub. And yes, I paid exactly half of what I pay in Brooklyn.
i’m flying there this weekend, and i don’t have a place yet — i’ll be staying with my cousin in the south loop until i find place. i’m expecting to live in lakeview. the other thing i love about it is that san francisco and new york the demand is out of control relative to supply…..so not only does that drive price much higher, but you also have to sign right away or run the risk of losing the place…..for my last place in san francisco, we had to go there and sign on the spot……i really dislike that, but we were getting desperate after missing out on a bunch of other apartments. the issue will be much less urgent in chicago, it seems.
Lakeview is cool but if you’re too close to Wrigley Field you’ll be cleaning beer bottles and vomit off your sidewalk every day during baseball season.EDIT: the Lake Shore Drive express buses will get you downtown in 10 minutes and are one of the best transit lines in Chicago, so try to get close to one of the express stops if you can.
Not surprised, all the hip galleries moved to west loop (I was just there) The spaces are huge.
rent cost is far from the only amazing part about chicago. there’s the lake, beaches, fresh air, grass, bunnies, chill people, and every amenity you’d ever want.chicago is the one place i’d ditch nyc for. but then again, it’s my hometown and it’s flag is tattooed on my arm, so…
i’m looking forward to being a part of the startup chicago scene. let’s show the minor leaguers in nyc the power of cheap, abundant space and friendly people!
Sign me up for your earthquake machine analytics service when it launches?
when i’m feeling happy and need a dose of paranoia to balance things out i always check in with the USGS bay area earthquake probabilities report: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/…
This is my earthquake machine story:My wife grew up in Turkey, and in 1999 when they had a big earthquake near Izmit, the rumors that it was caused by the CIA’s earthquake machine grew so strong that the US state department had to hold an official press conference denying the existence of such a machine.
for anyone interested, here’s a good essay on weather weapons: http://www.globalresearch.c…former US general albert stubblebine says the US has weather weapons. there’s another government guy too, livingston i think is his name, on record about weather weapons, and how they were used in vietnam to create hurricanes and such. there was a quake in DC last year, there were some reports in the kook media that it was a quiet attack from china.
actually, if there was such a thing as an earthquake analysis machine so we could predict real earthquakes in advance…that would be amazing progress!
I know you’re partly Kid-ding, but I will make a partial rebuttal to the software engineer notion.I’ve had at least 2 prospects this week (I co-run an offshore development shop) call me from the bay area and say that their engineers are in NY. Both of them claimed they found it noticeably easier to find a coder in NY than in SF. The reason makes sense: the supply of coders in SF is certainly higher, but so is the demand, outpacing it. Valley is boiling over hot now, with way more, better-funded companies big and small, waiting to snatch any coder worth his salt.
god i love your comments Kid. slightly predictable, always off center, and always educational
It’s always more fun when Kid shows up. Really missed him during his hiatus.
I think the Carmelo – Linsanity remix is a huge lesson in the dynamic and culture of teams.Would it be unfair to say that the Carmelo-less Linsanity led team was more effective and cheaper?Or am I inaccurate/unkind?
i think carmelo and jeremy can play well togetherand that lin and amare can play well togetherbut amare, melo, and lin together doesn’t seem to work as wellit took the three amigos in miami a year to figure it out
i blame coaching. even the bulls with jordan had to know how to pass the ball; they didn’t start winning championships until phil jackson came in and brought the triangle offense. i’ve watched the knicks play this year…..terrible. they’ll win a few games because they have amare and carmelo but without teamwork, forget it. just like the business world. star power only goes so far.so i agree linsanity minus carmelo was more effective and cheaper, but if they played more like an organized team, i don’t think that would be the case.
Huge commentary on the power of teams.
The knicks are like a Toyota Car with a Honda engine, a Nissan transmission ( under powered) a hyundai suspension system and a electrical system from the old Audi 1000. You get crap, it fires up at times but for the most part it sputters.
Did Instagram lobby to shoot down the public photography ban?Special interests…
Great video… love that they talk about working hard AND playing hard – you gotta have both! I did a double take on your cameo Fred… you been doing some modeling work? 😀
Love this. I moved to NYC 10 years ago to set up US HQ for our business, MessageLabs. Back then it was still not really seen as a technology center. But it worked out really well for us – it was easy to work with our UK business, we found great people, we were close to a number of our key markets (finance, media etc.) and we established a really high energy culture that rubbed off on the rest of the business.The potential was always there but over the last 10 years the city has really started to fulfill this potential. NYC is really becoming the technology powerhouse it deserves to be and it’s really exciting to see. Quite simple it is the most dynamic place in the world – I still feel like a big kid walking down the street and thinking – ‘Wow, I’m in New York!’
I wish the London mayoral candidates supported this type of activity. Instead their doing this: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/…
Really cool, is there a place in new york for foreign entrepreneurs?
About 25% of independents at the coworking space New Work City are here from foreign countries, so yes there is definitely a place. Unfortunately we can’t help with work visa issues, which are in a terrible state at the moment.I just had a friend turned away at the border and sent back to his country for an expired visa. He was building something really cool with a team here in NYC. They were creating jobs. So dumb.
It is logic, nobody knows if a startup will be successful or not. If 10 people get a visa for example, maybe one of them will be successful and the others not and then they have to leave the country.
Maybe I wasn’t clear in my post, but this person was successful and they made him leave anyway.
But maybe the success of the one provides employment for the remaining nine, and then some…
oh yeah. it’s the place for foreign entrepreneurs
Let’s not forget that Mayor Bloomberg is one of the greatest entrepreneurs of his generation.But his greatest strength from my perspective is his ability to attract and hire talent who otherwise would never have considered doing government work.The city government is currently full of smart, young, energetic people (like Chief Digital Officer Rachel Sterne https://twitter.com/#!/rach… who you just don’t find in city jobs. Initiatives like the city data API, NYC Big Apps and support for startup incubators follow.The next mayor won’t be like Bloomberg, but there is another wave of city officials who think like entrepreneurs and I hope they stick around and continue to run the city like they have been.
NYC: Shine On You Crazy Diamond! Five Stars for the cool promo video that seems to capture the enticing flavor of the city. We used to have that “beautiful energy” thing here in Detroit – but it seems to have all gone up in smoke…
Being one of the greatest entrepreneurs himself makes Mike Bloomberg uniquely qualified for promoting startups. No other mayor has the magnitude of his business background. That’s a once in a lifetime gigantic mix of opportunities. He has shown that a business savvy person can learn politics in 2-3 years and be really effective at it.The Cast of characters should have been a more expanded list of the known startups that are founded or based in New York presently, e.g. Foursquare, Meetup, etc.
Mayor Mike can speak with authority when it come to new businesses.
Holy smokes, that would seem to argue for the quaint notion that one could actually deploy their life experience in the political arena for the good of the people.And, now, if you actually had great life experience, practical life experience, maybe even “real” life experience, you could use politics as the vehicle or as the conduit through which to enhance the quality of your governance and get some good stuff done.That would require you to actually have some of that kind of experience, no?So, experience counts?What a quaint notion.
You mean by “life experience” things that really count?Can’t wait for the first startup/tech firm says, “…hey, lets hire the “old guy” because they have life experiences that we do not have…” or maybe someone waking up and exclaiming, “….who needs another lawyer as a politician?”Poor Rohan, on his blog at http://www.alearningaday.com/ he is starting a new series on Wednesday and he doesn’t realize that when he finally figures everything out he will be too old to be of interest to anyone! :)I was asked by a a young 20 something just the other day, “…are you retired?” to which I responded, “…heck no I am just getting started!”Its funny how young people have no idea how to deal with middle aged guys who can still get excited by an idea!
Never too old, only too good Carl..;-)
One time in Kathmandu I had my palm read by one of the most awesome palm readers you could imagine. He read and measured and studied and never once asked me anything. So then the next day I came back for the “results” at which time he told me that my life would be one of extreme peaks and extreme valleys (boy he hit that one dead on) then as he was Hindu, we had a long discussion of religion, and I figure that I am atoning in this life for something in a prior life! 🙂
It sure makes a good argument against some career politicians who only know about politics and become so damn good at it, they forget the faintest thing about business and serving the people that elect them.
When I was starting Namely last year for a split second I considered moving to the Valley. After all, how many great enterprise software companies are there in New York? And then I realized that we could be the first.One secret has been setting up in the Williamsburg/Greenpoint area. There are a bunch of great developers here that want to walk/bike to work. I’ve beat the likes of Facebook for talent that way.
My one hesitancy of moving to the US or other cities is that I feel my local community could use what I can and would bring to it. I would hope to be able to help cultivate this same passionate entrepreneurial community where I currently live.What will likely happen though is moving somewhere else nearby, perhaps permanently, though if not, coming back once the startup is more in business mode.I know being in a bigger tech city allows for strategic serendipity and opportunity, though rushing things can have as negative drawbacks as not being in the perfect city.That being said, I do love NYC, Brooklyn, etc.. It is a paradise for endless exploration and discovery.
I would love to move my startup to NYC, but I’m afraid I can’t pay myself the $300k a year it would apparently cost for my family to live there.Maybe Fred will let us sleep on his floor for a while.
fredbnbcouldn’t resist
I agree, Donna, *fredbnb*. After their last child goes to college, those bedrooms should be available.
we have a startup in gotham gal’s office this week. they are moving to gowanus brooklyn next week.
Sounds like there is a FredBnB opening starting April 9th. We’ll see you then. I hope the gotham girl likes bulldogs.
whoa, that’s not right!
if the cost of living problem can be solved that would help nyc greatly….maybe then they can graduate from little league and play with the pros in the valley
Same with Los Angeles. Trying to recruit people here from other parts of the country is a challenge. And as you’ve noted in another comment thread (on Suster’s blog), we’ve got the public transportation challenge. But we also have bicycle lanes.
Easiest relocations I do are bi-coastal. Only time there is limited sticker and traffic shock. LA/SF -> NY or vice versa.
I find the same exact thing. But then there are the cultural differences — although not as pronounced with entrepreneurial types.
You have the transportation challenge period Donna.I like LA, lived and worked there. Commuting is a non starter unless you have flex hours.BTW…bike lanes? NY is way easier for bikes than LA. No comparison.
I notice that a few people here solve the commuting problem by getting a surf in early morning.Put that in your pipe and smoke it. 😉
Ouch!Spoken like a true Malibu resident 😉
Agree Kid. Most people I know have an NYC exit plan, even the people who went to overpriced schools. 2-3 years and then they are gone. They never mentally commit to the city and I think it’s because they know they could never truly afford to live there long term. As a possible employer it’s concerning to me that all of the talent is temporary, which is to be expected when many employers can’t afford to pay salaries that would provide a decent NYC lifestyle.
i’ve lived here for almost 30 years. that’s not what happens at all. trust me.
you don’t need $300k to live in Brooklyn. that’s where all the cool people live these days
yes, but it is driving up the rents for us old timers in Brooklyn. Damn shee shee pooh pooh people of Manhattan are moving here and pushing us out.
i had that happen to me back in the day when i was living in harlem. first few years everyone was scared to live there, rent was reasonably cheap. then a bunch of liberal college kids going to overpriced schools found out about it and started moving in. bye bye cheap rent!
Brooklyn is super expensive Fred!! You can find cheaper apts on the UWS/UES than in the more desirable parts of BKLYN.
so true. williamsburg, dumbo, fort greene… ain’t cheap!rule of thumb: when Whole Foods breaks ground in your neighborhood, you can kiss cost savings goodbye.
I didnt say the gentrified parts of brooklyn
i doubt there are deals left anywhere near downtown manhattan. if you want to be close, gotta pay the bill. brooklyn isn’t a deal, harlem isn’t a deal…..maybe washington heights, but at that point are you really in new york city?
Not speaking about NYC specifically but about real estate (or buying things) generally it is entirely possible to overpay market price if you are not willing to put in the effort and do your homework.Most people overpay because they are lazy (or go with what people tell them is not possible) and leave many stones unturned. With some things this makes sense (who cares if you get the absolute lowest price on a 1TB internal drive of qty 1? )With real estate in particular people have many motivations for selling (or renting) and a timetable as well. If you put in the legwork you will inevitably be able to save yourself money. That said the NYT real estate section does an absolutely fabulous job of keeping up NYC real estate prices. I read it every weekend and marvel in the wording they use to describe the real estate scene.
sure, there maybe a few deals for the extra diligent. but i think the basic strategy of “let me save money by moving to brooklyn” is played out. so is “let me save money by moving to harlem.” maybe “let me save money by moving to jersey” isn’t — but then you’re living in jersey! if you want to be close to new york city, it’s going to be expensive. sure, maybe a few people can find a few special deals, but i don’t think there’s enough for a whole ecosystem. at least, in my experience and for my friends and family in the area, that has been the situation.
what is wrong with washington heights? what about lovely neighborhoods like jackson heights or laurelton in queens or pelham parkway in the bronx? last I checked they are a part of new york city. people who worship “below 96th street will have to pay a premium – but there are plenty of places to live.
i agree….i lived in washington heights for 2 years and queens for a year and a half so that i could access work/school opportunities in the city at reasonable prices. but if you live in those areas, you are not going to be living the life advertised in this video. you are going to be spending an hour or more each way on your commute and will return to a place that does not have linsanity or tons of resaturants or fashion shows or any of that stuff. you will also have slightly fewer serendipitious opportunities. so i think it can be worth it, but it depends on your expectations, and what you value. for most US-based internet startups that do not have investor funding, i think san francisco/silicon valley is a much better place to be, or alternatively a place that is significantly cheaper than the valley or nyc so that your costs are minimized. or a place where you already have a strong personal network that you can easily and deeply leverage.
I’m confused as to why you say that. I know many ppl who enjoy all those things and don’t actually live in Manhattan (myself included). My sister even owns a condo up in Westchester county and can be in Grand Central in 35 minutes on the Metro-North express train. She works in finance and loves the Manhattan lifestyle – but can’t afford to own… the commute is no problem for her (she still doesn’t own a car) and she has the busiest social life of anyone I know. I guess it’s different when you’ve lived here most of your life… you don’t let the advertisements fool you. Everything in life is a trade-off… it doesn’t matter where you are.
If NYC is #2 now, then it is Avis.We Try Harder.
Ok. We’re coming. Thanks.
Very little of this is good. When the NY Tech bubble bursts – and it WILL burst – startup people will be blaming Bloomberg for failing at his goals while Bloomberg/NASDAQ will return the favor – but they’ll be leaving with pockets full.NY Tech Meetup + NASDAQ? And now the city itself is getting in on the action? Not a good thing. At all. Distance is needed between the marketplace and those who gamble on it.
burst is relative. we have a strong root system now. sure the optimism that we have now will cool. and some will call it a bursting of the bubble. but there is so much fundamentally solid stuff happening that it won’t be like the last time.
Having been deeply involved in the last bubble, I see far too many warning signs. Strong root system? Supposedly, we had that back then too. The city really supporting it – that happened last time. Perhaps not on such a grand scale, but the intimations were made that they were behind it. The market was all over it and people – a small group of people, mind you – made an impressively unwarranted amount of money.For some, that is a good thing. For those who help that small group of people make their money, not so much.The bright-eyed, bushy-tailed tech scene made up of people who are mostly the age I was at 12 years ago would be better off bootstrapping their startups and succeeding on the merits of their own offerings, instead of chasing after money to develop – or re-develop – their version of whatever the current popular flavor of social media/app/cloud sharing is. Yes, I’m aware there’s more than that going on, but you get the idea.I hope I’m wrong. I really, really do. I’d like nothing better than to be wrong, but someone more involved in the current happenings than I needs to inject some reality.
i got crushed last time. and hurt badly. i know what you are talking about. but we did not have a lot of profitable sustainable internet businesses here in NYC last timenow we do.
Profitable, for now. I wonder about the long-term prospects of the companies that are often mentioned in this context.Kickstarter? Will probably be around for awhile. Existing for the sole purpose of taking people’s money, then taking a cut before passing it on to another person, is an age-old business model.Foursquare? Not likely. ***A bunch removed here b/c Fred pointed out my assumption was wrong. I still stand by my doubt that FS will continue to exist in its current form in the future. ***Tumblr? It’ll get bought by a larger company and then run into the ground. It’s GeoCities/LiveJournal all over again. I’m not even sure how they’re making any money right now, and their service fees must be astronomical. Template sales? Hmm. Maybe.MakerBot is pretty cool. They sell an actual product. That also lets anyone make their own physical merchandise – or at least prototype it. I hope they stick around.For Baba12, below: That could quite possibly be the case. The situation you’ve described below has crossed my mind and come up in conversation with others. It’s also mentioned on the USV website. I don’t think any of those things really changes anything I’ve said above.
you are wrong about foursquare. they don’t sell data to anyone. i’ve got no problem with someone expressing the bear case. but you have your facts wrong on foursquare
you raise interesting questions, what you may not be seeing is what USV sees in all these companies. They are building a network and they hope that they can advertise to that network. That is the source of revenue for all these ventures except maybe Kickstarter, that acts as a the middleman in a transaction. The seller and the buyers accept that and it seems to work for them.In the sense of innovation there is nothing fundamentally happening as such, but every one of these businesses seem to think they are on the cutting edge or bleeding edge in terms of their offerings.The USV’s of the world don’t really care if they are bleeding edge or not, they care about the network effect and if they have a good rapport with the team that maybe executing. Beyond that everything is about negotiating the deal that feels right to everyone.
I think tech in NY will be sustaining but there are a few things that worry me. workspace is being subsidized right now to attract companies. the second that carpet gets pulled out many a startup will fall. i guess the moral to that story is get to revenues quickly.
Great point. Office space in NYC is prohibitively expensive and can easily outmatch the budgets of most startups – costing more than their actual employees.Coworking spaces can be an option (full disclosure: I run one in Brooklyn), but that has other associated costs. If you’re not an especially social person or get annoyed with a dozen people around you chattering away, this may not be a viable option. There are a number of big-box corporate or investor-run “coworking” spots around, but for me, that idea makes my skin crawl.PS:Since I can’t reply to Fred’s comment below for some reason *cough* I’ll do it here: You’re investing in those startups, and they’re not worrying so much about how to pay their own bills with their own money.
i’m not sure about thatwe invest in a ton of startups in NYC and i am not aware of any that feel like the cost of their office is a huge burdenpeople are what cost startups money
There were a number of discussions that were being had at last nights NYTM about a bubble – I think one of the bigger problems is that there isn’t the investment by people (forget vcs for a moment) into OTHER areas of NYC businesses. That means less people get interested in these other areas.EG: I rarely see a medical startup on stage at the NYTM. NYC has lots of hospitals. So why is that?
Way to nail it, Shana! I have other issues with the current tech startup mentality, but what you’re saying is a BIG thing being ignored.Medical startups aren’t sexy and won’t be as likely to show up on Mashable/TechCrunch/etc. If you can’t share pictures, videos, or be sold to with coupons for showing up at a coffee shop you’d likely be going to anyway – little to no interest to be had.
I’ve been thinking about the problem with medical startups deeply recently. I’m in the middle of planning my first web app, which happens to fall under medical startups (its a medical family tree, I need one for a certain doctor)The problem isn’t sexiness – its really rare to think about your health when you and yours are healthy. So many people don’t think they need help. When you get sick (seriously sick) then you start thinking about the mess.There seem to be large chunks of people who get resigned when they get that level of sick. That being said, it doesn’t include all people. There is a small but significant percentage of people who will become effectively medical activists – they become angry and want to change the status quo. Those groups have changed history, everything from standard practices (the reason lumpectomies are common was because of a woman named Rose Kushner who started to document how uncommon in the 1970s lumpectomies were -http://jwa.org/blog/kushner) to approval processes for drugs (ACT UP forced the FDA to adopt accelerated approval systems so that activists would stop dying of AIDS).Really good medical startups have to understand that even though really they are a company, underneath they hold the banners they’ve received from these groups. They need to activate patients and get them angry. Angry that the technology isn’t there to make them healthier, to save their lives. That anger is the greatest advocacy for their product. Angry that the product they are offering hasn’t been build already.There is a reason there is a saying Silence = Death. Startups should be breaking that silence.
that’s what they always say. 15.5 trillion in national debt would beg to differ. like with any debt, the longer you ignore it, the more it hurts when the music stops and the bill must be paid.
Thats a different bubble. I am worried about that one.
It’s one and the same. I have a hard time thinking of the last original idea to get funding/media attention.The best thing to do is invest in original ideas instead of also-rans. I would imagine that at a VC firm – such as USV, for example – this is a viable option, though I also imagine that convincing the source of the funding to invest in something new is more difficult.
Encouraging the entrepreneurs is 100% the right thing to do, creating more products and new products, and solving people’s problems is for sure the right way.What i am seeing sometimes is that many startups look alike, i mean entrepreneurs need to find new ways, new ideas, they need to discover the world in a new way and predict the future and solve the real problems that people are facing. And because the US is the leader of the world, it has not only to solve the problems of its own people but the problems of the world to stay the leader of the world.
If a NYC incubator accepts me, then I’ll go.
we’re heavily debating between LA and NY. I believe there’s good talent in NY but what are the odds that we can snatch people from Foursquare, Tumblr, and Kickstarter and how would you feel if we did?
the odds aren’t great for those three companiesbut there are more engineers in NYC than any other city in the country, including the bay areamany of them work for big companies and are increasingly interested in working for startupsi think its easier to hire engineers in NYC than the bay area right now
Come to Los Angeles. Amazing talent. I know.
🙂 I’m a trojan. I know it too!
You probably won’t be able to snag people from those companies. If they leave it will be to start their own companies.Look at the ad agencies and finance for developers itching to try something new.
i’m sure that’s the case. my observation was that the hot companies in NY, as opposed to other cities, are still very young and are on the up and up so none of those guys will be willing to leave. I do buy the premise that there are other talented engineers in the city, but i would have to wonder why if they’re so talented, would they not just join the foursquares and tumblers since they’re currently hiring?fred tell your boys to stop hiring!in the mean time, we’ll do whatever we can to be the next foursquare.
Its great that Bloomberg is trying to promote startups in the city, and I think the next step to getting people here is affordable housing for entrepreneurs. West Chelsea is the next up-and-coming neighborhood in the city, and there are a bunch of dilapidated housing projects that will stick out like a sore thumb in 10 years amongst a sea of luxury condos. I think that it would be awesome if the startup community could start a movement to renovate one of these buildings and turn it into housing for people specifically working on new ventures (say, less than 2 years old). To have this type of affordable housing in the middle of Manhattan would be an awesome way to draw more people into the city and create an economic growth engine for NYC.
Or, live in Brooklyn, huge swaths of which are near public transportation and can get you to Manhattan in 15 minutes – shorter than the commute from Chelsea to, say, Midtown.
agreed. i think it is better suited towards a private enterprise with deep pockets to make this happen. although i think it is more realistic to find a place where real estate has bottomed and transform it into a startup mecca. it’s going to be tough to push prices down in nyc for anyone.
williamsburg first, please. its a shame that, what, at least 20% of the city’s tech entrepreneurs live on the L train between bedford and graham and yet have to leave the borough for work… and inferior food, drinks and vibe. (oh yeah, i went there!)
philip – it’s not likely that you will find a lot of affordable housing in “the middle of manhattan”… that area is a draw of real estate investment from all over the world – second only to London. The NY metro area has the most comprehensive mass transit system in the country for that reason. Most ppl will not be able to live “in the heart of it”. Supply and demand.
I love and adore New York and am here this week basking in the entrepreneurial, start-up culture in Lower Manhattan (and perhaps Brooklyn later in the week). As a start-up founder, I love the professional community, access to capital, and the fact that a number of my customers (and potential customers) are here. But for now, we are keeping the company headquarters in Oregon because the talent pool is ridiculously deep, the quality of life is desirable for my team, and the cost of operations is much lower. For now, we commute to Manhattan about 25% of the time, will have an office here someday soon other than the awesome Green Spaces co-working space, and will consider moving again when we’re much more profitable and well within our growth stage.
Although you may have been cut from this vid, you had your moment last night at NYTM with the fakevc texts.
Huh? I missed that
Thanks so much for sharing the video Fred!
I agree that the food is awesome, but you know what is better than a breakfast meeting at Balthazar? $20 in our account. Let’s meet in the park. Be Lean.
High Line for the win!
#truth
balthazar = scene-y and over rated. $18 eggs benedict?!! that’s not even heightened with an interesting take, but just plain ol’ eggs benedict?!!!! no, ma’am.
Go to their wholesale bakery in Englewood, NJ. It’s not scene-y at all, and not overrated either. Still pricey though. Nice touch during the winter: they come out with little cups of rich hot chocolate gratis for folks in line.
Random note: I’m not liking the new disqus – it seems to have shrunk the font and has resent the system to force you to load more comments to see everyone who posts. 🙁
Pagination is wonky right now. Also in this test phase, we will only load a small number of posts at first. The goal is to make this number higher.
Alright – good to know – but can you stop shrinking the fonts,
I love the look on his face when he says friendliest. He needs a better poker face! Everyone knows he’s bluffing.
This video rocked. Made me proud to have stayed with the industry in NYC!!!
Had to pause & rewind couple times to appreciate the brilliant cameo at min 2:32 – 2:35…;)
This video is impressive…and the thing is, the energy in the video is exactly what I have experienced during my few visits there. Also, it was a pleasant surprise that so many of the companies and even several of the faces are familiar — much of that due to AVC. Besides the NYC startup scene the other thing I envy is when the guy said he could be in at least 10 different meetings in different places in one day. THAT does not happen in Los Angeles.Also, after a few visits I totally refute the “rude New Yorker” stereotype. Especially after the time I got by on the kindness of many strangers making my way from Midtown to the Upper Westside on the subway — some even going out of their way to help.I feel like I need to watch the Randy Newman “I love LA” video as an antidote. If only I could be in two places at the same time.
Thats my partner Andy with the great hair who said that
That’s way better than the last version I saw actually used to pitch startups in London, which felt a bit like the video you’re subjected to while queueing at US immigrations.
Please DO write that post about privacy and the impact of this discusion.
I will. In our partnership discussion of the issue yesterday Albert cited your book as the best thing he has read on the issue
It’s great to see our politicians embracing entrepreneurship and technology. If we want to continue to succeed as a country, we need more politicians to support these cutting-edge ideals.
My wife and I have been considering relocating to New York, especially recently.This certainly gets the blood flowing…
Try Seattle if you want to build a great company. Less start up fatigue than SFO, great talent pool, cheaper cost of living and uber start-up oriented.
Seattle is a terrific city.I tele-commuted to Seattle from the Bay Area for two years. I was there earlier this week even – I still spend a lot of time there.All the reasons you mentioned are so true. But the perma-rain cloud that hovers over the city would keep us from ever making the move there.
nothing can compete with the fast pace of NYC. certainly Seattle can’t.
Whoa, Fred can’t turn left 😀
neither can Jeremy Lin
Thanks for posting this, Fred. We’re super happy with how it turned out and I think it tells a great story of what’s going on here.Also, if it makes you feel any better, at least you got a fancy runway pivot on tape. I wasn’t even asked to be in the video, and I’m the Executive Director! 🙂
Great job.Made the city dance!
A mediocre sell job. I wasn’t a fan of the video at all. I don’t think it did a good job of highlighting the reasons to locate in NYC. The use of Bloomberg (who most likely isn’t well known to the target age group) as the opening and closing I don’t think sends the right message at all. Bloomberg is an older dude dressed in a suit posing in front of American flags. Maybe that would be right if you are trying to attract people from overseas to NYC (“American dream”) but in my opinion isn’t appropriate for who the city is trying to attract. I don’t remember anything that Bloomberg said off the top that makes people think he is giving them the key to the city either. He reminded me of the university president in animal house. I like Bloomberg and I’m a fan of what he has done in business. But I’m not sure college age kids from the midwest will see it the same way.The cuts were way to fast and made mention to things that people from outside the area have no clue about. Those are the people you are selling to. “Dumbo” and references to local places where people eat without taking the time to show something other than a split second won’t work.I didn’t see any scenes in Central Park or anyone doing anything outdoors. The street scenes were so quick that they could have been in any city. Linsanity is over. Slower shots showing people in cool places in the city would have been better. And what’s with this quote:”it’s crowded it’s dirty its loud but it’s all really close”For food (NY has, what, the greatest concentration of restaurants in the world?) they brag and show primarily food trucks. And the best part of NYC – “that you’re not anywhere else????”Finally, if Bloomberg wanted to show he was behind tech he should have been filmed talking while at tech companies not posing in front of flags. (I would have enlisted some of the people from SNL somehow in the creation of this to give it a little more flair and attraction. )Oh, one more thing. The film completely missed the biggest reason for startups (primarily male dominated) to locate in NYC as an advantage over anywhere else, particularly Silicon Valley: The quantity of attractive available women and the dating scene.
there was plenty of dating scene visuals in the video
Well I’m not one to go off and make a comment half cocked. So I just watched it for the third time. The only thing that I see that even comes close is at 2:25 where David Karp says “go to parties” and then there is about 10 seconds of quick cuts ending in you walking down the runway (nice suit by the way).I’m not saying there aren’t showing women (or men). I’m saying the cuts are to quick and in no way convey the advantage to a young nerdy engineer in NYC vs. SV. You can have your pick of girls. That’s huge. I know this from personal experience as well as the experience of others. Guys won’t travel from UWS to UES for a date there is so much to pick from.
Bloomberg’s a dwarf, a dweeb and a useless busybody. Nobody, but NOBODY, associates that tool with freedom or innovation.
that’s not very nice
I liked the clip – I thought it was very well producedUSV – well represented in clip – Andy interview , Fred’s catwalk Cameo…and all of the USV GPs creditedGood Job!#StartupNYC
“We will resume regular programming tomorrow.”Ha! Yeah, right. This wasn’t regular programming for AVC?
Nice video. However, I still prefer London. Especially when the weather’s nice, like today.Problem with all the major hub like cities (SFO, NYC, LON) is that hiring is getting really expensive, hence us having success by near-shoring our dev in Miami.
Looking good big apple!
Great ad for nyc!was just in NYC with the family last week ( first time ) …it was so awesome, saw so many cool sights, walked and walked and walked ..i must have dropped a few pounds. We just loved every bit of it – and the folks there are indeed very friendly.I’ll be looking for any excuse to go back 🙂
What are some NYC focused technology blogs?
what do you mean by technology blogs?
I’m late at the party.. but I consider my self pitched.. c u soon
How (and why) would a new mayor destroy the NYC tech scene?
the NYC tech community got politically active during PIPA/SOPA and the inertia has resulted in more engagement. i expect the NYC tech community will be heavily engaged in the next mayoral election. in fact, i know it will.
Bloomberg has Ray Kelly as his police chief. Same guy who worked for Giuliani and same tactics. If Manhattan and the gentrified parts of Brooklyn weren’t as safe as they are now, I doubt you’d see such a hopping tech scene.
i don’t want to blow their cover just yet. there is a group of the right people working on this. you can email for details.
yes low crime is important… but Ray Kelly wasn’t commissioner under Guiliani…
You are correct, sir. He is employing Giuliani-era (Bratton-era) tactics though.