The Guide to NYC Tech

INTRODUCTION TO
THE NEW YORK CITY
TECH
COMMUNITY
RRE VENTURES | INTRODUCTION TO THE NYC STARTUP COMMUNITY
Steve Schlafman (@schlaf)
Principal
RRE Ventures
Published: December 8nd 2013

1
“You can resist an invading
army; you cannot resist an
idea whose time has come.”
-Victor Hugo
RRE VENTURES | INTRODUCTION TO THE NYC TECH COMMUNITY

2
BIRTHPLACE OF THE
AMERICAN DREAM

3
HOME TO BIG INDUSTRIES
Global Trade Textiles & Fashion Advertising
Law
Modern Finance Modern Real Estate

4
A NEW ERA IS HERE

NYC TECH UNCOVERED
• Welcome………………07
• Ecosystem…………….10
• Macro Trends………….11
• Startups………………..20
• Investors……………….33
• Places………………….43
• NYC Gov………………50
• Education………...……56
• Service Providers……..60
• Big Companies………..70
• News & Community…..79
• Tips & Advice………..100
• Final thought…..…….104
5

• I do not know everything about NYC tech
• I did not purposefully make omissions
• I could not include every person and biz
• I am not an academic or graphic designer
DISCLAIMERS
6

ABOUT ME
• Principal, RRE Ventures
• Raised in Boston but love NYC
• @schlaf
• schlafnotes.tumblr.com
• linkedin.com/in/schlaf
• My values: Responsive, transparent,
honest / candid, consistent, hard
working, modest
7

8
WHY I LOVE NYC TECH
How is it possible for a Bostonian to deeply love this
community?
• Welcoming: People new to tech can integrate quickly
• Collaborative: Continuous sharing of ideas, networks, deals, etc.
• Open: The community is accessible via Meetups, Twitter, and blogs
• Meritocracy: Great ideas, execution and hustle leads to progress
• Diverse: Many large industries in town but tech touches every one
• Innovative: Advancements from corporations, startups and makers
• Family: My friends here are from work, Twitter and events
• Driven: 24x7 work ethic to build something meaningful and
valuable

RRE VENTURES
• Established 1994
• Most active early stage firm in NYC for nearly two decades
• Stages: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Sectors: SAAS, Fin Tech, Commerce / Marketplaces, Consumer Mobile
Services, Hardware, Ad Tech
• Mix of investing and operational expertise
• Support platform with unique access to Fortune 500
Stuart
Ellman
James
Robinson
James
Robinson III
Will
Porteous
Eric
Wiesen
Adam
Ludwin
Tom
Loverro
Steve
Schlafman
9

THE NYC ECOSYSTEM
10
Startups + Founders
Partners (Biz Dev, M&A)
1. Tech Platforms
2. Ad Agencies
3. Media Companies
4. Fashion & Retail
5. Investment Banks
6. Music Labels
7. Sports Leagues
8. CPG Conglomerates
Talent
1. Engineers
2. Designers
3. Business Operators
4. Generalists
Beneficiaries
1. Consumers / Users
2. Corporations / CTOs
3. Small Businesses
4. Limited Partners
Resource Providers
1. Financial Capital
-Angels
-Accelerators
-VCs
-Crowdfunding
2. Education
-Universities
-Tech Education
3. Professional Services
-Legal
-Accounting
-Development
-Design
-Real Estate
-Recruiting
-Public Relations
Environmental: 1. NY State and NYC Government, 2. Global, Domestic and Regional
Market Conditions, 3. City Infrastructure, 4. Culture & Social Fabric
Community
1. News & Information
2. Meetups / Events
3. Twitter / Blogosphere
4. Landmarks & Hangouts

THE BIG PICTURE
MACRO TRENDS
11

$8B INVESTED IN 1,205
DEALS SINCE ‘09
12
Source: New York Venture Capital Almanac Fall 2013 by Orrick, SVB, CB Insights

DOLLAR SHARE BY
STAGE
Source: New York Venture Capital Almanac Fall 2013 by Orrick, SVB, CB Insights 13

DEAL VOLUME BY
STAGE
14

10 YEARS OF JOB
GROWTH VS THE U.S.
15
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, South Mountain Economics LLC

NYC JOB AND WAGE
TRENDS 2007-2012
16

NYC SHARE OF US
LABOR MARKET
17

EXIT ACTIVITY HAS
PICKED UP
18

NYC’S LARGEST EXITS
SINCE 2009
$1,100
$745
$570
$500 $494
$403 $400
$339 $315
$230
$-
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
Tumblr Buddy
Media
Shutterstock Ascend
Health
Tremor
Video
Makerbot Admeld FX Alliance Huff Post Schoolnet
19

THE CORE
FOUNDERS & STARTUPS
20

Tech + [ ]
…publishing
…advertising
…commerce
…healthcare
…finance
…fashion
…small business
…education
…mobile
NYC STARTUPS
NYC has
1. Entrepreneurial Culture (risk
taking, overcoming adversity,
24x7 work ethic, creativity,
innovation, competitive)
2. Engineering + Creative Talent
(universities, large tech
companies, agencies, design
shops)
3. Billions in advertising spend
4. Proximity to capital (big banks,
hedge funds, VCs, angels)
21

• Content startups are still getting funded
• SAAS and Health Tech appear to be the fastest
growing categories in 2012 and 2013
• Hardware is the new category in 2013 and it is worth
watching in 2014
• Ed Tech and Ad Tech seem to have cooled off a bit in
2013
• Commerce remains a core strength of NYC and shows
no signs of slowing down
• Social + consumer apps still a strength but not as “hot”
as 2011 and 2012
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS
22

NOTABLE FOUNDERS
• Perry Chen, Kickstarter
• John Borthwick, Betaworks
• Ben Lerer, Thrillist
• Scott Heiferman, Meetup
• Chris Poole, 4chan
• Brian O’Kelley, AppNexus
• Mike Lazerow, Buddy Media
• Arianna Huffington, Huff Po
• Georg Petschnigg, FiftyThree
• Jared & Steve, GroupMe
• Dennis &Naveen, Foursquare
• Katia and Hayley, Birchbox
• Zach Smith, Codecademy
• Bre Pettis, Makerbot
• Joel Spolsky, StackEx
• Jason Goldberg, Fab
• Matt Meeker, Bark Co.
• Neil Capel, Sailthru
• David Karp, Tumblr
• Dave & Neil, WarbyParker
• Jonah Peretti, Buzzfeed
• Raul Gutierrez, Tinybop
• Barry Silbert, SecondMarket
• Evan Korth, HackNY
• Rachael Sklar, The List
• Cyrus Massoumi, ZocDoc
• David Eisenberg, Floored
• Kevin Ryan, Gilt Groupe
• Pierre Valadre, Sunrise
• Nick Denton, Gawker
• Tina Roth Eisenberg, SwissMiss
• Lee Hoffman, Memoir
• Ayah Bdeir, Littlebits
• Zach Weinberg, Flatiron Health
• Noah Brier, Percolate
• Scott Belsky, Behance 23

CONTENT
24

COMMERCE
25

CONSUMER
26

HARDWARE
27

ED TECH
28

AD TECH
29

B2B
30

FINTECH
31

HEALTH TECH
32

THE MONEY
ANGELS & VCs
33

firstgrowthvn.com
• 1251 Avenue of the Americas
• No investment; no ownership %
• One “vintage” per year
• Exec Committee: Ed Zimmerman, Mark
Kesslen and a dozen VCs
dreamitventures.com
• 555 8th Avenue
• Up to $25,000; 6% common stock
• One 3-month class: May 2014
• Partners: Mark Wachen, Michael
Levinson, David Bookspan
techstars.com
• 36 Cooper Square
• $118K, 6-10% common stock +
optional note
• Every 9 months: March 2014
• Partners: Alex Iskold, Nicole Glaros
eranyc.com
• 214 W 29th Street
• $40,000; 8% common stock
• Two 4-month classes: Jan & June 2014
• Partners: Murat Aktihanoglu, Jonathan
Axelrod, Charlie Kemper
ACCELERATORS
34

blueprinthealth.org
• 483 Broadway
• $20,000 cash, 6% common stock
• Twice per year: winter / summer 2014
• Exec Committee: Brad Weinberg (MD),
Mat Farkash
nycseed.com
• 137 Varick Street
• $20,000, 5% common stock
• Twice per year: winter / spring 2014
• Partners: Owen Davis, Brian Malkerson
angelpad.org
• Cooper Square
• Not disclosed
• First class slated for 2014
• Partners: Thomas Korte
fintechinnovationlab.com
• Location varies by class
• One 12 week class each summer
• Partners: Partnership Fund for NYC
and many VCs
ACCELERATORS
35

nytimes.com/timespace
• 620 8th Avenue
• One class per year: summer 2014
• Exec Committee: Geoffrey Isenman
rgaaccelerator.com
• 350 West 39th Street
• $120K, ~6-10% common stock
• First class: Jan 2014
• Partners: Calvin Chu
kaplanedtechaccelerator.
com
• 395 Hudson Street
• $20K, ~5% common stock
• One class per year: Summer 2014
• Partners: Thomas Korte
Others to Note: The Daily News Innovation Lab, Pearson Catalyst, Socratic Labs,
Startl, Workbench, CFDA Incubator (Fashion), Pratt Design, Valuestream Labs,
AccelFoods, Local Food Lab, NY Digital Health Accelerator, PILOT Health Tech
NYC, Startup Health Academy, Welltech Funding
ACCELERATORS
36

INCUBATORS
37

NOTABLE VCs + ANGELS
Angels
• Gary Vanyerchuk
• Esther Dyson
• Mike Lazerow
• Joanne Wilson
• Kal Vepuri
• David Lerner
• Jerry Neuman
• Jared Hecht
• Scott Belsky
• Josh Stylman
Bain Ventures
• Matt Harris
Bessemer
• Jeremy Levine
• Bob Goodman
Betaworks
• Nick Chirls
Bowery Capital
• Mike Brown
Bloomberg Beta
• Karin Klein
Box Group
• David Tisch
• Adam Rothenberg
Brooklyn Bridge
• Charlie O’Donnell
Collaborative Fund
• Craig Shapiro
Firstmark Capital
• Rick Heitzman
• Amish Jani
• Larry Lenihan
First Round Capital
• Howard Morgan
• Chris Fralic
• Phin Banes
Flybridge
• Matt Witheiler
Founder Collective
• Micah Rosenbloom
Greycroft
• Alan Patricof
• Ian Sigalow
• Bo Peabody
Highline Venture Partners
• Shana Fisher
Highpeaks
• Brad Svrluga
• Ben Sun
IA Ventures
• Roger Ehrenberg
Redswan
• Andy Dunn
• David Eisenberg
RTP
• Kirill Sheynkman
Softbank
• Jody Levy
• Joe Medved
Spark Capital
• Mo Koyfman
Lerer Ventures
• Eric Hippeau
• Ben & Ken Lerer
Quotidian Ventures
• Pedro Torres Picon
• Rick Webb
Thrive Capital
• Josh Kushner
Union Square Ventures
• Fred Wilson
• Andy Weissman
Venrock
• David Pakman 38

SEED FUNDS
39

VC FUNDS
40

STRATEGIC VCs
41

RECOMMENDED READS
NYC
• Fred Wilson, Union Square Ventures: avc.com
• Chris Dixon, A16Z: cdixon.org
• Phin Barnes, First Round Capital: sneakerheadvc.com
• Charlie O’Donnell, Brooklyn Bridge: thisisgoingtobebig.com
• Jordan Cooper, Lerer Ventures: jordancooper.wordpress.com
• Andy Weissman, Union Square Ventures: blog.aweissman.com
• Albert Wegner, Union Square Ventures: Continuations.com
• Roger Ehrenberg, IA Ventures: informationarbitrage.com
Other
• Mark Suster, Upfront: bothsidesofthetable.com
• Hunter Walk, Homebrew: hunterwalk.com
• Tom Tunguz, Redpoint: tomtunguz.com
• David Skok, Matrix: forentrepreneurs.com
42

THE LANDSCAPE
OFFICES & HANGOUTS
43

Silicon Alley
BETAWORKS
MANY VCs GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
FOURSQUARE
THRILLIST
ZOCDOC
TECHSTARS
MORE VCs
NYU
AOL /
FACEBOOK
GOOGLE
44

Brooklyn
NAVY YARD
45
METRO
TECH

MADE IN NYC MAP
http://mappedinny.com/ 46

STARTUP GENOME
http://www.startupgenome.co/ 47

• City Bakery
• Siggy’s Good Food
• Kava Coffee
• Ace Hotel
• Brooklyn Roasters
• Lure Fishbar
• Eataly
• Parm
• Studiomates
• Café Gitane
• Shake Shack
• Ground Support
• Friend of a Farmer
• Washington Sq. Park
THE HANGOUTS
• The Grey Dog
• Coffee Shop
• Balthzar
• La Colombe
• Saturdays
• Tom & Jerry’s
• TBSP
• Café Select
• The Wren
• Peels
• Think Coffee
• Wichcraft
• Soho House
• Joe Coffee
48

NYC
• WeWork Labs
• Projective Space
• Wix Lounge
• Grind Spaces
• Fueled Collective
• New Work City
• The Yard
• In Good Company
• Center for Social Innovation (CSI)
• Friends of Ebay
• Neuhouse
Brooklyn
• Studiomates
• The Alley
• Secret Clubhouse
• NYU Poly Incubator
• NYC Resistor Make Space
COWORKING
49
Source: http://www.nycedc.com/service/incubators-workspaces

THE GOVERNMENT
KEY PLAYERS & POLICY
50

NYC DIGITAL
Michael Bloomberg
Mayor
Rachel Haot
Chief Digital Officer
Kyle Kimball
NYCEDC
51
Bill De Blasio
Mayor-elect
De Blasio’s Tech Plan
1. Make NYC the most wired city in the world
2. Increase the pool of engineering talent available in NYC
3. Retool city government to become a modern enterprise
4. Improve STEM education
5. Advocate for immigration reform

Source: NYC.gov under Bloomberg administration (2012)
NYC DIGITAL ROADMAP*
52

53
NYC EDC
http://www.nycedc.com/

54
TAKE THE HELM
http://www.takethehelmnyc.com/

55
MADE IN NY
http://wearemadeinny.com/

THE FUTURE
EDUCATION & SCHOOLS
56

OLD SCHOOLS
57

NEW SCHOOLS
58

CORNELL TECHNION
Timeline
2014: Initial groundbreaking
2017: Cornell Tech moves in
2037: Completion of all
academic and campus
buildings
The Numbers
8 state of the art buildings
2.2m sq ft of new development
$2B in private capital
2.5 acres of new public
greenspace
http://tech.cornell.edu/ 59

THE HELPERS
SERVICE & SUPPORT
60

NON-PROFITS
61
• Venture For America
• Techies Give Back
• Hack NY
• Coder Dojo
• Girl Develop It
• Skill Crush
• Girls Who Code
• Coder Dojo
• Coalition For Queens
• Blue Ridge Foundation
• Non-profit Tech Meetup
• Data Kind
• NY Tech Meetup

NOTABLE AGENCIES
• Black Rose
• Charming Robot
• Red Antler
• Consigliere
• Bureau Blank
• Hard Candy Shell
• Big Spaceship
• Pentagram
• Partners In Spade
• Undercurrent
• IDEO
• Droga5
• Wolff Olins
• R/GA
• Night Agency
62

DEVELOPMENT SHOPS
• Fueled
• Happy Fun Corp
• Firehawk Creative
• Touchlab
• NYC Dev Shop
• Startup Giraffe
• Elm City Labs
• Sourcebits
• Eastmedia
• Apollomatrix
• Pivotal Labs
• Blue Whale
• Two Toasters
63

TALENT AGENCIES
• William Morris
• IMG
• ICM
• Roc Nation Sports
• Creative Artists
Agency
• United Talent
Agency
• Ford Models
64

PR FIRMS
• Small Girls PR
• Brew Media Relations
• Astersk PR
• Horn Group
• LaunchSquad
• Bold PR
• Full Picture
• Mario Ruiz PR
65

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Accounting
• Deloitte
• KPMG
• PWC
• E&Y
• WithumSmith
• Schwartz & Co.
• Eisner Amper
• Marks Paneth
Legal
• Cooley
• Lowenstein Sandler
• Gunderson
• Goodwin Procter
• Wilson Sonsini
• WilmerHale
• DLA Piper
• The Forefront
Real Estate
• CBRE
• Newmark
• Jones Lang LaSalle
• Cassidy Turley
• Jack Petrie
66

DESIGN SERVICES
https://www.homepolish.com/ 67

MERCHANDISE
https://www.startupthreads.com/ 68

SERVICES CONCIERGE
http://fundedbuy.com/ 69

THE BIG BOYS
PUBLIC COMPANIES +
STRATEGIC PARTNERS
70

PUBLIC TECH
71

BIG MEDIA
72

MEDIA BUYING
• OMD
• Media Kitchen
• Mediacom
• Universal Mccann
• Starcom Mediavest
• phd
• mec
• Mindshare
• Zenithmedia
• MPG
• Carat
• Initiative
73

FASHION + RETAIL
74

BIG BANKS
75

Music
76

SPORTS
77

PACKAGED GOODS
78

THE PULSE
INFO + COMMUNITY
79

TECH NEWS + INFO
80
DESIGNER NEWS
HACKER NEWS

THE TECH BEAT
Jordan Crook
TechCrunch
Erin Griffith
PandoDaily
Jordan Valinsky
Betabeat
Sam Biddle
Gawker
Alyson Shontell
Business Insider
Ben Popper
The Verge
Jenna Wortham
NY Times
Nitasha Tiku
Gawker
81

WE ARE NY TECH
http://wearenytech.com/ 82

83
INSIDE STARTUPS
http://www.insidestartups.org/

84
CRUNCHBASE
http://www.crunchbase.com/

EVENT NEWSLETTERS
85
This Is Going To Be Big
Curator: Charlie O’Donnell
Link: http://www.thisisgoingtobebig.com/
Gary’s Guide
Curator: Gary Sharma
Link http://www.garysguide.com/events

JOB BOARDS
86
Christina Cacioppo’s Job Board
http://www.christinacacioppo.com/jobs
Every VC’s website
Gary’s Guide
Link http://www.garysguide.com/events
Inside Startups
Link: http://www.insidestartups.org

NY TECH MEET UP
http://nytm.org/ 87

WOMEN IN TECH
http://www.meetup.com/NYTechWomen/ 88

NYETM
http://nyetm.com/ 89

DATADRIVEN
http://www.meetup.com/NYC-Data-Business-Meetup/ 90

NYCVC
http://nycvc.org/ 91

NYC HARDWARE
http://www.meetup.com/NY-Hardware-Start-up/ 92

ARTS ED TECH
http://www.artsedtechnyc.com/ 93

CREATIVE MORNINGS
http://creativemornings.com/ 94

LIKEMIND
http://likemind.us/ 95

STARTUP WEEKEND
http://startupweekend.org/ 96

LEAN STARTUP MACHINE
https://www.leanstartupmachine.com/ 97

AND DOZENS OF
OTHER MEET UPS
98
https://www.meetup.com/

CONFERENCES
• BrooklynBeta
• TC Disrupt NYC
• Business Insider Ignition
• Social Media Week
• The Feast
• NYU ITP Spring Show
• 99U by Behance
• Uncubed NYC
• Finnovate
• ad:tech New York
• APPNATION
• Internet Week
• Venture Crush
99

THE ADVICE
TIPS TO BREAK IN
100

• What am I passionate about?
• How can I make an impact?
• What environments do I thrive in?
• What part of the community best matches my
passions and skills?
• How do I best hone these skills and
communicate them to others?
• What companies excite me?
• Who do I admire professionally and why?
LOOK IN THE MIRROR
Content by Sam Teller, Launchpad LA 101

• Sign up for event newsletters
• Attend meetups, happy hours, panels and classes
• Learn how to code / design
• Check out hackathons
• Test and evangelize apps and products built in NYC
• Get coffee with interesting people you meet
• Be useful – make intros, give feedback, help people
you meet, keep an open mind
• Blog about your experiences and adventures
• Engage on social media
HOW TO GET INVOLVED

• Think everyone knows something you don’t
• Be afraid to ask for help, guidance, and intros
• Hesitate to offer whatever it is that you do best
• Get discouraged
DON’T

ONE LAST THOUGHT
104

The NYC Tech ecosystem is reshaping the city’s
industrial footprint and economy. This shift is
largely driven by the thousands of visionary
founders that are taking risks and building products
that actually serve the needs of people. The
companies here have enabled us to express
ourselves more creatively, save time at work, find
places and people more easily, and do thousands
of other things better. All this really matters
because the community is helping to improve
quality of life for millions of people both here and
globally.
105

THANK YOU
RRE VENTURES | INTRODUCTION TO THE NYC TECHCOMMUNITY
• Taylor Davidson, KBS+P
• Haytham Elhawary, Zahn Center
• Mat Farkash, Blueprint Health
• Nicola Korzenko, Lerer Ventures
• Dan Love, Columbia MBA
• Tom Loverro, Kane Hsieh, RRE Ventures
• Amrit Richmond, Collaborative Fund
• Adam Rothenberg, The Box Group
• Sam Teller, Launchpad LA
106

HAVE FUN EXPLORING
+
GOOD LUCK
Steve Schlafman (@schlaf)
Principal
RRE Ventures
107

The Guide to NYC Tech

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