When tech culture’s easy vibe combines with New York City’s 24/7 work culture, it's inevitable that the local industry creates a lively social scene -- minus the socialites and underachieving trustfund babies. Instead, such industry events create huge pools of new and fresh faces of ambitious professionals. This has been the case since the tech scene's earliest days -- when the New York City startup community was much smaller.
Lindsey Green, a top tech publicist and current vice president of SKDKnickerbocker, recalls the startup scene in 2005. Just a decade ago, she would frequent creative meetups with a tight circle of big-name pioneer in the New York tech community. Fast forward to the present, where the scene has transformed from a few startups to tens of thousands, as local tech leaders proactively join panels, judge pitch contests and turn industry meetups into must-see events.
Green now handles press for April’s NY Tech Day, which attracts more than 10,000 attendees. Meanwhile, June's Northside Festival in Brooklyn brought in more than 12,000 to its innovation panels.
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Such fests have an “air of coolness and casual,” says Alison Bryce, a director at Northside Media Group, while other business events "tend to be more corporate and structured. Northside is about cultivating the essence of what Brooklyn is which is creative, homegrown and hardworking.”
While New York is known for its workaholics and long commutes, these tech meetups are resourceful for not only building a pro-network but also connecting with the hottest city dwellers.
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So we tapped Bryce and Green's extensive startup connections to find the industry's movers and shakers. We asked for the most inspiring speakers and immersed investors who are redefining the local economy, job market and social scene of the tri-state area. (They also happen to embody what being a fashionable and magnetic New Yorker is all about.) The results are listed in random below.
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1. Andy Dunn, Founder, Bonobos Image credit: Bonobos 2. Rameet Chawla, Founder, Fueled Image credit: Northside Media Group 3. Soraya Darabi, Founder, Zady Image credit: Northside Media Group 4. Guy Krief, Co-founder & SVP of Innovation, Persado Image credit: Northside Media Group 5. Alex Douzet, CEO, TheLadders Image credit: Northside Media Group 6. and 7. Jennifer Fleiss and Jenn Hyman, Co-founders, Rent the Runway Image credit: Rent the Runway 8. Deborah Jackson, Founder & CEO, Plum Alley Image credit: PlumAlley.co 9. Mario Schlosser, Founder, Oscar Image credit: Northside Media Group 10. Claire Mazur, Co-founder, Of a Kind Image credit: Northside Media Group 11. Peter Vidani, CTO, Tumblr Image credit: Northside Media Group 12. Eric Hippeau, Partner, Lerer Ventures Image credit: Eric Hippeau via Twitter 13. Josh Kushner, Founder, Thrive Capital (far right) The Prime Minister with Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom and Thrive Capital partner Joshua Kushner. At 28, Kushner is a rising star in New York venture capital. Image credit: The Prime Minister's Office via Flickr 14. Ben Sun, General Partner, High Peaks Venture Partners Image credit: High Peak Venture Partners 15. and 16. Matthew Burnett and Tanya Menendez, Co-Founders, Maker's Row Image credit: Northside Media Group 17. Dennis Crowley, Founder, Foursquare Image credit: John D. Sutter/CNN 18. and 19. Kathryn Minshew, Alexandra Cavoulacos, Co-founders, The Muse Image credit: The Muse 20. Bre Pettis, Founder, MakerBot Image credit: Photography by Axel Dupeux 21. Viraj Puri, Founder, Co-founder, Gotham Greens Image credit: Northside Media Group 22. and 23. Mukesh Patel and Charlie Patel, Co-founders, JuiceTank (NJ) Image credit: Juice Tank 24. Jon Stein, CEO and Founder, Betterment Image credit: Betterment Blog 25. Jalak Jobanputra, Founder & Partner, Future Perfect Ventures Image credit: Future Perfect Ventures 26. Andy Kahl, Senior Director of Transparency, Ghostery Image credit: Ghostery 27. Andrew Kortina, Co-founder, Venmo (right)
(A distinct, honorable mention goes to Iqram Magdon-Ismail, left, Co-founder, for making quite the fashion statement at a recent panel.) Image credit: Venmo Press Kit 28. Kellee Khalil, Founder, Loverly Image credit: lover.ly via Tumblr 29. And 30. Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg, Co-founders, theSkimm Image credit: theSkimm
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