Throngs of programmers, MBAs, and entrepreneurs in all varieties swarmed Fashion Institute of Technology’s Haft Auditorium last night to watch nine New York technology companies demonstrate their products; the Fire Marshall had to order a few dozen people standing in the back to bounce. (But geeks in the crowd squeezed in close so they could all fit.). With 70 previous such events under its belt, New York Tech Meetup, a monthly gathering of tech talent, kicked off the night with a set of five one-minute demos by new companies, and concluded with five five-minute demos. As usual, the crowd ate it up.
Recently we spoke with Jay Levy, a principal at Zelkova Ventures. Jay outlined the types of startups Zelkova invests in, the qualities he looks for in entrepreneurs and how Zelkova found the companies currently in its portfolio. In addition to his position as a VC, Levy was involved in his own startup and currently serves as a panelist on the American Idol-esque Hatchery. Simply put: this man knows his startups.
Scott Heiferman, co-founder and CEO of Meetup, spoke at a small midtown conference center earlier this month about how he expects social networking to evolve for local communities and businesses. He expects that his platform will encourage web denizens to turn away from communicating with one another online, and instead turn the focus towards local organization.
“The internet is the world’s greatest organizing tool,” said Heiferman. “People go from seeing themselves as a consumer to a co-creator. They are powerful. One of the best ways to create value is to unleash it in people connecting.”
Cody Brown thinks he may have stumbled across the “holy grail” in news publishing.
Brown, a senior at New York University and founder of NYU Local, is embarking on a new venture called Kommons. Kommons is a real-time news platform that’s intended for users in specific communities. He’s starting with NYU.
“It’s a culmination of everything I have learned in media so far,” Brown said. “Kommons is a quest for the holy grail in media.”
How it works
The Twitter/Wiki-like platform is in its very early stages and Brown is looking to shape the product through private alpha testing in the coming months.
From a demo of the product you might think that Kommons is a “lite” version of Twitter. But make no mistake, it’s functionality and purpose are quite different.
Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but for chocoholics who haven’t yet sated their sweet teeth consider a visit to Chocri (pronounced “sho cri”). Chocri is a new company that lets users design their own chocolate bars. If you like Gummy Bears, peanuts, wasabi or all three together in your chocolate, Chocri can make your dreams a reality.
Customers first choose between three types of chocolate: white, milk and dark. They then pick from a smorgasbord of toppings. Standard garnishes include cherries, raisins and pecans. If you’re feeling adventurous oddities like fig, bacon and even flakes of gold (check it out here if you don’t believe us) are available.
Chocri is a German startup, which recently launched its operation in New York City. We sat down with Carmen Magar, Chocri’s US CEO, to talk about Chocri’s plan’s for the American market and mass customization, the driving idea behind the company. Check out the podcast here:
Limor Elkayam founded iSpotaStory in 2009 after working in the media industry and being unsatisfied with what was out there. (Photo by Vadim Lavrusik)
After several years in the media industry, Limor Elkayam grew frustrated with the way her employers were managing their Web sites. For some, it simply wasn’t a priority and for others their strategy was off.
“I saw a lot holes in the way they were running their sites, and I wanted to fill the gap,” Elkayam said.
The former TV news producer decided that she would start her own user-generated news site, iSpotaStory, which allows users to submit the best stories from around the Web and add their own supplemental elements to the story.
This includes videos or links to other related stories, enabling users to create topical content pages like one for the Super Bowl or the iPad. She hopes the site will not only help filter the Web, but also provide a one stop shop for trending topics on the Web.
Last month, we spoke with Ryan Janssen, the CEO of SetJam. SetJam is a new search engine specifically for TV shows and movies. The Web is strewn with legal content on sites like Hulu and Netflix, but where can you find all of it in one place? That’s where SetJam steps in.
SetJam works like a Google for video. Its straightforward and simple interface breaks searches into free and paid content.
Janssen is betting that the growth in this content can sustain his business. In the interview Janseen talks about how he created the company, SetJam’s funding situation and the future of video on the Web.
New Work Cityers hard at work on a winter night late last year. Photo: Alexander Hotz
Last month we spoke with Tony Bacigalupo, the Mayor of New Work City and a prominent figure in New York’s tech scene. New Work City is a Soho based co-working space where independent professionals can come and work among other go getters. Most recently Bacigalupo and Co. were written up by NPR as part of a trend piece. Check out one of Tony’s other projects Tech Drinks and of course listen to our podcast here:
