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What NYC really needs: A support group for founders

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Re: What NYC really needs: A support group for founders

#11

Post by daleharvey »

vaksel wrote: post #8

frankly I think the whole east coast vs west coast thing in startups is stupid. You can do your startup from anywhere in the world....as long as you have a decent internet connection. You want support? Come to HN and ask for advice. You want to do some collaboration with someone? Email/skype them. You want to listen to speakers/discussions about startups? Hit up mixergy. Why is it in the age of the web, we still try…

because information / users / capital / infrastructure are still secondary to (imo) the most important factor in a startup, the passion and drive of the founders.

while the internet has greatly improved our access to knowledge, as good as skype and whatever are, it still hasnt replaced the experience of sitting down and having a beer with other founders and people passionate and knowledgeable about the same things.

Re: What NYC really needs: A support group for founders

#13

Post by AndrewWarner »

vaksel wrote: post #8

frankly I think the whole east coast vs west coast thing in startups is stupid. You can do your startup from anywhere in the world....as long as you have a decent internet connection. You want support? Come to HN and ask for advice. You want to do some collaboration with someone? Email/skype them. You want to listen to speakers/discussions about startups? Hit up mixergy. Why is it in the age of the web, we still try…

When I interview PG, I'm going to ask him how I can make those Mixergy interviews even more helpful. Past YC startups told me they got a lot out of the education and contacts from the program. I wonder how much more of that I can bring into my work.

Re: What NYC really needs: A support group for founders

#14

Post by aditya »

mtalantikite wrote: post #9

I'm not sure a support group is exactly what is needed -- there are a bunch of those around (nextny comes to mind, and has been around for years). However, I do agree that the startup scene is rather fragmented here in NYC. While there definitely are neighborhoods with higher concentrations of tech startups (SoHo, Chelsea, and Dumbo come to mind), there really is no 'startup district', if you will. We don't have a ne…

Gowanus would be cool, except it's a bit far out of Manhattan, which is why DUMBO works.

DUMBO is a desert in terms of food choices though. (Not that South Park is any better), but DUMBO is also expensive to live in. I say put all the startups in Greenpoint (cheap labor (hipsters), low rent, and mccarren park!).

On a more serious note, I think it would be nice to have a dense concentration of startups in a nice part of town but I don't know how one would pull that off.

Re: What NYC really needs: A support group for founders

#15

Post by aditya »

idlewords wrote: post #12

What NYC sorely needs is a place to get a good burrito. Group hugs and talking about our feelings, and how sometimes when no one at the startup is looking we cry just a very little bit? Go back to California, hippie!

try: http://twitter.com/calexicocart for a good burrito. :-)

Re: What NYC really needs: A support group for founders

#16

Post by idlewords »

aditya wrote: post #15
idlewords wrote: post #12

What NYC sorely needs is a place to get a good burrito. Group hugs and talking about our feelings, and how sometimes when no one at the startup is looking we cry just a very little bit? Go back to California, hippie!

try: http://twitter.com/calexicocart for a good burrito. :-)

I will, but I've been hurt before! That's where NYC could really use a support group.

Re: What NYC really needs: A support group for founders

#18

Post by mtalantikite »

aditya wrote: post #14
mtalantikite wrote: post #9

I'm not sure a support group is exactly what is needed -- there are a bunch of those around (nextny comes to mind, and has been around for years). However, I do agree that the startup scene is rather fragmented here in NYC. While there definitely are neighborhoods with higher concentrations of tech startups (SoHo, Chelsea, and Dumbo come to mind), there really is no 'startup district', if you will. We don't have a ne…

Gowanus would be cool, except it's a bit far out of Manhattan, which is why DUMBO works. DUMBO is a desert in terms of food choices though. (Not that South Park is any better), but DUMBO is also expensive to live in. I say put all the startups in Greenpoint (cheap labor (hipsters), low rent, and mccarren park!). On a more serious note, I think it would be nice to have a dense concentration of startups in a nice part…

True, Gowanus isn't super close to manhattan, but I find that a lot of young developers live in Brooklyn to begin with, so not having to commute into the city is a win. If you're living in upper manhattan it might not be a great commute option, but what young person wants to live in upper manhattan? Brooklyn is way cooler ;)

Greenpoint I find is even more isolated than Gowanus, simply by the fact that the only viable transportation is the G. Gowanus has the 2,3,4,5,D,M,N,R,B,Q,G and LIRR all convenient to it. The hipsters can take a 10-15 minute G ride down, while everyone else in the city or out on Long Island can still have easy options to get there. It's beginning to develop in Gowanus over the past year, with new coffee shops, artist studios, big music venues, and plenty of vacant commercial buildings being renovated.

Re: What NYC really needs: A support group for founders

#19

Post by matt1 »

mtalantikite wrote: post #10
vaksel wrote: post #8

frankly I think the whole east coast vs west coast thing in startups is stupid. You can do your startup from anywhere in the world....as long as you have a decent internet connection. You want support? Come to HN and ask for advice. You want to do some collaboration with someone? Email/skype them. You want to listen to speakers/discussions about startups? Hit up mixergy. Why is it in the age of the web, we still try…

"Why is it in the age of the web, we still try to localize everything?" Because I still think there is something to be said about discussing things over lunch or while having a beer. Is it necessary? Of course not. But there is still something really nice about developing an in person, human connection.

People often ask me why I want to move to the west coast if I want to work on an internet business. After all, you can access the internet from anywhere.

The best analogy I've come up with is to say that it's like being a talented actor living in rural Arkansas. Sure, you can act from anywhere, but living somewhere that encourages and supports your talent (like Los Angeles in the case of acting), can make all the difference.

Re: What NYC really needs: A support group for founders

#20

Post by jsm386 »

idlewords wrote: post #12

What NYC sorely needs is a place to get a good burrito. Group hugs and talking about our feelings, and how sometimes when no one at the startup is looking we cry just a very little bit? Go back to California, hippie!

Dos Toros. Open for a few months. Best burrito in the city. Lines can be crazy since the NY Times reviewed it a few weeks ago: http://events.nytimes.com/2010/01/06/dining/reviews/06unde.h...

IF the Dos Toros Taqueria just off Union Square brings to mind the sort of fresh, quick and cheap eating found at Mexican joints in the San Francisco Bay Area, that’s by design.

It was opened by Leo and Oliver Kremer, brothers from Berkeley, Calif., who worshiped Gordo Taqueria, a Bay Area favorite founded in 1977. Dos Toros is something of an homage.

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