New York Startup Scene Comes Into Its Own

The New York startup scene doesn’t get as much hype as Silicon Valley’s — but that may not be the case much longer.

The NYC metro was ranked No. 2 in the world, behind only Silicon Valley, last fall in the Global Startup Ecosystem Ranking by the business-data company Compass. NYC made one of the biggest leaps in the ranking.

In January, Inc. senior writer Christine Lagorio-Chafkin pointed out the growing number of “unicorns” (startups exceeding a $1 billion valuation) in the NYC metro, and the lineup of companies poised to cross that threshold, including Squarespace and Taboola – two of the hottest tech startups of recent years.

Those aren’t the only top New York startup players to have garnered media attention recently. Blade, which invariably is described as “Uber for helicopters,” attracted coverage by offering $95 helicopter rides across Manhattan as a solution for beating traffic during the Pope’s visit last fall.

Just as Blade discovered customer demand that few would have guessed existed, another New York startup company, DivorceForce.com, was created when founders saw “a gap in the marketplace,” co-founder Gregory Frank told Observer.com. The site offers tools, support and resources for people going through divorce.

Manhattan isn’t the metro’s only hub for startups. In her article for Inc., Lagorio-Chafkin noted the expansion of the New York startup scene beyond its traditional home base of Union Square. In fact, in October the data company CB Insights declared Brooklyn “New York’s New Startup Hotspot.” After all, as CB’s blog post pointed out, the borough is home to unicorn Vice Media. CB also cited powerhouse investor Joanne Wilson’s fondness for Brooklyn startups like Madison Plus Select, HowGood and Mouth Foods.