What Happens When Every Accelerator In New York City Comes Together
Without further ado and after months of work, I am happy to announce to you; the New York City Innovation Collective.
Supporting startup founders to help them grow their companies is my biggest passion.
Through my work as Managing Director of the Founder Institute, a startup accelerator in New York, I have been incredibly fortunate to be able to do just that for a few years now. Doing this well requires a lot of work and even more help. It would not be possible to support our amazing founders without the remarkable dedication of our team, our tremendous mentors, monthly events, partnerships, supporting sponsors, and so much more. There is an exorbitant amount of effort that goes into making any great startup accelerator tick.
So I, along with a few other NYC Managing Directors got to thinking about how can we bring the same level of support we give to our founders; to help support the Accelerators, Incubators and Innovation programs themselves. If we can help improve them, then perhaps we can make a pretty big dent in helping to grow the entire overall New York City startup ecosystem.
Without further ado and after months of work, I am happy to announce to you; the New York City Innovation Collective! We have officially incorporated a nonprofit to form an alliance of NYC's top technology organizations working together to support and grow our amazing community. The Collective is now comprised of over 80 incredible New York City accelerators, incubators, and platforms of innovation. It is our mission to shape and strengthen the entire startup ecosystem through increased collaboration, transparency and access for everyone involved.
So what happens when all these organizations come together?
For founders and everyone involved it looks like better access to local accelerators, incubators, and innovation programs. It means superior mentors, more connections to investors, stronger curriculums, deeper partnerships, improved events, and more. All of this additional support resulting in stronger companies throughout the local startup ecosystem!
If you want to see for yourself what this looks like then please join us for the NY Annual Startup Ecosystem Summit to be held on Friday April 28th in New York.
I personally could not be more excited for the future of the startup ecosystem in New York City and everything that is happening here! It has been an incredible journey thus far, and on the macro level, we are just getting started. If you would like to get involved with the Innovation Collective in New York City or in another city let me know! I can't wait to hear from you!
Jesse Middleton Talks Building WeWork Labs And Investing With Flybridge Capital
Over the years WeWork has grown to become an $16 billion empire of co-working office spaces that are disrupting the traditional real estate markets all over the world. Our guest today, Jesse Middleton, joined the team as the founder of WeWork Labs, the company’s startup focused community. Since then he has helped the company grow into the giant it is today. Recently he has just joined the venture capital firm Flybridge as a General Partner.
Jesse Middleton
Over the years WeWork has grown to become a $16 billion empire of co-working office spaces that are disrupting the traditional real estate markets all over the world. Our guest today, Jesse Middleton, joined the team as the founder of WeWork Labs, the company’s startup focused community. Since then he has helped the company grow into the giant it is today. Recently he has just joined the venture capital firm Flybridge as a General Partner.
Early on with entrepreneurial parents, Jesse learned that he did not have to take the traditional path in life and that he could forge his own future. He started to do just that, as he founded his first company before even going to college. Fast forward to Fast Company magazine once comparing Jesse to Jack Dorsey, then onto his time building WeWork Labs, and now his time as a VC at Flybridge. Jesse has a great story full of many lessons, such as:
Recognizing at an early age the ability to create your own path in life.
The importance of keeping a clear focus at the early stages of a new company.
How Jesse founded WeWork Labs.
Just get started and go.
The lessons from actively helping grow a $16 billion company.
Why long term vision is so important for the founders of companies.
What is next for WeWork Labs.
The intersection of community building and being an investor.
The future of Venture Capital.
Ambition Today Question of the Day™:
“What does Ambition mean to you and how has it driven you?”
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Founder Institute New York
Ambition Today: Alex Konrad of Forbes on Harvard, Media, and Startup Venture Capital
Episode 13 comes to you from New York Offices of Forbes as we are joined by Alex Konrad. Alex is a staff writer at Forbes covering venture capital, startups and enterprise tech.
Episode 13 comes to you from New York Offices of Forbes as we are joined by Alex Konrad. Alex is a staff writer at Forbes covering venture capital, startups and enterprise tech.
Aside from our discussion around Kanye West's recent discovery of Twitter we explore Alex's journey to now. Alex grew up in New York City, then went on to write at the Harvard Crimson before working at Fortune. Alex now is a staff writer at Forbes and also works on the Forbes Midas List, ranking the top Venture Capitalists of the past year, and the Forbes 30 Under 30, highlighting up and coming creative and business people. Today we talk about Harvard, the future of media, startups and venture capital. We cover a lot in this episode. including:
Getting into Harvard.
Working for the Harvard Crimson news and editorial board.
Why empathy matters so much in today's world.
How Alex got his start at Fortune working on the Fortune 500.
The relationship between print and digital articles in 2016.
When to go outside your "swim lane".
How to become a real New Yorker?
The advantages of the New York Tech Scene.
Writing the Forbes Midas List and Forbes 30 Under 30.
How large tech companies grow global startup ecosystems.
What global cities are up and coming for startups.
Why are the Venture Capital markets slowing down.
The best way to get media attention for your brand.
Ambition Today Question of the Day:
How important is self marketing?
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Who should I interview next? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments. Do you enjoy this podcast? If so, please leave a short review in the comments below. It keeps me going…
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I Dream That Society Comes Together To Solve Global Problems
I have a dream that before I die I am able to give back to this world and society in a way that it is as much a better place as I can make it during my lifetime.
I have a dream that before I die I am able to give back to this world and society in a way that it is as much a better place as I can make it during my lifetime. Knowing that about myself I find social entrepreneurship a very attractive ideal and nobel venture. The ability to help others improve the world through manifesting there own visions is also one of the core reasons I am involved with the Founder Institute New York.
As mentioned before, remembering to be thinking 10X and the idea of investing in Moonshoots can be a tough mindset to stay locked into. Sometimes you have to think bigger than what you think big is. I have been making sure to remind myself to think exponentially as best I can for the past few months. One of the biggest problems I see is how can we get society to work together to solve problems. Giant problems. Global problems. Hell, maybe even within our solar system problems (I see you Mars).
January 18th, 2015 celebrates the day that a man named Martin Luther King Jr. saw a problem so large it divided a country and defined other nations. He then attempted to solve it and along the way brought the world closer to a one day resolution. He had a dream to make the world a better place and pursued that dream. I am motivated by that greatness.
There is still more work to be done to resolve racial inequality. There is more work to done to cure cancer. And to turn back climate change, help drug addiction, find clean water, and aid in poverty. The list goes on. All important issues that all need to be solved. Ideally in our lifetime.
The simple fact is that someone or some group of people has to solve them. Nature won't resolve these issues on it's own. I believe that we have the power in 2016 to build tools using technology to help advance progress in each of these specific areas. We as a society have a duty to put the Netflix down and work toward that brighter future. That is why I have started to collect the largest problems we need to improve as a society. Visit here to see the first problems I have collected and also propose any existing solutions you know of for those global problems we face. Feel free to submit anything you feel as missing is as well. Comment below if you have any other ideas on how to tackle such a large endeavor. After all, the world has problems, somebody has to solve them.
A Complete Guide To The New York Startup Ecosystem
In local regions startup ecosystems can be fragmented, competitive, and sometimes hidden to newcomers, which can be detrimental for local startups and the growth of the community. The New York City Startup Ecosystem Canvas seeks to provide local entrepreneurs with a clear list of resources for every stage of their startup journey. A complete guide to the New York City Startup scene, Silicon Alley, all in one place for the community.
In local regions startup ecosystems can be fragmented, competitive, and sometimes hidden to newcomers, which can be detrimental for local startups and the growth of the community. The New York City Startup Ecosystem Canvas seeks to provide local entrepreneurs with a clear list of resources for every stage of their startup journey. A complete guide to the New York City Startup scene, Silicon Alley, all in one place for the community.
With applications for the next semester of the New York City Founder Institute coming to a close, we are excited to release the New York Startup Ecosystem Canvas. It was developed by the Founder Institute and local New York City leaders Kevin Siskar and Ramphis Castro.
If you know of a great resource that you feel should be added to the New York Startup Ecosystem Canvas feel free to let me know on Twitter @TheSiskar.