How vibrant is startup scene in NYC?

[Mark_Ryan]

I've got two job offers, one in SF and another in NYC and I'm also hustling with a startup of my own in free time. The company from NYC is more interesting, but I feel being in SF is more helpful for my startup. How good is NYC as a startup hub?

[Carl_Beck]

New York is indeed less tech-centric than SF. Though it's still one of the world's major startup hubs.

Just looking at the Angellist data, there are 9351 startups located in NYC compared to 17729 in SF Bay Area. Kickstarter, Oyster, Buzzfeed, Genius, Classpass, Skillshare, DigitalOcean, Foursquare, Tumblr and tons of other prominent startups are based in NYC. Many others, Google, Spotify, Yahoo included at least have an office there. USV, First Round Capital, Lerer Capital and many other funds operate in the Big Apple.

Is the startup scene in NYC same as SF? Not really. Is it is active enough? Have no doubts.

[tillieeze]

New York may not be San Fran, but it definitely has a booming startup scene. Many investors are looking to put their money where they can monitor its growth, maintain the "rugged" and fast-pace life the city offers, plus still be the "cool kid". Something I would advise is to search PR firms based in New York and look at their client list. You'll find tons, even some firms only focusing on startups.

Another option is to join writing rooms where you'll have first hand access to the creatives of the city. Everyone thinks moving to the west will advance their career in startups, but giving NYC a shot will be worth it.

[cameronroe]

New York is a much more conservative startup scene. There's a lot going on in New York and it's hard to feel a sense of focus. Most people think New Yorkers hustle and go the extra mile. The truth is that New York is full of people outside of the startup scene which dilutes the concentration of ambition and makes it seem less important to build something new. If you want to have more distraction, disruptions, and apprehension to risk, feel free to move to NYC and good luck. I would highly recommend avoiding both NYC and SF and go to a trending market where there is a newer vibrant startup scene to reduce your overhead and competition.

[Stefan_Faville]

Do you have any recommendations of newer startup scenes?