Well, this must be reassuring to the startups nervously prepping their pitches: Business Insider reports that Eugene Chung, who replaced David Tisch as managing director of TechStars NY, is gone. The former NEA VC had only been around since January.
Nothing like a good game of fruit-basket turnover two weeks before demo day! Read More
If New York Tech Day event co-founder John Peterson had to summarize his event in one word, it would be “massive.” And it sounds like he’s not exaggerating, given these stats: there will be 400 startups sprawling across 75,000 square feet that will be judged, scrutinized and questioned by nearly 10,000 attendees.
That’s a big jump in space and number of attendees from last year, an excited Mr. Peterson told Betabeat by phone. The event sprouted from an idea conceived by his business partner Alec Hartman, who decided that there should be a business expo designed specifically for startups. “It came to the point we had to do it,” he said. Read More
The Real TechStars of New York
Once upon a time in Silicon Alley, announcing a new class for TechStars New York meant throwing around stats about how the accelerator is harder to get into than Harvard or Yale. But despite getting a record number of applications, this season’s announcement is a more modest affair.
Well, slightly. Read More
This is a guest post from Gary Sharma (aka “The Guy with the Red Tie”), founder and CEO of GarysGuide and proud owner of a whole bunch of black suits, white shirts and, at last count, over 40 red ties. You can reach him at gary [at] garysguide.com.
So last week I did this blog post highlighting The 16 SXSW Parties You Really, Really Don’t Want to Miss. And I got a ton of email from you guys & gals saying a) “Thank you, you’re a life saver!” and b) “We want more, more, MOARRR!”
For the hardcore partier, I’ve put together the ULTIMATE Guide to all the SXSW Parties (a whopping 300+ and counting!). Print this out before your trip and you’re golden, my friend. And as you can see, there’re a ton of events that don’t even require a SXSW badge. Read More
So the tech world likes incubators. Indeed, even as new players enter the field, there are signs that the incubator model is bursting at the seams. Y Combinator downsized to less than 50 companies in its most recent class, from 84 last summer. When 500 Startups decided to establish a base in New York, it opted for a coworking space instead of an incubator. TechStars keeps growing, but its most recently announced additions have been abroad or in more narrowly-defined niches. Read More
Yesterday night, Vine, the video-clip sharing app Twitter acquired back in October, held its launch party at Marquee. Yes, that Marquee. DJs spun above a lighted sign with the hashtag “#party,” and users obliged by Vine-ing the experience.
There was the meta-Vine of people Vine-ing at the Vine launch. And, because Read More
Just a day after naming Eugene Chung the successor to David Tisch as New York managing director, TechStars has announced it will buddy up with Excelerate Labs to establish a Chicago foothold. [TechStars]
How safe is Kim Dotcom’s new Internet lockbox, Mega? Good question. [The Verge]
Apple TV will reportedly get HBO Go later this year. [Bloomberg]
In addition to attacks on the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal was also infiltrated by Chinese hackers, and they tried to get into Bloomberg News. At this point, we’re starting to feel left out. [Wall Street Journal]
Hacking attacks by the Chinese have, in fact, become such an issue that President Obama is reportedly considering “a range of actions” to deal with the problem. [AP]
The Real TechStars of New York
In December, after reports about an impending downturn in the accelerator boom, some local investors expressed concerns about the future of TechStars New York. Would the next Demo Day be the same parade of oversubscribed startups when much-hyped graduates were still stuck in beta? Were the lessons learned in TechStars enough to prepare companies for life outside the bubble?
David Tisch’s departure as managing director added to that uncertainty. But TechStars CEO and founder David Cohen dismissed those worries, pointing to “heavy inbound interest” in the role. Today, he announced his new hire from the 35 candidates interviewed: Eugene Chung, a former venture capitalist with New Enterprise Associates. Read More
Goooood Morning Silicon Alley!
This is a guest post from Gary Sharma (aka “The Guy with the Red Tie”), founder and CEO of GarysGuide and proud owner of a whole bunch of black suits, white shirts and, at last count, over 40 red ties. You can reach him at gary [at] garysguide.com.
Sooooo…it’s that time of the year again. SXSW (a.k.a. Spring Break for Geeks) is right around the corner, running March 8 to 12 in Austin, Texas. And you know what that means: Parties, parties ‘n more parties!! So, once again, we’re putting together what we hope will be THE definitive guide to all this year’s SXSW Interactive parties. We’ll be updating this list regularly, so check back often. And email me if you’re organizing an event or a party. Read More
As 2011 came to a close, we looked back at our most popular posts. But this year, we’re a little older (a mature year and nine months!), a lot wiser, and thought we’d try something a little different. Thank you for reading!
LONGREADS
Ultra-Orthodox Jews Take a Hard Line on the Internet at Rally of 40,000 Men (And Me) In which our intrepid reporter sneaks into Citi Field in drag.
Faith, Hope, and Singularity: Entering the Matrix with New York’s Futurist Set It’s the end of the world as we know it, and they feel fine. Read More
