By The Editors 2/01 5:30pm

shameless rumormongering

Screen Shot 2013-02-01 at 5.11.34 PM

Rumor Roundup: Softbank Gets a Panty Dropoff and Fred Durst Did It All for the Diggs

Airbnb Is a Belieber Early this week, CEO Brian Chesky tweeted out a photo of Justin Bieber, whose startup cred apparently extends to Airbnb renter. The Instagram shot was taken by Mazy Kazerooni, cofounder of #DominateFund, Ben Parr’s still hush-hush, celebrity-focused micro-VC. Gee, wonder who their LPs are?

Friday flashback This week the revamped Digg got an unexpected celebrity thumbs-up: Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit fame (infamy?) tweeted at developer Robert Tolar Haining, “I love Digg. Great job and beautiful interface.” “Why thank you sir!” Mr. Haining replied, because what else are you going to say when Fred Durst compliments your UI? Read More

By Kelly Faircloth 12/11/12 2:30pm

Teach Me How to Startup

Screencap

Scott Stringer Questions What New York’s Tech Boom Has Done for the City’s Working Class

Earlier today, Betabeat dropped by WeWork, a coworking space filled with techies diligently laboring away, to watch as Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer debuted a new report titled, “Start-up City: Growing New York City’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem for All.” As you can probably tell from the name, it’s an attempt at cracking how the city can broaden access to the city’s booming tech economy and make sure everybody’s boats are still bobbing away on the rising tide.

“I think it’s important that government officials don’t get stuck in the century we’re in, but rather think about the century of the future,” Mr. Stringer told Betabeat. Read More

By Gary Sharma 8/27/12 9:30am

Goooood Morning Silicon Alley!

sponsor_garys_red_tie

Best Tech Events This Week (Greenspace Hackathon, Queens Tech Drinks, Websdays Rooftop Pool Party, Reddit Meetup, Beer & Social Media)

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.

R.I.P. and Godspeed, Neil Armstrong–a pioneering astronaut, American icon and international hero, who on July 20, 1969, became the first man to set foot on the moon, making history and instilling a deep sense of pride in every man, woman and child on earth. As Neil deGrasse Tyson tweeted: “Neil Armstrong was the spiritual repository of spacefaring dreams & ambitions. In death, a little bit of us all dies with him.”

In more earthly concerns, it looks like a ton of Silicon Alley folks have submitted panels for consideration for SXSW 2013 this year. Here’s the comprehensive list we’ve compiled, based on your emails and feedback. Go show some love for these panels with your valuable votes. Remember, the deadline for voting is August 31.

And now let’s see whats going down in the Alley this week… Read More

By Nitasha Tiku 5/08/12 9:00am

Work It WeWork

WeWork Labs SF

WeWork Labs Opens San Francisco Incubator, Starts Offering Health Insurance to All WeWork Members

WeWork Labs, the coworking space for early-stage startups, which moved to 17,000 square foot space in March, is planning on doubling its size. By July, the incubatorish offices will occupy both the third and fourth floor of 175 Varick Street. Applications are welcome for June, but it’s already at capacity now with more than 100 startups, including Longreads, Fitocracy, Scrollkit, and Material Wrld.

As suspected, WeWork Labs also officially announced its expansion into San Francisco, eWork cofounder Matt Shampine told Betabeat. The two-floor space, at 156 2nd Street, will hold about 100 people and open its doors May 14th with applications open immediately. Three directors have already been named: Kaitlin Pike, a RallyPad Mentor and the “charming host of #sfnightowls,” Seth Blank, founder and CEO of Trove, and Dave Nugent, a freelance Drupal developer who runs the SF JavaScript Meetup and GamesJS. Read More

By Ben Weitzenkorn 1/30/12 5:38pm

Work It WeWork

WeWork's new space on Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles

WeWork Raises $6.85 Million and Moves West, Young Man

WeWork, the cooperative workspace that cofounder Adam Neumann calls “the world’s first physical social network” just raised $6.85 million as they prepare to open yet another space in New York and their first in Los Angles.

The company, which rents office and desk space to startups, entrepreneurs and small businesses for as low as $275 a month is already up and running in California with their San Francisco office.

Mr. Neumann told Betabeat that this second round of capital was raised over a short period of time and explained that WeWork has had had various investment offers, but are picky about who they choose to work with.

“We try to choose only ‘we’ investors. Not just anyone we who offers us money— investors who have a ‘we’ mentality which means they care about the bigger picture… and think collaboration is the future of innovation,” said Mr. Neumann. Read More

By Nitasha Tiku 11/04/11 1:23pm

Coworking

Too many techies, not enough desk.

Is WeWork About to Open the Largest CoWorking Space IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD?

Leave it to Observer friend and alum Laura Kusisto to rectify the cold shoulder The Wall Street Journal has been turning toward Silicon Alley’s very own co-working movement with some big news, potentially of the world historical variety.

WeWork has apparently locked down 74,000 sq. ft. on 175 Varick Street near the Holland Tunnel to give techie types a shared space away from home.  It boasts a ridonkulous 700 desks and all the proper startup accountrement: scooters, pool tables, and video games.  Read More