TEP – Three Findings

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A big vision starts with a first step.City collaboration on innovation seems fairly routine by now, but it was not like that when we drafted the first vision paper in 2012. It seemed like quite a bold idea at that time. Today, collaboration is almost mandatory as the technological developments and new challenges cannot be… Continue reading TEP – Three Findings

Start Alliance: Cities help ideas to spread faster

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Josh Levin, Director of Economic Development at the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office, looked at the landscape of Brooklyn tech: it was booming, with passionate founders aiming to make the world a bit better by leveraging technology. Missing only was an international bridge to make it easier for companies like Etsy to expand beyond Brooklyn and… Continue reading Start Alliance: Cities help ideas to spread faster

Brooks Brothers Swap Clothes for Coffee

Brooks Brothers is sacrificing expensive retail square footage at one of it’s stores to incorporate a new cafe concept. The shop, at 901 Broadway in Manhattan’s Flatiron District, is dedicated to the Red Fleece line designed “with the young entrepreneur in mind.”Brooks Brothers, America’s longest established retailer is the latest among several NYC brands who… Continue reading Brooks Brothers Swap Clothes for Coffee

Amazon Grows its Physical Presence

Earlier in 2016, Amazon opened it’s first ever physical bookstore in Seattle, a surprising move given the demise of renowned bookstore chain Borders once Amazon disrupted the space with it’s online alternative.Amazon have successfully followed up their bookstore with 21 pop-up stores to sell some Amazon hardware in shopping malls such as Kindle readers, Fire TV… Continue reading Amazon Grows its Physical Presence

Social Media & Data: The Future of Elections? 

The 2016 U.S. elections are finally over. Eight years ago President Obama revolutionized campaigning with data tracking and social media. The question for us: what did we learn from the 2016 campaigns regarding trends, tools and tactics that will soon be relevant in elections elsewhere? We looked at the election coverage and traveled to Ohio,… Continue reading Social Media & Data: The Future of Elections? 

A Case for Distributing Economic Development

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Prior to each TEP, W2NYC and International Week, we talk to each participating startup and explain the program, but more importantly we ask about their objectives for coming to New York City. Over the last five years two things have significantly changed:  From “great to know” to “must know” In the beginning, companies came without… Continue reading A Case for Distributing Economic Development