It’s a new year – a time when we all turn our focus to what we believe will be the Next Big Thing. In 2014, will it be wearable tech. self-driving vehicles, beacons, 3D printing – of body parts?
One thing is certain: in the past few years, New York has come into its own as one of the tech capitals of the world. We’ve built multi-million dollar businesses. We’ve moved the needle forward. But let’s face it: New York is the city that never sleeps, so whether we’re ringing in a new year or not, for us, it’s just another day, albeit one perhaps topped off with a bit of the bubbly.
Hukkster is the site that makes sure that you never miss a sale – or a coupon – again. All you do is “hukk” (think “pin”) items on e-commerce sites and you receive alerts when they go on sale. Today, Hukkster founders Erica Bell and Katie Finnegan fill us in on the real deal on what they see for the year ahead.
Before we take a look forward, tell us what 2013 was like for your company.
2013 was a huge year for Hukkster! During NYFW this year, Hukkster made history on the steps of Lincoln Center. Along with legendary designer Patricia Fields, we hosted an interactive fashion show. On October 4th, we celebrated our one year anniversary and over $11 million dollars in savings. (Yes, really!) Recently, we’ve launched our app, including instore hukking and express pay, making it even easier for our users to Hukk on the go!
What do you see happening to the New York startup scene in 2014?
The start up scene in New York has become one of the most competitive in the country. In the past two years, we have been lucky enough to meet the talent that makes up Silicon Alley and it is full of creative people who are just launching their companies. It is going to be very interesting to see how Silicon Alley continues to diversify itself. We see it growing, not only in new companies and ideas but more VC’s coming to New York to invest in these new ventures.
What would you like to see happening in the New York startup scene in 2014?
We would like to see continued growth, as well as more events coming to New York that support NY Tech and Entrepreneurship, like NY Tech Day and Tech in Motion events. We were fortunate enough to be involved with both of those events this year, and look forward to more coming to our city.
What impact do you think Mayor de Blasio will have on the startup ecosystem?
The past few years have been incredible for Silicon Alley, and Mayor Bloomberg was a huge supporter of New York City-based startups. As founders of a New York City-based company, we are confident that Mayor de Blasio will continue to support the tech and entrepreneurial community in New York City.
Any advice for the new Mayor?
We’d be happy to show him around Silicon Alley, especially when we move into the new Hukkster HQ!
What are the most important strategic objectives for your company in 2014?
Over the past eight weeks, our user base has grown over 40%. We see a clear path to 250,000 users by January 2014, and 1 million users at the end of the year. Over the past year, we were lucky enough to work with fashion brands on exclusive deals for our Hukkster users. In 2014, we’re excited to build our strategic partnerships across a variety of stores.
