Fuhgeddaboudit. There’s something happening in Brooklyn…
There’s the Brooklyn Tech Triangle, there’s the Brooklyn Tech Meeetup, which boasts nearly 3000 members, and there’s even a VC firm based in Brooklyn – appropriately named Brooklyn Bridge Ventures.
According to AngelList, the average pre-money valuation for a Brooklyn startup is $5M, which is 14% higher than their counterparts across the East River. Startups growing tired of the increasing rents and lack of available space to house teams in Manhattan are moving to Brooklyn in growing numbers. New startups are launching almost daily in Brooklyn, allured by affordable housing, good schools, a bustling dining scene in addition to reasonable rents. Tech employee satisfaction in the borough has never been higher.
These quality of life factors combined with improvements in infrastructure have allowed Brooklyn to become a destination to build a world-class startup over the last few years. Brooklyn-based Etsy went public earlier this year; recently acquired MakerBot calls Brooklyn home as well. Now, we shine a spotlight on some of the Brooklyn-based companies that are paving the way for Brooklyn to be a fertile ground of startup activity.
CLICK HERE TO SEE 18 STARTUPS THAT ARE PUTTING BROOKLYN ON THE MAP
Founder’s note: As always, this list is in no particular order nor is it a ranking. In fact, the =RAND() function on excel was used to determine order. AlleyWatch does not have a financial relationship with any of the companies included. However, I did back a Kickstarter campaign for the Half Bike II recently and am still awaiting its delivery.
Before you check out the list…
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Farmigo
There’s nothing quite like food that grown and/or produced locally and while there aren’t any farms left in Brooklyn Farmigo is the next best thing. A farm-to-table food delivery service based on group purchasing, the company is benefiting local farmers and food producers, bypassing supermarkets, and bringing neighbors together.
Founder Benzi Ronen also organizes the Food Hackers Meetup, where guest speakers discuss how they are hacking the food system for a better future, and where local food entrepreneurs tell their personal tales of the benefits and challenges of starting and growing their food-related businesses in New York.
The company moved to a cool space right on the Gowanus Canal about a year ago, complete with a full kitchen and plenty of room to, um, grow.
18 Startups that are Putting Brooklyn on the Map is presented by Cowork|rs Gowanus, the only space where you can feel at work at home.
Vice Media
Founded as the Voice of Montreal magazine in the early 1990s, Vice has moved to the capital of business culture. Headquartered in Brooklyn, Vice has expanded from a simple magazine into a full-fledged media empire.
Vice’s content is certainly edgy as there is a definite “in your face” quality to the article headlines, the topics, pictures, and even their website design with sections dedicated to topics that have caused major controversies in the past. On the bleeding edge of social change and counter culture, Vice fans are the millennial generation, propelling the company to a billion dollar value mark valuation.
18 Startups that are Putting Brooklyn on the Map is presented by Cowork|rs Gowanus, the only space where you can feel at work at home.
HowGood
Looking for a reliable source to find ratings of food-providers and food items from particular brands? Want to know which food should be the best for you under the current circumstances?
Greenpoint-based, HowGood awards ratings to the food products in the market and thereby creates an incredibly trustworthy source of information for consumers to find out ‘how good’ a particular food item is. They’ve created a new system for rating sustainability in the food industry delving beyond mainstream considerations such as non-G.M.O. and organic to include overlooked factors such as animal husbandry, growing practices, a company’s behavior and about 70 others. With $2 million in funding, HowGood has been termed as the ‘dynamic calling card’ by CEO Alexander Gillett. You can simply use your phone to read the barcode off from the product in your local supermarket and HowGood will tell you whether you should really purchase the item or not.
On Being in Brooklyn:
“Brooklyn comprises one of the most conscious networks of consumers in the United States, home to sustainable food co-ops, sustainable artisans and early adopters of new technologies. Our concept finds a unique home amongst this like minded crowd.”
18 Startups that are Putting Brooklyn on the Map is presented by Cowork|rs Gowanus, the only space where you can feel at work at home.
Bedford Slims
The company is called Bedford Slims (Brooklyn’s Vapourette Co) and while they started out as an electronic cigarette company (which we personally prefer to call ‘vapes,’ since they are not tobacco-based), they’ve since morphed into a company that caters to the #vapelyfe in every sense of the word. They’re attractive, too, and there are four flavors of liquids to choose from, including Dark Roast (as in coffee) and what’s more quintessentially New York?
And don’t let the name fool you. If you guessed that Bedford Slims is Bed-Stuy-based, you’d be wrong. Although they do seem to have made their way through a lot of Brooklyn.
“Starting out in Williamsburg/Brooklyn was a boon for Bedford Slims,” said founder Jesse Gaddis. “There are like 11,968 unique bodegas here and we knew that our product would be a great look for any BK shelf. Plus the diversity here gave us a chance to really test all sorts of campaigns and markets. Bedford Slims has traveled all through North Brooklyn and even Ridgewood. We recently moved offices to Flatbush.” Visit the website – or follow the vapor trail.
18 Startups that are Putting Brooklyn on the Map is presented by Cowork|rs Gowanus, the only space where you can feel at work at home.
Genius
During one fine summer during undergrad, three friends at Yale, Mahbod Moghadam, Tom Lehman and Ilan Zechory, conceived the idea of Genius. The concept was to embed interpretations and annotations to song lyrics and other forms of text. Although initially focusing only on rap music, the site has since then expanded to include news stories, literary text, song lyrics, primary source documents and other forms of written literature.
Through Gowanus-based Genius, users can provide annotations to texts and articles, and also offer suggestions to publications. By contributing, users build IQ points which can be used to substantiate a contributor’s impact and work on the site. Genius also offers verified accounts for musicians so that musicians can promote their work through the site. As a result, several prominent artists have an established base at Genius, and users can easily interact with them through the site.
18 Startups that are Putting Brooklyn on the Map is presented by Cowork|rs Gowanus, the only space where you can feel at work at home.
Modern Meadow
The concept behind Modern Meadow is a noble one: balancing the ever rising demand for animal products such as leather and meat, while reducing the impact on environment and the animals themselves. The ambitious startup is seeking to use cell cultures to grow the skin and muscle cells in labs rather than rearing large herds of animals and killing them periodically. In this way, the company ensures that their meat products are identical to the conventional ones.
Modern Meadow guarantees that the products are not produced through genetic manipulation, stem cell engineering, or other artificial means but rather through cell samples from healthy animals which are simply grown in nutrient cultures, much the same as beer and cheese has been done for ages.
18 Startups that are Putting Brooklyn on the Map is presented by Cowork|rs Gowanus, the only space where you can feel at work at home.
Etsy
As the name suggest, Etsy strives to be a a cozy, personalized marketplace for the handmade and the vintage. Etsy has enabled the nonmainstream, small, and even hobbyist designers to connect and sell their pieces to the world .
Etsy’s Brooklyn office is a very embodiment of the spirit of the company: art in an elegant, simplistic manner. Analysts have described Etsy as a cross between Amazon and eBay, but CEO Chad Dickerson has repeatedly insisted that his company focuses on building bridges between smaller and the boutique business with the consumers.
Today, Etsy handles annual sales of nearly $2B worldwide dollars and recently went public, signaling another win for NYC Tech and Brooklyn.
18 Startups that are Putting Brooklyn on the Map is presented by Cowork|rs Gowanus, the only space where you can feel at work at home.
Gimlet Media
Podcasts are something we have become familiar with and Gimlet Media is all about producing narrative podcasts. The company has 3 individual podcasts at present including StartUp, Mystery Show and Reply All. The StartUp Podcast focuses on the experiences and challenges of beginning a new business, hosted by Gimlet CEO Alex Blumburg. The Mystery Show is all about solving the mysteries of the listeners, which cannot be solved without some effort and critical thinking. Lastly, Reply All is all about the internet how it has changed people’s lives and in turn, how it has been changed by the people.
18 Startups that are Putting Brooklyn on the Map is presented by Cowork|rs Gowanus, the only space where you can feel at work at home.
Oui Shave
Shaving products have always been aimed at men. Ironically however, it has been proven repeatedly that statistically women shave more areas than men. It is this gap in the market that Oui Shave aims to serve. And their slogan, “By the Women, For the Women”, promises exactly that.
Ditmas Park-based Oui Shave carries razors, shaving oils and blades that are all crafted by hand and are made using plant-based oils and natural ingredients. It is a bold move, and one that is working very well. They also have a blog to chronicle user experiences—in order to achieve the never before undertaken goal, to add a personalized feminine to the shaving products they provide.
On Being in Brooklyn:
“Being Brooklyn-based for us offers an ability to tap into the design and startup scene burgeoning in Brooklyn, as well as the credibility that comes with being a Brooklyn based brand.”
18 Startups that are Putting Brooklyn on the Map is presented by Cowork|rs Gowanus, the only space where you can feel at work at home.
Skinny Fatties
Right off the bat the name might sound a little offensive to some but hey, it is actually about losing the width of your tie! Most of us are unaware that the width of the tie we wear is dependent on our body shape. This is where Skinny Fatties comes in they specialize in refitting your tie collections in accordance with your body style. While it may not sound like much of an effort, to professionals for whom appearance is key this is highly important.
But the purpose of Skinny Fatties transcends just appearance. It is also a step towards the Re Use movement to reduce wastage while being fashionable at the same time. Sometimes it can also save some serious money if the tie is of vintage origin and costs a lot more than the service charge to refit. This Brooklyn startup is offering a truly unique service for a specific niche market.
On Being in Brooklyn:
“I’ve found that Brooklyn has great sense of community for small businesses and emerging start-ups. Brooklyn borough, particularly Greenpoint really supports “makers” of all types.”
18 Startups that are Putting Brooklyn on the Map is presented by Cowork|rs Gowanus, the only space where you can feel at work at home.
GoTenna
With GoTenna you can now talk to people via your smartphone even if you are out of cellular range. A thin 2-ounce piece of hardware connects to smartphones via the Bluetooth. Founders of the Brooklyn-based hardware startup, Daniela Perdomo and Jorge Perdomo were inspired by Hurricane Sandy when cellphone towers collapsed and people were put out of touch with friends and families for days. Since then they have designed the product for not just hikers and adventurers looking to go off the grid, but also as emergency measures during natural catastrophes in order to stay connected through the smartphone networks. It can also be used when travelling abroad without a dedicated SIM network.
18 Startups that are Putting Brooklyn on the Map is presented by Cowork|rs Gowanus, the only space where you can feel at work at home.
Flycleaners
There’s an app for everything – including for someone who wants to deal with your dirty laundry. We mean that literally – and that goes for your drycleaning, too. Flycleaners is an on-demand services (6 am til midnight, baby, seven days a week, baby) that’ll pick up your laundry in as little as 20 minutes, and deliver it back to you, all clean. One less task for you to deal with (there’s even a ‘preferential treatment’ feature, for those items you’d like cleaned a certain way). They even provide next-day service. Hey, it’s New York. Who has time to wait?
The company is based in both Brooklyn and Manhattan, but it all started in the Williamsburg, Bushwick and Greenpoint, and makes sense: Cofounder and CEO David Salama is a loyal and lifelong Brooklyn resident.
18 Startups that are Putting Brooklyn on the Map is presented by Cowork|rs Gowanus, the only space where you can feel at work at home.
Parcel
How many times have your ordered something to be delivery estimate day but no specific time. The founder of Parcel Jesse Kaplan seeks to change this. His company, Parcel can be used as the delivery address, and then the company crew will deliver the products to your doorstep at your convenience. While it might sound a little counter intuitive initially to employ yet another delivery service for a shipment but it seems to be an idea that is taking off. This might be a commentary on the banes of living independently but it is nonetheless, a service tailored specifically to the needs of today’s City dwellers.
18 Startups that are Putting Brooklyn on the Map is presented by Cowork|rs Gowanus, the only space where you can feel at work at home.
Livestream
Initially launched as Mogulus in 2007, Livestream is a multipurpose video platform where you can stream and produce live videos, watch pre-recorded videos from their respective channels, and maintain your personalized video events calendar regardless of your device or location.
Cofounders Max Haot, Dayananda Nanjundappa, Phil Worthington and Kornfilt moved the company’s headquarters from Chelsea to Bushwick in May 2014. Liveestream’s technology has been used streaming several high profile events including the US Presidential election campaign, the live internet-only rock concert by the Foo Fighters in their own studios, and Facebook Live.
18 Startups that are Putting Brooklyn on the Map is presented by Cowork|rs Gowanus, the only space where you can feel at work at home.
Kickstarter
Based in a gorgeous headquarters in Greenpoint, Kickstarter is the ultimate crowdfunding paltform for you to materialize your visions. More than $1.8 billion have been pledged to projects on Kickstarter and almost nearly 50% of the projects posted so far have successfully completed funding.
The platform has funded everything from Oscar winning documentaries to rural agricultural projects in distant Bangladesh. The company’s model is to take takes 5% of the total funds raised.
18 Startups that are Putting Brooklyn on the Map is presented by Cowork|rs Gowanus, the only space where you can feel at work at home.
TinyBop
Whether we like it or not today’s kids love the iPad and the iPhone. They are constantly being mesmerized by glowing touchscreens just as their Generation X parents did in the 80s with the television.
Located at edge of Boerum Hill, Gowanus, and Downtown Brooklyn, .TinyBop is an award winning gaming studio that builds elegant iOS apps for kids that spark curiosity and encourage them to explore the world around them. These toys of tomorrow expand not only the minds but also the imagination. Their award winning apps have been downloaded over 5 million times and have held the #1 spot in education on the App Store, serving as a digital playpen for the digital generation.
On The Impact Being in Brooklyn has had on the startup:
- “We’ve been in Brooklyn from the start. Tinybop was founded at Studiomates in DUMBO, a creative collaborative working space. The mentality
of working side by side with design-focused freelancers (Who are awesome, kind, and helpful!) has had a huge visual impact on the company. The Studiomates community is unlike any found in Manhattan. - “Employee happiness. Everyone who works at Tinybop lives in the borough so commute time is shorter. Shorter commute = happy team members.”
- “Cheaper space. Our cost per square foot compared to what we could get in Manhattan is significantly lower. We were able to rent space for our team, completely gut it, and build out a full kitchen, conference rooms, and a comfortable well lit office while also having the ability to scale
our team.” - “Community. We have weekly play-testing sessions with kids aged 4-10, most of who reside in the borough of Brooklyn. These kids represent the diversity of the borough and their feedback is huge asset to us because our apps are translated into over 60 languages (!!). We also share a building with a karate studio and a social service foster agency where we run weekly play-testing sessions as well. We really value the ability to work closely with other organizations that support a range of abilities and experiences
as this too reflects our global community.”
18 Startups that are Putting Brooklyn on the Map is presented by Cowork|rs Gowanus, the only space where you can feel at work at home.
Mouth
New York is a foodie town, and it doesn’t end at Manhattan. Mouth is all about food. Indie food. Artisanal food. Handmade food, lovingly prepared in small batches. And tasty gifts. Mouth’s goal is to help you discover the best, most delicious and most interesting indie food products, and to help indie makers grow their businesses. To do this, they search the country for the best products, buy in bulk, then photograph, warehouse, market, package and ship them directly to customers. That takes space, and that means Brooklyn. The company is based in DUMBO, but then, its founder and CEO is seminal digital agency Razorfish cofounder Craig Kanarick. He’ll err on the side of cool every time.
18 Startups that are Putting Brooklyn on the Map is presented by Cowork|rs Gowanus, the only space where you can feel at work at home.
