By Sandy Carter, IBM
New York City’s rocketing tech economy is getting another major boost.
The city’s government and startup community joined forces to build Digital.NYC, an online hub by and for New York’s digital economy. Built on the cloud and chock full of information about the area’s more than 10,000 tech and digital companies, Digital.NYC is laser focused on spurring further innovation in the already vibrant tech scene. And using the cloud to innovate.
New York City has become a world-class tech powerhouse, boasting some of the most innovative startups around, including Tumblr, Etsy, and the Gilt Groupe. Tech is one of the fastest-growing sectors in New York City, driving job growth and the creation of a host of apps, companies, and digital services throughout every industry -- from fashion to manufacturing to finance. Consider:
- The city’s tech industry is experiencing continuous job growth, adding 45,000 jobs between 2003 and 2013.
- Overall, this ecosystem generates about 541,000 jobs, $50.6 billion in annual compensation, and $124.7 billion in annual output.
- Tech contributes more than $5.6 billion annually in tax revenues, making up 12.3 percent of the City’s 2013 tax base.
Digital.NYC is the first comprehensive, centralized community platform to connect, support and grow this community and startup ecosystem. It's goal? Keep New York’s tech boom going strong by helping companies, entrepreneurs, and investors tap into the latest developments and trends, provide resources such as co-working space connections and networking to bolster startups, and create even stronger ties within its lively community.
Digital.NYC streamlines all the information and resources of New York City’s digital economy in one place. It's backbone is a search portal and database that includes profiles of virtually all of the city’s startups and early-stage investors. This storehouse of resources will also provide a continually updated list of early-stage tech and digital job openings and an interactive calendar of classes and events within the startup community. Digital NYC will provide news stories, videos and blogs about NYC’s tech and digital economy. Well-known thought leaders, including Fred Wilson, a founder of venture capital firm Union Square Venture, will contribute regular features.
And Digital NYC will provide access to the tools, services and support needed to turn a creative idea into a business, including workspaces, startup funding sources, venture accelerators, connections to developers and business professionals, and guidance from investors and tech leaders.
For example, startups looking for funding can create a profile using Gust, a platform for early-stage investing, to help manage investment relationships from initial pitch to exit. The online hub, built and run on IBM’s cloud platform BlueMix, will also provide free trials of Bluemix’s technology tools to help entrepreneurs and businesses build and manage their Web and mobile apps, enabling them to rapidly turn their ideas into innovative products and services.
And as one of the first Web sites to sport the new dot-NYC top level Internet domain, an address reserved exclusively for New Yorkers, Digital.NYC will direct startups to more information about how to register for their own dot-NYC domain, which opens up to the public on Thursday.
Having established itself as a tech leader, New York City is determined to stay on top. Using technology every step of the way.
Digital.NYC is just one example of IBM’s commitment to entrepreneurs, startups, and tech ecosystems around the world. Through programs such as IBM’s Global Entrepreneur Program, Bluemix Garages, developerWorks, global developer meet-ups, IBM innovation centers and university partnerships, IBM helps thousands of startups, developers and entrepreneurs around the world to launch and grow their business.
To learn more, visit ibm.com/cloud or join the conversation at #ibmcloud.
Sandy Carter is General Manager of Ecosystem Development for IBM.
