Websites aren’t the only way to participate in the metro-area’s startup culture. People want to physically make things, too. “We’re building an ecosystem of hard sciences,” says Maria Gotch, president of the New York City Investment Fund. The fund partnered to created NYC Tech Connect to strengthen that entrepreneurial ecosystem and for the second year in a row brought together investors, engineers, and researchers under the banner, “Technology You Can Touch.” Shari Coulter Ford, Executive Director of NYC Tech Connect, is impressed by the unique support of venture capitalists and city government for...

Rockland County’s proximity to New York CIty is one of it’s greatest assets and is an asset particularly paying off for the software and hardware technology community.  Last month, Wakefield Media’s Uncubed tried to get talent hired on day one (recap here) and spent day two getting those startups off the ground. An in-and-out crowd of 150 new and established entrepreneurs spent the day with panels and personal stories from those who’ve made it. Besides the people, what makes technology big in New York is the growing support from global institutions. Rachel Haot of NYC Media notes that proximity to Europe helps...

Time is money. Nowhere is that more intimately felt than by freelancers, who have no major corporate infrastructure to address the vital details that make for an efficient and well-run organization. Harvest was founded in 2006 by Danny Wen and Shawn Liu. Partly inspired by the web-based collaboration tools at 37signals.com and mostly inspired by their own web design business’ need for efficient time-tracking, Wen and Liu have focused solely on Harvest for the past 6 years. I’ve been using Harvest for time and expense management as well as its solid features, affordable pricing, and responsive programming team, but it’s the...

Tumblr, Spotify, Meetup.com.  Uncubed’s day one is out of the box on many fronts, not the least of which is the mixing of angel investors, founders, and employees of some of the hottest startups in New York. “We want to curate the best startup job event.  We want people to ask, When is Uncubed coming to my city?,” says event co-founder Tarek Pertew of Wakefield. Turns out, people aren’t waiting.  Richie, a college senior, “saw the event on the school’s job board and knew I had to go.  I got on the bus, and am here to see New York, too.” An opening talk from Steve Schlafman of renowned Lerer...

Hosting a party? Throwing an event? A new tech startup, Fiestah, aims to shake up the way you find food, vendors, and services for your events. Playfully dubbed Fiestah.com, the founding trio — Stefanos Missailidis, Nurul Yahya, and Marvin Tam — had a laser-laden, well-stocked launch party of 70 or so invited guests at the Wix Lounge, a co-working space in Chelsea. Events and meetings are usually booked by professional planners, who know vendors and suppliers personally and professionally. Fiestah gives access to the same level of talent to “everyday people.” “But when I was booking office parties, I was given a budget and...

The internet’s ability to connect people naturally extends into our romances, where most modern dating sites focus on algorithms, personality tests, and sheer numbers to give you the opportunity to meet your next romance. Alex Furmansky, CEO and Founder of metro-area dating site Sparkology, believes that the algorithm-based trust in technology for love is flawed. “We don’t have our social nets, our community, to help us anymore. We get promises of soulmates through personality tests.” The numbers game often results in bum profiles, strange characters, and a flood of messages. Instead, Alex and his dozen person crew offer an...