For Ad-Tech Biz, NY is the Place to Be

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Silicon Valley may have more startups and money, but New York City is a predominant force in ad-tech, with two other key sectors that are being transformed by technology – digital media and e-commerce. And, New York City is also a strong contender in other emerging industries such as financial tech and health tech.

Scott Knoll, CEO of Integral Ad Science, started in ad tech at DoubleClick, a Manhattan startup formed in the 90’s and was eventually purchased by Google. When it came to choosing a location it made sense to have an ad-tech firm in Silicon Valley, New York. Today, it’s essential.

NYC TECH, 2003-2013

2,206 companies started

336  acquisitions and IPO’s, worth $18.1 billion

$14.2 billion in investment capital

13.3% annual growth in VC investments

53,000+ jobs

“If you are building an ad-tech company, this city is a must-have presence, you have to be in New York. You don’t necessarily have to be in Silicon Valley.” said Mr. Knoll. New York has started to develop boundless networks where successful entrepreneurs develop new companies and hire new entrepreneurs.

There’s every reason to believe that New York’s emergence as a major tech center is still in its early days.

To read the article in it’s entirety, click here.

The Upside of Being Replaceable

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Kristin Muhlner is the chief executive of New Brand Analytics , a social-media-monitoring company used to improve brand loyalty and acquire new customers. Adam Bryant from the New York Times recently sat down with Muhlner and discussed what she learned from being a C.E.O, what to look for when hiring employees, and what culture means to her. Here are some great points from the article:

  • Developing personal connections with your employees can be emotionally draining: “You always want to be one of those leaders who care deeply about their staff and look after them, but at some point you have to make the shift and say you’re going to do the right thing for the business
  • Don’t always assume that people know everything“But people just have this incredible thirst to be connected, and they need multiple reinforcing points of communication. I have to remind myself over and over not to assume that everyone knows something.”
  • Seek out a meritocracy: “If you find a meritocracy and you’re highly ambitious and you want to drive your career forward, then nothing’s going to get in your way”
  • Don’t wear “busy” as a badge of honor: “We’ve become crazy about being crazy, and I’m stunned at how many people are absolutely exhausting themselves. It’s important to figure out how to be ruthlessly efficient and disciplined with your time, and do only those hings that matter”

To read the article in it’s entirely, click here.

Wear Your Failures on Your Sleeve

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Cassandra Phillips, founder of FailCon, holds one-day conferences for technology entrepreneurs, investors, developers, and designers to study their own and others’ failures and prepare for success. Every October, 500 tech start-up websites gather with industry veterans who talk about their biggest downfalls and fails while providing constructive criticism. Failure is emerging as a badge of honor among Silicon Valley start-ups, and companies publicly dissect their own entrepreneurial failures on multiple blogs.

Of course nobody wants to fail with their business, but failing intelligently is an important skill when it comes to improving. Sometimes you have to fail first in order to succeed. In entrepreneurial circles, a start-up flop is now something to proclaim, not hide.

To read the article in it’s entirety, click here.