New York Tech Grows Up, PandoMonthly Moves In (Get Tickets Now)
By Erin Griffith
On May 22, 2012
The New York tech scene still has that special new car smell. It won’t be like that for long, but it’s still here now, and that’s why I’m so excited to be covering it.
There hasn’t been a big giant blockbuster exit (yes, GroupMe, yes, OMGPop. I’m talking billion dollar deal or IPO). We haven’t had as bubbly of valuations. We are still underdogs. Our darlings and idols are still accessible and down-to-earth. We Are Young, etc. And the enthusiasm is palpable.
But, as NY startups mature and and the scene grows, that’s going to fade. I already hear jaded comments like “I don’t go out to meetups anymore because there’s too much noise,” or “I don’t know who any of these new guys are” from founders and programmers who’ve been around a few years. What I think they mean is there are a bunch of new startups getting involved in the scene, and it makes them feel less special.
To that I say, AWESOME. That means people who might have otherwise moved to the Valley are choosing New York as the place they want to start their company. And people here who might have otherwise stayed in their crappy media, fashion, or finance jobs are dropping out to start a tech company instead.
PandoDaily plans to be a part of that. Why else would one of the first hires at the self-proclaimed site of record for Silicon Valley be based here and not in Silicon Valley? It’s also the reason we’re going to New York with our first ever PandoMonthly event outside of the Valley.
It’s Thursday night, and tickets are still available right here.
New York is an obvious choice because PandoMonthlies are designed for the new guys — the entrepreneurs and programmers who moved to New York or dropped out of their crappy jobs to make something cool. That’s why it’s a simple networking event with a worthwhile guest. That’s why we only charge $20 to come. We provide the pizza, beer, a free t-shirt and an enlightening conversation with someone we find inspiring.
Our first New York guest is Matt Mullenweg, the guy that founded WordPress. He’s fairly legendary among CMS geeks and those of us with travel envy. He’s also a guy with a purpose: There’s a reason WordPress has maintained its street cred while growing into the top blogging software in the world.
PandoDaily’s Sarah Lacy and he will discuss everything from how a 19-year-old Texas boy wound up building the default CMS for old media and new media alike, to whether he’s under threat from new, sexier systems like New York’s own SquareSpace, to his thoughts on the New York scene (he splits his time between here and San Francisco).
I’ll avoid over-extending that new car smell metaphor into something awkward. Instead I’ll shamelessly plug: Get tickets here; it’s going to be awesome.
Erin Griffith covers New York startups for PandoDaily. She's worked as staff writer for Adweek and a private equity blogger for peHUB. Her writing has appeared in VCJ, Time Out New York, Huffington Post, FT.com, and BUST. She plays keyboard in a band called Team Genius and Tweets as @Eringriffith.
