andrew.f.chen :: startup thoughts

End of ... a time. Goodbye SnapItTo.Me.

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 07:15:02 -0700

Yesterday, I officially shut down SnapItTo.Me. I pulled the plugs on the virtual servers (I stopped paying amazon web services money). It was bittersweet and ironic that I was wearing my SnapItTo.Me swag t-shirt the day I did so. Unintentional, I swear!

I’ll be writing more updates on where I am now, as a Senior Product Manager at Lot18. But that’s for another post. My experience with SnapItTo.Me uniquely led me to be where I am today. I learned a ton during my time building SnapItTo.Me, a post I’ll be writing soon as well - after a couple years I’m finally ready to share. But for now, I commemorate the end of an important part of my life and the beginning of another.

Made in NY...in Austin: Back for 2012

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:30:06 -0800

Made in NY...in Austin: Back for 2012:

madeinyaustin:

We’ve been getting lots of questions about whether New York Startup Meetup will be back at SXSW in 2012…and the answer?

Yup. We’ll be there. And we’re excited. Because in addition to having a lot of the great team back from last year (with NY Tech Meetup taking the lead this time), we’ve got lots…

Computer Science (Language) as a Requirement

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:25:00 -0800

Fred Wilson just wrote a blog post about The Academy for Software Engineering that is going to be built in Union Square. It’s an awesome project that is going to help lay the ground work for demonstrating the importance of teaching math/science/technology and computer programming and inspiring a future generation of technology leaders. This helps further complete the NYC’s investments in the educational ecosystem for technology (preceded by the Applied Sciences Engineering Campus - Cornell/Technion, and other high school technical programs).

In the comments, Fred mentions a requirement for all students to learn computer engineering languages, something that would be on par with the current importance of learning foreign languages. This makes complete sense to me. Learning computer programming as a language has traits nearly identical to learning spoken languages - it’s own grammatical structures, defined meanings to words, importance of immersion, indecipherable to non-speakers. Most importantely, knowing how to speak the languages of computers is essential to a new form of communication and building - that is companies, products, and tools that change how we interact and work with one another each and every day. Technology and computers are so ubiquitous in our daily lives that being able to understand coding language will not only present a clear advantage to those who understand, but, I would image, would be a complete requisite for learning and growing - like math, science and social studies.

I think this is where we’re headed (and should head) and am really proud that NYC, as a city and as a community, is making so much intentional progress in this way. So, thank you Fred Wilson, Brad Feld, Mayor Bloomberg and so many others for taking the charge in pushing forward science/tech/math education in NYC.

Silicon Valley vs. Silicon Alley

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 09:44:14 -0800

MBA@UNC just posted an interactive infographic on “Silicon Valley & Silicon Alley” and compares key opinions, metrics and trends between the two. More and more infographics like this are popping up as the debate intensifies. This one is particularly intersting given the interactive nature. See below for details.

From my perspective, it’s a fun debate but somewhat detracts from the more pertinent conversation which is around “competitive advantages” between the two and looking at a “dual-hub” innovation model in the US.

Speaking at Columbia Business School, I told the MBA class that “Silicon Valley builds technology, NYC (Silicon Alley) applies technology.” Given the density of industries hubs, consumers and population, NYC will always be a better place to disrupt industries. That’s why we see a strong hub of fashion, media, education and ecommerce startups here in NYC. This ongoing dichotomy may change in the long-term (we’ll see how the new Cornell/Technion Engineering Campus changes NYC in 5-20 years) but for now, it’s a positive back-and-forth that demonstrates the efficiency of how the overall US innovation/tech startup industry is evolving.

Via MBA@UNC: Online MBA

NYC Tech Community Infographic - I worked on this with our...

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 14:19:23 -0700

NYC Tech Community Infographic - I worked on this with our NYCEDC Marketing Department to create.

The Road to SXSW: Hit Thumbs Up!

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:02:47 -0700

nycedc:

NYCEDC is submitting two panels to SXSW this year, and we need your help!

By hosting panels at SXSW Interactive, our goal is to spread the word about NYC’s booming tech startup scene and further brand the City as an innovative tech hub. NYC offers unparalleled tech companies, talent, and government resources, and we want to drive new people and startups to join us here in the Big Apple.

But in order to get two coveted spots at SXSW in March 2012, we need you, NYC tech enthusiasts, to help vote us to the top!

Log on to SXSW Interactive starting at 2 PM Central Time today to vote for our two proposed SXSW panels (you will have to create a free account to vote):

Silicon Alley - The Startup Ecosystem that Never Sleeps (link to vote)

Building the Innovation City - Lessons from NYC (link to vote)

Read on for panel descriptions and speakers. Help bring NYC to SXSW by casting your vote and sharing with others!

Tweet this: Vote for NYCEDC #SXSW panels on NYC’s startup scene and govt-driven innovation! http://bit.ly/q69j61 #PanelPicker

Read More

What the NYC Startup World Needs (and Doesn’t Need)

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 09:38:12 -0700

What the NYC Startup World Needs (and Doesn’t Need):

marksbirch:

An excellent post by Nate Westheimer in response to Chris Dixon’s original post. I think Nate is spot on in his assessment and critique. The fact is that the push by NYC government to lure a world-class engineering campus to NYC is brilliant. This is just one of many critical initiatives and events that will help NYC grow as a global hub for technology innovation and commerce. Definitely read Nate’s post and Chris’ post as well.

NYCEDC: And the Winners Are...

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 09:23:55 -0700

NYCEDC: And the Winners Are...:

nycedc:

By Andrew Chen, Kristy Sundjaja, and Steven Strauss
Center for Economic Transformation

We’re happy to announce the winners of our first NYC BigApps Ideas Challenge, part of the NYC BigApps Competition, which gathers ideas from the public for apps that that can help improve the lives…

NYCEDC: NYC BigApps Ideas Challenge

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 07:24:37 -0700

NYCEDC: NYC BigApps Ideas Challenge:

nycedc:

By Andrew Chen, Kristy Sundjaja, and Steve Strauss
Center for Economic Transformation

We’re really happy to announce the launch of the NYC BigApps Ideas Challenge. As we move forward from BigApps 2.0 and are on the road towards BigApps 3.0, we’ve designed the BigApps Ideas…

NYCEDC: Entrepreneur at Large at NYCEDC

Wed, 25 May 2011 12:22:14 -0700

NYCEDC: Entrepreneur at Large at NYCEDC:

We’re looking for a very seasons entrepreneur looking to help the NYC Tech Ecosystem grow for 6 months while networking and helping us better listen to what entrepreneurs and tech companies are in need of. Spread the word and apply!

nycedc:

By Millie Parekh, Dmytro Pokhylko, Ann Li, Kristy Sundjaja, Steven Strauss
Center for Economic Transformation

Are you an entrepreneur who is passionate about growing and supporting NYC’s media & tech entrepreneurial community? Do you believe NYC is the best place to start a business? And…

Hip Hop Tech Poetry - a Poem by Kleiner Perkins Partner, Bing Gordon

Tue, 24 May 2011 12:58:00 -0700

I’ve really been enjoying my time at the NYC TechCrunch Disrupt conference. It’s really a prime example of the burgeoning NYC Tech Scene. While a lot at #TCDisrupt has made me “ooh” and “ahh” I think nothing will top the impromptu poem created and recited by KPCB Partner, Bing Gordon, on stage. It is all about NYC Tech and the conference and could be our rallying song, given it’s references and comparisons to Silicon Valley, key startups and especially a shout out to Jay-Z. Silicon Valley ain’t got no Jay-Z. So, feel free to enjoy:

Chris Dixon apparently has a hunch
That it’s only Internet news if it’s in TechCrunch –
And you can verify this on Wikipedia:
Ashton Kutcher is the Charlie Rose of social media.

The meat-packing district is the new South of Market
So VCs are bringing cash there to park it.
If you make a name for yourself, you’ll get Klout perks
And John Borthwick has proven that Beta actually works.

Rent the Runway, Gilt and Etsy have the New York smarts
To redefine the way we all fill up our shopping carts –
And now even Stanford will put up with Silicon Valley censure
And open a campus to provide entrepreneurs for Union Square Ventures.

You can prove you’re hip enough, and that you’re there
Because Disrupt has a custom check-in on 4 Square
Even Michael Bloomberg has gotten into the act
To support Kristina Salen’s Quest to Learn so education can be hacked.

The Big Apple was overwhelming in 1973
When I arrived from Michigan, it was like OZ to me.
This is a paean to Manhattan, on an Arrington dare –
Because, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere!

Note: from Wikipedia - A paean is a song or lyric poem expressing triumph or thanksgiving. (yes, I had to look that up)

Why We Chose NYC: Lawrence Lenihan (FirstMark Capital) and Charlie Kim (CEO Next Jump)

Mon, 09 May 2011 15:23:00 -0700

“New york is the land of milk and honey, it’s always 75 degrees and sunny …” - While Lawrence Lenihan, the Founder of FirstMark Capital, was rhyming for fun, he was serious about convincing the Boston area engineering students on how great a place NYC is for startups and technology. I was able to film these two segements by Lawrence and then by Next Jump CEO Charlie Kim, both providing factual and experiential support for why startups and engineering students should consider NYC as their prime locale. They are both short, between 3-4 minutes each - listen to their talk to find out why they believe in NYC.

Charlie, in particular, tells of his story of Next Jump’s quiet rise, with $45m in angel funding, going from 150 employees to 4 people to the 300 people they have now. Ram Shriram, one of the original Google investors, made his largest investment in Next Jump, but also insisting that they move their HQ to Silicon Valley. Charlie insisted on staying and now, as a result, has one of the largest startup technology companies in NYC.

You ready to move to NYC?

NYCEDC: Recap of NYC@Boston

Mon, 09 May 2011 08:49:43 -0700

NYCEDC: Recap of NYC@Boston:

nycedc:

By Steve Strauss, Kristy Sundjaja and Andrew Chen
Center for Economic Transformation

On May 5th, NYCEDC held a talent recruiting event in Boston, where about 15 NYC startups met with approximately 160 engineering students from MIT, Harvard, Brown, Dartmouth, and many other schools….

How New York City Will Own Silicon Valley

Fri, 06 May 2011 11:31:00 -0700

As I write this blog post, I’m on the Acela Express from Boston to NYC, coming back from a mission to steal Boston’s best and brightest with a number of other startups and VCs (FourSquare, Etsy, Tumblr, Union Square Ventures, etc.). There’s not enough talent to supply the astronomic growth we’re experiencing here in NYC and so we’re starting to get organized (read here and here and here) for the beginning of a concerted campaign to grow NYC as the top tech hub destination in the US. We’re starting by running a NYC organized effort to steal Boston’s best and brightest.

What’s All The Hype?

If only 5 years ago, very few would have noted NYC to be a real tech hub. But now, with renowned startups such as Etsy, FourSquare, Tumblr and many others leading the second/third wave of startups in NYC, some very well known VCs (USV, Bessemer, Accel), and the presence of some of Silicon Valley’s biggest tech co’s (FB, Google, Amazon), NYC is emerging as the new hotness. With an ecosystem with incubators and programs like NYCSeed, TechStars, NYTech Meetup, General Assembly and the NYCBigApps competition, the ground is fertile with support. NYC’s Mayor also happens to be an entrepreneur who understands how important technology is to the future of NYC. Oh, and NYC just overtook Boston as the US city with #2 most Tech VC investments.

We are hot on your heels, Silicon Valley.

NYC has the Formula to Beat Silicon Valley

Which, leads to the question, what makes a good startup ecosystem and how can we make it even better? Luckily, Angel/VC Mark Suster wrote an article in TechCrunch yesterday about this very matter. His main point is around the importance of key individuals that make all the difference in building an idea, company and community and then goes on to lay out a framework for what needs to happen. He references Seattle and what it needs to do to become a better tech/startup hub but notes the framework is applicable to any community. Summarized (and referencing NYC from my perspective), a city must have:

A Good Mix of Community Leaders & Organizers - Suster uses Brad Feld (Foundry Group) and David Cohen (TechStars) as key leaders that put Boulder, CO on the map.

NYC has no shortage of leaders working to push forward the community at every level. Fred Wilson of USV, Lawrence Lenihan of FirstMark, Nate Westheimer of NYTechMeetup, Chris Dixon of Hunch, just to name a few that are heavily involved in the NYC community and promoting it’s greatness.

Passionate Entrepreneurs and Ambassadors - Suster says that one of the hallmarks of Silicon Valley is having a steady stream of graduates from top schools come in, in addition to passionate community leaders who want to stay local and work together to build that local community.

This is exactly what is happening in NYC right now. New York City is home to more than 626,000 students, including more than 4,200 graduate engineering students. Not only are more new homegrown startups planting in the city, the coalition of grassroots community building being led by people like Jane Kim of Hashable, Greg Gortz of Zemanta, and Gary Chou of USV are really beginning to formalize a community that wasn’t there before.

Patron Companies - Suster notes the importance of having Google, Yahoo, Salesforce and other major companies that were once startups as companies readily partnering and supporting the local startups.

While NYC does have satellite arms of Google, Facebook, and Amazon, the patron companies that are really starting to work with and support the scene are the large media companies like WPP, NYT, AOL and Razorfish. These combined with the forward thinking fashion, retail, and finance companies in NYC create a hotbed of bizdev opportunities to go around.

Elder Statesmen who will support the local startup community - Mark mentions Steve Case and his involvement in Startup America and people like the Google and eBay/Paypal founders as key leaders in bringing attention to the importance of Startups in their regions.

NYC has no lack of strong statesmen. From AOL CEO Tim Armstrong to our very own Mayor Bloomberg, the mature leadership supporting the community is coming straight from the top.

Playing to local competitive advantage - leveraging what the local community already has to offer, rather than trying to build something entirely new helps in the long-run. Seattle has enterprise, cloud, and larger retailers. Silicon Valley has social, semi-conductors (and everything else).

NYC is the #1 hub for a number of industries, from finance, to fashion, to retail and media/advertising. NYC has no shortage of competitive advantage when it comes to being able to access and leverage local strengths.

Local Marketing Muscle - Suster notes that, due to the collection of media, news, PR and ad agencies that exist in NYC, it is the foremost example of a city that has flexed its marketing muscle to its advantage. And having the foremost VC blogger reside in NYC helps a lot, too.

No need to expand here.

Local Angels and Recycled Capital - Silicon Valley has a strong angel community, many who are/were entrepreneurs, that readily invests and recycles profits back into more deals with startups.

Here, NYC’s angel community is growing and we’re starting to see the existence of angel and seed funds coming together, especially with the opening of the NYC Tech Stars program. That said, I expect to see more Angels coming to NYC following the tidal wave of VCs coming to NYC.

Venture Capital Firms - this one’s obvious. VC funding is a large part the life blood of turning ideas into successes.

With the coming of Bessemer and Accel to compliment those that already reside out here, NYC is starting to position itself well for a strong funding community.

Foreign Direct Investment and Time - Suster notes the importance of bringing in outside investment and attention (such as his involvement in Seattle even though he is from LA) and then time and patience to allow the community to mature.

NYC is getting a lot of attention from angels and funds from Silicon Valley, no doubt. The trajectory will only continue as entrepreneurs, investors and companies begin to realize all the key advantages that NYC brings, many that possibly position itself for a stronger future than Silicon Valley.

Why NYC Could be a Better Tech Hub than Silicon Valley

While the power, draw and talent that is Silicon Valley is undeniable, I argue that NYC has the potential, now or later, to overtake Silicon Valley as the #1 tech hub. NYC has the educational institutions (Columbia, NYU, Cooper Union) to train great talent and it is investing in the future of tech education in NYC, with efforts like Bloomberg’s $100m engineering campus. It has hot startup companies and more continue to pop up every day. It has everything that Mark Suster points out above, from the VCs to the market players to the leaders. So what will make it different, and possibly better, than Silicon Valley? If SV might always maintain the technical advantage, where will NYC win?

Sustainability and Business Models.

NYC, by virtue of living costs and business people, is a city that demands, from day one, that a company makes money (or quickly figure out ways to make money). With so many classically trained business folk shaping the foundations of the East Coast economy, there will be a natural tendency for NYC startups to be focused on monetization while scaling. This need will also drive startups to work with and partner with more traditional companies flush with cash, integrating their activities further into the greater economy. We see this with FourSquare’s check-in deals with local retailers, SecondMarket’s insertion into the financial markets, Etsy’s creative marketplace and working with a community of craftty creatives, and of course, Gilt’s flash sales for fashion and travel, partnering with all the major fashion brands.

We Win.

Oh wait, did I also mention that NYC is widely known as the best city in the world?

So I say, watch out Silicon Valley (and Boston, Seattle, Austin, London…) we’re hot on your heels and we’re going to start by stealing your engineers.

Virtual Gifts. Virtual Value

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:52:00 -0700

Today I met up with a good friend of mine and we got into conversing about the Virtual Gifts market. He’s looking to become a product manager (he’s going to make a great one) for an established silicon valley startup and work on their virtual gifts product. So, as a result we talked about the job opportunity and the space in general. While not having thought about the space all too much I did have a solid opinion based on my own user experience - and that is I NEVER BUY VIRTUAL GIFTS. Who would want to pay any money for a few pixels on a screen that did nothing in terms of real functionality? That said, there is a small percentage of the population that does - the virtual goods market is a $1.8bn industry. So, rather than condemning the emerging market, I asked the question “What would it take for me to engage with and purchase virtual gifts?”

The conclusion I came to was three fold:

1. Virtual gifts have very little value in and of themselves

2. Virtual gifts are a means to an end - additional value must be associated to the gift.

3. Virtual gifts should be non-replicable and tradable

These ideas are mostly associated with the use of virtual gifts within the context of social networks such as Facebook. I do realize that, in its current form, virtual gifts/products in virtual worlds such as Second Life and World of Warcraft carry inherent value within the worlds that they exist in (and now, outside those worlds ) but in general, for me virtual gifts in their current form are a hard sell. But I am looking forward to seeing how virtual gifts evolve in order to create and associate real value and make my life more interesting.

The Cup Cake Bubble

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:34:00 -0700

You know, ever since I read this article about the Cup Cake Bubble in Slate, I’ve been dying to write a response. Or actually, just to continue the conversation. I’m glad some noticed the trend and it’s indicative of the many “cute food” trends that have been flying about over the last decade or so. My opinion is that, while these trends come, I don’t think they’ll ever go, contrary to the belief of many and the article. These being fun foods, regardless of how “trendy” they are, will always stick around. We’re already seeing this with pearl milk tea. Many said it was a fad from Asia that would quickly die, but what has happened is that we’re just seeing a plateau to the “bubble” (some pun intended!) and it’s remained a staple drink ever since. That’s what will happen with cup cakes, yogurt, and apparently the upcoming “waffle craze”. I map on a general timeline below these trends: (Apparently, waffles are up and coming, boxing the US in from both fronts - France and Asia. We’ll see how well it does out here.) All these things are delicious and as they become accepted dessert or coffee break options (waffle break anyone?) they won’t die out because they become part of our societal cravings. And I gotta say, they are pretty fun and delicious.

What do you think?

We're All OCD: Why We Love Bejeweled

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 23:01:00 -0700

One of the first games that I heard analyzed from a psychological point of view is the Mobile/Web App hit Bejeweled. The rules are super simple: reorder jewels into rows containing 3 or more same colored jewels and the jewels will disappear, you earn points, more jewels come and you do that until you beat the level by reaching the goal for number of jewels that disappear. Simple, no? Yet, addicting. So addicting in fact that in it’s 10 year history, it has been downloaded more than 350 million times.

So What’s The Big Deal?

Why is this game so addicting? Well, we can break down the elements to further understand:

1. It’s simple - you can explain the rules in one sentence. Very low ramp up for learning, you get it instantly. This means that any user who plays it can virtually play it the instant it downloads - you don’t lose anyone to complexity.

2. It’s quick - each level just takes a few minutes. You can choose to go on once you’ve finished or just end it there. There’s no commitment but most people choose to continue with the mentality “just one more time - it’s a quick game!”

3. It’s intense - in just a few minutes you get an intense, heart pumping, re-ordering of jewels, racing against the clock! But after the intensity is over, you go about back to your daily life as if nothing happened.

4. Most importantly, it plays on humanity’s desire for order - this, I believe is the most important aspect. We as humans are made / taught to desire order in our lives. When things are out of place, not positioned neatly in an orderly world, we freak out and have to do something about it. Well with Bejeweled, we’re thrust into a world in chaos and it’s our job to put everything back to order. And we love it.

Your Application

So what does this mean for you and your website? This is just a small case study on how we interact with applications and a good amount can be derived:

1. Make your web app easy to learn - you often lose users because it takes too long to get what your application does and even if they get it, if the way to use it takes too long to learn the browser window has already been closed. Make it easy and quick to learn how to use your app.

2. Reduce the amount of effort to get the “win” - people are satisfied if they are able to do what they do in the most efficient manner. In order for them to get the “win” - the goal of your app, the pain point you’re solving - make sure it’s not an arduous process.

3. Bring order to your users’ lives - most likely their pain point, the reason for your web app, is meant to make their lives more orderly, more efficient, easier. So make sure it does that - we tend to bundle things with crazy features and build more and more but ensure it’s doing what it’s supposed to do in the most simple way possible.Is this your experience? Thoughts?