The Blog

When I joined DUMBO Startup Lab last year, Freddie and I shared a vision of making DSL a hub for startups in Brooklyn.  Coworking is core to our business model but we also want to be viewed as advocates for the Brooklyn tech community.  With that in mind, we plan to start hosting regular networking, happy hour events at DSL.

The idea behind the events is to leverage our physical space to increase the psychological awareness of the growing BK tech industry. We want to raise awareness among DUMBO and Brooklyn people, our friends across the East River and especially those Brooklyn residents who work in Manhattan about the reality that building your business here might just be a better option for you and your team.

We’re going to kick things off next Friday at 6:30pm.  You don’t have to be a techie to participate, the event is open to anyone who just wants to meet other cool people.  If you’d like to join us (and I hope you do),  register here: http://fridaydumbomixer.eventbrite.com.

Brooklyn’s biggest supporter, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz stopped by the DUMBO Startup Lab yesterday to check out the latest and greatest from the innovative minds at the Lab.

(ORIGINAL POST HERE AT DUMBO.IS)

While Marty opened up with a few words about the greatness of our borough, the need for innovation and the seeding of young minds in Brooklyn, he was also treated to demos from four of the companies at the DUMBO Startup Lab:

• Matchpuppy.com (Michael Chiang, Founder/CEO) – find playdates for your pets and maybe it’ll develop into something further… (Marty’s hoping for a parrot version of the site).
• Coffee Joulies (Dave Petrillo, Co-founder) – a product to keep your coffee at the perfect temperature using science!
• Cause Cart (Michael Geer, Founder/CEO) – Currently in Alpha. Go ahead, buy those new shoes. Through partner websites, purchases will automatically turn that purchase into a donation to your favorite cause.
• Microtrip.it (Isaiah Duty, Co-founder/CEO) – Soon-to-be-launched app designed for travelers with a serious case of wanderlust.

Marty got to spend some time after the demos talking with the Lab’s founder, Freddie Pikovsky as well as some of the Lab’s members about their work and ideas on Brooklyn as New York’s latest tech center. And, of course, everyone got a Brooklyn pin – a cherished memento from any visit from Marty.

Pikovsky echoed Marty’s sentiment of the need to invest in technology in Brooklyn, “Our goal is to expand the DUMBO Startup Lab with more incubation, educational and event space to harness the growth of Brooklyn’s identity within the innovation ecosystem. We hope to become a central figure among the Tech Triangle, accelerating the success of our talented entrepreneurs and attracting more Venture Capitol firms to open their doors here in Brooklyn.”

Photo thanks to John Paul Lupo from Marty Markowitz’s office.