Brooklyn rising as tech destination

When New York City is spoken of as a tech hub, it’s usually in reference to Manhattan standouts like Google’s Chelsea headquarters or Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island. But a new report by the think tank Center for an Urban Future brings attention back to Brooklyn, by revealing the borough has been second only to San Francisco in the growth of startups in the past decade. In 2008, Brooklyn had just 264 startups. By last year, that number had grown 356%, to 1205.

Clusters of activity have emerged in recent years as well, like the Brooklyn Tech Triangle – which includes the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Downtown Brooklyn and DUMBO – as well as Industry City. New Lab, a tech ecosystem in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, has been one such space for startups to grow. (The report was partially funded by the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, Dumbo Improvement District, and Industry City.)

There’s no question that New York’s status as a tech hub now includes the outer boroughs. Amazon’s short-lived desire to come to Queens is proof of that. And the data in the report backs that up, focusing on growth, rather than overall size of the sector. According to its findings, employment in Brooklyn’s tech sector increased by 175% between 2007 and 2017, compared to 86% growth in that same period in Manhattan.

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