15 Startups Worth Watching in NYC in 2023

New York City stands as a historic global metropolis that has long been recognized as an epicenter for innovation, entrepreneurship, and technological advancement. Renowned nowadays for its bustling startup ecosystem, the city boasts a vibrant hub teeming with cutting-edge companies and a ceaseless drive for progress. Its ability to foster a thriving entrepreneurial spirit can be attributed to many factors that attract top-tier talent and foster an environment that encourages bold investments across various industries, solidifying its status as a beacon of innovation.

Why are there so many startups in New York?

Throughout its history, New York City has stood as a global economic powerhouse and a vibrant hub for finance and commerce. The presence of institutions like Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange wield significant influence and serve as the epicenter of global economic activity.

The symbiotic relationship between the financial sector and entrepreneurship fuels a dynamic startup ecosystem that thrives on innovative ideas, risk-taking, and capital investment.

Supported by a robust network of investment banks, private equity firms, and venture capitalists, New York City's financial district actively fosters and propels emerging ventures, providing them with the necessary resources and expertise to thrive in a highly competitive landscape, solidifying its status as a world-class entrepreneurial destination.

Startups in New York City

We've put together a list of some of the most promising and hottest startups in NYC.

• The Org
• Taskade
• RealBlocks
• Kalshi
• Axoni
• Levels
• Deed
• Clare
• RADAR
• Leaflink
• Talos
• REZI
• Feather
• Ramp
• Statespace

The Org‍

Location: New York, New York
Latest funding round: Series B - $20,000,000
Total raised funds: $39,600,000~
Industries: Human Resources, Enterprise Software

The Org's platform allows users to explore organization charts for both public and private companies, facilitating a better understanding of company structures and the individuals within them. The Org emphasizes the importance of showcasing a talented and cohesive team, as it plays a crucial role in attracting top talent and creating a desirable workplace. With their extensive network of public org charts, The Org aims to help companies highlight their teams and establish themselves as the preferred choice for potential candidates.

Taskade

Location: New York, New York
Latest funding round: Direct Investment - Undisclosed
Total raised funds: $5,200,000~
Industries: Productivity, SaaS

Taskade is a platform to simplify remote collaboration, empowering remote teams to thrive in the modern workplace. By eliminating unnecessary obstacles in planning, organizing, and decision-making processes, Taskade seeks to enable teams to stay competitive and efficient. With its seamless integration of team tasks, notes, and mind mapping, Taskade streamlines productivity and guides projects from initial ideas to successful completion.

RealBlocks

Location: New York, New York
Latest funding round: Series A - $10,000,000
Total raised funds: $20,800,000~
Industries: FinTech

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RealBlocks is a comprehensive technology platform designed for investment managers to streamline the distribution of alternative investment funds. By integrating front, middle, and back-office functionality into one digital platform, fund managers gain complete control over the entire lifecycle of their funds, from vehicle creation to distribution.

Kalshi

Location: New York, New York
Latest funding round: Series A - $30,000,000
Total raised funds: $30,200,000~
Industries: FinTech

Kalshi is a pioneering financial exchange that operates under federal regulation, enabling individuals to trade based on the expected outcome of various events. From predictions like the Federal Reserve's interest rate hike in its next meeting to the announcement of GPT-5 in 2023, Kalshi offers a platform for trading on diverse possibilities.

Axoni

Location: New York, New York
Latest funding round: Series B - $31,000,000
Total raised funds: $109,800,000~
Industries: FinTech, Blockchain

Axoni is a technology company specializing in advancing blockchain infrastructure and distributed application development. Their flagship product, AxCore software, unlocks the potential for extensive workflow automation and addresses long-standing coordination challenges between large enterprises by synchronizing data across organizations.

Levels

Location: New York, New York
Latest funding round: Series A - $7,000,000
Total raised funds: $57,000,000~
Industries: Health, Biometrics

Levels is a health and wellness company that offers a platform to monitor and improve metabolic fitness. By taking advantage of data from biosensors like continuous glucose monitors (CGM), Levels provides real-time feedback on how diet and lifestyle choices affect metabolic health. Members of the platform have access to personalized data, allowing them to discover their optimal diet, manage their weight, and reduce long-term health risks.

Deed

Location: Brooklyn, New York
Latest funding round: Series A - $10,000,000
Total raised funds: $12,800,000~
Industries: Human Resources, SaaS

Deed is a social impact platform that connects individuals with causes and enables businesses to engage in social impact activities. With a focus on user experience, Deed prioritizes putting people first and removing barriers to doing good. Deed also assists social impact and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) teams in consolidating their programming, including emergency fundraisers, volunteering events, and engagement with diverse employee resource groups.

Clare

Location: New York, New York
Latest funding round: Series A - $8,000,000
Total raised funds: $12,300,000~
Industries: E-Commerce, Consumer Goods

Founded at the height of the pandemic in 2020, Clare is a black-owned and women-led startup with a mission to modernize the paint industry. By offering curated selections by interior designers, all-inclusive paint toolkits, and a chatbot for color suggestions, Clare aims to simplify the process of shopping for paint online. Their innovative approach provides an easier, faster, and more inspiring way to shop for paint, empowering people everywhere to create beautiful spaces.

RADAR

Location: New York, New York
Latest funding round: Direct Investment - Undisclosed
Total raised funds: $59,400,000~
Industries:Hardware, Logistics

RADAR is a platform that combines RFID and computer vision technologies to streamline inventory management, analytics, and checkout processes in physical retail stores. Using the power of RFID and enhanced by computer vision, RADAR offers improved location accuracy, making it easier to locate inventory quickly. The platform's speed and accuracy enable efficient performance even in high-traffic retail environments. With RADAR, retailers gain access to item-level analytics and the potential for autonomous checkout.

LeafLink

Location: New York, New York
Latest funding round: Series D - $100,000,000
Total raised funds: $479,000,000~
Industries: B2B, Marketplace

LeafLink is a wholesale management platform that facilitates connections between cannabis brands and retailers. It simplifies the ordering process, enhances communication, and minimizes time spent on administrative tasks for brands and retailers. LeafLink's centralized sales engine includes a robust online marketplace, CRM, and order management tools. The platform also offers flexible payment options, allowing retailers and brands to choose when and how they receive payments.

Talos

Location: New York, New York
Latest funding round: Series B - $105,000,000
Total raised funds: $145,000,000~
Industries: Cryptocurrency, FinTech

Talos provides institutional-grade technology infrastructure for digital asset trading. Their platform supports the entire lifecycle of trading, including price discovery, execution, and settlement. Built by a highly experienced team in institutional trading systems, Talos connects various participants in the crypto-asset market, such as institutional investors, prime brokers, exchanges, OTC desks, lenders, and custodians, through a single access point.

REZI

Location: New York, New York
Latest funding round: Series A - $30,000,000
Total raised funds: $230,000,000~
Industries: PropTech

REZI is a rental company that uses proprietary analytics, technology, and financial products to enhance the rental experience for landlords and tenants. Their goal is to automate the rental process, reduce discriminatory practices, and improve outcomes for property owners. For landlords, REZI guarantees income and manages all aspects of renting. For renters, they strive to offer a fast, easy, and free experience with an online approval process, eliminating broker fees and bias through financial eligibility and secure background checks.

Feather

Location: New York, New York
Latest funding round: Series B - $30,000,000
Total raised funds: $76,000,000~
Industries: Consumer goods, Marketplace

Feather is a furniture rental company that enables residents of dense cities to furnish their homes affordably and sustainably. Through Feather, members gain access to high-quality furniture at a monthly price, with the flexibility to add, swap, buy, or return items as needed. Furniture is delivered and assembled free of charge within a week. By adopting a circular approach, Feather aims to minimize furniture waste and its impact on the environment by keeping furniture in homes rather than sending it to landfills.

Ramp

Location: New York, New York
Latest funding round: Series C - $200,000,000
Total raised funds: $1,400,000,000~
Industries: FinTech, B2B

A recent unicorn in the FinTech space, Ramp builds finance tools for businesses, offering a suite of solutions including corporate cards, expense management, bill payments, and accounting integrations. With Ramp's finance automation platform, businesses can save time and money with every transaction. The company claims that switching to Ramp has resulted in an average spending reduction of 3.5% and an 86% faster book closing process for thousands of companies.

StateSpace

Location: New York, New York
Latest funding round: Series C - $50,000,000
Total raised funds: $102,100,000~
Industries: Gaming, Analytics

StateSpace provides performance analytics and a training toolset for casual gamers and esports athletes to optimize their skills. Using cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and standardized performance analytics through their flagship product AimLabs, StateSpace redefines the way individuals improve. Moreover, they extend their expertise beyond gaming by partnering with hospitals, universities, and neuroscience research centers to utilize their analytics data and proprietary technology to evaluate and treat patients with cerebral palsy and other neurological conditions.

Should I start my startup in NYC?

New York City has solidified its place as one of the prominent startup epicenters in the United States, with its influence on the East Coast only approached in size by Boston. The city's many advantages may sound enticing, but there's also plenty of challenges to face. Here are some pros and cons of running a startup in this city:

Pros:

• NYC attracts a diverse range of professionals from various industries, countries, and cultural backgrounds, providing access to a vast talent pool with diverse skill sets and experiences.
• New York City is home to numerous financial institutions, which in turn attract more venture capital firms, angel investors, and private equity firms, offering ample opportunities to connect with potential investors and secure funding for your startup.
• Being a global business and cultural hub, NYC provides unparalleled access to a diverse and expansive market. The city's international connections can open doors to customers, partners, and clients from around the world.
• The city hosts a multitude of industry events, conferences, and meetups, fostering a vibrant startup community and offering abundant networking opportunities. Building relationships with like-minded entrepreneurs, mentors, and experts can greatly benefit your startup.

Cons:

• New York City is known for its high cost of living, which extends to business expenses as well. Rent, office spaces, salaries, and other operational costs can be significantly higher compared to other locations, impacting your startup's budget.
• NYC's startup ecosystem is highly competitive, with numerous ambitious entrepreneurs vying for attention and resources. Standing out and gaining traction amidst fierce competition can be challenging.
• Like any major city, NYC has its fair share of regulations and bureaucratic processes that entrepreneurs need to navigate. Complying with local laws, permits, and licensing requirements can be time-consuming and potentially add complexities to your business operations.
• The city's fast-paced lifestyle and demanding work culture can be both exhilarating and exhausting. It requires resilience and adaptability to thrive in such an environment, as it may place added pressure and stress on entrepreneurs and team members.

Raising funds in a city as intensely competitive as New York can be a challenge. Our team of expert writers and designers can help you craft a pitch deck to unlock your company's potential and raise funds from the plethora of VC firms, accelerator programs, grants, and angel investors in New York City.

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