Throughout 2016, New York has seen a myriad of newly minted startups and entrepreneurship programs launch into the city’s burgeoning tech scene. But sometimes, companies emerge onto the scene with a little more fanfare than others.
Between companies coming out of stealth with a bang to celebrated founders beginning new ventures, here’s a look back at five of the most high-profile launches we saw this year.
Time Inc. launches Motto to bring you advice from the world’s most influential people
In February , Time Inc. launched Motto, an advice platform from Time journalists and global influencers. The new site is powered by Time’s editors, and came as Time Inc.’s latest investment into multimedia opportunities outside of the company’s long-standing print business. To kick things off, Motto featured advice pieces from a largely influential network of contributors, including Barack Obama, Lena Dunham, Shonda Rhimes, Megyn Kelly and Ina Garten, among many others.
Techstars launches new NYC-based accelerator
While Techstars has maintained a presence in New York City for a while, the accelerator launched its first Internet of Things program in the city back in April. The initiative grew out of the organization’s success with IoT companies in the past, including alumni Revolv, Astro, Owlet and Sphero. In September, Techstars announced its inaugural class of IoT startups.
X.ai launches out of beta
After three years in beta, artificial intelligence company x.ai officially launched in October. The company was founded in 2013 with a mission to create a personal assistant powered by artificial intelligence in order to drastically cut down on time spent scheduling meetings. Instead of rolling out the technology to the masses, x.ai founder Dennis Mortensen kept the company in closed beta over the past three years, growing his team to 73 people focused on intensive research and development. In October, the company released its first paid product, the Professional edition of its AI personal assistant.
Arianna Huffington launches Thrive
Arianna Huffington, the co-founder and former editor-in-chief of the popular blog The Huffington Post, launched a new venture this December. The new startup, called Thrive, is a platform dedicated to providing companies and individuals with science-based solutions to lower stress levels and increase well-being.
Verge co-founder launches ‘The Outline’ with a mission to fix digital media
In New York City’s crowded market filled with digital news companies on missions to fix (and save) media, a new startup made waves this year. The new publication, dubbed ‘The Outline,’ is the brainchild of Joshua Topolsky, who previously founded The Verge and worked as the top digital editor at Bloomberg. The new company’s lofty goal is to establish a next-generation version of The New Yorker, as well as improve upon the currently digital publishing and advertising landscape. The company raised a $5 million round in August led by RRE Ventures, backers of prominent media companies like BuzzFeed, Business Insider and theSkimm.
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