Business Insider just released their list of the top 100 people in Silicon Alley. As I reviewed the list, I was a bit surprised to see the amount of talent coming out of Silicon Alley in comparison to Silicon Valley. A number of companies, over 25%, were valued at over $100 million dollars and many people were from huge online sensations: Facebook and Twitter to name a few.
As an avid online shopper, below is my list of Silicon Alley’s coolest people doing really cool thing in retail.
- Gilt Groupe: Founded by Kevin Ryan, Susan Lyne, Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, and Alexis Maybank, Gilt Group has been an enourmous success in flash site. According to Business Insider, it is now valued at $1 billion dollars.
- Birchbox: Founded by Katie Beauchamp and Hayley Barna, Birchbox allows consumers, for a small monthly fee, to get samples in exchange for feedback.
- Etsy: Founded by Chad Dickerson, Etsy is homemade heaven. The online retailer provides an array of one-of-a-kind goodies that make perfect gifts. With 1 billion monthly page views, it doesn’t look like it will be slowing down.
- Yipit: Founded by Vinicuius Vacanti and Jim Moran, Yipit provides a place for all 650 deal services to land on one page. I love using Yipit as it has made it easier and less time-consuming to find deals I actually want to view.
Add your favorite below in comments.
As New York City passed Boston as the second best place for start-ups and Mayor Bloomberg’s plan to overtake Silicon Valley, New York City is giving California a run for their money or apps.