New York, NY — New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and New Lab launched the Urban Tech Hub at New Lab. The program connects the City of New York with New Lab’s innovative community and local stakeholders to develop and deploy meaningful tech-based solutions to pressing urban challenges.
Part of NYCEDC’s Urbantech NYC initiative, the Urban Tech Hub has an inaugural member cohort of fourteen innovative companies developing advanced tech with focuses that include agriculture, alternative energy, transportation, communication, the built environment, and safety. The participating Hub companies will be supported on-site at New Lab through resident membership and bespoke programming.
This morning, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen, NYCEDC President and CEO James Patchett, New Lab co-founder and CEO David Belt, and Downtown Brooklyn Partnership President Regina Myer, marked the program launch at New Lab, an 84,000-square-foot place and platform in the Brooklyn Navy Yard that supports advances in new technologies, including robotics, artificial intelligence, and connected devices.
“We don’t just want companies to dream up the best ideas in New York—we want them to manufacture here, too. The City’s partnership with New Lab on this Urban Tech Hub will help solve critical urban problems, like improving transportation, fighting climate change, and modernizing our buildings. By investing in these hardware companies, we’re investing in a tech ecosystem not just of programmers, but of machinists, seamstresses, and engineers. That’s the kind of diverse economy we want to build,” said Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen.
“The urban tech sector is tackling some of our city’s most pressing issues,” said NYCEDC President and CEO James Patchett. “Our partnership with New Lab will not only accelerate the growth of transportation, agriculture, and green energy companies, it will strengthen the entire urban tech ecosystem in New York City. Programs like Urbantech NYC are all part of our efforts to grow 100,000 good jobs over the next ten years by investing in emerging industries and growing a modern, accessible economy across the five boroughs.”
“My co-founder Scott Cohen and I built New Lab for entrepreneurs in New York, and the City has been an immensely supportive partner—from the idea’s inception in 2011 until today, when we launched this new level of collaboration,” David Belt, co-founder and CEO of New Lab, said. “Our hope is that this important partnership can inspire other meaningful collaborations that can improve the quality of life in cities around the world.”
Earlier this year, NYCEDC announced its partnership with New Lab and Grand Central Tech to create Urban Technology Growth Hubs in Brooklyn and Manhattan, respectively. The Urban Tech Growth Hubs will activate approximately 100,000 square feet of flexible and affordable space, and provide dedicated resources for fast-growing cleantech and smart cities companies that have outgrown business incubators, accelerators, and other early-stage programs. The Urban Tech Hub at Grand Central Tech opened in May 2016.
The Urban Tech Hub at New Lab’s inaugural member companies include BioLite, Blocpower, Carmera, Dog Parker, Farmshelf, Honeybee Robotics, Kisi, Pliant Energy, Revivn, Social Bicycles, StrongArm Technologies, TEG Energy, Voltaic Systems, and Waverly Labs. All of the Hub companies, which were jointly selected by New Lab and NYCEDC, are doing impactful work in their respective Urban Tech disciplines. The Hub offers these member companies access to space, designated resources, pilot opportunities with the city, mentorship, and specialized programming.
New Lab and NYCEDC are accepting new applications for Urban Tech Hub membership from growth-stage companies with a focus on the following sectors: energy, mobility, waste, built environment, food systems, water, digital infrastructure, and supply chain. Added consideration will be given to companies that can articulate how their business would benefit from opportunities to pilot technologies in New York City and collaborate with City stakeholders. More information about membership and the application can be found here: http://newlab.com/join-us/urban-tech-hub/.
“The Urban Tech Hub at New Lab makes it possible for growth-stage tech companies to build their products in New York City, attract talent and investment and be part of a growing community. The work happening here has an immense potential to improve the way we live in cities,” Shaina Horowitz, the Director of the Urban Tech Hub at New Lab, said. “It’s an honor to support the designers, engineers, and entrepreneurs who are working to create a more sustainable, resilient, and accessible future right here in New York.”
“I’m a proud supporter of New Lab and its commitment to fostering the growth of Brooklyn’s innovation economy. I have had the opportunity to see first-hand the technological advancements that members of the Urban Tech Hub are developing, and it’s clear that the possibilities are only limited by the bounds of our imagination,” Brooklyn Borough President Adams said. “Civic tech is driving a new wave of economic growth while solving intractable problems that have faced the public sector for decades. We must continue to invest in this sector, foster new partnerships, and push the envelope here in New York City, serving as a model for municipalities across the globe.”
“More tech opportunities at the Navy Yard mean more innovation and more jobs,” said State Senator Daniel Squadron. “Continued investment in the Tech Triangle and Navy Yard is great news for Brooklyn and New York more broadly. Thank you to NYCEDC, New Lab, the Navy Yard, and my colleagues.”
“The Urban Tech Hub at New Lab brings the Brooklyn Navy Yard full circle. From the late 19th century, we were outfitting warships with advanced technology in the Yard and now we are building new technologies in the very same place 200 years later. The work that the Yard, New Lab, and NYCEDC are doing to promote sustainable high-paying careers, while also improving the quality of life through innovative improvements is priceless. I commend their hard work and look forward to seeing the great innovations developed at the Urban Tech Hub,” said Assemblyman Joseph R. Lentol (D-North Brooklyn).
“Brooklyn once again proves to be a leader of innovation with the launch of the Urban Tech Hub at New Lab,” said Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Andrew Hoan..“We commend the Mayor’s Office, NYCEDC and the New Lab founders for recognizing the need for specialized programming in the most special place in the world – Brooklyn.”
New Lab City: Brooklyn
The collaboration between New York City and New Lab goes beyond the walls of Building 128 in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. In the coming year, New Lab will introduce New Lab City: Brooklyn—the launch of a new initiative that brings innovation into the local community.
New Lab City: Brooklyn will turn the borough into a living, learning lab where technologists, policy makers, community leaders and the public will come together to create an urban sensing system rooted in the question: how we can improve the flow of life in Downtown Brooklyn?
The challenge will yield tech-backed products that help to foster a more sustainable, resilient, accessible and equitable city. This precedent-setting model of collaboration with New York City is one that New Lab will expand to other cities around the world.
Expanding globally: in the coming year, New Lab will pilot programs in Barcelona, Spain, and Copenhagen, Denmark. These New Lab City initiatives will grow from the important and collaborative work piloted in New York.
About NYCEDC
New York City Economic Development Corporation is the City’s primary vehicle for promoting economic growth in each of the five boroughs. NYCEDC’s mission is to stimulate growth through expansion and redevelopment programs that encourage investment, generate prosperity and strengthen the City’s competitive position. NYCEDC serves as an advocate to the business community by building relationships with companies that allow them to take advantage of New York City’s many opportunities. Find NYEDC on Facebook, Twitter, or visit their blog to learn more about NYCEDC projects and initiatives.
About New Lab
New Lab is an interdisciplinary space designed to support entrepreneurs working in emerging technologies, and a platform for collaboration between innovative startups, cities, and legacy corporations. Based in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, New Lab provides the tools and community that unite and support 500 resident hardware-centric innovators, representing up to 100 companies in a variety of fields—including robotics, A.I., urban technology, and energy—and fosters collaboration and advancement across disciplines.