I've spent 6 years now in the Bay area and before that 5 years in NYC all with startups. When I left NYC the biggest difference between the areas (other then easy Bay area money) was that most startups in NYC seemed to be started by business people while out west they are mostly started by tech people.
My time at 3 startups while in NYC were mostly the same. The founders and exec team looking at the engineers like a dime a dozen work force that they could easily replace. When I moved out west it was a shock that engineers were held with high regard.
Things may have changed but that's the main reason I felt was holding NYC back.
Just made the jump myself, my experience with NYC was similar.
Also, NYC has like 3 big VCs: Union Square Ventures, Union Square Ventures and Union Square Ventures.
So you really just have to stop pretending and get in front of Silicon Valley VC firms that all have a variety of different interests and objectives. They also don't want to talk to anybody not in SV.
I don't think your perspective is valid anymore - in the mid-2000s USV was the only game in town, but today there's probably 5-10 good size NYC-based VCs focusing on tech, tons of little firms (<$100m funds), and many other SV firms with a NYC presence, and then the whole second order of NYC investors in PE or funded from a vertical perspective (like real estate investments, etc.).
Yeah, a lot of big bay-area and boston funds now have NYC offices too. General Catalyst - mentioned as being based in Cambridge in the article has an office on Lafayette street in NYC now with a couple of partners in it. This has changed the funding game more than the homegrown VC's (USV, as an example).
Just look at the funding numbers between different areas. NYC still pales from an infrastructure perspective and general mentality of paying it forward, compared to SV.
Oh sure, I'm not trying to compare NYC vs. SV directly, SV is clearly an order of magnitude larger. I was just comparing fundraising in NYC today vs. 10 years ago, and it's lightyears different. I can tell you from working with VCs, the whole attitude towards nyc startups is very different.
As far as the general mentality of paying it forward goes, I've got a healthy sense of cynicism towards that (maybe it's the new yorker in me). I find successful individuals are equally supportive here as in the bay area, but in NYC there's a lot less of the ridiculous hustler optimism that technology can cure all ills, and fewer ridiculous startups get funded out here.
But sure, yes, SV is much bigger than NYC, that's not in doubt.
My time at 3 startups while in NYC were mostly the same. The founders and exec team looking at the engineers like a dime a dozen work force that they could easily replace. When I moved out west it was a shock that engineers were held with high regard.
Things may have changed but that's the main reason I felt was holding NYC back.