Mayor Michael Bloomberg launched the We Are Made in NY initiative to grow the city's tech sector. (nycmayorsoffice/flickr)
Speaking at the midtown offices of Buzzfeed, in front of a bright yellow wall emblazoned with the word "win," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Tuesday that the tech sector in New York City has grown quickly and already rivals Boston and Austin.
Still, the mayor admitted the city is still no Silicon Valley.
"I think it's fair to say that we are on the right path, growing dramatically, but Silicon Valley is still bigger than New York City in terms of start-ups and access to capital," Bloomberg said.
The city is expanding its Made in New York campaign to promote tech jobs as well as film and television production in the city.
A new website, wearemadeinNY.com, consolidates the city's digital outreach efforts to help new business owners navigate the city's various economic development programs for tech, including grants for low-cost office space and employee training.
It also aims to help start-ups fill the more than 3,000 vacant tech positions in the city, which the mayor joked could help him out at year's end.
"Since I'm going to be unemployed in 315 days, I'm starting to pay a little more attention to this now. You never know," the former tech entrepreneur said.
The city will take its promotional efforts on the road next month, when it is co-hosting a party at South by Southwest in Austin.
Anna Sale covers politics for WNYC, including the 2013 mayoral race. During the 2012 presidential election, she traveled the country to tell the stories of voters in early primary battlegrounds and swing states. She has hosted The Brian Lehrer Show and The Takeaway and contributed to NPR, Marketplace, PBS Newshour, the BBC, Slate, WGBH World Channel, Current TV, and NY1.
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