New York is one of the few cities on earth that needs no introduction, everyone's heard of it and everyone knows the world's largest companies flock there.The startup ecosystem in New York City is well-established and is incredibly well-financed, with Wall Street and other institutional investors seemingly around every corner. The overall startup ecosystem in the city is worth around $371 Billion- which far eclipses the global average of $28.6 Billion. This highlights the huge strengths of New York startups.
Two of the main pillars of a startup ecosystem, talent and funding are available in abundance in New York- which is why the city consistently produces so many top startups. Students filter into businesses through the large range of world-leading universities in the area and hundreds of venture capital firms operate in the city looking for the next big thing. There are also a huge number of accelerators to help early-stage companies. This highlights why New York startups raised $88 Billion across the four years between 2017-2021.
The local government in New York is very effective in promoting the needs of the startup ecosystem, which has been consistently true for decades. One example of this is the START-UP NY Program, which allows startups to headquarter on or around the campus of universities and establish partnerships with those institutions so they can share resources. Businesses through this program are also able to access effective tax relief for a period of ten years.
1. Stuf
Year Founded: 2020
HQ: New York, New York, United States
Size: 1-10
Founders: Adam Demuyakor, Andrew Balogh, Atit Jariwala, Atit Jariwala, Katharine Lau
The first on our list of the top startups from New York City is Stuf. This is definitely a business worth following in 2023, as it is growing with the mission to be people's homes away from home. The New York City startup is a self-storage company with multiple storage locations across America, to cater for a vast range of clients. Stuf gives its customers the assurance of secure storage available in their neighbourhood, with a hospitality level of service.
The self-storage company has completed three funding rounds, raising a total funding amount of $12.8M. The company's first funding round was closed on the 9th of December, 2020, the second round of funding was closed on the 20th of January, 2022, and the most recent round was closed on the 16th of February, 2023. Across the three rounds, the New York City startup was supported by nine investors, including four lead investors. So, Stuf is making its way to being one of the top startups in New York City in 2023.
2. Makeup by Mario
Year Founded: 2020
HQ: New York, New York, United States
Size: 11-50
Founders: Mario Dedivanovic
Makeup By Mario is a New York startup that was founded in 2020 and has been headquartered in the city since it was established. True to its name, the business operates in the cosmetics market and runs a range of makeup collections by one of the world's most famous makeup artists, Mario Dedivanovic. His products make you both look and feel great for any occasion.
The team at Makeup By Mario have been brilliant at raising startup funding since they started the brand. Since 2020 the company has managed to raise a total of $40 Million in startup funding. This funding was achieved during a single round of startup funding, with the support of a pair of investors.
3. Bilt Rewards
Year Founded: 2021
HQ: New York, New York, United States
Size: 101-250
Founders: Ankur Jain
Bilt Rewards is a New York startup that was founded in 2021 and is currently still based in the Big Apple. The startup has created an alliance of rental properties across the USA, allowing tenants to pay their rent and then in points in return for doing so, or using their own Mastercard. This gives tenants more money in their back pocket at a time when rents are massively increasing, highlighting the importance of their offering.
Bilt Rewards is a very well funded startup and it has rapidly achieved $213.3 Million in funding from investors in less than two years. This funding was achieved with the support of seventeen investors.
4. Pearl Health
Year Founded: 2020
HQ: New York, New York, United States
Size: 51-100
Founders: Ankit Patel, Jeff De Flavio, Michael Kopko
Pearl is a startup in New York that was founded in 2020 and has been headquartered in the city since then. The company operates in the healthcare market and helps primary care providers to prioritise treatment for patients that are more likely to lead to immediate help using their software solution. This leads to improved care outcomes as patients rapidly get access to the help that they need and it also has tools to improve finances and efficiencies across client organisations.
Investors have shown great commitment to Pearl Health, clearly having been impressed by the company's business model. Since being founded, the company has managed to raise a total of $95.5 Million in startup funding from a group of four investors. It is likely that the business will raise further funding in the future.
5. Rhino
Year Founded: 2017
HQ: New York, New York, United States
Size: 101-250
Founders: Ankur Jain, Benjamin Lantos, Bryan Woods, Paraag Sarva
Rhino is a New York startup that was founded in 2017 and is still based in the sprawling city. The company helps renters to get a more modern and helpful experience when renting their homes. Instead of needing to fork out an expensive security deposit to move into a property, tenants can enter an agreement with Rhino and pay as little as $5 per month instead to move into their property. This helps people get back into housing and takes away one of the largest stresses of moving.
Rhino has done incredible work in raising startup funding since being founded, with the company raising a total of $140.8 Million in funding from fifteen investors. The company has also completed the acquisition of a fellow startup to improve its own service offering and facilitate further growth.
6. Grow Therapy
Year Founded: 2020
HQ: New York, New York, United States
Size: 51-100
Founders: Alan Ni, Jake Cooper
Grow Therapy is a startup in New York that was founded in 2020 and is currently still based in the city of New York. The company works in the healthcare sector and has developed an online platform that allows people struggling with mental health issues to get fast and secure access to a therapist. Patients can book online and have their first appointment within two days, also getting specialist support relating to the prescription of any medications to meet their needs.
The team at Grow Therapy have shown great ability to raise external funding from investors, with the startup raising a total of $90 Million at the time of writing. This funding was achieved with the help of eight investors across multiple funding rounds.
7. Entitle
Year Founded: 2021
HQ: New York, New York, United States
Size: 11-50
Founders: Avi Zetser, Ron Nissim
Entitle is a New York startup that was founded in 2021 and has been based in the city since being founded. The company works in the cybersecurity market and assists its clients with cloud security by automating key processes relating to access granting for cloud networks and limiting potential vulnerabilities that may arise. This allows for better security and improved efficiencies for their clients. There are a wide variety of different use cases for their software, including revoking vendor IDs when contracts end, allowing engineers quick access to work on networks and more.
Entitle has done very well in securing startup funding since being founded, with the company's most recent funding round taking place in February 2023. During this funding round, the company managed to raise a total of $15 Million to improve its offering and fuel its expansion.
8. OpenSea
Year Founded: 2017
HQ: New York, New York, United States
Size: 101-250
Founders: Alex Atallah, Catherine Sison-Pariño
OpenSea is a startup in New York that was founded in 2017 and is currently headquartered in the Big Apple. The company operates in the blockchain market and operates the world's largest marketplace for NFTs. Capitalizing on the initial boom in the NFT market, the startup has grown rapidly and is creating the go-to place for the trading of digital materials in the web 3.0 ecosystem to earn income.
With OpenSea being the first and most popular NFT platform, it's no surprise that the company has managed to raise a huge amount of startup funding. Since being founded, the startup has raised a total of $427.2 Million and has used some of this funding to fuel three acquisitions that were conducted to pursue strategic goals.
9. Vitally
Year Founded: 2017
HQ: New York, United States
Size: 51-100
Founders: Jamie Davidson, Patrick Vatterott
Vitally is a New York startup that was founded in 2017 and is currently based in the world-renowned city. The company is a SaaS startup and has developed a platform specifically to get the best out of customer experience teams. Clear data is used to provide actionable insights and tools included in the platform help to ensure that customers are always getting the best experience possible. The company is also working with a range of top companies around the world.
The team behind Vitally have done a great job of raising startup funding since being founded, with the company raising a total of $39.3 Million in startup funding in the past six years. This funding was achieved across multiple funding rounds, with the support of six investors.
10. Lunchbox Technologies
Year Founded: 2019
HQ: New York, New York, United States
Size: 101-250
Founders: Andrew Boryk, Hadi Rashid, Mohammad Afzal, Nabeel Alamgir
Lunchbox Technologies is a New York startup that was founded in 2019 and is currently based in New York City. The company works in the restaurant industry and provides a SaaS solution to help improve customer loyalty and experiences. This is achieved through a simple online ordering system, which aggregates all orders into one place and provides tools to improve existing loyalty and marketing plans to help restaurants make more money.
Lunchbox Technologies has rapidly grown and has managed to raise a large amount of funding since being founded, $72.1 Million specifically. This funding was achieved through the support of sixteen investors. This funding has partially gone towards the acquisition of two other startups by the team to help them reach their goals faster.
11. Levels
Year Founded: 2019
HQ: New York, New York, United States
Size: 11-50
Founders: Avi Zetser, Ron Nissim
Levels is a New York startup that was founded in 2019 and is currently based in the Big Apple. The company operates in the healthcare market and helps its users to improve their metabolic health. This is achieved through tracking the user's diet and then giving them key insights into how their health is being affected. The team uses technology such as biosensors to monitor the progress of their health, one such example is the use of glucose monitors.
The company's mission to improve people's metabolic health has been well-received by investors, with the company raising a total of $57 Million in startup funding since being founded. This funding was achieved with the support of thirty-four investors. This funding was achieved over several rounds of funding.
12. Regal.io
Year Founded: 2020
HQ: New York, New York, United States
Size: 51-100
Founders: Alex Levin, Rebecca Greene
Regal is a startup in New York that was founded in 2020 and is currently based in the city of New York. The company has built a platform to assist businesses with their conversational marketing efforts by allowing them to contact their customers using outphone phone and SMS messages. Their solution comprises a number of tools to make sure that each message and phone call has the highest chance of closing into a deal- which helps users to recover sales that may have been lost without Regal.
The team behind Regal has done a great job of raising startup funding since being founded, with the company raising a total of $42.1 Million in less than three years. This funding was achieved with the support of six investors and was achieved across several rounds of startup funding.
13. Valon Technologies
Year Founded: 2019
HQ: New York, New York, United States
Size: 101-250
Founders: Andrew Wang, Eric Chiang, Jonathan Hsu
Valon is a startup in New York that was founded in 2019 and still maintains its headquarters in the city. The company aims to bring the future of mortgages to customers through their online offering. Everything is easier and made quicker through their technology, with customers also benefiting from lower mortgage rates, flexible payment options and no lending fees. They also offer transparent insights, which help mortgage holders to take ownership of their agreement and know what exactly is happening at all times.
Valon Technologies has raised a large amount of startup funding since being founded, with the company raising a total of $97.1 Million in funding. This funding was achieved through the help of fourteen investors across a number of funding rounds.
14. Optimism
Year Founded: 2019
HQ: New York, New York, United States
Size: 1-10
Founders: Jinglan Wang, Karl Floersch, Kevin Ho
Optimism is another leading company in the New York City startup scene. It operates in the cryptocurrency, blockchain, fintech, and Ethereum industries. This top startup works to provide an 'Ethereum layer 2 scaling solution', in order to help developers build on the blockchain. The fintech company provides a low-cost and super-fast Ethereum L2 blockchain, for Ethereum developers.
Since launching in 2019, the top startup has raised $178.5M in total funding amount. Optimism raised this with help from five investors, through three funding rounds. The first funding round was closed on the 15th of January, 2020 and was supported by two investors. Optimism had a second funding round on the 24th of February, 2021, and the most recent funding round was closed on the 17th of March, 2022.
15. Dayforward
Year Founded: 2019
HQ: New York, New York, United States
Size: 11-50
Founders: Aaron Shapiro, Mallika Khandelwal
Dayforward is a startup in New York that was founded in 2019 and is currently based in New York City. The company operates in the insurance market and provides its customers with a better life insurance experience. Their offering is flexible to any changes in life, such as jobs and offers comparatively lower rates than other providers. They're giving customers across the USA peace of mind that the needs of their loved ones will be looked after when they're gone.
The team at Dayforward have done a great job of raising startup funding, with the company raising a total of $45 Million in startup funding with the support of six investors. This funding was achieved over several funding rounds.
16. Talos
Year Founded: 2018
HQ: New York, New York, United States
Size: 51-100
Founders: Anton Katz, Ethan Feldman
Talos is a New York startup that was founded in 2018 and is currently makes its home in the world-famous city. The company works in the blockchain market and is removing barriers to the widespread adoption of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. They're doing this by providing the digital infrastructure required for buy-side institutions and service providers to power full-trade life cycles. The business already has the attention of huge companies like PayPal and is making great strides towards the future of blockchain.
The team behind Talos has done a great job of marketing the business to investors, with the company managing to raise a total of $145 Million funding since being founded. This funding was achieved with the support of twenty-seven investors. As the business grows, it is likely that it will receive more startup funding.
17. Welcome Homes
Year Founded: 2020
HQ: New York, New York, United States
Size: 11-50
Founders: Alec Hartman, Ben Uretsky, Jesse Mauro, Marc Hartman, Mitch Wainer, Moisey Uretsky
Welcome Homes is a startup in New York City that was founded in 2020 and operates in the PropTech market. They're offering customers the future of home buying. This is achieved by offering customers the chance to get their home built by the team based on their specific visual specifications. The end result is the customer getting a luxurious and beautiful home, which they had complete control over- which is rarely the case when buying a home.
Welcome Homes has truly captured the imagination of investors since the company was founded, with the team successfully facilitating the raise of $47.7 Million from twenty-two investors. This funding was achieved over the course of several funding rounds, with the money helping the business to rapidly expand.
18. Leaflink
Year Founded: 2016
HQ: New York, United States
Size: 101-250
Founders: Ryan Smith, Zach Silverman
Leaflink is a New York startup that was founded in 2016 and is currently based in the Big Apple. The company is aiming to tap into the rapidly evolving and growing cannabis market in the United States. They're achieving this through their cannabis product wholesale platform which allows brands, distributors and others to take control of their operations by optimising the ordering process to ensure more effective delivery.
Leaflink has done incredibly well in raising startup funding which highlights the upwards trajectory of the cannabis market in general. The company has managed to raise $479 Million in startup funding since being founded, with this funding coming from the support of fifteen investors.
19. Percent
Year Founded: 2018
HQ: New York, New York, United States
Size: 51-100
Founders: Jane Yang, Nelson Chu
Percent is a New York startup that was founded in 2018 and operates in the FinTech market. The company is on a mission to provide easy access to alternative investment opportunities for investors. They achieve this by unlocking private credit investments which wouldn't be ordinarily available, they're empowering the future of private markets and gives clients earning opportunities in a $7 Trillion asset class.
The team at Percent have done a good job in getting investors to back their vision of unlocking the potential of private markets. To this end, investors have backed the company with a total of $18.5 Million in funding. This was achieved across several rounds with the support of twenty-two investors.
20. OnSiteIQ
Year Founded: 2017
HQ: New York, New York, United States
Size: 11-50
Founders: Ardalan Khosrowpour, John Mollis
OnSiteIQ is a startup in New York City that was founded in 2017 and has maintained its headquarters there since being founded. The company has developed a construction intelligence platform which provides key insights on projects that real estate investors are involved in. This allows investors to maintain control and understanding of project progress, wherever in the world they may be. They are currently available in more than 18,000 ZIP codes across the USA and they are constantly expanding.
OnSiteIQ has had a lot of success in raising startup funding since being founded, with the company raising a total of $22.4 Million at the time of writing. This funding was achieved with the help of nine investors across multiple rounds and this funding has allowed the business to rapidly expand its operations.
21. Clare
Year Founded: 2018
HQ: New York, New York, United States
Size: 1-10
Founders: Nicole Gibbons
The final top startup on our list from New York City is the e-commerce company, Clare. The New York City startup is aiming to change the way consumers buy paint, simplifying the process to make it stress-free, so customers can get on with their home DIY and renovation projects. Clare does this by offering designer-curated colours, as well as peel and stick paint swatches, and premium zero VOC paint along with quality painting supplies, and free shipping for orders of $100+.
The company has completed three funding rounds since launching and has raised $12.3M in total funding amount. Clare's most recent funding round was closed on the 11th of February, 2022. All three funding rounds together were supported by eleven investors.
FAQs
How Many Startups Are There in New York City?
There are currently more than 9000 startups operating in New York City.
What is the Average Investment in New York City Startups?
The average Seed Round in New York City is worth $1.2 Million and the average Series A is $8.1 Million.
What Startup Industries Are The Strongest in New York City?
The ecosystem in New York has particular strengths in E-Commerce & Retail, FoodTech and Marketing & Sales.
