The next great startup isn’t always born in Silicon Valley or on Manhattan’s Wall Street. More and more, it’s coming out of Brooklyn, where founders are turning practical ideas into businesses that are making an impact across industries.
Over the past few years, Brooklyn has grown from a borough known for its creative spirit into one of New York City’s most exciting places for startups. Founders in technology, healthcare, food, media, consumer products, and sustainability are choosing Brooklyn not just for its lower costs, but for its access to talent, investors, and a community that supports new ideas. Neighbourhoods like DUMBO, Williamsburg, and Bushwick have become home to a growing number of startups, coworking spaces, and entrepreneurs.
What ties these startup founders together is a willingness to solve everyday problems in smarter ways. Whether they’re improving healthcare, changing how people eat, advancing biotechnology, or building more sustainable businesses, they’re helping shape Brooklyn into one of the most exciting places for startup companies in New York.
Why startup founders are choosing Brooklyn
Brooklyn gives startup founders the advantages of New York City without many of Manhattan’s financial pressures. Lower operating costs, flexible coworking spaces, and a strong sense of community have made it an attractive destination for startup founders building early-stage businesses. The borough also offers direct access to skilled professionals, leading universities, venture capital firms, and one of the world’s largest business ecosystems. For entrepreneurs looking to grow startup companies in New York, Brooklyn offers the ideal balance of opportunity, affordability, creativity, and collaboration.
The startup founders shaping Brooklyn’s innovation story
Behind every successful company is a founder who saw an opportunity where others saw a challenge. These startup founders represent the diversity of Brooklyn’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, building businesses across food, media, education, AI, proptech, and workplace technology while shaping the future of innovation.
Shane Smith, Gavin McInnes & Suroosh Alvi | Vice Media
- Founded in: 1994
- Website: https://www.vice.com/en/
Every successful company starts with a story, and Vice Media began as a small magazine called Voice of Montreal. Founders Shane Smith, Gavin McInnes, and Suroosh Alvi created it to give young people a voice, covering topics that mainstream publications often ignored. Their bold approach quickly found an audience, and after rebranding the magazine as Vice, they transformed it into one of the world’s most influential digital media companies. With its headquarters in Brooklyn, Vice became part of the borough’s growing creative and entrepreneurial scene.
Larry Berger | Amplify
- Founded in: 2000
- Website: https://amplify.com/
For Larry Berger, technology has always been a way to improve learning, not replace it. As the founder of Amplify, he has spent years developing digital curriculum and classroom tools that help teachers create more engaging learning experiences. Today, the Brooklyn-based company supports more than 200,000 educators and over three million students across the United States, making it one of the country’s leading education technology companies.
Benzi Ronen | Farmigo
- Founded in: 2009
- Website: https://farmigo.com/
When Benzi Ronen founded Farmigo, he wasn’t trying to build just another grocery delivery service. He wanted to make it easier for people to buy fresh food directly from local farmers while giving growers a better way to reach their communities. Farmigo’s group-buying model cuts out traditional supermarket middlemen, creating a more sustainable and community-focused food system. It’s a simple idea with a meaningful impact, and one that perfectly reflects Brooklyn’s collaborative startup culture.
Tom Lehman, Ilan Zechory & Mahbod Moghadam | Genius
- Founded in: 2009
- Website: https://genius.com/
The idea behind Genius started with a simple question: What do these lyrics actually mean? While studying at Yale University, Tom Lehman, Ilan Zechory, and Mahbod Moghadam created a platform where users could explain and discuss rap lyrics. What began as a niche website soon expanded into a global knowledge platform covering everything from literature and speeches to news stories and historical documents. Today, Genius is proof that even the simplest ideas can grow into something used by millions.
Bernhard Mehl, Carl Pfeiffer & Max Schuetz | Kisi
- Founded in: 2012
- Website: https://www.getkisi.com/about
Great ideas often begin with everyday frustrations. For Bernhard Mehl, Carl Pfeiffer, and Max Schuetz, that frustration was outdated building security. What started as a prototype built in a kitchen in 2012 became Kisi, a cloud-based access control platform that helps businesses manage offices and commercial spaces more securely and efficiently. Today, Kisi is used by organisations around the world, showing how Brooklyn founders are finding smarter ways to solve practical problems.
Or Bokobza, Chen Avni & David Sherez | Venn
- Founded in: 2016
- Website: https://www.venn.com/
Finding a place to live is important, but feeling connected to the neighbourhood matters just as much. That’s the idea behind Venn, founded by Or Bokobza, Chen Avni, and David Sherez. The platform goes beyond apartment searches by helping residents connect with neighbours, discover local events, and become active members of their communities. By combining technology with a people-first approach, the founders are redefining what it means to feel at home in a city.
Nick Ornitz & Shannon Kay | Topline Pro
- Founded in: 2020
- Website: https://www.toplinepro.com/
Running a small business is challenging enough without worrying about building a website from scratch. That’s the problem Nick Ornitz and Shannon Kay set out to solve with Topline Pro. Using generative AI, the platform enables contractors and home service professionals to launch professional websites in as little as 24 hours. From SEO and Google Ads to online payments and customer reviews, Topline Pro gives entrepreneurs the digital tools they need to compete and grow.
Ravin Thambapillai & Jack Fischer | Credal.ai
- Founded in: 2022
- Website: https://www.credal.ai/
As businesses embrace artificial intelligence, protecting sensitive information has become more important than ever. Ravin Thambapillai and Jack Fischer founded Credal to help organisations use AI without compromising security or privacy. Based in Brooklyn’s DUMBO neighbourhood, the company has created a platform that acts as a secure bridge between AI tools and enterprise data. Their work is helping businesses adopt AI with greater confidence while keeping governance and compliance at the forefront.
Brooklyn’s next chapter
Brooklyn’s rise as a startup hub isn’t just about affordable offices or creative neighbourhoods; it’s about the startup founders bringing bold ideas to life. From food and media to AI, education, and real estate, they’re building companies that solve real problems and make a lasting impact.
Every one of these startup founders featured here followed a different path, but they share the same drive to challenge the status quo. Whether it’s Benzi Ronen supporting local farmers through Farmigo, the Genius founders changing how people engage with information, or Larry Berger and Nick Ornitz using technology to improve education and help small businesses grow, each story reflects Brooklyn’s innovative spirit.
As more startup companies in New York choose Brooklyn, the borough continues to grow as a destination where ideas become successful businesses. With a strong community, access to talent, and founders who aren’t afraid to think differently, Brooklyn is helping shape the future of entrepreneurship.
