Letter from Mayor Bloomberg
See official document here
May 4, 2011
Dear Friends:
It is a great pleasure to welcome everyone to the NYC Med Tech Symposium.
New York City is a world capital of finance, fashion, media, journalism, technology, healthcare, education, entertainment, publishing, and a host of other critical industries. But the future of the City’s economy depends on the continuing diversification of our economy to supporl the high-growth industries and businesses that will create jobs for New Yorkers.
Our effort to catalyze the growth and development of our technology and start-up sectors begins with building upon New York’s ultimate competitive advantage: New Yorkers. We have always been the home to innovators who know that New York City is where you need to be to make it big. I have always believed that talent attracts capital, more than capital attracts talent.
Talent is the most important reason that New York is quickly becoming home to the most exciting start-up scene in the United States. We recently passed Boston to become the second largest recipient of technology venture capital in the country. Foursquare, which was launched on a kitchen table in the East Village in2009 and recently passed eight million global users, and ZocDoc, which was named the Best Place to Work in New York in 2010 by Crains, are just two examples of a vibrant and dynamic start-up culture that is incubating the New York economy of the future.
We know that in order to succeed, our talented workforce must also have the resources they need. To this end, the City has facilitated the development of 1.7 million square feet of new commercial bioscience wet-lab space at the BioBAT facility at Brooklyn Army Terminal and the Alexandria Center for Life Sciences. These facilities will foster unique collaborations among New York Cif ‘s world-renowned academic and medical institutions and connect scientific talent to venture capital funds and the commercial life science industry. Osage Partners’ partnership with academic institutions to invest in university staft-ups is exactly the kind of innovative collaboration that we want to encourage.
We are also focused on ensuring that New York remains the long-term home for the world’s top technology, applied sciences, and engineering talent. Earlier this year, in response to our inquiry, we received expressions of interest in building a top-tier applied sciences and engineering campus in the City from 26 local, regional, national and international institutions.
On behalf of New York City, congratulations on a successful event, and thank you for your support of our continued efforts to bolster the future of New York’s economy.
Sincerely,
Michael R. Bloomberg
Mayor
