This morning, Tech:NYC had the honor of ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. What a thrill!

This is just the latest example of the tech industry’s growth in NYC. As our board member and Spell CEO Serkan Piantino said, “Ten years ago, tech in New York was people who would meet in Central Park and play soccer and now tech in New York is ringing the bell in the stock exchange.”

We were at the NYSE—a 200+ year-old institution, the largest stock exchange in the world—to celebrate the dynamic and growing NYC startup ecosystem, which is made up of companies building all kinds of products and services across all kinds of industries. In fact, we had many with us today, representing industries from indoor farming to HD mapping to a company that builds software for low-income Americans. These startups are addressing real, complicated problems and building robust teams to do so right here in NYC. They represent the future of our economy and our city. We were the ones who got to stand at that podium today, but we did so on behalf of the 9,000+ startups that call NYC home. We’ve said it before, but representing and celebrating this community is the most rewarding job we’ve ever had.

When we started Tech:NYC, we did it with the understanding that as our ecosystem grows in New York, tech will become part of our city and not the other way around. Rarely has that felt more true than when standing at the podium of a New York institution like the NYSE.

Undoubtedly, the explosive growth of technology—both the companies who build it and the resulting products—will have a significant impact on the city we all love. We know that will come with challenges, and we intend to work closely with city and state stakeholders to get it right.

Today, we celebrated at the NYSE. Tomorrow, we get back to work.

Julie

NEW YORK CITY - July 28: The New york Stock Exchange by Nick Starichenko/Shutterstock