StartOut New York

New York was a founding chapter in 2009. From Silicon Valley to ‘Silicon Alley’, New York is experiencing tremendous activity in venture capital investments and tech job growth, and large companies including Google and Facebook are expanding their New York offices.

With retail, media, finance, and fashion industries native to the city, it’s no surprise that Digital Media and Online retail industries lead the way for many startups in the Big Apple.

Events

Success Stories

LGBTQ Connections Beyond Dating Apps – Sidao Li’s Journey to Creating Chippr

A recent business graduate from the University of California, San Diego, Sidao Li was first introduced to the StartOut Community through his submission for the #OutEntrepreneur video contest. … READ MORE

Matthew Cooper – Transforming the Consumer Loan Payment Experience

Although widely known, statistics for student loan debt in the United States are still quite shocking: Americans owe nearly $1.3 trillion in student loan debt … READ MORE

Dr. Jennelle Yopchick’s Big Change of Heart

Whether it's moving to a new city, having a baby, or mourning the death of a loved one, dealing with major life transitions can be an unsettling and scary experience. … READ MORE

Merritt Baer’s Got the Golden Tickets

When they first met at a New York theatre camp, 12 year-old Merritt Baer and Brian Fenty dreamed of setting the theatre world on its ear. 18 years later, they have. … READ MORE

Jennifer Brown – How Jennifer Found Her Voice

On September 8, 2012, Jennifer Brown took the San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts stage. Although she entered to strains of opera music, the classically trained opera singer was not there to sing. … READ MORE

Michael Belkin – Connecting LGBT Youth

Michael Belkin first came out to a couple of friends, and to himself, in 2006 as a 19 year-old undergraduate at Cornell University. "On that day I was instantly part of this new community and movement … READ MORE

Sean Howell – Building a Better Hornet

When Sean Howell was a college student at Pacific Lutheran University in Seattle, he had no gay peers or role models. But he did find gay.com."The chat rooms were a way to talk to people about anything … READ MORE

Bonnie Lai – The Space Saver

People who live in cities have a lot of stuff – but not always enough space to store or park it all. That's why Bonnie Lai (who goes by "Bon") and her business partner Jonathan Gillon co-founded roost.com in March 2014. … READ MORE

Lee Edwards – Living the Dream

Many kids grew up dreaming of building robots, starting companies, and becoming successful by 30. Lee Edwards has done all of these. … READ MORE

Arun Apte – How Coming Out Changed the Course of His Business

Arun Apte was born in the Bay Area in a typical Indian family. And like most expectations coming from Indian parents, according to Apte, he was expected to be a doctor, lawyer or engineer. … READ MORE

Nick Hodulik – Marriage of the Minds

Nick Hodulik has had two happy marriages. His husband of five years, Jonathan Taylor ("JT"), joined him as VP then COO of General Things, the web and mobile applications company that he founded in 2004. … READ MORE

Local news

Volunteer Programming Board

Wasim Ahmad

Programming Board Chair

Wasim is a marketing/entrepreneur with extensive experience with B2B and B2C startups in San Francisco, New York and London. Currently heads up marketing for Welcome, a startup helping retailers and brands make the shopping experience better and faster.

Danielle Gaglioti

Vice Chair & Chief Women’s Programs Officer

Danielle is a co-founder of Akimbo, a startup connecting diverse talent to work. She is also a freelance web and UX designer. Danielle is passionate about mentoring ambitious entrepreneurs from underserved communities, including women, formerly incarcerated individuals, and LGBT youth.

Alexandra Tanner

In her current role as the Director of eCommerce, Digital Marketing and CRM for Giorgio Armani Beauty at L’Oreal, Alexandra is in charge of crafting the brand’s eCommerce and interactive strategy across the US. Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Alexandra is now proud to call NYC her home.

Oytun Tez

Oytun is a co-founder of MotaWord, the world’s fastest human translation platform. His previous ventures include ecology, tourism and social design. He loves exploring collaborative business models.

Chris Anderson

Adam Berlinksky-Schine

Adam is an entrepreneur and software engineer. He is currently the CTO at Nommery, a social dining network, and was recently the CTO of the dating app Coffee Meets Bagel, and previously worked at Amazon and Yelp.

Rohi Bagaria

Rohi is a software engineer at TodayTix, a startup working to digitize theater ticket sales. He is a recent graduate of Harvey Mudd College. Rohi is interested in learning how technology can advance the performing arts and humanities.

Will Taylor

Will is the Director of Strategic Initiatives for Gilt, the online retail start-up that revolutionized the retail space with the introduction of flash sales. Prior to Gilt, Will was an investment banker focusing on consumer & retail companies. He loves new ventures and is excited to start his own retail start-up one day.