A New Chapter for NYC Startups 🗽

Hi friends,

I'm thrilled to unveil a new venture that marks a significant milestone for New York City's startup ecosystem. Not only is this a significant step for Flybridge, but one that’s close to my heart. My journey in NYC tech began 15 years ago, on the founding team of WeWork, where I not only helped build one of the most iconic companies to come out of this ecosystem. I also met thousands of founders who believed in the community and made it happen.

As a firm, we also took huge swings in this market - sometimes when no one else would. Chip Hazard, my colleague and co-founder of Flybridge, was an early backer of MongoDB - a mammoth success story not just for NYC but for a technological sea change that wasn’t clear at all. We have been at the heart of New York’s tech evolution and are excited to be there again today, the turning point of a new revolution. Drawing from this rich background, we’ve seen firsthand the transformative power of community and innovation—a vision that Next Wave NYC embodies.

Next Wave NYC is born from a collaboration among some of the past decade's most influential founders and operators. Our team, boasting leaders from trailblazing entities such as Bowery Farming, Casper, Chief, Flatiron School, Foursquare, Google, Major League Hacking, OpenAI, Snowflake, Squire, and WeWork, is uniquely equipped to support the next generation of entrepreneurs who dream of making a lasting impact. Next Wave NYC aims to empower early-stage startups with the essential tools for success: capital, resources, and an unparalleled network. With an initial commitment to invest in over 50 pre-seed stage New York City startups over the next three years, we aim to provide financial support and open doors to the Flybridge ecosystem, enhancing the growth trajectory of these new ventures.

Our focus is squarely on Native AI applications, AI-powered SaaS applications, and AI developer platforms. These areas, ripe for innovation, offer unprecedented opportunities for startups to redefine their industries and for us to support their journey from the ground up. Next Wave NYC is the latest fund within our Next Wave strategy. This approach honed over the past eight years with other Next Wave funds, such as XFactor Ventures, The Community Fund, and The Graduate Syndicate, has been instrumental in expanding our network, diversifying our perspectives, and building early relationships with startups poised for greatness.

Along with our Next Wave funds, we have already backed over 100 startups here in the last fifteen years. But NYC has a magical quality—a blend of energy, creativity, and ambition—unmatched anywhere else. Through Next Wave NYC, we aim to double down on this community, supporting the incredible talent that calls this city home. For those ready to join us on this journey, I invite you to learn more at nextwave.nyc. Here’s to a future where New York's brightest entrepreneurs are empowered to achieve their dreams.

Welcome to Next Wave NYC.

Jesse

Hot Links

🥳 Events - It was great catching up with everyone at our launch party two weeks ago. The level of interest for the event far exceeded our expectations. We’re sorry we couldn’t accommodate everyone. We’ll be hosting more events like it in the near future, so stay tuned via Cherae on Luma.

❤️ Team - When we set out to create Next Wave NYC, we knew we wanted to do something different. We wanted to build a team of not just experienced investors, but also passionate community builders who deeply understand the unique opportunities of the NYC ecosystem. And I have to say, I'm incredibly proud of the group we've brought together.

🤖 Portkey - ​We’re cohosting an event with Portkey in a few weeks featuring a stellar lineup of industry experts who will discuss where enterprises are finding ROI with LLMs. ​This is your chance to hear from the best in the business. Don’t miss out!

👋 Hi, I’m Jesse, a seed-stage VC at Flybridge. If you’re building or investing in an AI-driven future, reply to this email with a short message. If you’re local to NYC, I’d love to catch up over coffee.