TECHDAY @ NewYork : 2016

In its fifth annual event in New York,  TECHDAY this year on 21st April'16 had long queues much before the doors opened at 10 am. In all, it is said that over 30,000 attendees came to see the 550 exhibit booths in the day long event billed as 'The largest startup event in US'. They host similar events in West Coast and Europe also. Since this was my third year @ TECHDAY ,  thought to put down my observations and how it compares from the last year in my view.

Easily, the number of attendees (it is Free to attend) was overwhelming and the lines outside and at registration (see pics below) ran right up to late afternoon. They also had a separate section for Shark Tank entrants, which too was buzzing with hundreds of hopefuls since early morning. With stuttering Unicorns and interest in resilient startup companies,such events are big.

That said, the overall layout and structure of the location and the booths could have been more attendee friendly. While the exhibitors were in different sections, the smaller alleys and reduced walking space between booths made tougher to locate individual booths,and review products/ services comfortably.

What's New :   Frankly, one would have expected much more in the field of IoT, Artificial Intelligence , maybe even Automobile/Technology than was out there. They did have a new section Accelerator Alley showcasing many Accelerators/ Incubators, and the companies supported by them.  Most of these accelerators now becoming industry focused around Fashion , Medical Devices, Retail, Travel and growth areas like CyberSecurity and FinTech .

In terms of Exhibitors in different domain specific, most of the prevalent sectors : Education,  Music and Media, E- Commerce,  H.R and Recruiting, Realty and Social Media were well represented, along with those in the Accelerator category also.  What was interesting to observe startup companies around Sports / Technology in Health and Fitness expanding beyond  Golf and Running :  (listings of all indoor-outdoor basketball courts) Court Vision Media ; (analytic for parents and coaches for in depth post game) Kross Over ; and (Sports/ Recreation Online marketplace) Wooter

What Stood out : Now, this can be subjective depending on each person's view point, but this is what caught my attention !

DialsApp : An example of simple - but brilliant intuitive interface for Iphone (and working on the Android version) . Seeing one's calendar as a jog dial of a clock - which is how we were used to seeing our day/ clock - with thumb nail pictures and different color codes for ph calls/ out of office etc in DialsApp

A.I Based Personal Assistant : Amy and Andrew ( popular names for the A.I Based personal assistant) which helps schedules meetings is already gaining press. The trial version is still by invitation,  X.ai is surely intriguing.

Flavored Water Dispenser : Visualize the new Self Selection Coke Dispensers that one sees at Cinema halls and select fast food joints. Imagine the same only for water - both plain and sparkling - with multiple flavor options, lemonade, grape, the works. Bevi is trying to enter the corporate office market.

Many who were there again : It was nice to see many exhibitors making a repeat appearance from last year. I spoke to some of the founders - where the connect happened from last year - and they were growing, challenged but happy to be still going strong, some had 'pivots', certainly more humbled and matured in some cases . Great to see and visit the booths of  (day Hotels) Hotels by Day ;  (shoe repairs) Cobbler Concierge ; (templates for supporting managers) The Scaffold ; (hiring  for fresh grads)  WayUp ; (online flight booking) Fareportal ;  (mobile optometrics) Smart Vision Labs and more such as TECHDAY Alumni from previous year(s). 

Few more things :  So the Yelp/ Uber/Airbnb/On Demand/ Cloud/Advisory of  product/ services continues. From (peer to peer rental for kids stuff) GoBaby to (on demand booking and payment for Men's Hair Salons) GetSquire to (on demand Laundry Service) FlyCleaners , this category just keeps expanding to any and all product/ services . Even addressing specific demographics  :  Seniors, Toddlers, Minority, Women, Nursing Mothers.  

Also, many booths around Shared /Co -working spaces, many from cities like London to states like New York to nations like Canada and Taiwan inviting startups to come and set up/ invest in their area. It was intriguing to see booths selling men's shirts to sun glasses to beer and coffee dispensers - the whole  gamut. Traditional players in Finance/ Media : Capital One, MasterCard,  Hearst Magazines showcasing their foray to support  new tech and innovation. Of course, one of the main intent of the booths - and many attendees- was towards hiring and recruitment. A fair portion of the exhibitors looked like early stage, mostly self - bootstrapped - angel funded; still trying to figure out the money making/ profits model. And then were those companies who are clearly set on the growth path with paying customers and proven traction.