[ckurdziel]

I think one of the big things about NYC being a startup hub is that a lot of the startups aren't purely technical in nature like they are out in SV. New York has long been a mecca of design and media, and a lot of the startups based out of the city have strong ties to those roots (Aviary, Boxee, etc.) Most of the engineering talent isn't too far away (Cornell, Princeton, Yale, and the Boston schools are reasonably close) and I think a lot of engineers that appreciate beautiful code are also drawn to the elements of working with startups that not only are technically impressive, but also aesthetically impressive.