How do you grab the most talented engineers? Open up an office in one of the hippest neighborhoods in New York.
Livestream, a startup that lets individuals and businesses broadcast video online, has plans to open an annex for product design in Williamsburg before the end of the year, hoping to recruit the borough’s best and brightest.
Landlords in DUMBO, Brooklyn’s most tech-heavy ’hood, should keep their ears up for this kind of news.
Currently based in Google’s mammoth fortress in Chelsea, on the other end of the L train, Livestream’s 60 employees need more space, said Max Haot, Livestream’s CEO.
But why not DUMBO, the enclave by the Manhattan Bridge that’s home to Etsy and other stars of Brooklyn’s constellation of tech startups? That area also used to be a warren of warehouses, just like pre-hipster Williamsburg.
“We just think that DUMBO is like downtown Manhattan,” Haot said.
“It’s a manufactured office environment. It’s not a cool place to live.”