Running for NYTM Board on building a strong NY Tech ecosystem

My name is Sanford Dickert – and I am applying for a the position of being your representative on the NY Tech Meetup Board. I sincerely ask for your support.

Two years ago, I looked out on the IAC audience and saw a tight group of people yearning to see the NY Tech Meetup grow and become something greater than a show-and-tell event. I posted my bonafides for the role on my Social Engineer blog and, in my speech, I echoed what I believed was a possible future for the NYTM.

In applying for that role, I drafted a NYTM Manifesto, which outlines a number of things that – at the time – were what the NYTM could do to create a stronger, ever-growing NY Tech community. By facilitating connections between entrepreneurs, financiers, government and businesses looking for technology innovation – the NY Tech meetup would be the underlying utility for the flourishing of NY Technology companies.

NYTM 2010

Aside from the monthly Meetup event, the organization itself has become a 501.c6 organization – which enables the NYTM organization to play as a political action committee. With the revenue it gets from ticket sales and sponsorships, NYTM is growing in structure and potential affluence.

The formalization of the NYTM into an organization was designed to harness the collective power of all of us and the various board members – to apply our resources on building a bigger and better community. That can be our next step.

Why Choose Me as YOUR Board Member?

In my time as a NY Tech community member, I have worked hard to bring about positive change in the community and applying my time and energy where it does the most good. As one of the NYTM Board members, I would be YOUR representative to the Board to continue to effort to bring about change to the betterment of the community.

My actions speak louder than my words – so a sample of work for NY Tech entrepreneurs better clarifies what I can do for the NY Tech Community:

  • When frustrated with dark, dingy offices to try and work from – or they were too expensive – I worked to created a real coworking space and found an amazing person to lead it and take it to the next level. Today, coworking and the shared spaces have been popping up all over the City – and the world – and I contributed in a small way.
  • When the economy crashed in 2008, one of the major office space providers came to me with an idea for an incubator, I recommended a program that would support the growth of fledgling startups. From that one fateful conversation, a partnership with the NYC Economic Development Corporation and a large group of office space providers became the first joint-effort to provide space solutions at an affordable rate to entrepreneurs in the City. The Collation of Office Space Providers provided discounts to new startups in the City at a time of need and has sparked newer efforts (such as the new incubator space in Queens).
  • In support of new entrepreneurs in NYC and the tri-state area, a group of us created Mentor Capital Foundation – designed to teach and train fledgling entrepreneurs on how to access capital and build business models.
  • When people new to the tech community come, I am often there – and I work to help them connect with others – at no cost to them. I have shared my space, my desks, my contacts – because the navigation of the tech community in the city is always a challenge that is best navigated with some assistance.
  • When startups need funding or business advice, they are always welcome to connect – and I am always happy to help out – culling from my years of experiences – successes and failures, all.

Any campaign promises?

Two years ago, I spelled out in the MYTM Manifesto what I believed were some of the bigger challenges we faced in terms of creating a vibrant tech community – and how the NYTM could help. And the community has risen to many of those challenges.

Today, the role of Board member is not much of guiding the tech community as it is in helping increase the impact and visibility of the NY Tech Scene in areas of politics and government. While this might sound strange to some suggesting that government and academia could have an impact on this industry, let me tell you that Silicon Valley could not have been as big a success as it was without the partnership with private industry (HP), Stanford University (Francis Terman) and the California government.

I personal have done this work over the years to great success – working cooperatively with public and private is one of my great strengths and has bone fruit from accomplishing great things for various communities. We do not need to expect top-down efforts as much as melange of efforts both from the grassroots and the top – fostering opportunities to bring about change and opportunity though this collaboration.

Working with the other Board members along with the City, the State and even the Federal Government is a skill I possess and can bring to bear on a regular basis. For example, working with the City to expand co-op education like various grassroots efforts (e.g. Ruby Nuby, Girl Develop It and Tony’s NWCU) which are collaborative learning efforts to grow skills and abilities in our technical workforce. As both a teacher and a creator of similar spaces, I bring this about in spades.

Partnership with our universities is another way – but I also believe that as we have seen, the community can exemplify better practices that can spur on growth and action from a normally sclerotic bureaucracy. And with my background and your support, the future of the NY Tech Community and the NYTM can be a brighter one with influence, abundance and innovation.

That’s it?

At the moment, yes. The Board seat is not about running the organization – it is being prepared to help and address the needs of the community through influence in government, private industry and academia – in an effective manner.

By voting for me in the Board seat, I will be YOUR representative – connecting you and your needs to the Board at large and the groups we deal with – causing real change to occur within.

Others can attest to my strengths and abilities. Only YOU can empower me to bring about that change.

Thank you.