NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg invites Austin to join in on NY’s rising tech scene

In an introduction to monday’s SXSW panel “Silicon Alley: Startup Ecosystem That Never Sleeps,” NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg touted New York’s emerging tech scene as the place to be. And while arguments for who will be “the next silicon valley” have been done to death, Mayor Bloomberg makes it clear that the city continues fighting to be the nation’s startup capital.

Non-New Yorkers will likely find the video self-promotional, but I think everyone will at least appreciate how strongly this guy roots for his city. Bloomberg has led the push for open data and is working closely with startups to nurture the ecosystem. No matter what results from all of this government attention, having a friend in office sure doesn’t hurt.

From the video:

I want to invite everyone in Austin to come to New York City, and be a part of a startup culture that is making New York the place to be for young entrepreneurs. I can’t promise that you’ll all end up being mayor, but hey, there’s an app for that! Good luck.

Just last week we saw NY taxi cabs outfitted with slick Square payment systems and iPads, and before that we noted the new initiatives to bring WiFi and cellular reception into our beloved, sticky and often uncomfortably humid subway stations. We also covered NYC’s ambitious open data policy, a subway art app and the BigApps NYC competition. As you can see, it’s been a very busy year for the city.

As NY becomes increasingly in-tune with technological innovation and the startup scene, it’s becoming less and less surprising to see the city embracing all things tech. And while I could care less how the city competes with the almighty valley, there’s no denying that innovation — no matter where it’s happening — is a really good thing to see.