Lee a Ant ah Mini-Circuits Helps NYC-Based Tech Startups Shape the Wireless Future Elizabeth Mokrousova, Publications Intern A night view of the industry City courtyard in Sunset Park, Brookiyn midst the sprawling skyscrapers of the city and the oroughs’ bustling communities lies an industry that is rapidly growing our economy and enriching our every- day lives, and we get to be a part of it every time we walk chrough the doors of Mini-Circuits. The hub of the tech industry is no longer only situated in Californias Silicon ‘Valley. New York has been fostering initiatives and growing ‘opportunities to bring more of the tech industry to the city shat never sleeps. Educational development continues to grow with several programs that are enriching tech learning experiences for all ages and skill sets. At the same time, while the city drives Lup costs for small companies with inflated rent, boroughs are ereating affordable, large work spaces made specifically wo support startups and foster collaboration between innovators and entrepreneurs from many different fields. Put simply, the tech industry is bustling in Brooklyn and the greater NYC area. Many innovations and new commercial produets ‘emerging from NYC's tech landscape may shape the way wwe live our lives in the near future, and many of them are powered by Mini-Circuits technology. Growsh of the tech industry in New York was accelerated by former mayor Michael Bloomberg's initiatives to spark interest in young minds and provide a plethora of resources for prospective companies as well as companies already settled in the city. Bloomberg commented in 2013, “Growing our local tech industry is an important part of ‘our economic development strategy to bring new businesses to our city and more job opportunities to New Yorkers.” Since then, Bloombergs work has been furthered by a proliferation of public programs, educational initiatives, and private investments, including many of his own. One lasting benefit from Bloomberg's policies is a New York City Public Library program offering frce tech caining courses and learning resources for city residents. From "COMPANY NEWS 2012 to 2015, the NYPL’ tech training classes experienced an 81% increase in enrollment, Other initiatives seek to broaden opportunities for under-represented demographics in the industry. For example, Women in Tech New York (WITNY) offers free summer programs to graduating female high school seniors who see a future for themselves in a techerelated major. The organization also coordinates internships and scholarships for those already attending classes. Current mayor Bill De Blasio started the Tech Talent Pipeline initiative, which is committed to bringing skil- building opportunities to the city’s population. Sixteen of New York City’s post-secondary institutions are a part of the academic council for the initiative and have pledged to “ensure the alignment of computer science education and tech workforce needs across the five boroughs.” Before any of these initiatives took place, the citys economy vwas heavily reliant on Wall Street and the financial services sector. The expansion of the tech industry divetsfies the business climate in New York and provides vast opportunity for economic growth. In 2016, the state ranked third nationally in tech employment, growing around 3.1% and adding more than 11,200 new jobs in the industry according to an annual analysis by ‘The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA). Additionally, according to a Forbes analysis released earlier this year, New York City experienced a 400% growth in employment at web-based firms alone. ‘The city’s universities are responding to the increased demand for technical talent by opening up new schools to provide the type of taining needed to join startups and help them sueceed. One such university is Comell Tech, an academic partnership between Cornell University and the ‘Technion- Israel Institute of Technology. ‘The university had been under construction since 2012, and this fall semester, the first phase of the Roosevelt Island campus was finally ‘opened to 300 graduate students looking to become the next big starcup CEO. Once the campus is fully completed, it will be open to a student body of 2,000 graduate students and equipped with “The Bridge’, a facility thac will serve as a bridge between graduate students looking for positions in the starcup world and tech companies by placing them all under one roof to cultivate collaboration and generate job opportunities Following in Cornell footsteps, and as part of the city’s Applied Science initiative, NYU is renovating a space in 12 Brooklyn to make New York City a center for engineering and technology. Mini-Circuits has long been invested in cultivating the next generation of technical talent. The Kaylie Prize for Entreprencurship is sponsored by Mini- Circuits Founder and CEO, Harvey Kaylie and awarded to student entrepreneurs attending the City College of New York, providing startup capital for promising seedling businesses to get off the ground. Mini-Circuits also provides regular donations of RF components and lab equipment to engineering programs in New York and around the country. Students have plenty of choices when it comes to determining which starcup co work for. While chere ate many located in the citys Chelsea and Flatiron districts, Brooklyn’ Industry City in Sunset Park and the previously abandoned Navy Yard are hives of activity for early-stage technology companies. Industry City boasts a space of six million square feet renovated and optimized for new businesses. The facility is home to over thirty tech startups with ample room to house even more, ‘The Brooklyn Navy Yard is also home to many young businesses in connected devices, robotics, artificial intelligence, and other fields. New Lab co-working space in Brooklyn Navy Yard ‘One of the massive machine shops at the yard, now known as the “New Lab,” was renovated to support a co-working makerspace environment for tech startups while keeping the historical and industrial elements intact. Over five- hundred entrepreneurs, engineers and designers from over 100 different companies are members at the New Lab, which provides shared resources and equipment as well asa space to attend tech events and network.Cee ANNAN SF The Tech Triangle, comprising the Brooklyn Navy Yard, DUMBO and Downtown Brooklyn, is home to over 1,350 innovation companies, many of which intersect with RF/ microwave communication in some way. Some of them ate already Mini-Circuits customers and represent a part of our customer base with high potential for future growth. Mini- Circuits representative Tose Garcia has been working with startups for two years as a contract manager and provided some insight to Open-Circuits on how our customers use four parts and what makes us the go-to recommendation for startup teams. Jose attributes our success with startup companies to many factors. He commented, “Our customer support is great, we're close in proximity to these companies, we have face-to-face follow-ups, wete easy to use and have a lot of experience in the field, We establish a real relationship and we have quick turnaround.” A GoTenna in action in South Attica Among the wireless startup customers Jose works with is GoTenna, situated in Downtown Brooklyn. The company created a modern, more practical spin on the walkie-talkie ‘The GoTenna isa slim and lightweight device that allows users to tum their smartphones into off-grid communication tools that can be used for text messaging, sharing GPS locations, and accessing detailed maps securely without service from the cellular network, It's great for adventurers, emergency first responders, and even nervous parents who need to keep in contact with their group or family in areas with lice to no cell tower service, “Go'Tenna Mesh” devices use all other GoTenna devices in range as relays to extend the range to communicate over longer distance. GoTenna employed many Mini-Circuits components including splitters, attenuators, cables, and terminations (o test out their mesh network system prior to ‘commercial release. Looking forward, GoTenna is planning to release a line of radios that use Mini-Circuits components. ‘These new products are expected to go into production soon, Maybe youte not much of an outdoor explorer and would rather spend your fiee time in the comfort of your home playing games on your cellphone. Yank Technologies, which ‘operates out of the New Lab in the Brooklyn Navy Yard offers ‘true wireless charging with MotherBox, a device that allows users to charge multiple devices at the same time without any physical contact with the power source (read: no more charging cables). They even offer a portable size that can fit in a bag for the same wireless charging ease on the go. The device is currently in its prototype phase and Mini-Circuits is supporting Yank Technologies with their testing ‘These are justa few examples of how Mini-Circuits technology isusedby startupsin vastly varying fieldsincludingautonomous vehicles, small satellites, lectric meters, home security, WiFi controls and more. ‘The growing popularity of connected sensors has been a big motivating factor behind the creation ‘of many of these startups, and the need for Mini-Circuits parts will only continue to grow as our world becomes even ‘more interconnected through these devices. Furthermore, the anticipation of the 5G mobile network that is expected to roll out in 2020 will allow for much faster, larger, and more advanced networks, leading to even more ubiquitous use of connected devices, and a great proliferation of innovative startups relying on witeless connectivity. Mini-Circuits is proud to be a part of the growth of the tech industry in the New York area, and to support many promising startups in shaping the future of the witeless market. MotherBox and MotherBox Mini 13