#IWNY Internet Week New York – from May 20 to 23 – celebrated the NY Tech community and the latest success story: the NY based Tumblr acquired by Yahoo! for $1.1 billion. That story reminds us what investor Chris Dixon told us, stressing that New York needs more successful companies (see “Tech and the City” page 135): “Nothing works like success. It says to the rest of the world that this is the place to be, and it says to New Yorkers that this is the way you can be successful. I tried to do what I can to make that happen, whether by starting companies or investing in other people’s companies. I also blog and do other things. That kind of marketing, just getting the message out that there are people here, is also important. What we do have now and didn’t have before, are a lot of serious investors, people who have experience in the field and who are able to advise entrepreneurs.” (Ironically, Chris Dixon is no longer living and investing as an angel in NYC but in San Francisco working as a VC for Andreessen Horowitz; but he still follows and roots for the NY Tech community).

The euphoria for Tumblr’s deal was apparent at the Webutante Ball – organized by Richard Blakeley, Managing Editor, Strategy & Content at Thrillist – that took place Thursday night at the Marquee. DJ music, “tech inspired signature cocktails” (such as The Startup: Stoli Hot, Simple Syrup, Grapefruit Juice, Lime), a lot of dressed up young people… There were even a Webutante Ball Queen & King: Maura Johnston, Founder of Maura Magazine, and Ben Hindman, Co-Founder of SplashThat. Signs of a new “Bubble”? Or just a well deserved celebration of the vibrant NY tech community? Or simply “Techies, nerds know how to party, too!”