Răzvan Zlăvog, founder of Bucharest-based LuftAnalytics, a data and AI studio, traveled from Romania to meet U.S. partners and explore products he could bring to clients in Central and Eastern Europe.
“I made the most of my trip, combining Brooklyn Tech Expo with visits to MoMA and Broadway shows Hamilton and Chicago, all scratched off my bucket list,” he said. “Coming from a relatively small market where the entrepreneurial culture is still emerging, I was particularly impressed by what Brooklyn has to offer: access to expertise, scale and, above all, trust.”
Held in October in DUMBO as part of AI Week NYC, Brooklyn Tech Expo: FALL4AI Edition drew more than 1,000 technology professionals, according to organizer Pulse NYC.
Participants represented industries ranging from AI and enterprise software to cybersecurity, fintech, cloud infrastructure and robotics.
For Sasha Rozenberg, founder of early-stage AI startup AlgoPark, the event offered more than networking.
“The mix of builders, investors, and people working across AI, tech, and marketing made for conversations that went beyond swapping business cards,” Rozenberg said. “I met a few people who could help me grow my client base and started promising conversations with potential partners and vendors.”
Now in its third year, the expo has become a meeting point for New York’s startup community, engineering talent and companies looking to expand their U.S. footprint.
Nitya Umat, founder and CEO of Ved Consultancy, traveled from India to explore the U.S. market and connect with potential clients. The expo marked his first visit to Brooklyn.
“On my previous trips, I never ventured beyond Manhattan, so it was interesting to see what Brooklyn has to offer,” Umat said.
His strategy was simple: collect contacts at the event and turn them into business opportunities afterward.
“My team is still following up with those contacts, so most of the actual business conversations happened after the expo,” he said.
Brooklyn’s tech scene has undergone a significant transformation over the past decade, evolving from a hub for creative businesses and software startups into a growing center for robotics, AI and advanced manufacturing.
At the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Newlab has hosted over 400 startups that collectively raised $5.8 billion, while former industrial campuses such as Industry City are attracting a new generation of hardware and automation companies.
Among its newest arrivals is Möbius Industries, a recycling technology company that relocated from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to join the campus’s growing cluster of advanced technology companies.
The borough also offers a cost advantage. An April CoworkingCafe report identified Williamsburg-Greenpoint and DUMBO–Vinegar Hill as major coworking hubs, with more than 978,000 square feet of space between them.
For international founders, that combination of workspace, technical talent and industry connections could make Brooklyn a practical entry point into the U.S. market.
Brooklyn Tech Expo is set to return in spring 2027 as part of the next AI Week New York, building on October’s turnout with workshops, expert panels, live demonstrations and networking events.
