April 4, 2014
By Alan Schulkin
New York, Schenectady – Quirky, an invention company headquartered in New York City, will open an office in downtown Schenectady. and plans to create 180 new jobs. “We are continuing to see companies build and expand operations across our state which means more jobs and economic growth in Upstate New York,” Governor Cuomo said.
“Quirky’s decision to build a new office in Schenectady means hundreds of jobs for the area and increased business activity in the region. I am pleased to join with our local partners in helping this New York City based company expand to other parts of our state.”
Empire State Development is providing Quirky with $500,000 in Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits tied directly to investment and job creation commitments. The Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority is also providing a grant of $450,000 to support establishment of the new Quirky Schenectady office.
Headquartered in New York City, with an additional office in Hong Kong, Quirky was founded in 2009 with the mission to make it easier for inventors to be creative. Since then, Quirky has commercialized 150 products.
“GE and Schenectady gave the world electricity, the first television broadcast, the steam turbine, and dozens of other transformative inventions,” said Quirky Founder and CEO Ben Kaufman. “We can’t wait to set up shop here and be a part of that history. We’re really excited to join this community – which continues to be a world leader in technology and manufacturing – and continue Schenectady’s tradition of innovation.”
In 2013, Quirky teamed up with General Electric (GE) to develop a co-branded line of app-enabled products. Quirky and GE have created five smart products.
