From a viral SXSW spreadsheet in 2023 to a global venture platform operating across 50+ hubs. Here's how we got here — and what the ecosystem has said about it.
By the numbers
Traction that speaks for itself.
100+
Events hosted
50+
City hubs
20+
Cities activated
5
Continents
3
Years operating
15+
Conference partnerships
Timeline
From spreadsheet to infrastructure.
2023
The viral SXSW spreadsheet
Founder Jessica Sophia Wong creates a curated list of badge-free SXSW events on a train from NYC to DC. It goes viral — downloaded thousands of times across the startup ecosystem and picked up by major tech media.
2023
Venture Summits in New York & Toronto
Yorkseed hosts curated Venture Summits during New York Tech Week and Collision Conference in Toronto — convening founders, investors, fund managers, and allocators in high-signal environments.
2024
Recognized by China Daily, YRB Magazine & Workspace Global
International press coverage across three publications for Yorkseed's founder journey and the platform's emerging global footprint. Featured across The Super Connectors video podcast series.
2024
NYC Mayor's Office — Gracie Mansion
Handshake Summit hosted at CSW70 at the United Nations. Women Future Forward at Google Campus, SXSW Austin. Yorkseed's network expands to 50+ hubs across 5 continents.
2025
Global conference partnership network
Yorkseed becomes Official Community Partner at NYFTW, VivaTech Paris, Web Summit, GITEX, Propelify, Asian Financial Forum Hong Kong, and 10+ more global conferences.
2026
Platform launch & Yorkseed Capital
Full membership platform launches — AI tools, deal flow, member-controlled introductions, full privacy controls, and 2FA security. Yorkseed Capital enters development. Yorkseed Summit goes global.
In the press
Media coverage & editorial features.
China Daily
The founder building a global venture network from scratch
International feature on Jessica Sophia Wong's journey founding Yorkseed and the platform's expansion across global innovation hubs.
Editorial feature →
YRB Magazine
Connecting capital across borders: inside Yorkseed
Profile of Yorkseed's role in democratizing access to global venture networks for founders and investors outside traditional hubs.
Editorial feature →
Workspace Global
The infrastructure behind global startup communities
Coverage of Yorkseed's Passport Series and community model as a blueprint for building trust-first venture ecosystems internationally.
Editorial feature →
The Super Connectors — Podcast
Building Yorkseed: from SXSW spreadsheet to global platform
Three-part video podcast series with the Yorkseed founder — sharing the unfiltered story behind the network's origin, growth, and global vision.
Video series →
Recognition
Institutional recognition & ecosystem trust.
🏛️
NYC Mayor's Office — Gracie Mansion
Yorkseed recognized by the NYC Mayor's Office for its contribution to New York's startup ecosystem and international founder community.
🌐
United Nations — CSW70
Handshake Summit hosted at the United Nations during the Commission on the Status of Women 70th session — convening global founders and capital.
🏢
Google Campus — SXSW Austin
Women Future Forward event hosted at Google Campus during SXSW, spotlighting women founders and investors across global innovation hubs.
🤝
Official Community Partner — 15+ global conferences
Recognized community partner across NYFTW, VivaTech Paris, Web Summit, GITEX Dubai, Asian Financial Forum HK, Propelify, and more.
🏆
Founder Institute — Local Partner
Partnership with the world's largest pre-seed startup accelerator, extending Yorkseed's resources and network to early-stage founders globally.
⚖️
Polsinelli — Venue Partner
Yorkseed events hosted at Polsinelli's New York offices, one of the top law firms for venture-backed startups in the US.
From the community
What members say about Yorkseed.
I knew 0 people when I came to Paris. Through Yorkseed I made family. It helped me not only for my business but also for my mental health — which matters most in the founder world.
Yorkseed Member · Paris
Yorkseed has been an incredible resource. The caliber of connections and the quality of events is unlike anything I've found elsewhere in the global startup ecosystem.
Yorkseed Member · New York City
The network is curated in a way that actually means something. Every person I've met through Yorkseed has been exactly who I needed to meet at exactly the right time.
Yorkseed Member · London
What Yorkseed is building is rare — a community that balances global reach with genuine signal quality. I've seen nothing else like it across the markets I operate in.