Field: Educational retreat and recruiting for programmers
Est: 2011
HQ: 397 Bridge Street
The Recurse Center (RC) is a hub of tech activity and learning that offers community-driven retreats for programmers, along with an integrated recruitment agency with 100+ partner companies around the world. Their open workspace spans two floors in a loft-style building on Bridge Street, at the center of what the team describes as a “quintessential NYC neighborhood.”
Improving Access
RC moved to Downtown Brooklyn from Soho in 2018, and proximity to public transit was a major factor in their decision. Multiple subway and bus lines ensure that staff, participants, and alumni can easily and reliably access the space, whether to attend daily sessions or to drop in for evening events. With more than a third of all NYC alumni living in Brooklyn, many community members are just a short walk away.
Expanding the Pipeline
RC participants – known as Recursers – join the community with anywhere between six months and 30 years of programming experience and represent a variety of ages, backgrounds, and career paths. Nearly half of new Recursers this year identify as women, trans, or non-binary, and RC offers need-based living expense grants to support historically underrepresented groups in programming.
Smart and Curious
While enrolled at RC, Recursers work on self-guided projects to hone their craft and experiment with new technologies. After RC, alumni go on to start their own companies and work at firms like Etsy, Jane Street, and Asana. They stay connected to each other and to new ideas through events like the monthly Localhost series, which features talks on topics ranging from machine learning to experimental music production.
Contact us at info@downtownbrooklyn.com to find out more about how we can help connect you with available space and resources.
