With another Christmas behind us, the pressure for New Year’s suddenly surmounts. And for some reason, every year we succumb. Eager to make an exciting entrance into 2015, many of us are scrambling to snag tickets to a local party or make last minute dinner reservations. As for the founders of many Boston’s startups, there’s no denying they work hard and many of them play even harder.
And considering the strides many of their companies made in 2014, they definitely have cause to celebrate. And celebrate they will. CoachUp's Jordan Fliegel is heading to the Virgin Islands with a group of other entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, Drizly co-founders Nick Rellas and Justin Robinson will be working Dec. 31, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be slinging back the coldest of Coors Lights.
So — what will other founders be doing when the ball drops?
Jeremy Levine, Founder & CEO of Draft ?(formerly founder of StarStreet)
This year, the guy behind a new fantasy sports app is playing host and throwing a party at his place in the Flatiron District of New York City. Friends will be shipping up from Boston to join in on the festivities, including a number of investors and other startup founders in his circle. The black tie dress code is optional because, as Levine says — “gotta keep it classy for New Years.”
Here’s a look inside his digs:
And here's a photo from a previous party held there with a live band:
Brad Rosen, Founder & CEO of Drync
In celebration of both his newborn baby and 2015 unofficially being the Year of Wine in Massachusetts (winery-direct shipping begins Jan. 1), his family will be toasting with friends in Lincoln with this crisp Champagne and — let’s be honest — probably several other bottles of bubbly. You can follow Brad here to see how the evening unfolds.
Jimmy Aird, Co-Founder & CEO of BarUp
Leave it to the bros at BarUp to plan a New Year’s Eve rager at an employee’s house called “Casa del Fuego.” (Yes, that translates to “House of Fire.”) “We go out so often on weeknights with BarUp, that we wanted to post up and get rowdy with closer friends,” Aird said. The bash is being held at the humble abode of Alex Chin, another co-founder and head of marketing at the nightlife app.
Ken Deckinger, Co-Founder of Jess Meet Ken
Just because he's married with kids doesn't mean Deckinger doesn't know how to party. Early in the evening, he and his wife (and co-founder of their dating app) are stopping by a neighbor’s party — which happens to be disco themed. Still, he admits the fam will more than likely be back home far before midnight so they can put the kids to bed, pop onto the sofa with a bottle of wine and watch the ball drop.
Tyler Martin, Founder & CEO of Turfly
Considering the fact that he launched a competitive fitness app, it’s no surprise that Martin won’t be relaxing on his couch or fading into a prosecco coma on New Year’s this year. Instead, he’ll be kicking off 2015 on a productive note.
Right now, Martin is in Victoria, British Columbia, conducting research with older generations on using smartphones for exercise purposes, while he also visits family. He’s also working on a new Turfly video. Oh, and he’s writing a blog about the best apps for upholding your New Year’s Resolutions (something tells us Turfly will make the cut). Meanwhile, Martin is looking into a New Year’s race so he can test out his latest pair of New Balance sneakers. Then he’s off to San Francisco to welcome a new MIT intern and begin fundraising for the month of January.
Hossein Kash Razzaghi, Founder & CEO of Fancred
Sure, it takes some balls to hit Manhattan for New Year's Eve. But this year, Kash decided it was worth braving the chaos to see the ball drop. It's the first time ever that he and his wife are heading to the big apple for the holiday, and while the founder of the social media network for sports fans admitted it's a "total touristy thing to do," he feels it's a necessary life experience.
Jeremy Merle, Founder & CXO of Fancred
After taking advantage of Boston's nightlife on New Year's Eve for many years, Merle has decided to keep it low-key. So he and his wife have adopted a tradition of their own: Grabbing some vino and cheese from the South End Formaggio and having a few friends over to relax and recharge.
"Just good friends, good food, lots of wine and likely a few rounds of Cards Against Humanity," he said.
Image of 2015 fireworks via Shutterstock.
