In the past few years, New York City has become a tech hotspot. And while it hasn't had any LinkedIn or Facebook-size exits, it has produced a few IPOs and near-billion-dollar acquisitions.
It's become the home to some of tech's most promising new companies, from Etsy to Makerbot to Kickstarter. Early stage investors like David Tisch, Joshua Kushner, First Round Capital, and Lerer Ventures are playing a large part in helping fuel the fire.
All in, it's been a great year for New York Tech. So we created the Silicon Alley 100 to celebrate people who did the coolest things in 2012. And this year, the list is ranked.
So what constitutes someone who's done something cool?
We prioritized entrepreneurs over investors, because it's much harder to start a company than to fund one. In particular, we prioritized startups with amazing exits and people who had big, game-changing roles at the tech companies.
Next, we valued companies that really exploded over the last year (the Kickstarters, Etsys and 10gens), followed by entrepreneurs who launched interesting new companies. Then we dove deeper into the ecosystem and recognized the money behind the startups — the angel and early-stage investors, as well as the creators of incubators and accelerators.
Thanks to everyone for all the hard work they've done to make New York the coolest place in the world to launch a tech company.
Click here to scroll through this year's Silicon Alley 100 →
Disclosure
A number of Business Insider's investors appear on this list: RRE, Ken Lerer, Dwight Merriman. 
Many companies on the list share investors with Business Insider. One VC firm is even in the same building as Business Insider, although no one who worked on this list has ever visited that floor.
Feedback
Disagree with our picks? Let us know what you think in the comments section below, or on Twitter: #sa100
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the many readers who took the time to send us nominations. We would also like to thank intern Megan Rose Dickey for her extensive work on this list. Also involved in the selection or creation of the Silicon Alley 100: Nicholas Carlson and Henry Blodget.
100. Kirk McDonald
President, PubMatic
McDonald, who has two decades worth of media experience at companies like Time and CNET, has been instrumental in driving the next stage of PubMatic's growth.
In particular, he's made the company look like a great acquisition prospect for big tech companies like Yahoo. And as Marissa Mayer eyes new talent to bring into her company, Pubmatic's exit may not be far away.
99. Dave Morgan
CEO, Simulmedia
Morgan is the founder of a data-driven ad network for TV, Simulmedia. He made it big when he sold his advertising company, Tacoda, to AOL for $275 million in 2007.
Morgan is also an independent investor who has backed companies like Ex.fm, Fab, and Shelby.tv.
98. Peter Flint
General Partner, Polaris Venture Partners
Flint is the driving force behind DogPatch Labs in NYC, which houses many early stage entrepreneurs. He's also Polaris Ventures' New York presence.
He's helped Polaris make more than 20 investments this year all over the world, from TopFloor in Santa Monica and BalconyTV in Ireland, to Fancy Hands in New York.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider