New York City has become home to some of the tech industry's most promising companies, including Etsy, MongoDB, and Vice Media.

So we created the Silicon Alley 100 to celebrate people who did the coolest things in the past 365 days.

What does it mean to have done something cool?

Getting acquired or going public — that's pretty cool. Founding an awesome startup or building impressive hardware — that's also cool.

Investors? They're somewhat cool. But the inventors, innovators, and lead executives building the next big things are the people who really should be celebrated. We prioritized entrepreneurs over investors, simply because it's a lot harder to start a company than to fund one.

Coolest does not mean most important or most impactful. There are many, many people who are instrumental to the New York City tech community who are not recognized on this list.

Thanks to all who make New York City an amazing place to launch a startup.

Complete Coverage

In A-Z Order

The Complete List 1-100

The 2013 List

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the many readers who took the time to send us nominations. We would also like to thank Maya Kosoff, Rebecca Borison, Alyson Shontell, and Jay Yarow for their input.

100. Charlie O'Donnell

Partner and founder, Brooklyn Bridge Ventures

Brooklyn Bridge Ventures is a seed and early-stage venture-capital firm, and the first venture-capital fund based in Brooklyn. In November, Brooklyn Bridge Ventures invested in design app Makr, contributing to its $865,000 seed-funding round. In December, Brooklyn Bridge Ventures invested in peer-to-peer lending startup Orchard Platform's $2.7 million seed-funding round. Brooklyn Bridge Ventures has also invested in Ringly, SocialSign.in, and goTenna. Its biggest breakout company, however, may be home-security camera company Canary.

Brooklyn Bridge Ventures raised $8.3 million in January. But O'Donnell's greatest achievement this year in tech may be his support of female founders. Unlike other New York City investors who have female founders in only 10% to 20% of their portfolio companies, female-run companies make up a whopping 62% of O'Donnell's portfolio.

99. Allison Goldberg

Vice President, Time Warner Investments

Time Warner’s investment group put its money behind some ambitious companies this year. In June, the group invested in women’s news website Bustle, which raised a round total of $5 million, a company called Epoxy that connects YouTubers with fans, which raised a round total of $6.5 million, and data-management company Krux, which raised a round total of $35 million.

Time Warner Investments has also backed self-service advertising platform iSocket and TV marketing platform Simulmedia in the past year.

98. Shana Fisher

Partner, Andreessen Horowitz

Shana Fisher is known for her knack at spotting the hot new startups early on. And in November she took her talents to Andreessen Horowitz, where she's now a board partner.

For a better understanding of Fisher's talent, all you need to do is look at some of her previous investments: MakerBot, Pinterest, Vine, FiftyThree, Refinery29, and Stripe. Fisher tends to keep a low profile, but tech insiders will immediately recognize her success. 

Her investment advantage? "I like to think I have a strong grasp of human psychology," Fisher said about evaluating entrepreneurs.

Even with the best GMAT scores and resume credentials, getting into a top business school is an incredibly competitive process that, to be honest, can sometimes feel like a crapshoot.

College and graduate school ranking authority The Princeton Review just released its 2015 guide to business schools, which includes a list on the toughest B-schools to get into.

The Princeton Review surveyed thousands of current students at top business schools and collected data from business school administrators like average GMAT scores and undergraduate GPAs of the first-year class, acceptance rate, and enrollment rate to come up with this list.

Here are the most selective business schools in the U.S., according to The Princeton Review:

1. Stanford University - Stanford Graduate School of Business
2. Harvard University - Harvard Business School
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Sloan School of Management
4. Columbia University - Columbia Business School
5. University of California – Berkeley - Haas School of Business
6. New York University - Leonard N. Stern School of Business
7. The University of Chicago - Booth School of Business
8. University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School
9. Dartmouth College - Tuck School of Business
10. Yale University - Yale School of Management

CHECK OUT BUSINESS INSIDER'S LIST: The World's 50 Best Business Schools

For all your school news: Follow Business Insider Education on Twitter

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Stanford is easily considered the best college in the west. It's also the best in the country, taking the No. 1 spot on our list of the Best Colleges in America this year.

Known in particular for its exceptional computer science and engineering programs, Stanford is an active hub for talented and impressive students in all fields, from art to tech to business.

We've profiled 15 incredibly impressive undergrads at this top "dream college". They're starring in feature films, playing with the U.S. National Soccer Team, teaching kids to code, and a whole lot more.

Catalin Voss developed a facial recognition app that revolutionizes the way we learn.

Class of 2016

By the time he was 15, Catalin Voss produced the No. 1 podcast on the German iTunes store and commuted back and forth between his native Heidelberg and Silicon Valley to work with Steve Capps, one of the designers of the original Apple Macintosh computer.

By freshman year he founded Sension, a visual interface company seeking to revolutionize the way we learn. Voss and his team of roughly eight employees developed a lightweight facial recognition software, one that could track and understand many points in a person's face.

Their software can be used in testing and web lectures to improve the user experience (it might prompt you with a question if it senses you're not paying attention, or explain something further if you appear confused), and provide analytics to instructors about which test questions stumped students the most. Voss expects the product to be adopted by most major standardized test associations and universities in the next year.

His passion project, however, is Sension's groundbreaking Google Glass app, which allows the wearer to recognize people's facial expressions in real-time. It begins clinical trials with young people diagnosed with Autism later this month.

Clancey Stahr raises seven-figure sums as a partner at a Silicon Valley venture capital firm.

Class of 2015

At 21 years old, you're probably more likely to expect Clancey Stahr to be pitching to venture capitalists, rather than being one. But Stahr has been working at cross-border venture capital firm ZenShin Capital for the last two years, advising startups on product design, business strategy, intellectual property, and general legal advice. He was recently made partner at the firm — the third after the company's two co-founders.

Stahr leads the firm's investments in two major startup clients, Iotera and Simple Emotion, and sits on Simple Emotion's board of directors. Stahr has also raised significant capital, an undisclosed seven-figure sum, for the first close of ZenShin's Core Technology Fund.

School doesn't stop for the Management Science and Engineering major, who still manages to get all his coursework done while working anywhere from 30 to 40 hours a week in Silicon Valley.

Stahr graduates in May and plans to continue in his role as partner at ZenShin, but hopes to someday start his own company.

Garima Sharma is working to end the child bride epidemic in India.

Class of 2015

This past summer, Garima Sharma set off to teach human rights education to girls in Forbesganj, India on a Stanford fellowship. While there, she interviewed 80 mothers in order to better understand why they force their daughters into early marriage.

India is home to 24 million child brides, according to the New Delhi native. The consequences of marrying so young can be devastating: A child bride is twice as likely to suffer from spousal domestic violence and 1.5 times more likely to die in child birth.

"The aspirations that parents have for their daughters shape decisions around education, marriage, and career choices," Sharma says. "I want to better understand the incentives that drive parents' decision-making process[es]." She designed a research study and spent more than 100 hours interviewing the mothers.

Sharma, who also designed and implemented a curriculum to engage adolescent girls in Forbesganj who are at risk of trafficking, plans to pursue a joint MBA/MPA-ID degree and one day run an organization that provides sustainable livelihoods to girls and women in small-town Indian communities.

Because everyone's tastes and preferences for beers differ so significantly, it can be hard to objectively decide which ones are the cream of the crop.

That's why we enlisted the help of the experts at RateBeer.com to come out with a list of the best beer from every state.

Take a look at the map below to see if your favorite local beer made the list, or read the full feature more more information on the best brews.

SEE THE LIST IN FULL: The Best Beer From Every State

FOR GRAPHICS FEATURES: Follow BI_Graphics on Twitter!

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You can go to any old New York bar to down a stiff drink, but if you're the kind of person that really wants to enjoy and savor a thoughtful cocktail, you'll need to look a little harder.

With help from Yelp reviewers, we put together a list of the best cocktail bars in New York City.

The bartenders and mixologists at these establishments know how to whip up everything from classic cocktails to innovative creations that won't fail to impress.

10. Nitecap

120 Rivington St.
Lower East Side

With a cocktail list the size of a short novel, Nitecap's knowledgeable mixologists are ready to effortlessly whip up a carefully crafted drink — even a nightcap — at your leisure.

"Nitecap goes the extra mile,"says Yelp reviewer Sarah H., "whether it comes to their delicious old-fashioned or ensuring that the place is not sardine crowded."

Note: Yelp's search results are based on an algorithm that is designed to provide the best results based on a number of different factors including review text, ratings, and number of reviews. Because several factors are taken into account, this is why you may see a 3.5-star restaurant with 500 reviews showing above a 4-star one with 15 reviews.

9. Dram

177 South 4th St.
Williamsburg

Honestly, what's more "Brooklyn" than a vintage-style cocktail? Dram delivers strong, liquor-based beverages in a modern speakeasy setting. The bar also serves beer and wine, but come on — we know why you're really here.

"The drinks are pricey,"Yelp reviewer Dinah B. admits, "but after watching the bartender vigorously at work, you'll agree it's worth the splurge."

Note: Yelp's search results are based on an algorithm that is designed to provide the best results based on a number of different factors including review text, ratings, and number of reviews. Because several factors are taken into account, this is why you may see a 3.5-star restaurant with 500 reviews showing above a 4-star one with 15 reviews.

8. Analogue

19 W. 8th St.
Greenwich Village

An upscale bar and lounge in the Village, Analogue has the laid-back ambience to accompany the refined quality of the mixed drinks. Take your drink to the back "Record Room" and sip in style.

"The perfect place to go for a low-key drink,"says Yelp reviewer Edmund T. "They have a wonderful selection of whiskey and they make some pretty tasty cocktails."

Note: Yelp's search results are based on an algorithm that is designed to provide the best results based on a number of different factors including review text, ratings, and number of reviews. Because several factors are taken into account, this is why you may see a 3.5-star restaurant with 500 reviews showing above a 4-star one with 15 reviews.

Getting a job in the legal industry can be tough, but getting into law school can be even tougher.

The Princeton Review just released its 2015 guide to law schools, which includes lists of the "Best Professors,""Most Competitive Students," and of course, "The Toughest to Get Into."

To create the list, The Princeton Review surveyed 19,500 current law students and administrators from 169 schools. The Review also compiled LSAT scores, undergraduate GPAs of the first-year class, acceptance rates, and enrollment rates.  

Here are the most competitive law schools in the U.S., according to the Princeton Review:

1. Yale University – Law School (Acceptance Rate: 9%; Total Enrollment: 625)
2. Stanford University – School of Law (Acceptance Rate: 10%; Total Enrollment: 574)
3. Harvard University (Acceptance Rate: 16%; Total Enrollment: 1,741)
4. University of California, Berkeley – Berkeley Law (Acceptance Rate: 10%; Total Enrollment: 916)
5. Duke University – School of Law (Acceptance Rate: 19%; Total Enrollment: 629)
6. University of Pennsylvania – Law School (Acceptance Rate: 17%; Total Enrollment: 786)
7. University of Virginia – School of Law (Acceptance Rate: 18%; Total Enrollment: 1,048)
8. University of Chicago – Law School (Acceptance Rate: 20%; Total Enrollment: 612)
9. Columbia University – School of Law (Acceptance Rate: 21%; Total Enrollment: 1,250)
10. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – School of Law (Acceptance Rate: 18%; Total Enrollment: 737)

SEE ALSO: The 50 Best Law Schools In America

Find us online: Follow @BI_University on Twitter!

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There are so many exciting new movies lined up for the end of 2014, but before you check them out, you should crack open the book version. 

We've compiled a list of all of the books being adapted into movies out this fall. Each cast is packed with Hollywood power players from Ben Affleck to Jennifer Lawrence, and many of the films are already generating Oscar buzz. 

You'll find thrillers, period pieces, dramadies, and even some true stories for your reading and viewing pleasure. 

"This Is Where I Leave You" by Jonathan Tropper

Release date: September 19

In this dramatic comedy, four grown siblings must sit Shiva for one week as per the request of their deceased father. While back together in their childhood home, the week loses control as the family encounters a slew of past and present characters, challenges, and well, life. 

The cast includes Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Adam Driver, Corey Stoll, Rose Byrne, Kathryn Hahn, and Connie Britton.

Buy the book

"A Walk Among The Tombstones" by Lawrence Block

Release Date: September 19

A ruthless drug leader recruits former NYPD detective and recovering alcoholic, Matt Scudder, to find the monsters behind the brutal kidnap and murder of his wife. Scudder works outside of the law investigating the grisly murders targeting NYC's worst drug criminals. 

This crime thriller stars: Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, Boyd Holbrook, David Harbour, and Sebastian Roché.

Buy the book

"Hector And The Search For Happiness" by Francois Lelord

Release Date: September 26

Tired of his routine boring life, a quirky psychiatrist, Hector, courageously sets out for a global adventure in hopes of uncovering the secret to true happiness. 

The dramedy stars: Simon Pegg, Rosamund Pike, Toni Collette, Christopher Plummer, and Stellan Skarsgård.

Buy the book

Who are the leaders and emerging tech stars in New York City, who just so happen to be women?

There are a few rockstars everyone in the industry should know.

They were the first investors in companies like Pinterest and MakerBot, the brains behind startups worth hundreds of millions, and they're generally awesome people.

Allison Goldberg

Vice President, Time Warner Investments

Goldberg began her career at Morgan Stanley before going into venture capital. And this year, Goldberg helped Time Warner’s investment group put its money behind some ambitious companies. In June, the group invested in women’s news website Bustle, which has raised more than $10 million and quickly grew to about 20 million monthly uniques. She's also either an investor or board member in Audience Science, Dynamic Signal, Hammer & Chisel, Joyus, NuvoTV, Trion Worlds and Visible World.

Time Warner Investments has also backed self-service advertising platform iSocket and TV marketing platform Simulmedia in the past year.

As more venture firms are looking to add female partners, Goldberg's smart startup picks make her a serious poaching target.

Shana Fisher

Partner, Andreessen Horowitz

Shana Fisher is known for her ability to spot hot new startups early on. In November she took her talent to Andreessen Horowitz, where she's now a board partner.

For a better understanding of Fisher's keen startup eye, look at some of her previous investments: MakerBot, Pinterest, Vine, FiftyThree, Refinery29, and Stripe, many of which she found at the seed stage. 

Her investment advantage? "I like to think I have a strong grasp of human psychology," Fisher said about evaluating entrepreneurs.

Susan Lyne

President, BBG Ventures at AOL

Susan Lyne, the CEO of AOL’s brand group, stepped down in September but didn't leave the company.

Instead, Lyne now heads up an AOL-owned venture fund that promotes female-led digital startups called BBG Ventures. It will invest in startups run by women and companies primarily related to "consumer Internet areas, including e-commerce and media."

Prior to joining AOL, Lyne was CEO of Gilt Groupe.

While Greek life is often associated with toga parties and beer pong, professionally your Greek affiliation can work to your advantage.

Greek networking is HUGE. When you join a Greek organization, you join for life. You probably didn't realize that accepting your bid on Bid Day would lead to such an extensive network.

Thanks to data provided by RelSci, an information services business based in New York, we give you CEOs who went Greek while in college.

Take a look at the chart below to see if any of these CEOs are in your chapter. 

SEE ALSO: The Sexiest CEOs Alive!

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New York City is flooded with coffee shops all vying to become your number one choice when it comes to satisfying your daily caffeine craving. There seem to be a plenty of options, so the real question is: Which one do you pick?

With help from Yelp reviewers, we give you the best coffee New York City has to offer.  

You will find everything from large cafes with plenty of room for you to read a book or get some studying done, to holes in the wall that, while small, are must-stop coffee shops.

10. La Colombe Torrefaction

319 Church St.
Tribeca

When you walk into La Colombe Torrefaction, you know that the main focus is the farm direct blends it brews and serves to its customers. The cafe is merchandise free, meaning you won't find any CDs or mugs cluttering the cafe, and offers comfortable seating.

Yelp user Xavier S. commented, "If you really want real coffee from a place that focuses on coffee and knows what they're doing, then this is the place for you." 

Note: Yelp's search results are based on an algorithm that is designed to provide the best results based on a number of different factors including review text, ratings, and number of reviews. Because several factors are taken into account, this is why you may see a 3.5-star restaurant with 500 reviews showing above a 4-star one with 15 reviews.

9. Box Kite Coffee

115 St. Marks Pl.
East Village

Box Kite Coffee perfects its presentation when it comes comes to its food and drink offerings.

Yelp reviewer Michelle L. stated, "Everything at Box Kite is awesome — the coffee, food, ambiance, and really friendly people!" 

Note: Yelp's search results are based on an algorithm that is designed to provide the best results based on a number of different factors including review text, ratings, and number of reviews. Because several factors are taken into account, this is why you may see a 3.5-star restaurant with 500 reviews showing above a 4-star one with 15 reviews.

8. Crema BK

182 Driggs Ave.
Greenpoint

It's no surprise that Crema BK made the list with its sought-after cold brew, expertly crafted espresso drinks, and delicious treats. 

"Impeccable coffee every single time," said Yelp user Jo H. "The owner couldn't be nicer and the other staff always serve up the perfect shot. Excellent flavor and depth to both hot and cold drinks."

Note: Yelp's search results are based on an algorithm that is designed to provide the best results based on a number of different factors including review text, ratings, and number of reviews. Because several factors are taken into account, this is why you may see a 3.5-star restaurant with 500 reviews showing above a 4-star one with 15 reviews.

After releasing our lists for the Best Hotels in the World and the Best Hotels in America, we thought it necessary to give you the Best Hotels in Europe.

To find the best of the best we aggregated rankings among reputable travel sources, including Travel + Leisure's World's Best Hotel Awards, Condé Nast Traveler's Top 100 Hotels & Resorts (part of its annual Reader's Choice Awards), TripAdvisor's Top 25 Hotels In The World (part of its annual Travelers' Choice Awards), and the Fodor's 100 Hotel Awards. Click here to see our methodology.

The best hotels in Europe take us from the rolling hills of Scotland all the way to the ancient ruins of Istanbul.

25. Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus

Istanbul, Turkey

The Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus lies on the shores of the Bosphorus Strait. Take in the beautiful indigo waters and mountain views in this former Ottoman palace. 

Rooms from $429 per night

Photo: Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus

24 (TIE). La Sirenuse, Positano

Positano, Italy

This Amalfi Coast hotel features accommodations with hand-painted tile floors and balconies overlooking the bay. Enjoy gourmet Mediterranean cuisine and unparalleled ambiance at the hotel's restaurant, La Sponda (it's lit with over 400 candles), or spend the day on the hotel's boat exploring the Amalfi Coast. 

Rooms from $500 per night

Photo: Le Sirenuse

24 (TIE). Hotel Villa Magna

Madrid, Spain

The historic Hotel Villa Magna's prime location allows guests to explore all that Madrid has to offer. Gwyneth Paltrow, Hugh Jackman, and Cameron Diaz have all stayed at the hotel. 

Rooms from $404 per night 

Photo: Hotel Villa Magna

Everyone has that one movie that reminds them of home.

We set out to name the most famous movie in every state — a challenging and subjective endeavor. Some states were more obvious than others. While there's no place like Kansas, New York has inspired directors ranging from Martin Scorsese to Woody Allen to Rob Reiner.

To pick the most famous, we evaluated the state's prominence in the movie and leaned toward movies that were filmed in that location as well. The movie's lifetime gross, its critical acclaim, and testimonials by our geographically diverse staff also influenced our decision.

Additional reporting by Kirsten Acuna, Melissa Stanger, and Sara Bower.

SEE ALSO: This map shows the most famous movie in every state

ALABAMA: "Forrest Gump" (1994)

Even though "Forrest Gump" took Tom Hanks from Vietnam to the White House, home was always the fictional town of Greenbow, Alabama. Plus, Forrest was an All-American for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Source: "Forrest Gump"/Paramount Pictures

ALASKA: "Into The Wild" (2007)

"Into The Wild" follows Chris McCandless, played by Emile Hirsch, as he heads to Alaska to find his place in the world. The journey would bring McCandless to many places, but his ultimate destination was the Land of the Midnight Sun.

Source: "Into The Wild"/Paramount Vantage

ARIZONA: "Raising Arizona" (1987)

The Coen brothers' cult classic follows H.I. McDunnough and his wife as they attempt to have a baby, either naturally or through kidnapping. The Coens made the pair all the more real by incorporating a vernacular that Joel called"a mixture of local dialect and a vocabulary we imagined from the likely reading materials of the characters."

Source: "Raising Arizona"/20th Century Fox

In the real world we have three meals — breakfast, lunch, and dinner — but in college there's a seductive fourth that happens usually sometime between 10 p.m. and dawn.

We sought opinions from alumni and current college students for the best late night food joints that cater to that enticing fourth meal.

Maybe it's fuel for a midnight study session, or maybe it's the drunk munchies. It's okay. We don't judge.

Fuel and Fuddle – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

214 Oakland Ave.

Popular with: Carnegie Mellon University/University of Pittsburgh

Be forewarned: Fuel and Fuddle gets ridiculously crowded between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. when drunk food dream items — like the smashed potato pizza with bacon and buttermilk ranch dressing — are half price.

New York Pizzeria ("Slices") – Hamilton, New York

39 Lebanon St.

Popular with: Colgate University

Colgaters only know this place as "Slices," and it's the go-to place for late night eats in Hamilton, New York. Their slogan is "slices come plain only," so don't even try asking for anything fancy.

Koronet Pizza – New York, New York

2848 Broadway

Popular with: Columbia University

An average piece of pizza from Koronet Pizza is about the size of a human face, which is one of the things that makes this late night slicery so great. And for a pie-sized slice, you're spending $4.50— less than an actual pie, and perfect for a college budget.

It's not just great drinks that make a great bar — it's also great service, great ambience, and fair prices that complete the experience.

We looked at six notable bar rankings compiled by critics and experts and aggregated the rankings to come up with our own list of the Best Bars in America.

The rankings we used were James Beard Foundation's 2014 Restaurant and Chef Award Semifinalists for Outstanding Bar Program; Esquire's Best Bars in America; Food & Wine's Best Bars in America; Zagat's Hottest Bars in 15 US Cities; The World's 50 Best Bars from Drinks International; and Liquor.com's Best Bars in America.

We gave each bar a numerical rating based on how many lists the bar appeared on and how high it appeared on lists that were ranked. We used the number of five-star Yelp ratings as a tiebreaker, where a bar with more five-star Yelp ratings outranked another bar when a tie occurred.

You can read more about our methodology here.

18. Attaboy

New York City

When the cultish speakeasy Milk & Honey moved in 2012, it left behind two expert bartenders, Sam Ross and Michael McIlroy, who opened Attaboy in early 2013.

This menuless, Lower East Side cocktail bar maintains the same expertise in all things liquor and even more secrecy than its predecessor: It has no website and no telephone number, and it serves beer, wine, and bartender's choice drinks on a first-come, first-serve basis.

17. Death & Co.

New York City

Death & Co. is a well-hidden gem on the border of the East Village and Alphabet City serving gourmet cocktails — both entirely from-scratch innovations, and ones that take liberties with the classics.

Not many people used to know about Death & Co., but the secret's out, and now cocktail enthusiasts are prepared for the long wait, especially on weekends, for Dave Kaplan and Ravi DeRossi's award-winning menu.

16. The Broken Shaker

Miami Beach, Florida

Elad Zvi and Gabriel Orta, the owners of the beverage program company Bar Lab, collaborated with the Freehand Miami hotel to open James Beard Award-nominated bar The Broken Shaker.

The bar puts a little bit of Miami in everything it does, from the tropics-inspired drinks on the menu to the service, which extends out into the Freehand's oasis-like outdoor patio.

We recently published our list of the Best Bars in America. 

To create this list, we looked at six notable bar rankings compiled by critics and experts and aggregated the rankings to come up our own list.

The rankings we used were James Beard Foundation's 2014 Restaurant and Chef Award Semifinalists for Outstanding Bar Program; Esquire's Best Bars in America; Food & Wine's Best Bars in America; Zagat's Hottest Bars in 15 U.S. Cities; The World's 50 Best Bars from Drinks International; and Liquor.com's Best Bars in America.

We valued the James Beard awards the most highly, due to the prestige of the honor, awarding bars that appeared as semifinalists on this list with a score of 0.75.

Each time a bar appeared on Esquire's list, it received a score of 0.55. Bars that appeared on Food & Wine's list each received a score of 0.5. Bars that appeared on Zagat's Hottest Bars list and Liquor.com's list each received a score of 0.25 and 0.15 respectively.

For The World's 50 Best Bars list, which was ranked 1 to 50, we calculated the score by using a formula that factored in the rankings, assigning a maximum total of 0.75 points to each bar with higher scores going to higher-ranking bars.

We then tallied up the scores to create the final ranking. Based on these calculations, the highest possible score would be 3.67 if a bar appeared on every ranking — but since none of them did, the highest score (2.1) belonged to The Dead Rabbit in New York City.

We used the number of five-star Yelp ratings as a tiebreaker, where a bar with more five-star Yelp ratings outranked another bar when a tie occurred.

Here is a spreadsheet showing our calculations (click to enlarge):

SEE ALSO: The 18 Best Bars In America

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San Francisco is filled with coffee lovers and shops that are dedicated to offering the best roasts around. 

The folks at Yelp helped us create a list of the best places to satisfy your caffeine craving in the Bay Area.

From coffee artisans who spent years perfecting their bean blends to the inventors of the coffee companion the "toast cup," these are the best coffee shops in SF.

10. Four Barrel Coffee

375 Valencia Street

Mission

Four Barrel Coffee roasts its beans in-store and offers a welcoming environment. Make sure to ask for your coffee with "no room" so your cup is filled to the brim.

Yelp user Chris P. commented, "If you have time, try the pour-over station and order some great coffee. Once you order, the barista will let you smell the freshly ground beans. They have pour-over coffee down to a science."

Note: Yelp's search results are based on an algorithm that is designed to provide the best results based on a number of different factors including review text, ratings, and number of reviews. Because several factors are taken into account, this is why you may see a 3.5-star restaurant with 500 reviews showing above a 4-star one with 15 reviews.

9. Blue Bottle Coffee Co

66 Mint Street

SoMa

Inspired by the origin of coffee in Vienna, the founder of Blue Bottle Coffee Co. made it his mission to offer customers coffee at the peak of its freshness using the finest, and most responsibly sourced, beans. The coffee shop also bakes its own cookies and pastries in store.   

Note: Yelp's search results are based on an algorithm that is designed to provide the best results based on a number of different factors including review text, ratings, and number of reviews. Because several factors are taken into account, this is why you may see a 3.5-star restaurant with 500 reviews showing above a 4-star one with 15 reviews.

8. Beanstalk Cafe

274 Bush Street

Nob Hill/Union Square

The Beanstalk Cafe is the perfect place to grab a quick yet delicious bite to eat and enjoy coffee from the best roaster in the Bay Area. Don't miss out on the "toast cup"— bacon and eggs in a crispy cup of toast.

Yelp commenter Mary M. stated, "I routinely get an Americano and add... nothing!  Because the coffee is that good... it's so super good."

Note: Yelp's search results are based on an algorithm that is designed to provide the best results based on a number of different factors including review text, ratings, and number of reviews. Because several factors are taken into account, this is why you may see a 3.5-star restaurant with 500 reviews showing above a 4-star one with 15 reviews.

There are thousands of suburbs around New York City alone, and a seemingly endless number of suburbs around the country, but not all of them are great places to live.

We recently published our list of the 50 Best Suburbs in America.

For this list, we examined data on nearly 300 American suburbs. We started with the Census Bureau's places, and concentrated on cities and towns with populations between 5,000 and 100,000 which were within 40 kilometers (24.9 miles) of the nearest metropolitan area.

We then looked at the 2008-2012 American Community Survey and factored in average commute times, median household income, poverty rates, and a measure of housing affordability (percentage of homeowners who pay less than 30% of monthly income on housing).

Since we think that great suburbs need to be safe and have excellent schools, we also took into consideration FBI crime rate data for both violent and property crimes in 2013 as well as public school ratings for high schools in the top 300 suburbs from GreatSchools.org. 

To create the final ranking, we took the percentile rank from 0 to 1 for each measure (from 0, being the worst, to 1, being the best) and took an unweighted simple average of these measures, with each criterion weighted the same.

Here is the spreadsheet showing our calculations (click to enlarge):

NOW READ: The 50 Best Suburbs In America

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The U.S. is full of incredible places to live — cities, yes, but also numerous unique smaller towns and villages that people call home.

After examining data on nearly 300 suburbs, we put together a list of the 50 best suburbs in America. For this list, we considered suburbs with populations between 5,000 and 100,000 within 40 kilometers of the nearest metropolitan area. We also factored in average commute times, median household income, poverty and crime rates, public school ratings from GreatSchools.org, and a measure of housing affordability. 

Click here to see our full methodology. 

Our list was dominated by the Midwest, or more specifically by Ohio suburbs. This is likely due to several factors, most notably a reasonable cost of living.

Andy Kiersz compiled the data for this list.

50. Kirtland, Ohio

Population: 6,866

Great Schools score: 9

Residents who live in the "City of Faith and Beauty" take an average 25.4 minutes to commute to the nearby Cleveland-Elyria metro area. The median household income for this small town (less than 17 square miles) is $85,938.

49. Bellbrook, Ohio

Population: 6,943

Great Schools score: 10

The median annual household income in Bellbrook — $73,168 — may seem low, but cost of living is relatively low as well, and nearly 82% of homeowners spend 30% or less of their income on housing costs. Average commute time to Dayton, the nearest metro area, is just 21.8 minutes.

48. Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

Population: 6,194

Great Schools score: 10

Home to the liberal arts school Swarthmore College, the town of Swarthmore is conveniently located near the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro areas. Commuters are looking at an average commute time of 24.3 minutes. 

Due to its progressive attitude and proximity to Silicon Valley, the Bay Area is ripe for hosting cool, new businesses.

From a pirate supply store to bacon-centric eats we found the 21 most intriguing and innovative new businesses in San Francisco. We looked for businesses that opened in the last five years that bring something new to the San Francisco scene.

Know a cool business we missed? Let us know in the comments.

826 Valencia Pirate Supply Store

826 Valencia St.

What it is: A general store for pirates and pirate enthusiasts.

Why it's cool: A whimsical storefront for non-profit writing-tutoring center 826 Valencia, the 826 Valencia Pirate Supply Store sells everything you need to pillage and plunder.

Here you'll find glass eyes, hooks, beard extensions, treasure chests, mermaid bait, and more dastardly products. Sales benefit 826 Valencia.

Bacon Bacon

205A Frederick St.

What it is: A bacon-centric food truck and cafe.

Why it's cool: Bacon Bacon comes in the form of a food truck and a brick-and-mortar restaurant. And both serve, yep — you guessed it — all things bacon.

The Bacon Bacon Truck rolls around San Francisco distributing six bacon-friendly sandwiches, including a pork meatball banh mi and grilled cheese, as well as french fries and root beer. Bacon Bacon also sells a bacon bouquet and chocolate-covered bacon.

Canyon Market

2815 Diamond St.

What it is: An urban "hybrid" grocery store.

Why it's cool: Canyon Market leads the growing trend of hybrid grocery stores. This means that the market offers natural and regular groceries, as well as specialty lines that are tailored for the store's Glen Park neighborhood. 

The market has everything you could want in a grocery store: It host events, has in-store tastings, seasonal offerings, prepared foods — a very wide selection to meet your shopping needs. 

Alongside San Francisco and New York, London is one of the world's most innovative cities. After all, the Brits did invent the World Wide Web.

There's a celebrated cluster of technology companies in east London, known as Tech City. It is all centered around the Old Street roundabout, giving name to the government's "Silicon Roundabout" initiative. 

But the UK's tech industry is not limited to a section of east London. Many of the people on the list are based outside of London. Some have factories and distribution centers to manage; others spend time in universities and labs. 

This list features some of the most interesting startup founders, CEOs, and investors in the UK tech industry. Within our ranking, we prioritized startup founders over the UK's PR heads, VCs, and tech consultants. However, there are plenty of people without "CEO" in their job title on this list, too.

50. Nick D'Aloisio

Founder, Summly

Twitter: @nickdaloisio

D'Aloisio is only 18 but already sold his news-summarization app, Summly, to Yahoo for a rumored $30 million, in 2013. The young app developer is now a student at Oxford University, having started undergraduates course in computer science and philosophy in September.

Summly started in 2011 as a simpler version under the name Trimit. It quickly caught the attention of billionaire Li Ka-Shing, who invested $300,000 in the app. After relaunching as Summly, D'Aloisio attracted further investment from Yoko Ono, Ashton Kutcher, and Stephen Fry. Summly was eventually sold to Yahoo, and D'Aloisio worked on the new Yahoo News Digest app. He remains a product manager on the new app, while he studies for his degree.

49. Robyn Exton

CEO and cofounder, Dattch

Twitter: @robynexton

Dattch is a dating app for lesbian and bisexual women that connects users based on location. Exton created the app after realising that existing lesbian dating sites were simply reskinned versions of other sites. Using her experience of working with a dating site at a branding agency, she set about making a dating app specifically created for lesbians.

Unlike many dating sites and apps, Dattch has been praised for its positive approach to LGBTQ dating, and the app has won countless awards, including the Best Design award at the 2013 LAUNCH conference. The business brought its operations to the US in 2014, and plans on expanding to Android in the near future. 

48. Emily Brooke

CEO and founder, Blaze

Twitter: @buzzbrooke

The Blaze laser light is a green laser that attaches to the front of a bicycle. The laser then projects the image of the bike several metres in front of the rider. The bright images keeps cyclists safe on the road by helping drivers to see them.

Over 3,000 laser lights have been sold so far, after devices began shipping in early 2014. Blaze has raised £500,000 from Richard Branson's family and Index Ventures.