if i get too close, he'll freak out. over time if i keep doing this he'll eventually fall in love with me. >> reporter: it was the first technology start-up to get the backing of the tech fund. >> we wanted to create a robot that could do a lot of things they do in science fiction movies but be p cheap enough that people like us could afford them. right now we're focused on selling robots to hackers and kids, which interestingly is how the pc got started. >> reporter: it's start-ups and visionary entrepreneurs like this that shay hopes will jump-start what he's trying to create. >> it's pretty different from most redevelopment or urban revitalization projects in that we're actually very anti-top-down master of planning. we really want this to be organic and evolving thing. >> reporter: the philosophy may be anti-top down but the direction definitely comes from on high. he oversees it all from his 23rd-floor apartment/meeting place -- party space/de facto