February 2021 monthly newsletter

Making tech inclusive year-round

February 26, 2021 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

One of the things I love most about New York’s tech sector is that the people who work in it — including its founders — are New Yorkers first and foremost. New Yorkers are the most diverse group on the planet, and at Tech:NYC we think it’s crucial that our ecosystem reflect the diversity of the city at large.We’ve made some good progress on that front, but we still have a long way to go. This month, we spoke about the importance of diversity with Jarrid Tingle, co-founder and managing partner of Harlem Capital. Tingle pointed out a sobering statistic during our discussion: women and people of color receive just four percent of total VC funding — which is an improvement from where that number stood a few years ago. There is no doubt our industry needs to do more on diversity, a sentiment echoed by the Black founders and entrepreneurs we profiled in our latest Companies to Watch feature.The push includes making computer science education and tech skills training more accessible to communities of color. Girls Who Code, Per Scholas, Pursuit, and The Knowledge House are just some of the NYC-based organizations leading this work. Their programs deserve our support, especially as they will no doubt help many New Yorkers navigate the post-pandemic economy.Black History Month is a good opportunity to take stock on how we’re doing to build a more inclusive tech sector — and workforce more broadly — but that work doesn’t stop when the month ends. We look forward to continuing the work on those issues year-round.Julie

For the latest episode of Talk:NYC, Julie talked with New York Times metro reporter Dana Rubinstein on the race for NYC’s next mayor. You can stream that chat — and revisit all our previous episodes — here and on all streaming platforms. 

In honor of Black History Month, we talked to a group of Black founders about the companies they’re building in NYC and how to support a more diverse tech ecosystem. Get their thoughts in this month's edition of Companies to Watch here.

  • Base, at at-home lab testing maker and digital tracking app, raised $3.4MM in seed funding. (Details)

  • BlocPower, a provider of energy efficiency solutions for urban buildings, raised a $63MM Series A. (Details)

  • Bowery Farming, a modern farming company using automation and machine learning to grow plants, gave a unique inside look into its R&D facility just outside the city. Watch here.

  • CLEAR, a provider of security identity solutions, raised $100MM in new funding. (Details)

  • Codecademy, a provider of coding classes, raised a $40MM Series D. (Details)

  • Google announced it will provide 100,000 Black women with career development and digital skills training by spring 2022. Learn more here.

  • Helbiz, the scooter and bike company, is going public via a SPAC. (Details) 

  • HowGood, a SaaS sustainability database for the food and personal care industries, raised $6MM. (Details)

  • Primary Venture Partners announced its third fund — and largest to date — committing more than $200M to NYC-based founders and startups. Learn more here.

  • Revel announced it’s opening one of NYC’s largest hubs for quickly charging electric vehicles in Brooklyn, as well as launching a new e-bike subscription program for NYC residents.

  • Rhino, an insurtech company focused on rent and security deposits, raised $95MM in new funding. (Details)

  • Rho, a business banking platform, raised a $15MM Series A. (Details)

  • Ro, a digital health tech company, announced a partnership with medtech company Gauss to expand access nationwide to rapid at-home COVID-19 tests that can be self-administered and produce results in minutes. Learn more here.

  • Splice, a music creation platform, raised $55MM in new financing. (Details)

New York State is seeking feedback from business leaders on both the near-term and longer term economic implications of remote work. Please complete this short survey if you’re able to share your company’s current remote work and/or return-to-office plans. Responses are confidential and anonymous.Are you looking to expand your company’s engineering team and bring on virtual interns for Summer 2021? The Tech Talent Pipeline Residency (TTPR) is a city-funded, paid internship program that connects high-achieving CUNY Computer Science students to businesses looking to host engineering interns. TTPR is a three-month program designed to connect local employers and provide on-the-job experience to competitive undergraduates. If you are interested in hosting interns or learning more about the program, reach out here.Village Global is opening up applications for its accelerator program to founders regardless of location. Formation stage companies get 12 weeks of intensive support, weekly mentorship from a matched sector expert, and funding. Preview the application questions here. Applications are accepted here on a rolling basis, but the early application deadline is Feb. 3 while the final deadline is March 1.Newlab has launched its 2021 Open Call season, inviting entrepreneurs, engineers, and inventors to submit applications to participate in one of four Newlab Innovation Studios: 5G Studio, Accessible Streets Studio, Prospect Mining Studio, and Mobility Studio. The studios provide access to leading industry experts, but also grant funding and on-site prototyping resources. Application deadlines vary by studio; learn more here.

March 3: Virtual: How the Big Apple Will Regain its Shine, with Sidewalk Labs Chairman and CEO Dan Doctoroff. Hosted by Crain’s New York. (Details)March 9: Virtual: Combatting Authoritarian Tech, with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Higher Ground Labs, Numina, and more. Hosted by NYC Tandon Data Future Lab. (Details)March 11: Virtual: Mapping the Tech Exodus, with sf.citi executive director Jennifer Stojkovic and Tech:NYC executive director Julie Samuels. Hosted by sf.citi. (Details)March 16: Virtual: A Conversation with Lisa Lewin, CEO of General Assembly. Hosted by Tech:NYC, Cornell Tech, and Bloomberg. (Save the date!)March 24: Virtual: Springboard’s Dolphin Tank: PropTech, in partnership with Sterling Risk. Apply to pitch by March 2. (Details)

A warm welcome to our newest members: 

  • Accelent: Executive search and accelerated talent integration services to early and mature stage software, digital media and e-commerce companies.

  • Bindle Systems: An easy, safe way to carry a digital copy of your COVID-19 test results and vaccine records and turn them into entry passes that can get you into places you want to go.

  • blindnet, inc.: Integrated data protection technologies into your system design.

  • Bowery Farming: A modern farming company reimagining what a flavorful future tastes like.

  • Playback Health, Inc.: A clinical multimedia creation and communication platform. 

  • Rubicon: a software company providing full-service waste management, recycling, and smart city technology solutions.

If you’ve been thinking about joining Tech:NYC as a member, now’s the time. Check out our membership page, and let us know if you have any questions.