Tech:NYC Digest: April 26

Tech:NYC Digest: April 26

April 26, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

In today’s digest, the state budget approaches the finish line, how to plan your SummerStage lineup, and the citywide CS Fair returns to kickstart tech careers for 2,000 NYC students.

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  • In state budget news: a fifth extension was passed as negotiations continue, but Gov. Hochul said she expects to wrap it up by the end of this week. (State of Politics) 

    • A few climate and environment-related issues are being finalized, as well as an expansion of charter schools, but the governor’s landmark housing plan will likely get separate negotiations later this year.

  • A new study found that NYC’s air is “as clean as it’s ever been,” but some neighborhoods with more industrial areas or high-traffic roadways are still exposed to much more pollution than their neighbors. (Gothamist)

  • COVID cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are now the lowest they’ve been since March 2020. Some experts weighed in about how to think about personal risk now — and what the future likely holds. (New York Times)

  • Parks in all five boroughs will host more than 80 free shows and performances this summer, including multiple special events dedicated to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. See the full lineup here.

In other reading:

  • NYC’s Most Impossible Tables (Grub Street)

  • Here are the winners of the 2023 Gotham Book Prize (Time Out New York)

  • Talking to the Ant Guy About Peak NYC Ant Season (Curbed)

Ten years ago, a small group of people in the NYC computer science education community put on a “mock job fair” for high school students taking CS classes in NYC public schools.

Fast forward to yesterday: The fair lives on, returning fully in-person after three years of modified formats. Tech:NYC hosted the NYC Computer Science Opportunity Fair (CS Fair) to connect 2,000 NYC high school students with dozens of tech companies, universities, and nonprofit programs committed to helping New Yorkers kickstart their careers in tech.

  • It featured the same arena packed with the startup booths everyone anticipates, and this year, a special emerging tech zone offered students deeper experiences with AI, blockchain, and the metaverse.

  • NYC Dept. of Education Chancellor David Banks was also on hand to meet the students and himself participate in some of the activations companies brought!

Why it matters: Tech jobs are the jobs of the future. We talk about that often at Tech:NYC, and even in light of recent waves of layoffs across the sector, NYC companies are doubling down on homegrown talent to provide upwardly-mobile career opportunities for all New Yorkers.

  • New data from Glassdoor found that the 16 of the top 25 highest-paying internship programs for students and young graduates are at tech companies.

And after yesterday’s event, we know 2,000 more students who’d be excited to take those roles!

A big shout-out to many of the Tech:NYC member companies who supported the Fair this year: Etsy, Justworks, Kickstarter, Warby Parker, Microsoft, Google, and Uniswap, to name a few. The CS Fair is always a cornerstone event for the NYC tech community every year. We’re looking forward to (and already planning) next year’s event!

Read more: Our chairman Fred Wilson (who's also a founder of CSforALL) wrote more about the event here.

In other reading:

  • Generative AI can help with mundane tasks too (Axios)

  • 5 Ways to Future-Proof Your Career in the Age of AI (Harvard Business Review)

  • What Young Workers Miss Without the ‘Power of Proximity’ (New York Times)

  • Credora, a NYC-based decentralized finance lending infrastructure provider, raised $6 million in new funding. S&P Global and Coinbase Ventures led the round.

  • Katmai, a NYC-based metaverse communications platform, raised $22 million in Series A funding. Starr Insurance Companies led the round.

  • Summer, a NYC-based student debt repayment tool, raised $6 million in Series A extension funding. Participating investors include General Catalyst, QED, Flourish Ventures, Partnership Fund for NYC, Story Ventures, Gaingels, Calm VC and Avidbank.

  • YELO Funding, a NYC-based college financing solution platform, raised $1.2 million in pre-seed funding. Participating investors include a group of angels.

  • April 27: Virtual: Mock Term Sheet Negotiation, with Culina Health co-founders Vanessa Rissetto and Steven Kuyan, Goodwin partner Jesse Nevarez, Graham & Walker CEO Leslie Feinzaig, and others. Hosted by the NYU Tandon Data Future Lab. Register here.

  • May 3: In-person: How to Validate Your MVP, with Interplay partner Phuong Ireland, Work-Bench investor Daniel Chesley, and Innovatemap CEO Mike Reynolds. Hosted by Innovatemap. Register here.

  • May 3: In-person: The State of AI in NYC, with Bloomberg head of ML Gideon Mann, Every & Lex CEO Dan Shipper, and Costanoa Ventures investor Madison Hawkinson. Hosted by New York AI and Company Ventures. Register here.

  • May 10: In-person: Climate Change: Politics, Policy, and Opportunity in New York, with Spring Street Climate Fund president John Raskin. Hosted by Betaworks. Register here.

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