Tech:NYC Digest: April 26

Tech:NYC Digest: April 26

April 26, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

Tuesday, April 25, 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 today 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.

  • 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)

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

Recent waves of layoffs across the tech sector haven’t dented pay for internships at those companies, writes Fast Company.

  • New data from Glassdoor took the base pay that companies’ interns reported, averaged their salaries, and created a list of the top-paying internships programs. 16 of the top 25 are tech companies. 

Speaking of internships: We know a lot of students — 2,000 of them actually — who’d be happy to take those roles!

  • Yesterday, Tech:NYC hosted the annual NYC Computer Science Opportunity Fair (CS Fair) to connect 2,000 NYC high school students with dozens of tech companies, universities, and nonprofit programs helping New Yorkers kickstart their careers in tech.

  • The Fair featured the same arena full of startup booths everyone looks forward to, and this year, a special emerging tech zone offered help students get deeper experiences with AI, blockchain, and the metaverse.

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

This year, the Fair was fully back in-person for the first time since the pandemic began and the excitement was evident — 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! 

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)

  • 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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