Tech:NYC Digest: April 29

Tech:NYC Digest: April 29

April 29, 2022 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

Friday, April 29, 2022 

In today’s digest, a new date is set for congressional and state Senate primary elections, Citi Bike to roll out upgraded e-bikes next week, and meet this month’s climate-conscious NYC Companies to Watch. 

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By the numbers:  

  • New positive cases statewide: 8,435

    • New positive cases, NYC: 2,749

  • NYC Positivity Rate: 4.0 percent (-0.2 percent)

  • Statewide Vaccine Progress: 

    • New Yorkers with at least one dose: 90.1 percent

    • New Yorkers who are fully vaccinated: 76.8 percent 

In today’s latest:

  • A top FDA official said today that Moderna’s vaccine for children under five is under review and could become available as soon as June. (Washington Post)

  • Jonathan Cervas, a postdoctoral fellow at Carnegie Mellon University, has been tasked with drawing new district lines for the state Senate and Congress by May 20. However, questions remain regarding changes to the electoral schedule — and everyone mostly just remains confused. (Gothamist)

    • A State Supreme Court judge set August 23 as the new primary date for congressional and state Senate races. (Associated Press)

  • A City Council bill introduced yesterday would require the city to identify one location per ZIP code in which to open a public restroom. (amNY)

  • Citi Bike’s new e-bike model is expected to arrive at docking stations beginning next week. The new pedal-assist models have greater battery life, a wider seat range, new LCD screens, and retroreflective paint to be more visible to car headlights at night. (Gothamist)

In other reading:

  • Are We in the Middle of an Invisible COVID Wave? No one’s actually sure. (The Atlantic)

  • How the state’s new finance regulator is approaching the booming crypto scene (Crain’s New York)

  • Bellucci vs. Bellucci: New York’s next great pizza feud is here. (Grub Street)

We’re closing out Earth Month, and during this time every year, we take a fresh look at the climate threats facing NYC. Frankly, things remain just as dire. 

  • But, according to the most recent UN report, reversing the most severe impacts is still doable — but only if we act now.

Here in NYC, government leaders have rolled out ambitious plans on everything from carbon-neutral high-rise buildings to electric bus fleets to coastal flooding protections. But they’ll need tech partners to help. 

For the latest edition of our Companies to Watch series, we talked to a handful of founders who are building some of these solutions for everyday New Yorkers and the city alike. Among them:

  • Gravity Mobility founder and CEO Moshe Cohen is turning parking garage spaces into EV fast-charging hubs to eliminate carbon emissions caused by traffic;

  • Hydronomy co-founder and CEO Brittany Kendrick is building off-grid, solar-powered devices that create clean drinking water out of thin air for households in underserved neighborhoods;

  • Generation Conscious founder and CEO Greg “GL” Genco is developing hygienic products that help you replenish everyday household items without using plastic, water, or excess waste.  

And ICYMI: our own Jason Myles Clark joined Reps. Ritchie Torres and Yvette D. Clarke to share one big idea to advance New York’s green revolution: Ensuring EV infrastructure investments first benefit communities disproportionately impacted by transit deserts and traffic fumes. Read more here.

In other reading:

  • Kard, a NYC-based credit card rewards startup for fintechs, raised $23 million in Series A funding. Tiger Global led the round and was joined by Fin Capital, s12f, Underscore VC, and a group of angel investors. (TechCrunch)

  • Loris, a NYC-based conversational AI customer support software provider, raised $12 million in Series A funding. Bow Capital led the round and was joined by ServiceNow Ventures, as well as insiders Floodgate and Vertex Ventures. (Newswire)

  • Sealed, a NYC-based home weatherization and electrification company, raised $29.5 million in Series B funding. Fifth Wall led the round and was joined by Robert Downey Jr.'s FootPrint Coalition, CityRock, Cyrus, and KeyFrame Capital, among others. (TechCrunch)

  • Union Square Ventures, a NYC-based venture capital firm, has raised $275 million for a new core VC fund and $350 million for an opportunity fund. (USV)

  • May 3: Virtual: Understanding the Crypto Hype, with Haun Ventures chief policy officer Tomicah Tillemann, Circle chief strategy officer Dante Disparte, and others. Hosted by Axios. Register here.

  • May 4: Virtual: The Future of New York series, with Tech:NYC executive director Jason Myles Clark and Capalino president Travis Terry. Hosted by Capalino. Register here.

  • May 5: Virtual: Tech regulation beyond big tech, with Consumer Technology Association SVP Michael Petricone, Small Business Majority director Awesta Sarkash, and others. Hosted by Protocol. Register here.

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