Tech:NYC Digest: December 5

Tech:NYC Digest: December 5

December 05, 2022 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

Monday, December 5, 2022

In today’s digest, how the flu started spreading while you weren’t looking, 39 reasons to love New York right now, and companies are serious about their RTO plans in 2023.

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  • The worst flu in more than a decade has left nearly every state (yes, including New York) with high levels of flu activity. Flu-connected hospital admissions over Thanksgiving weekend almost doubled over the previous week. (Axios)

    • Our reminder: New Yorkers can book an appointment to get the flu and COVID-19 booster vaccines at the same time. Find a site here.

  • Legal weed isn’t yet coming to a storefront near you — but cannabis delivery service could soon jumpstart adult-use product sales. Selected operators could start delivery services even before they are permitted to open storefront locations. (THE CITY)

  • The MTA unveiled a plan to overhaul Brooklyn’s bus network with the goal of speeding up commutes. The plan includes doubling the number of express routes and increasing service to LIRR connection stops. (NY1)

  • After a successful first weekend, Fifth Avenue, from 48th to 57th Streets, will continue to go car-free throughout the month for the first time in a half-century. Eleven city blocks will be open to pedestrians in December — the city’s largest-ever holiday season-specific Open Street — for the next two Saturdays. (NBC New York)

In other reading:

  • 39 Reasons to Love New York Right Now (Curbed)

  • The Best Shows to See in New York City This Winter (Bloomberg)

  • Williamsburg Has the Best Pizza in the World (Grub Street)

We’ve reached the end of the year, and most New Yorkers still prefer to WFH — at least most of the week. Their employers, however, not so much.

What’s new: Remote jobs remain in high demand, but as employers start calling employees back to their offices, fewer and fewer are being advertised that allow remote work. (Axios)

  • While 50% of applications submitted on LinkedIn are for remote positions, only 15% of job postings on LinkedIn advertise flexible work, according to a recent report. 

“It’s the ‘great remote work mismatch,’” said Rand Ghayad, head of economics and global labor markets at LinkedIn, told the Washington Post. 

  • “In the past, labor mismatches have been about skills. Now we’re seeing a different kind of mismatch, where workers are looking for jobs that offer certain attributes — like the ability to work remotely — that employers aren’t willing to offer.”

WFH out of necessity has now turned into a desire to keep WFH, which has led to a tug-of-war between what employees want and what companies are prepared to give them. But as the labor market shows signs of cooling, the balance of power is starting to shift back to employers.

Our takeaway: As we head into 2023, we'll be watching for employers to draw a harder line in the sand when it comes to in-person office time.

In other reading:

  • 645 Ventures, a NYC-based early-stage VC firm, raised $195 million for its Fund IV and $153 million for an inaugural Select Fund focused on growth-stage investments. (Forbes)

  • HYPR, a NYC-based passwordless authentication provider, raised $25 million in Series C funding. Advent International led the round and was joined by insiders .406 Ventures, RRE Ventures, Top Tier Capital, and Comcast Ventures. (Businesswire)

  • Lumen, a NYC-based metabolic health company, raised $62 million in Series B funding. Pitango Venture Capital led the round and was joined by Hanwha Group, Resolute Ventures, RiverPark Ventures, Unorthodox Ventures, Almeda Capital, and Disruptive VC. (TechCrunch)

  • December 6: In-person: Getting Ready to Raise in 2023, with Zeal Capital Partners senior associate Evelysse Vargas and Lakehouse Ventures general partner John Neamonitis. Hosted by Brooklyn Bridge Ventures. Register here.

  • December 8: In-person: Government Modernization Summit 2022, with NYC chief efficiency officer Melanie La Rocca, Port Authority of NY & NJ executive director Rick Cotton, CityBridge CEO Nick Colvin, and more. Hosted by City & State. Register here.

  • December 13: In-person and virtual: December Fundraising Workshop, with Greycroft partner Ellie Wheeler. Hosted by Silicon Valley Bank. Register here.

  • December 15: In-person: Hardware Holiday Party, a casual gathering to celebrate the NYC hardware community. Hosted by Newlab, informal, and NY Hardware Meetup. Register here.

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