Tech:NYC Digest: February 13

Tech:NYC Digest: February 13

February 13, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

Monday, February 13, 2023

In today’s digest, the future of vaccine mandates, 11 NYC authors up for the Gotham Book Prize, and the NYC neighborhoods benefitting from hybrid work. 

  • And we just opened registration for the next edition of our Cornell Tech @ Bloomberg series, featuring Esusu co-founder and co-CEO Wemimo Abbey. Register to join us Feb. 23 here.

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  • There are no plans to end statewide requirements for healthcare workers to be vaccinated for COVID-19, even as mask-wearing and other regulations are ending. (Spectrum News) Gov. Kathy Hochul says the ongoing vaccination requirement is consistent with federal policy set by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare.

  • Mayor Eric Adams announced a new Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education. The first-ever office will be directly housed at City Hall and responsible for fostering innovation in partnership with families, providers, and the private sector. (Chalkbeat)

  • And quick reminder: Tomorrow, Feb. 14, is the annual deadline to update or change your party affiliation on your voter registration. (Our tip: It’s especially important to make sure your registration is up to date — every NYC Council Member will be up for reelection this year.) Learn more here.

In other reading:

Here’s the story that’s been making the rounds today: Remote work is costing Manhattan at least $12 billion a year in lost spending from workers.

  • The average worker in Manhattan is spending $4,661 less per year on meals, shopping, and entertainment near their offices, according to a new study.

  • The drop in spending becomes lost tax revenue, says the city comptroller, which makes it harder for the city to invest in subways, schools, and other infrastructure needs.

Yes, but: These are Manhattan-specific — and even Manhattan central business district-specific — numbers. They reflect economic activity near workers’ offices, but not necessarily near their homes.

  • We added new updates to our research at the end of last year that found much of the city’s tech growth is not happening in the expected Midtown corridors. In fact, 42% of the city’s tech job growth over the last decade happened in Brooklyn.

  • Our research also found that, while a majority of tech jobs remain located in Manhattan, a third of all NYC tech workers live in Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island.

What we’re watching

: How pandemic-era notions on flexible work become longer-term patterns — to the benefit of outer-borough neighborhoods. Presumably, the tech workers who used to buy lunch near their offices are instead doing so at a spot near their homes. Over time, the economic impact of those shifts, at a neighborhood-level, could be a real boon.

MEMBER EVENT: Tech:NYC is hosting a special, members-only virtual briefing and conversation with Zach Iscol, Commissioner of the NYC Emergency Management Department, on Feb. 21. Commissioner Iscol has been leading the city’s response to the ongoing migrant crisis, and the tech community is getting involved to rally resources that welcome asylum seekers as permanent New Yorkers.Employees of all levels welcome: If you work at a Tech:NYC member company and would like to join, send us a note here and we’ll pass along the Zoom details.

  • C3, a NYC-based self-custodial exchange, raised $6 million in seed funding. Two Sigma Ventures led the round and was joined by Jane Street, Hudson River Trading, Flow Traders, Jump, DRW’s Cumberland, Golden Tree, CMS Holdings, AlphaLab Capital, and C² Ventures. (Insider)

  • Kasheesh, a NYC-based digital payment platform, raised $3.5 million in seed extension funding. Participating investors include Lil Baby, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, actor Robin Wright, Odell Beckham Jr, among others. (Businesswire)

  • February 15: In-person: Founders in Fintech: Opportunities & Challenges in 2023, with Percent CEO Nelson Chu, Accrue Savings CEO Michael Hershfield, and Canapi Ventures investor Mary Alex Smith. Hosted by Stacklist. Register here.

  • February 16: In-person: PrimeTime VC Live, with VSC Ventures general partner Jay Kapoor, m]x[v Capital founding principal Jay Estefani Castillo, irrvrntVC general partner Andrew Gluck, and others. Hosted by Barclays Rise New York. Register here.

  • February 21: Virtual: #notapitch: Unofficial Feedback on your Idea/Prototype from Brooklyn Bridge Ventures founding partner Charlie O’Donnell. Register here.

  • February 21: Virtual: Future Enterprise Software Founders AMA, with Work-Bench co-founder and general partner Jonathan Lehr. Register here.

  • February 22: In-person: Tech Founders & Builders Fireside Chat & Mixer, with Brooklyn Bridge Ventures founding partner Charlie O'Donnell. Register here.

  • February 23: In-person: Cornell Tech @ Bloomberg speaker series, with Esusu co-founder and co-CEO Wemimo Abbey. Hosted by Tech:NYC, Bloomberg, and Cornell Tech. Register here.

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