Tech:NYC Digest: February 2

Tech:NYC Digest: February 2

February 02, 2022 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Happy Groundhog Day (Punxsutawney Phil says six more weeks of winter, but Staten Island Chuck says an early spring). 🤷  In today’s digest, NYC DOE to increase COVID-19 testing, state legislature votes on updated congressional maps, and supporting your mental health at work.Was this digest forwarded to you? Subscribe here.

By the numbers:  

  • New positive cases statewide: 9,342

    • New positive cases, NYC: 3,226

  • NYC Positivity Rate: 4.0 percent (-0.3 percent) 

  • NYC Hospitalizations: 2,826 (-246)

  • Statewide Vaccine Progress: 

    • Percentage of all New Yorkers with least one dose: 87.6 percent

    • Percentage of all New Yorkers who are fully vaccinated: 74.2 percent

Today’s latest: 

  • Two years into the pandemic and despite wide availability of vaccines, the coronavirus is killing Americans at far higher rates than people in other wealthy nations. (New York Times)

  • The NYC Dept. of Education is ramping up safety measures ahead of the midwinter break. The city will increase testing starting next Monday to reach 10 percent of first through 12th graders, up to a cap of 250 students or 20 percent of the school’s unvaccinated population – whichever is larger – and 10 percent of interested staff. (Gothamist) 

  • The Omicron variant may be more infectious than its predecessors, but a CDC report confirms what researchers in other countries have found: vaccines and especially boosters provide solid protection against severe disease, hospitalization, and death. (New York Times)

  • For the electoral wonks among us: the state Assembly approved redrawn congressional map proposals today, and the Senate is expected to do the same. (Bloomberg)

    • If you’d like the highlights on the redistricting plan, THE CITY has a good rundown.

    • If you’d like to see how the district you live in could change, this mapping tool is handy.

In other reading:

Even with all the talk about the Great Resignation and worker burnout, mental health largely remains a taboo subject among coworkers, and many still find it difficult to bring it up with their bosses.

  • A 2019 study from BusinessSolver showed 68% of employees fear that seeking mental health care might jeopardize their job stability.

Protocol spoke to tech leaders, HR experts, and organizational psychologists for tips on how to destigmatize mental health in the workplace. Here’s some of what they said:

Preventative action is key: Before an employee needs to take disability leave for mental health or burnout, companies should take lots of preventative activities. 

  • Clinical psychologist Sherry Walling said that could mean efforts as small as incorporating mini meditations at the beginning of long meetings, or broader programs like employer-subsidized access to counselors or therapy sessions.

Give employees a stipend: Expanding (or adding) mental health benefits has become one way executives hope to retain their workers and keep them happy.

  • TaskRabbit provides its employees with access to two mental health apps — Ginger and Headspace — and CEO Ania Smith said it works with employees to accommodate “incremental time off, changing and working on a different project, changing their manager or their team or doing something completely differently.”

  • Phenom chief people officer Brad Goldoor said it began giving employees $1,000 stipends to spend on mental health after he noticed low utilization rates among its other mental health benefits.

Remove the shame of talking openly: Employees should be free to come to their supervisors with mental health problems and requests for accommodations without fear or shame. “This is something we have to start talking about from the top down,” said Calm chief people officer Scott Domann.

In other reading: 

  • Five Management Experts on the New Benefits Employers Could Offer To Make You Stay (Wall Street Journal)

  • These companies seem immune from the Great Resignation. Here’s why (Fast Company)

  • Do Your Diversity Initiatives Promote Assimilation Over Inclusion? (Harvard Business Review)

  • CertifyOS, a New York City-based healthcare credentialing and licensing startup, raised $4.6 million in seed funding. Upfront Ventures led the round and was joined by Max Ventures, Arkitekt Ventures, Goldline Ventures, and Hustle Fund. (AlleyWatch)

  • Crisp, a New York City-based open-data commerce platform for the consumer goods industry, raised $35 million in Series B funding. 3L led the round and was joined by FirstMark Capital, Spring Capital, 9Yards Capital, Gaingels, and a group of individuals. (TechCrunch)

  • Jasper Health, a New York City-based cancer care navigation and experience platform, raised $25 million in Series A funding. General Catalyst led the round and was joined by Human Capital, W Health Ventures, Redesign Health, and 7wireVentures.(FinSMEs)

  • Neura Health, a New York City-based virtual neurology clinic, raised $2.2 million in seed funding. Pear VC, Next Play Ventures, and Global Founders Capital co-led the round and were joined by Index Ventures and Norwest Venture Partners. (BusinessWire)

  • Torii, a New York City-based automated SaaS management platform, raised $50 million in Series B funding. Tiger Global led the round and was joined by insiders Wing VC, GFC, Uncork Capital, Entree Capital, and Scopus Ventures. (TechCrunch)

NextView is accepting applications for its Everyday Economy Accelerator program. The program is seeking consumer and SaaS B2B startups at the pre-seed and seed stage, offering $400K access to NextView’s investor, operator, and extended advisor network. Learn more and apply by Feb. 14 here.Interact is accepting applications for its 2022 fellowship program. The Interact Fellowship is open to young technologists interested in participating in two fully-sponsored summer retreats with other founders, engineers, community builders, and more, as well as access to grants programs and VC partners. Learn more and apply by Feb. 15 here.The Transit Tech Lab is accepting applications for its 2022 program. The lab, which supports growth-stage companies with solutions for improving NYC’s public transit system, provides the opportunity to pilot their tools with the MTA and other leading transit agencies. Learn more and apply by March 25 here.Y Combinator is accepting applications for its Summer 2022 cohort. The program will be all-virtual with optional in-person opportunities, and accepted companies will receive $500K in total investments. Learn more and apply by March 31 here.Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA) is accepting applications for its Summer 2022 program. Selected companies participate in a four-month program and receive $100K in investments, with the potential for follow-on funding from ERA’s Fund. Learn more and apply by April 25 here.

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