Tech:NYC Digest: January 21

Tech:NYC Digest: January 21

January 21, 2022 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

Friday, January 21, 2022

Happy Friday, the day it officially begins hitting sunset after 5pm (it’s the little things). In today’s digest, state positivity rate drops below 10 percent, how to make a winter trip to Governors Island, and tech leaders’ tips for promoting company culture in a hybrid world.

Was this digest forwarded to you? Subscribe here.

By the numbers: 

  • New positive cases statewide: 28,296

    • New positive cases, NYC: 12,275

  • NYC Positivity Rate: 10.5 percent (-1.0 percent)

  • NYC Hospitalizations: 5,371 (-344)

  • Statewide Vaccine Progress: 

    • Percentage of all New Yorkers with least one dose: 86.7 percent 

    • Percentage of all New Yorkers who are fully vaccinated: 73.4 percent

Today’s latest: 

  • Gov. Hochul announced today that the state's single-day positivity rate was below 10 percent for the first time since Dec. 20. (ABC New York) Infections in NYC have dropped 46 percent in the last week.

    • NYC Dept. of Health published data today including the peak of the Omicron wave, and it finds unvaccinated New Yorkers are 18 times more likely to be hospitalized than the vaccinated (which is to say: the variant didn’t render vaccination less effective).

  • New analysis of wastewater samples indicate Omicron was likely present in NYC more than a week before the first case of the variant was detected in the US. (New York Times)

  • Mayor Adams announced a plan to redesign 1,000 city intersections to improve traffic and pedestrian safety. The plan includes constructing new raised crosswalks and building more bike corrals, and increasing enforcement against drivers and cyclists who fail to yield to pedestrians. (Gothamist)

  • Beginning Monday, the NYC Ferry will offer year-round, daily service to Governors Island on the South Brooklyn route after the island announced it would open year-round for the first time in history. (Brooklyn Eagle) Bundle up and take a trip to the Winter Village!

In other reading:

  • Does your child need to isolate? Can I use an at-home test on a baby? Your parenting questions answered. (Washington Post)

  • Two Restaurant Critics, Two Perspectives on Indoor Dining (New York Times)

  • Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell: There will never be a post-COVID world (CNBC)

Creating a successful company culture is hard even when employees are together in person, and as the pandemic’s two-year anniversary creeps up, companies are still trying new ways to adjust to the hybrid workplace. 

Protocol spoke to several tech and business leaders about how building company culture has changed from in-office to hybrid environments. Here’s some of what they said:

Qualtrics chief people officer Julia Anas said that before the pandemic, they had a strong in-person culture with 91 percent of employees working in physical offices. It has since hired another 1,500 people during the pandemic, and keeping employees connected through that growth has been a top priority:

  • “Pair experience data — what your employees are thinking and feeling — with operational data — how they are performing — to design and continuously improve work experiences. We want to get it right, not be right.”

Asana chief operating officer Anne Raimondi said the company thinks about building and nurturing culture the same way it thinks about building and nurturing products. The launch of Gradient, an ERG to serve communities of color; “no meeting Wednesdays,” and “flexible Fridays” are some of the outputs of that process: 

  • “We look to design the best possible culture for our employees to thrive by testing and measuring programs that support growth and impact, while learning and iterating as the remote work environment rapidly changes,” she said.

Mastercard chief people officer Michael Fraccaro launched Unlocked, a digital platform that allows employees to connect with one another and learn about internal opportunities such as short-term projects, mentorship, and volunteering.

  • “The shift to virtual has amplified the importance of agility in learning. Our ability to adapt to a rapid pace of change is essential and requires us to be intentional about learning. We see continual learning as a skill and this platform allows Mastercard to challenge traditional ways of working that encourages a curious mindset.”

In other reading: 

  • How to Mentor Young Workers in a Remote World (The Atlantic)

  • Four-day weeks and the freedom to move anywhere: Companies are rewriting the future of work (again) (Washington Post)

  • 5 Questions Every Manager Needs to Ask Their Direct Reports (Harvard Business Review)

  • Anonybit, a New York City and Tel Aviv-based decentralized biometrics company, raised $3.5 million in seed funding. Switch Ventures led the round and was joined by NextGen Venture Partners, Industry Ventures, Preceptor Capital, and angel investors. (VentureBeat)

  • Diversio, a New York City-based AI-enabled DEI platform, raised $6.5 million in Series A funding. Investors included First Round Capital, Golden Ventures, and Chandaria Family Holdings. (VentureBeat)

  • HugePOD, a New York City-based print-on-demand design and manufacturing company, raised $40 million in Series B funding. Joyy led the round and was joined by Engage Capital, Source Code Capital, and ZhenFund. (Newswire)

  • StrongArm Technologies, a Brooklyn-based developer of industrial wearable protective technology, raised $5 million in Series B funding. Drive Capital led the round. (Forbes)

  • ValueBlue, a New York City-based SaaS solution for the digital transformation market, raised $11 in Series B funding. Octopus Ventures and Newion co-led the round and were joined by ABN AMRO. (Newswire)

  • January 25: Virtual: The Future of Community, with Flybridge Capital and Community Fund VC general partner Jesse Middleton. Register here.

  • January 26: Virtual: Tech Regulation is Coming. How Does Big Tech Respond?, with Microsoft chief privacy officer Julie Brill, TechNet president and CEO Linda Moore, Consumer Reports director of privacy and technology policy Justin Brookman, and others. Hosted by Protocol. Register here. 

  • February 1: Virtual: Hospitality in the Digital Age, with Olo founder and CEO Noah Glass. Hosted by Savills. Register here.

  • February 2: Virtual: Reality+ from the Matrix to the Metaverse, with author and NYU Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness director David Chalmers. Hosted by NYC Media Lab. Register here.

A true only-in-New-York story: SNL cast members Pete Davidson and Colin Jost were revealed to be the buyers of a decommissioned Staten Island ferry boat at auction. Both comedians were born and raised in Staten Island and have plans to turn the boat into a live entertainment and event space.

Until it’s ready, there’s actually

to do (and delicious food to eat) in Staten Island too!

Any feedback or suggestions of things to add? Get in touch here. Was this digest forwarded to you? Sign up to receive it directly here.