Tech:NYC Digest: July 27

Tech:NYC Digest: July 27

July 27, 2022 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

Wednesday, July 27, 2022 

In today’s digest, why COVID hospitalizations are inching back up, NYC congestion pricing gets one step closer, and New York’s quest to be the chip capital of the country.

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By the numbers:  

  • New positive cases statewide: 7,338  

    • New positive cases, NYC: 4,021

  • NYC Positivity Rate (Daily): 8.3%

    • NYC Positivity Rate (7-Day Average): 8.4%

In today’s latest: 

  • The BA.5 variant now accounts for an estimated 82% of all COVID cases in New York, and its greater resistance to the vaccine is pushing numbers in the wrong direction. (NBC New York)

    • New York's COVID hospitalization rate is at a five-month high, fueled largely by case spikes in NYC and Long Island.

  • The MTA announced a plan to provide cell service in tunnels between subway stations and to expand Wi-Fi connectivity to its above-ground and Staten Island Railway stations. (Gothamist)

  • The MTA today appointed a new board that will be tasked with implementing its congestion pricing plan in NYC. The agency is anticipating US Dept. of Transportation approval for the plan next month. (amNewYork)

  • NYC is launching NYCBenefits, an initiative meant to consolidate several social service programs across government agencies to connect eligible New Yorkers to low-cost health insurance, rental and direct cash assistance, food programs, and other government benefits. (amNewYork)

In other reading:

  • A Trip to Spaghetti Park in Rapper-Turned-Restauranter Despot’s New York (Grub Street)

  • Extreme Weather Is Soaking New York City. Community Gardens Can Help. (New York Times)

This afternoon the US Senate passed a $280 billion plan to spur chip manufacturing in the US. (Axios)

  • The bill aims to reverse a long-term decline in domestic manufacturing of the computer chips that go into smartphones, refrigerators, and plenty of other everyday items.

  • It includes at least $52 billion in funding for US companies producing the actual computer chips, but also for those creating advanced manufacturing solutions more broadly. (CNBC)

The global supply chain comes to New York: The chip shortage is a wonky problem that gets wrapped up in complicated international supply chain issues, but New York preempted federal action on chips production.

  • Last month, New York State lawmakers passed a Green CHIPS program — to the tune of $10 billion in incentives — that situates New York as the national hub for the semiconductor industry, as well as the thousands of manufacturing jobs it will create.

  • The same challenge is being tackled in NYC: Mayor Eric Adams recently named an Industrial Working Group, chaired by Limor Fried, founder and CEO of Adafruit Industries (and Tech:NYC member!), to chart how these efforts can not only solve the chips shortage crisis, but deliver broader economic impact for the city.

New York’s own Senator Chuck Schumer: “This once-in-a-generation federal investment can fundamentally reshape the New York economy with new microchip manufacturing, the building of new regional tech hubs, support for New York entrepreneurs and research at our renowned universities and laboratories.”

Our takeaway: New York is in a unique position to line up city, state, and federal action on a shared goal. Taking advantage of that position only fortifies the state’s position as the hub for this industry — and a national leader solving global problems. 

In other reading:

  • How to build a cozy but productive home office even if you’re a hybrid workers (Fast Company)

  • How AugX Labs CEO Jeremy Toeman decided not to pivot (Protocol)

  • Working Through Your On-Camera Meeting Anxiety (Harvard Business Review)

  • Datch, a New York-based voice-first AI solutions provider for industrial operations, raised $10 million in Series A funding. Blackhorn Ventures led the round and was joined by Blue Bear Capital, Boeing Horizon X, Stage Venture Partners, and Plug and Play. (Businesswire)

  • Guava, a Brooklyn-based banking and networking platform for Black entrepreneurs, raised $2.4 million in pre-seed funding. Heron Rock led the round and was joined by Ruthless for Good Fund, Precursor Ventures, Backstage Capital, and a group of angels. (TechCrunch)

  • PixieBrix, a New York-based web interface customization and automation platform, raised $5.4 million in Series A funding. New Enterprise Associates led the round, (FinSMEs)

  • Shypyard, a New York-based e-commerce business planning tools maker, raised $3 million in seed funding. Gradient Ventures led the round and was joined by Liquid 2 Ventures, Position Ventures, and a group of angels. (TechCrunch)

  • Spotnana, a New York-based corporate travel management software company, raised $75 million in Series D funding. Durable Capital led the round and was joined by Madrona, ICONIQ Growth, Mubadala Capital, and Blank Ventures. (TechCrunch)

  • July 28: Virtual: How employers are adapting to a post-Roe America, with Maven founder and CEO Kate Ryder and chief medical officer Dr. Neel Shah. Hosted by Maven. Register here.

  • July 28: In-person: The Applied Urban Science Conference, with Numina co-founder and CEO Tara Pham, The GovLab co-founder Stefaan Verhulst, and others. Hosted by NYU Tandon’s Center for Urban Science + Progress. Register here.

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