Tech:NYC Digest: June 30

Tech:NYC Digest: June 30

June 30, 2022 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

Thursday, June 30, 2022 

In today’s digest, new boosters for covid-19 subvariants coming this fall; vaccines for monkeypox coming to NYC this weekend; a new, history making, Supreme Court Justice is sworn in; and celebrate the last day of Pride by reading about LGBQT+ founders who are building their companies here in NYC. Was this digest forwarded to you? Subscribe here. 

By the numbers:  

  • New positive cases statewide: 5,818

    • New positive cases, NYC: 3,278

  • NYC Positivity Rate: 4.9% (7-day average) ; 8.4% (prior day)

  • Statewide Vaccine Progress:

    • New Yorkers with at least one dose: 90.9 percent

    • New Yorkers who are fully vaccinated: 77.7 percent

In today’s latest: 

  • Beginning this fall, vaccine makers will begin rolling out covid-19 boosters that are better tailored to combat omicron (and subsequent) variants, which make up the vast majority of cases nationwide. The announcement comes two days after experts voted in favor of the approach, and signals that FDA is trying to be more nimble in their approach to fight and treat covid-19. (Washington Post) 

  • And, beginning today, the city will offer the antiviral treatment Paxlovid at mobile testing sites throughout the city. NYC’s mobile testing units will be the first in the United States that will allow those who test positive for covid-19 to immediately receive free antiviral treatments. (New York Times) 

  • Ketanji Brown Jackson made history as the first Black woman and the first public defender to join the U.S. Supreme Court. (New York Magazine)

  • Simultaneously, the Supreme Court handed down a decision that limits the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate carbon emissions. In response, the United Nations warned that the ruling could delay internationally agreed-upon climate goals.

  • As if the last week hasn’t been enough… New York city has become a hotspot for monkeypox. In order to combat the rising number of cases, the city plans to distribute 8,000 vaccine doses. (New York Times)

In other reading

:

  • You can dine on Radio City Music Hall’s private rooftop this July (Time Out New York)

  • The Wild History of the Real ‘Only Murders’ Building (New York Times)

  • Adams administration pledges to fix bathroom crisis (Crains New York)

Pride was back in full force in 2022 — and infused with a new sense or urgency. Just as Pride Weekend was getting underway in NYC, the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion and signaled other consitutional liberties could be next.

  • Read Tech:NYC’s full statement in response to the ruling here.

New York officials responded quickly, but the tech community reacted just as swiftly, using the moment to

to inclusive reproductive health care.

  • Several Tech:NYC members, including Accenture, Amazon, BuzzFeed, Google, Lyft, Meta, Salesforce, Uber, Vimeo, and Zillow have joined dozens of those companies to cover expenses for employees who live in locations where they must travel to access abortion care.

  • New York-headquartered companies, being in a state where abortion is codified in state law, are reponding by reevaluating their benefits plans to ensure they’re gender and LGBTQ-inclusive, with many commiting to expanding coverage for abortion, fertility, and other reproductive services.

But action isn’t limited to the largest tech employers — each June, Tech:NYC profiles a group of the most exciting LGBTQ+ early-stage startup founders to celebrate Pride Month. When the Supreme Court’s ruling was released, we circled back to them to ask how they’re responding to this moment, what’s next for their companies, and of course, how they’re celebrating Pride. 

To round out Pride Month, this month’s NYC Companies to Watch are:

  • Ruth Health, a telehealth hub and care platform providing birthing people and their families;

  • Pico, the operating system for online creators and their businesses;

  • RebelMouse, a cloud-based CMS powering websites for the world’s most recognized brands and media companies;

  • RealBlocks, a platform providing solutions to alternative asset managers and investors;

  • We Are the New Farmers, an indoor, urban farm growing the next generation of sustainable food.

Read the full interviews with this month’s NYC Companies to Watch here.In other reading:

  • How the Rest of the World is Doing RTO? (The Atlantic)

  • Threat of criminal charges changes health plans’ abortion considerations (Axios)

  • For some workers, office mandates aren’t just a pain. They’re harmful. (Washington Post)

  • April, a NYC-based personal income tax platform, raised $30 million in Series A funding. Treasury led the round and was joined by QED Investors, Nyca Partners, Team8, Euclidean Capital, and Atento Capital. (TechCrunch)

  • PolySign, a NYC and Oakland-based digital asset infrastructure development company for financial institutions, raised $53 million in Series C funding. Participating investors include Cowen Digital, Brevan Howard, GSR, and others. (CoinDesk)

  • Stake, a NYC-based provider of cash back and banking services to renters, raised $12 million in Series A funding. RET Ventures led the round and was joined by Enterprise Community Partners, Hometeam Ventures, Operator Stack, Second Century Ventures, Shadow Ventures, and Olive Tree Ventures. (The Real Deal)

  • Tomorrow Health, a NYC-based home-based care company, raised $60 million in Series B funding. BOND led the round and was joined by Andreessen Horowitz, Obvious Ventures, BoxGroup, and Sound Ventures. (Axios)

  • WiredScore, a NYC-based real estate certification company, raised $15 million in Series B funding. Beringea led the round and was joined by Cushman & Wakefield, Crow Holdings, Taronga Ventures, Fifth Wall, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Jona Capital. (FinSMEs)

  • July 14: In-person: Under, Over, Through, a showcase with artists from NEW INC’s Creative Science Track. Hosted by Newlab. Register here. 

  • July 19: In-person: Bloomberg Crypto Summit, with FTX founder and CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, Uniswap Labs COO Mary-Catherine Lader, Grayscale chief legal officer Craig Salm, and others. Hosted by Bloomberg. Register here. 

  • July 20: In-person: The City’s Path to Becoming the World’s Crypto Capital, with New York State Dept. of Financial Services Superintendent Adrienne A. Harris, eToro US CEO Lule Demmissie, Genesis CEO Michael Moro, and others. Hosted by Crain’s New York Business. Register here.

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