Tech:NYC Digest: June 5

Tech:NYC Digest: June 5

June 05, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

Monday, June 5, 2023

In today’s digest, preparing for this year’s first primaries, the safety cues the NYC subway system is taking from other global cities, and we check in flex work software startup Scoop on the latest hybrid work trends. 

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  • ICYMI in this digest last week: There’s less than a month left before this year's primary elections — on June 27, every one of NYC’s 51 City Council seats are up for grabs, in newly-redrawn districts. Here’s a very useful tool from THE CITY to, first, verify your district number and, second, get all the relevant updates for what to expect on your ballot.

  • Protective screen doors are being installed at three subway stations — the Times Square 7 train, 3rd Ave. L train, and Sutphin Blvd. E train — in a pilot program meant to stop riders from falling or being pushed into the train tracks. (Gothamist)

  • A new vending machine debuted in Brownsville, Brooklyn to dispense free birth control and overdose prevention products in an effort to provide 24/7 access to lifesaving resources (Gothamist) The idea originated in Copenhagen and has also been piloted in Philadelphia and LA. Three more machines will be installed in other areas most impacted by drug use and overdose deaths. 

In other reading:

Back in February, this digest covered the launch of the Flex Index, a new database tool from workplace management startup Scoop that crowdsources (and verifies) thousands of companies’ flexible work policies.

  • At the time the tool launched, Scoop CEO Rob Sadow said there was still a “massive insight gap” on how remote work varies across sector, metro area, or job function. (Forbes)

Sadow was right. So we checked back in get the Flex Index’s latest data, and here’s some of the updates we found:

  • In May, 30% of US employers had a structured-hybrid plan, where workers come in a minimum number of days per week. That’s up from 20% that were doing the same plan in February.

  • That shift came with a dip in fully flexible plans, however, from 31% to 28% of employers in the same time period.

  • Of the employers that require workers to be in office on certain days, Tuesday is the most popular (72%), followed by Wednesday (69%) and then Thursday (58%).

Our take: In the ongoing quest to find the optimal balance between in-person and remote work, employers seems to finally have settled on neither — or both, depending on how you look at it. Hybrid is here to stay, but “structured hybrid” is how that model will keep its staying power.

In other reading:

  • Don’t Ask Us to Come to the Office More — Or We Will Quit, Investors Say (Bloomberg)

  • 13 top execs weigh in on their best strategies for managing email (Fast Company)

  • The latest startup betting on making AI chatbots fun (Axios)

  • Amogy, a Brooklyn-based ammonia power solutions provider, raised $11 million in Series B-2 funding. Participating investors include Marunouchi Climate Tech Growth Fund, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, and Synergy Marine.

  • Uncaged Innovations, a New York-based biomaterials company, raised $2 million in pre-seed funding. InMotion Ventures led the round and was joined by VegInvest, Stray Dog Capital, Alwyn Capital, Hack Capital, and GlassWalls Syndicate.

  • June 8: In-person: Cornell Tech Fest 2023, with NYC Chief Innovation Officer Oscar Romero, Dataminr SVP of AI Alex Jaimes, and more. Register here.

  • June 13: Virtual: Beyond the Hype Cycle: Navigating the Promises and Perils of GenAI, with Bessemer Venture Partners vice president Morgan Cheatham, March Capital investor Maya Matthews, and others. Hosted by BLCK VC and AWS Startups. Register here.

  • June 14: Make It in Brooklyn: Clean Energy Innovations, with itselectric co-founder Tiya Gordon, Streetlife Ventures managing partner Laura Fox, Latinxs in Sustainability lead Melina Acevedo, and Wildgrid partnerships manager Martine Luis. Hosted by Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. Register here.

  • June 20: In-person: Future-Proofing Your Digital Product and Brand with AI, Innovatemap principals Jon Moore and Meghan Pfeifer. Register here.

  • June 26: Virtual: #notapitch: Unofficial Feedback on Your Idea/Prototype from a VC, with Brooklyn Bridge Ventures partner Charlie O’Donnell. Register here.

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