Tech:NYC Digest: March 30

Tech:NYC Digest: March 30

March 30, 2022 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

Wednesday, March 30, 2022 

In today’s digest, BA.2 becomes the dominant strain in the US, Pres. Biden proposes $400 million for Second Avenue Subway, and five BBG Ventures-backed female founders reshaping the ways we live.

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By the numbers:  

  • New positive cases statewide: 3,243  

    • New positive cases, NYC: 1,288

  • NYC Positivity Rate: 1.8 percent (no change)

  • NYC Hospitalizations: 250 (-18)

  • Statewide Vaccine Progress: 

    • New Yorkers with at least one dose: 89.5 percent 

    • New Yorkers who are fully vaccinated: 76.1 percent

In today’s latest:

  • Manhattan continues to drive the uptick in COVID cases citywide. (NBC New York) The city has identified seven neighborhoods with average case counts high enough to move them from “green” (low) to “yellow” (medium) alert status.

    • Those include Gramercy Park, Chelsea, Park Slope, the UWS, SoHo, Union Square, and the LES. See more neighborhood-level data here.

    • And here’s a reminder of the alert levels.

  • The Omicron subvariant BA.2, which is fueling a fresh uptick in cases in the New York area and elsewhere, is now the dominant virus strain in the country, accounting for more than half of all news cases nationwide. (New York Times)

  • Included in Pres. Biden’s budget proposal released this week is $400 million to extend the Second Avenue subway Q train into East Harlem. (New York Daily News)

  • NYC is rolling out the second phase of its e-scooter pilot with Bird, Lime, and Veo in the East Bronx, doubling the number of available vehicles to 6,000 and extending the pilot zone across ten additional miles of bike lanes. (Thrillist)

In other reading:

  • We Study Virus Evolution. Here’s Where We Think the Coronavirus Is Going. (New York Times)

  • E-Scooters Are Having a Moment as Gas Prices Surge (Wall Street Journal)

  • 6 Advice Podcasts to Navigate the Weirdness of Post-Pandemic Daily Life (New York Times)

The challenges women in tech continue to face are well-documented, and in many ways were amplified during the pandemic. But in New York, a bright spot did appear: In 2021, female-founded startups in the New York metro area more than doubled dealflow year over year. 

  • In New York, women-led companies set new records by closing about $7 billion in venture capital funding, up from $3.2 billion in 2020. Nationwide, that number surpassed $40 billion.

Those numbers are impressive, but taken alone, can be misleading: In the last two years, VC investments have become higher-volume and higher-value across the board. As a result, women founders still received just two percent of US venture capital, the lowest portion since 2016.

BBG Ventures is taking a more targeted approach. Led by Susan Lyne and Nisha Dua, the firm announced its Fund III last year, doubling down on a commitment to invest in female founders transforming “the collective or lived experience of the 99 percent.”

  • You can learn more about their thesis here.

To close out Women’s History Month, we teamed up with BBG Ventures to profile five founders from their portfolio who are doing just that — and in doing so, paving the way for the future of healthcare, media, and the tech sector more broadly:

  • Reside Health is providing primary care and wellness solutions to employees on-site in their office buildings.

  • Canela Media is building the first free video and music streaming service for the bilingual Hispanic population.

  • Sugarbreak is developing end-to-end, all-natural remedies to help those with diabetes or pre-diabetes take control of their blood sugar levels.

  • Norby is building an all-in-one tool for creators and brands to manage their audiences and strengthen their communities. 

  • Oova is using AI and biotech tools to design lab-quality hormone tests that can be completed at home. 

  • Fisher Wallace Labs, a Brooklyn-based maker of prescription wearables for neuropsychiatric disorders, raised $2.5 million in new venture funding. SHUFL Capital led the round. (Newswire)

  • Glimpse, a NYC-based experiential platform for DTC brands, raised $4.2 million in additional seed funding, bringing the round’s total investment to $6.2 million. Participating investors include GSR Ventures, Origin Ventures, and Y Combinator, as well as a group of angels. (Forbes)

  • RenewaFi, a NYC-based startup that helps companies buy and sell renewable energy, raised $3m in seed funding. Participating investors include First Round Capital, Floating Point, BoxGroup, and Powerhouse Ventures, as well as a group of angels. (Axios)

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.WeWork, in partnership with Oatly, are accepting applications for a nationwide pitch competition for startups making a positive impact on the environment. Eligible startups are invited to apply online for one of five pitch nights in their respective cities, including NYC, which will feature special guest judge Mayor Eric Adams. Learn more and apply by April 6 here.The Jacobs Urban Tech Hub at Cornell Tech is accepting applications for its next cohort of Urban Tech Fellows. Researchers, thinkers, and practitioners interested in pursuing independent projects on urban tech subjects like mobility, infrastructure, and climate change are encouraged to apply. Learn more and apply by May 1 here.

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