Tech:NYC Digest: May 18

Tech:NYC Digest: May 18

May 18, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

Thursday, May 18, 2023

In today’s digest, NYC trash gets containerized, how to make EV charging easier on your block, and why tech workers want their employers to speak out on racial justice.

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  • City officials plan to require restaurants and bodegas to set out trash in containers instead of curbside bags. (New York Times)

    • The rule builds on efforts to embrace containerized trash bins similar to those found in other global cities and to reduce the number of trash bags that sit on the streets — and provide an easy target for rats — until haulers arrive.

    • A recent study found that it was possible for the city to containerize trash storage and pickup on 89% of the city’s residential streets. 

  • The NYC Council is considering a measure that would establish a buyback program so New Yorkers — especially delivery workers — could exchange the lithium-ion batteries in their electric scooters and bikes for safer options at little to no cost. (Gothamist)

  • And we hope you’ll join us to pour one out for Pale Male, Fifth Avenue’s beloved hawk.

In other reading:

  • The Off-Peak Rider Is the Future of the Subway (Curbed)

  • itselectric wants to make electric vehicles more accessible to city dwellers (Crain’s New York)

  • Cheesier, Saucier, and Drowning in Caviar: How TikTok took over the menu (Grub Street)

Six in 10 employees want employers to call out racism, writes Axios.

  • New data shared from Edelman says about the same number (62%) think companies aren’t doing enough to speak out on racial injustice at work or in their communities.

  • 65% of women respondents agreed companies aren’t doing enough, compared with 58% of men — but both were increases from last year.

On the other hand: The report found a significant majority of people — 72% — trust employers "to do what is right when it comes to responding to systemic racism and racial injustice."

In other reading:

  • Google might delete your Gmail account if you haven't logged in for two years (The Verge)

  • How ChatGPT will raise the bar for millions of entry-level jobs (Fast Company)

  • The “return to the office” won’t save the office (Vox)

  • Kelvin, a Brooklyn-based heating efficiency startup focused on older urban buildings, raised $30 million in Series A funding. 2150 led the round and was joined by the Schmidt Family Foundation and the Partnership Fund for NYC.

  • m]x[v Capital, a NYC-based VC firm led by former Braze CEO Mark Ghermezian, raised $52 million for its debut fund to focus on early-stage B2B enterprise SaaS startups.

  • Neura Health, a NYC-based virtual neurology clinic, raised $8 million in seed funding. Koch Disruptive Technologies and Norwest Venture Partners co-led the round and were joined by Pear VC, Next Play Ventures, Correlation Ventures, and Plug and Play Ventures.

  • Percent, a NYC-based private credit investing platform, raised $29.7 million in Series B funding. White Star Capital led the round and was joined by B Capital Group, Susquehanna Private Equity Investments, BDMI, Forte Ventures, and Vectr Fintech Partners.

BLCK VC is accepting applications for its Mentorship Networking Program. The 14-week program requires a 3-hour commitment each month to participate in educational sessions and one-on-one mentorship sessions with experienced VCs. Learn more and apply by May 19 here.Betaworks is accepting applications for its AI Camp: Augment accelerator program. The three-month program offers 8-10 pre-seed/seed applied machine learning and generative AI companies a $500,000 investment, as well as mentorship and programming opportunities. Learn more and apply by May 22 here.Samvid Ventures, in partnership with Techstars, is accepting applications for its Economic Mobility Accelerator program. The program is seeking entrepreneurs with solutions focused on generating greater economic mobility for low- and moderate-income Americans. Learn more and apply by June 7 here.The NYU Tandon Future Labs is accepting applications for its Keystone program, a no-cost, virtual 8-week entrepreneurship training program for early-stage founders in New York. Learn more and apply by June 14 here.The Grand Central Tech Residency Program is accepting applications for its Fall 2023 cohort. Selected startups receive free office rent for a year, as well as other community and programming benefits. Learn more and apply by July 15 here.

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