Tech:NYC Digest: May 24

Tech:NYC Digest: May 24

May 24, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

Wednesday, May 24, 2023

In today’s digest, the value of NYC parks, the next election cycle’s “Golden Day,” and how New York is leading the nation to normalize pay transparency.  

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  • The annual Park Score Index kept NYC in its 10th place spot in a list of 100 cities with the best park systems. (Gothamist)

    • According to the report, 99% of New York residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, and the city scored well for dedicating 21.4% of the entire city area for park space.

  • A recent change in election law has dubbed June 17 as Golden Day, which marks the first time New Yorkers can register and vote on the same day for the upcoming June 17 primary (because the start of early voting overlaps with the registration deadline). (Gothamist)

  • And if you’re looking for last-minute Memorial Day holiday plans: the Rockaway Bazaar reopens this weekend for the season — free concerts, food trucks, and a beachfront that’s just a ferry ride away! (Time Out New York)

In other reading:

  • What to know about the MTA’s proposed fare and toll increases (Crain’s New York)

  • The Parking Reform That Could Transform Manhattan (Bloomberg)

  • JPMorgan Chase Bets Big on the Revival of Midtown (Curbed)

It’s been roughly five months since NYC’s pay transparency law was implemented — and with similar laws now in seven other states, about 27% of the US is covered by rules that back up candidates asking for the salary range of the role they’re applying for. (Fast Company)

  • New research found that 82% of US workers are more likely to consider applying for a job if their pay range is listed in the job posting.

NYC and California are leading the way: Larger employers with significant hubs in the city are taking the cue from local laws to adopt an all-US strategy.

  • Google, Microsoft, and other tech companies with large workforces in NYC have begun to post ranges for all their positions, regardless of the state the jobs are located in. 

Disclosure benefits recruitment: Fears that a salary range may create fewer applicants have not materialized, either. In fact, HR teams report to SHRM that 70% of organizations have seen an increase in the number of applicants, and 60% are saying transparency has brought more qualified applicants.

In other reading:

  • OpenFin, a NYC-based enterprise operations systems provider, raised $35 million in Series D funding. Bank of America led the round and was joined by Pivot Investment Partners, ING Ventures, CME Ventures, CTC Venture Capital, SC Ventures, and Tribeca Early Stage Partners.

  • Opus, a NYC-based based training platform for businesses with a deskless workforce, raised $6.8 million in Series A funding. Stage 2 Capital led the round and was joined by insiders Gutter Capital, NextView Ventures, and Bling Capital.

  • Unlimited, a NYC-based alternative investing platform, raised $8 million in Series A funding. FirstMark and Citi Ventures co-led the round.

Visible Hands has announced that applications for their third cohort of the Visionaries Accelerator program are now open! This year, founders will get a $200K investment for 5% equity on a post-money SAFE, programming that will level up their fundraising, design, and brand, and as always, a close-knit cohort of early-stage diverse founders and more. Learn more and apply by May 29 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 31 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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