Tech:NYC Digest: November 14

Tech:NYC Digest: November 14

November 14, 2022 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

Monday, November 14, 2022

Welcome back! In today’s digest, NYC Council considers new rules for e-bikes and scooters, evicting rats from NYC’s streets, and why distributed work will have staying power long beyond the pandemic.

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  • Mayor Eric Adams announced a "Get Stuff Clean" initiative in NYC, pledging an additional $14.5 million for a multi-agency trash pickup. The effort also includes hiring 200 additional sanitation workers; increasing waste basket servicing; stepping up rat mitigation efforts; and expanding camera enforcement of illegal dumping. (ABC New York)

  • The New York City Council is considering a pair of bills that would tamp down on the sale of uncertified and refurbished lithium ion batteries used in many scooters and electric bikes, amid an ongoing surge in fires. (Gothamist)

    • Meanwhile, the city’s Dept. of Transportation is also taking steps to make the e-scooter rental program launched in the East Bronx last year permanent. (Gothamist)

  • A new study by Moderna suggests that its updated coronavirus booster strengthens a key component of the immune system’s defense against the Omicron subvariant that currently accounts for nearly one in three infections in the US. (New York Times)

In other reading:

  • New York City, Once a Minimum Wage Leader, Now Lags Behind (New York Times)

  • Covid Depression Is Real. Here’s What You Need to Know. (New York Times)

  • The Race to Finish Rockefeller Center’s Restaurants (Grub Street)

We get almost daily updates from Tech:NYC member companies about how they’re shifting up and down the WFH-to-RTO continuum. But when we ask if there will ever come a time a full, in-office policy will return, they almost unanimously say “no.”

What’s new: New research from NYC-based recruiting and job analytics platform Datapeople found distributed teams will have staying power long beyond the pandemic, even for employers putting a foot down on being back in the office.

  • Since 2019, there have been five times as many remote jobs, and interest in remote work has surged 400%.

  • Only 15% of businesses (decreasing from 50% in 2019) do not provide any remote or hybrid roles.

It’s up for debate if the trend created employee demand for remote options, or if demand created the trend, but one thing is clear: companies have been forced to pivot.

  • Datapeople’s research found startups and unicorns adapting the fastest: Nearly 90% of all startups and unicorns now support remote work, compared to 53% and 63% respectively pre-pandemic.

  • Remote jobs also draw a larger and more diverse applicant pool: The report found, between 2019 and 2022, remote employment attracted a 120% larger candidate pool than non-remote roles, while remote jobs attracted 120% more female candidates.

And with the embrace of remote work, many companies have also introduced remote perks. Home office stipends are now twice as popular, and working from anywhere is attracting interest – whereas free office meals and snacks and commuter benefits have declined.

  • To tap the expanded labor pool, the report found that more companies were lowering degree requirements, increasing the use of sign-on bonuses, and embracing second-chance hiring.

In other reading:

  • Directus, a Brooklyn-based open source enterprise software company, raised $7 million in Series A funding. True Ventures led the round and was joined by Handshake Ventures. (TechCrunch)

  • Maven Clinic, a NYC-based startup that connects users to virtual maternal and family health care providers, raised $90 million in Series E funding. General Catalyst led the round, and was joined by La Famiglia and Intermountain Ventures, as well as insiders Sequoia Capital, Oak HC/FT, Icon Ventures, Dragoneer Investment Group, and Lux Capital. (Fortune)

  • November 15-16: In-person: Cybertech New York, with mainstage speakers and exhibitions from Microsoft, Darktrace, Onyxia, IronVest, Mesh Security, and more. Register for a free exhibition room pass here.

  • November 15: In-person: TechDay New York, featuring YieldStreet, Cornell Tech, Momento NFT, and more. Register here.

  • November 16: Virtual: Fintech Summit: Shaping the Future of Finance, with New York State Dept. of Financial Services superintendent Adrienne Harris, Plaid general counsel Meredith Fuchs, and others. Hosted by FTA. Register here.

  • November 22: In-person and virtual: A fireside chat with Squire Technologies CEO Songe LaRon and Techstars managing director Gary Stewart. Hosted by Techstars and J.P. Morgan. Register here. 

  • November 22: 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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