Tech:NYC Digest: November 17

Tech:NYC Digest: November 17

November 17, 2021 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

Wednesday, November 17, 2021

In today’s digest, FDA expected to approve boosters for all adults, big snowstorm to hit New York next Tuesday, and how recruitment startups are transforming tech hiring.

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  • The FDA aims to authorize booster doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine for all adults as early as tomorrow, a move that would make tens of millions more Americans eligible for additional shots. (New York Times)

    • NYC has already opened up booster shots to all adults, but officials hope official FDA authorization will increase the number of New Yorkers getting the extra dose.

    • If you need to get yours, here’s a helpful FAQ (scheduling an appointment should be a lot easier this time around). 

  • New York City has regained roughly three-quarters of the population that fled during the first year of the pandemic, signaling that the return of in-person activities has incentivized more New Yorkers’ returns and jumpstarted the city’s recovery. (Gothamist)

  • Dr. Fauci said the COVID-19 pandemic could be downgraded to “endemic” levels in the US by next year — but only if vaccination rates, including boosters, go up. (Reuters) 

  • One thing worth watching if you plan to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday next week: a significant storm — and possibly snow — is expected right in time to disrupt those plans. (CNN)

  • And ICYMI: Mayor-elect Eric Adams stopped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to talk about how he wants to make NYC cool again. (Gothamist) Watch the clip here. 

In other reading:

Tech companies are constantly looking for ways to optimize their recruitment strategies. That’s been especially true during the pandemic when more traditional in-person career fairs and networking events were off the table. (Protocol)

Several recruitment startups have popped up as a result, and ones founded before the pandemic are seeing a surge in activity:

  • HIVE Diversity is a virtual platform that helps connect candidates with atypical or non-traditional backgrounds with companies that have roles that could be a fit.

  • Handshake was created by college students looking for a better way to meet tech recruiters in order to... help college students better meet tech recruiters.

  • Even TikTok is helping young talent pursue jobs with the video resumes platform it launched this summer.

A more digital approach to recruitment can also result in a wider, more diverse applicant pool, especially when it comes to Gen Z talent.

  • Ariel Lopez, CEO of NYC-based hiring platform Knac, wants to help companies give feedback to candidates and eliminate the “black hole” of names and resumes in long spreadsheets: “The bigger vision here is making this process fair for everyone involved. We want to make it faster and easier for the company to find the right people. But we also care about the people that are in your pipelines. They're more than just a resume. They're humans.”

Young job seekers also like digital-first tips and tools for finding opportunities.

  • A tool like Handshake that centralizes the process means candidates can easily share their information with several companies at once. 

  • Duolingo head of recruiting Renee Davis says that’s good for employers too: “We can send an email campaign to students at 25 different schools, see who's opened the message, be able to segment based on different fields and criteria and target for a follow-up.

In other reading:

  • How to quit? Here’s four tips from labor experts on what to know during the Great Resignation (Washington Post)

  • Gender-neutral parental leave is a management opportunity. There’s a playbook for that. (Protocol)

  • The end of corner offices (Axios)

  • Braze, a NYC-based customer engagement platform, raised $520 million in its IPO today on the Nasdaq under symbol $BZRE. It priced at $65 (above $55-$60 range), for a $5.87 billion market value. (Bloomberg)

  • H1, a NYC-based professional network for healthcare, raised $100 million in Series C funding. Altimeter Capital led the round and was joined by Goldman Sachs, and Flex Capital, as well as insiders IVP, Menlo Ventures, Transformation Capital, Lux Capital, and LeadEdge. (TechCrunch)

  • Intelligo, a NYC-based risk intelligence platform for investment due diligence, raised $22 million in extended Series B funding. Felicitas Global Partners led the round. (VentureBeat)

The New York FinTech Innovation Lab is seeking applications for its 2022 program. The 12-week program welcomes early and growth stage tech companies developing products serving the enterprise financial services ecosystem. Run by the Partnership Fund for New York City and Accenture, the Lab engages with over 40 of the world’s leading financial institutions to support participants in refining and testing their value proposition and developing invaluable relationships with decision makers. Learn more and apply by Dec. 1 here.Fast Forward is accepting applications for its 2022 Accelerator program. The program is seeking tech nonprofit startups that are building products with a social impact. Awardees receive $25,000, as well as training, mentorship, and pitch opportunities with social entrepreneurs and industry experts. Learn more and apply by Dec. 1 here. Company Ventures, in partnership with the NYC Economic Development Corporation, is seeking applications for the inaugural City Fellowship. The fellowship offers a nine-month program to support community-oriented entrepreneurs with access to the government and venture communities and business development opportunities. Learn more and apply by Dec. 19 here.  The Financial Solutions Lab is accepting applications for its 2022 Accelerator Challenge. The 2022 program is seeking participation from fintech companies with ideas to strengthen financial resilience and improve safety nets for low-to-moderate income, Black, and Latinx communities. Awardees receive $100,000, as well as product, mentorship, and marketing support. Learn more and apply by Dec. 20 here.The David Prize is accepting open call submissions for its 2021-2022 cycle. The prize awards a no-strings-attached $200,000 grant to five New Yorkers with ideas, projects, products, and passions that are making (or will make) New York City a better place for more of us. Nominations or self-nominations are being accepted through Dec. 21 here.

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