Tech:NYC Digest: October 26

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Tuesday, October 26, 2021

In today’s digest, Pfizer vaccine for kids is FDA-approved, another day of early voting as mayoral candidates prep for final debate tonight, and the future of work gets personal.

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By the numbers:

• New positive cases statewide: 2,203

  • New positive cases, NYC: 562 

• Statewide Fatalities: 34 (+6)

• NYC Positivity Rate: 1.0 percent (-0.1 percent)

• Statewide Vaccine Progress:

  • Percentage of adults (18+) with at least one dose: 86.8 percent

  • Percentage of total population with at least one dose: 73.6 percent

Today’s latest: 

• An FDA advisory committee voted to endorse authorization of pediatric doses of the Pfizer vaccine for five to 11-year-olds, setting in motion the possibility of children getting shots as early as the end of next week. (Axios)

  • Now it heads to the CDC for consideration. Upon authorization, about 28 million children will become eligible for shots. Only those under five would remain uncovered.

• New York City’s largest police union filed a lawsuit asking that unvaccinated police officers be allowed to continue working despite the city’s recently imposed vaccine mandate. The suit comes just ahead of the city’s Nov. 1 deadline for all municipal workers to have received at least one coronavirus vaccine. (New York Times)

• Gov. Hochul has retained an outside law firm to investigate unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in state government. State employees will now also be required to complete a live training program to guard against potential harassment and discrimination. (NY1)

• And one reminder: early voting sites for the general election are now open across NYC through Halloween. 

  • Democratic nominee Eric Adams and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa face off in their final debate before Election Day tonight at 7pm. Here’s how to tune in.

  • Here’s a rundown of what to know before heading to the polls — and find your voting site and hours here.

In other reading:

• Their Jobs Made Them Get Vaccinated. They Refused. (New York Times)

• Are Vaccine Boosters Widely Needed? Some Federal Advisers Have Misgivings. (New York Times)

• Going Back to Eat in Midtown, Where the Main Dish is New York, New York (New York Times)

The future of work is no longer about just work. That’s what Gartner HR research director Alexis Cambon found when she interviewed dozens of C-suite executives and surveyed 5,000 other employees about their workplace preferences.

Cambon spoke to Protocol about her findings and what it means not only for workers, but for executives responsible for employee experience.

The common thread: Employees consider their future of work lives to be a highly personal decision.

• “Even beyond the question of remote work and office work, senior leaders are being asked questions about social justice, about climate change, about sustainability. And these are probably not things that they ever really had to talk about ... but we do now have expectations that they should be a part of the work experience.” 

The blend between the personal and the professional has only heightened during the pandemic — commute times, childcare needs, and more have all become part of the equation of where an employee falls on the flexible work spectrum. Cambon says a more individualized approach is likely to last:

• “To me right now, setting the conditions of work has to be related to what the individual wants, what the individual needs, because ultimately that's going to enable them to be high performers.”

Asynchronous work is just as important as synchronous collaboration, according to Cambon's data:

• Managers “think that being together all the time is the most important ingredient to innovation. But what the research showed is that you need time apart. You need time to refocus, recharge, to be by yourself in order to have those innovative moments.”

See more from Gartner’s latest report here.

In other reading:

• Revisiting “The 4-Hour Workweek” (The New Yorker)

• Why Doesn’t My Team Want to Go Back to the Office? (The Cut)

• When #vanlife meets office life (Protocol)

• Anomaly, a New York City-based payments platform using AI and focused on healthcare, raised $12 million in Series A funding after a previously unannounced $5 million in seed funding. The Series A was led by RRE Ventures and joined by Link Ventures and existing investors. (TechCrunch)

• Cambrian Biopharma, a New York City-based biotech focused on longevity, raised $100 million. Anthos Capital and SALT Fund led the round and were joined by Apeiron Investment Group, Future Ventures, and Moore Capital. (PRNewswire)

• Fabric, a New York City-based provider of on-demand fulfillment solutions, raised $200 million in Series C funding. Temasek led the round and was joined by Koch Disruptive Technologies, Union Tech Ventures, Harel Insurance & Finance, Pontifax AgTech, CPP Investments, KSH Capital, Princeville Capital, and Wharton Equity Ventures. (TechCrunch)

• Gencove, a New York City-based low-pass genome sequencing platform, raised $10 million in Series A funding. Lewis & Clark AgriFood led the round and was joined by Spero Ventures, Techammer, Third Kind Venture Capital, and Version One Ventures. (PRNewswire)

• Influ2, a New York City-based first person-based marketing platform for B2B marketers, raised $8 million in Series A funding. Rally Ventures led the round. (GlobeNewswire)

• Selfbook, a New York City-based hotel payment startup, raised $25 million in Series A funding. Tiger Global led the round and was joined by Valia Ventures, Fin VC, and Lachy Groom. (TechCrunch)

Newlab is accepting applications for its Founder Fellowship, run in collaboration with the NYC Economic Development Corporation. The program is open to early-stage companies working on urban tech solutions addressing issues such as climate change, energy, govtech, public health, transportation, and more. Selected companies receive a 12-month Flex II membership, including access to the Newlab space, network, and other business development and investment opportunities. Learn more and apply by Oct. 27 here.The NYC Recovery Challenge, an initiative by Tech:NYC, Google for Startups, and Cornell Tech, is accepting applications from early-stage startups with ideas to support NYC’s economic recovery. Selected teams receive up to $100K in non-dilutive cash awards, as well as product, marketing, and other business support services. Learn more and apply by Oct. 29 here.TechDay New York is accepting submissions for participation in its Founders Summit, a day-long gathering of founders and C-suite executives curated by Techstars and The Fund general partner Jenny Fielding. Attendance is by application only, with in-person and virtual options. Learn more here. The Urban Tech Hub @ Company Ventures, in partnership with the NYC Dept. of Buildings, is launching its second-annual Hack the Building Code Innovation Challenge. The challenge is seeking submissions from the real estate and construction industries, design professionals, and the general public on practical steps the city can take to improve the safety and sustainability of buildings, worker safety, and modernizing the construction process. Learn more and apply by Nov. 3 here.The Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA) is accepting applications for its Winter 2022 program. Selected companies receive a $100K investment, founder mentorship, and the potential for follow-on funding from ERA’s Fund. Learn more and apply by Nov. 9 here.

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