Tech:NYC Digest: October 27

Tech:NYC Digest: October 27

October 27, 2021 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

In today’s digest, COVID cases plummet as we distance from Delta, New York to apply for more rent relief after $1B fund dries out, EEOC releases new guidelines for religious vax exemption. 

  • 👗 Congrats to our friends at Rent the Runway, which today became the first company to go public with a female founder, CEO, COO, and CFO! $RENT

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Today’s latest: 

  • The latest on booster shots: Per the CDC, moderately or severely immunocompromised people may need an additional shot six months after they have received the third dose. Updated guidelines from the agency say some immunocompromised people who have received either Pfizer or Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines will be able to get a fourth shot. (Axios)

  • New coronavirus infections have dropped nearly 60 percent nationally since the September spike largely caused by the Delta variant. (Washington Post)

    • The seven-day average number of infections stood at about 69,000 this week, reflecting a 58 percent drop compared to 164,475 during the week of Sept. 13. 

  • New York will apply for additional relief funds for renters and landlords who have been struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. (NY State of Politics)

    • Nearly $1 billion in aid has been distributed to New Yorkers in an effort to make renters, and ultimately landlords, whole. But with more than 250,000 applications filed, tenant advocates say more relief is needed before the state's ban on pandemic-related evictions expires in January.

  • One new NYC attraction not for the faint of heart: On Nov. 9, Edge at Hudson Yards will officially open City Climb, the ultimate skyscraping adventure. Climbers can scale the outside of a 1,200-plus foot tall building, then lean out from the outdoor platform at the top of the skyscraper. (amNY)

  • Of the 4,467 participants in Pfizer’s vaccine trials for five to 12 year olds, only five had “severe adverse events.” But they aren’t what you think.

In other reading:

  • We Need to Plan for a World Where Covid Never Goes Away (New York Times)

  • Will Our Streeteries Become Siberias? It could be a long, lonely winter for New York’s outdoor diners. (New York Magazine)

  • When Vaccinating Kids, Does Weight Matter? Should an 11-Year-Old Wait to Turn 12 to Get a Bigger Dose? (New York Times)

Workplace vaccine mandates have already faced — and largely withstood — legal challenges, but that doesn’t seem to deter some from continuing to challenge them.

  • A hearing is being held today on the lawsuit by some New York State health care workers challenging the state’s vaccine mandate. (CBS New York)

  • NYC’s police union has also asked a judge to halt a mandate for its workers before it takes effect on Nov. 1. (New York Times)

Meanwhile: The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has released updated technical guidance for employers about religious exemptions. (Reuters)

There are no “magic words” when asking for religious accommodations. The request just needs to communicate a conflict between the employee’s religious beliefs and a workplace COVID-19 vaccination requirement. 

  • Only sincerely held religious beliefs, practices, or observances qualify for accommodation. The law does not protect workers' social, political, or personal preferences.

An employer may ask for an explanation of how an employee’s religious beliefs conflict with a COVID-19 vaccination requirement.

  • Just because an employer grants one religious accommodation request doesn’t mean it will grant all requests. Religious accommodation determinations are individualized and must focus on whether accommodating the specific employee would impose an undue hardship.

The takeaway: While we await more comprehensive rules from OSHA about workplace vaccine mandates, this latest guidance is one significant peek into what’s to come.

For answers to other questions about COVID-19 religious exemptions in the workplace, find an FAQ from Gibson Dunn here.

In other reading:

  • Remote work is bringing the city to the suburbs (Vox)

  • MIT expert on work says any boss who thinks employees will return to offices is dreaming (Washington Post)

  • Are you searching for a job? Here’s real talk about possible red flags. (Poynter)

  • Augury, a New York City-based AI-driven health tech company, raised $180 million valuing it at over $1 billion. Baker Hughes led the round and was joined by SE Ventures and the corporate venture arm of Schneider Electric. (BusinessWire)

  • Bespoke Post, a New York City-based e-commerce retailer, raised $40 million in Series B funding. NewSpring led the round and was joined by Savano Capital Partners and Second Alpha, as well as existing investors Walden, Great Oaks, and 500 Global. (FinSMEs) 

  • Billy, a New York City-based maker of a way for construction companies to manage insurance, raised $3.5 million in funding. MetaProp and Coelius Capital led the round and were joined by investors including Global Village, Shadow Ventures, Hustle Fund, and Laguna Canyon Group. (Newswire)

  • Extend, a New York City-based fintech startup, raised $40 million in Series B funding. March Capital led the round and was joined by B Capital, Point72 Ventures, Fintech Collective, Reciprocal Ventures, Wells Fargo, and Pacific Western Bank. (TechCrunch)

  • Sonrai Security, a New York City-based cloud security company, raised $50 million in Series C funding. ISTARI led the round and was joined by Menlo Ventures, Polaris Partners, TenEleven Ventures, and New Brunswick Innovation Fund. (VentureBeat)

  • October 28: In-person: NYC: Reborn Summit, with Tech:NYC executive director Julie Samuels, Common founder and CEO Brad Hargreaves, MTA acting chair and CEO Janno Lieber, and others. Hosted by the Manhattan Institute. Register here.

  • November 4: Virtual: Frontier Tech Spotlight: Deep Tech Investment, with Seeqc CEO John Levy, Quantum Daily CEO Alex Challans, and Newlab chief product officer Satish Rao. Hosted by Newlab. Register here.

  • November 8: In-person and virtual: TechDay Founders Summit, with The Fund general partner Jenny Fielding, Eniac Ventures co-founder Nihal Mehta, The Muse founder and CEO Kathryn Minshew, and others. Admission is for founders and C-suite executives by short application. Register here.

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