Tech:NYC Digest: October 5

Tech:NYC Digest: October 5

October 05, 2022 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

In today’s digest, preparing your winter COVID plan, outdoor dining gets permission to stay put, and why “anchor days” are quickly becoming the RTO future for New York tech.

  • Will we see you at the Propelify Innovation Festival tomorrow? Join us on the waterfront just across the Hudson, where our own Jason Myles Clark will close the program out and welcome everyone to happy hour! You can still grab a free ticket using code “TechNYCPropels” here.

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  • Dr. Anthony Fauci is warning Americans to prepare for the possibility of a new COVID variant this winter, a time of year that pushes more people into riskier indoor settings. (Axios)

    • Meanwhile, scientists have been tracking three new subvaiarants in recent weeks that could become “evolutionary descendants” of current Omicron strains. (Nature)

  • A court dismissed a lawsuit challenging NYC’s outdoor dining program, opening the door for the city to finalize plans that would make the program permanent. (NY1)

  • A new program called “College Choice” will cover college tuition and housing costs, in addition to other financial aid, for NYC students in foster care. (Chalkbeat New York)

  • And lastly: Princess Anne, the late Queen Elizabeth’s daughter, made a surprise visit to NYC and took a ride on the Staten Island Ferry, a trip that’s apparently been in the works since before the pandemic! (People)

In other reading:

  • Warning Signs About the First Post-Pandemic Winter (The Atlantic)

  • On the Vision — and Limits — of a Century of Grand Urban Plans (Curbed)

  • The best NYC coffee shops, according to readers (Time Out New York)

One sign of the times: are in-person “anchor days” the future of work in tech?

Uber is the latest company to ask employees to return to the office, and it’s asking employees to commit to certain weekdays.

  • Beginning Nov. 1, all non-remote employees globally will be expected to work from the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays as “anchor days.”

  • However, the company will also permit employees to work from anywhere up to four weeks per year.

Uber’s chief people officer Nikki Krishnamurthy explained the new policy in a post here:

  • “Having time to work remotely has benefits for individual productivity as well as balancing work/life demands. At the same time ... when people work in the office regularly they are more engaged, have a stronger sense of belonging.”

The return-to-office push has been gaining more advocates: A wave of companies stuck to September RTO rules this year, and a month later, workers appreciate the structure. (Bloomberg)

  • New KPMG research found remote vs. in-person preferences have become much more even: 27% percent of workers now prefer to be fully in-office. 23% prefer the flexibility of “mostly in-office,” but an equal 23% prefer it in the other direction, “mostly remote.”

Yes, but make in-person time about the people: Employees aren’t returning to the office to sit at a desk. Recent Microsoft research identified the top perk that millennial and Gen Z employees say motivates them to return to the office: social time with coworkers. (CNBC)

In other reading:

  • Hume AI, a NYC-based clinical communication research company, raised $3 million in new funding. Northwell Health led the round.

Silicon Valley Bank is hosting its next fundraising workshop on Oct. 18 for early-stage founders in the process of raising a new VC round. The workshop is open to both in-person and virtual participation. Learn more and register here. Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA) is accepting applications for its winter cohort. In addition to mentorship and follow-on funding opportunities, starting with this new cohort, selected companies receive an $150K investment on a post-money SAFE in return for 6% of the company.  Learn more and apply by Nov. 7 here.BLCK VC is accepting applications for its Breaking into Venture program. The nine-week program is for early-career individuals looking to learn the fundamentals of the VC industry, gain hands-on experience with investing, and receive mentorship to help them get their first job in the field. Learn more and apply by Nov. 31 here.The Queens Tech + Innovation Challenge is accepting applications for its 2023 program. Presented by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and the Queens Economic Development Corporation, with advisors from Tech:NYC, Google, Microsoft, Flushing Bank, and more, Queens-based entrepreneurs with ideas in urbantech, AI, aviation, food, and hospitality are eligible to apply for $20K cash prizes, mentorship courses, and other benefits. Learn more and apply by March 1 here.Urban-X, is accepting applications for its next accelerator cohort. Founders building businesses that solve cities’ thought challenges in areas such as transit and mobility; built environment and real estate; food, waste, and water; and energy and grid are eligible to apply. Learn more and apply on a rolling basis here.

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