Tech:NYC Digest: September 11

Tech:NYC Digest: September 11

September 11, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

Monday, September 11, 2023

Each year, today is always a heavy day in NYC: #NeverForget. In today’s digest, it’s time to update your vaccines, your go-to snack guide, and what to know about the NYC students betting on future tech careers.

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  • Around 40% of the people who died in the 9/11 attacks 22 years ago have yet to be identified – but two victims’ names were taken off that list today, becoming the 1,648th and 1,649th persons identified through recovered DNA analysis. (Gothamist)

  • The FDA has approved updated COVID vaccines, clearing a path for their distribution as early as this week. (New York Times) 

    • The CDC is simultaneously planning to release updated guidelines to prepare Americans for the fall and winter seasons when infections usually spike. 

  • And anybody need good snack data?

In other reading:

  • When should NYC worry about Lee’s path? Making sense of hurricane forecasts. (Gothamist)

  • The powerful new 9/11 exhibit now on view at the NYC Fire Museum (TimeOut New York)

  • New York’s Most Exciting Restaurant Openings This Fall (Eater NY)

Back in 2021, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics expected that STEM occupations would grow nearly 11% over the next decade, compared to about 5% for all other jobs. If student data is any indication, it turns out they were right.

What’s new: Students today are increasingly participating in targeted programs to book their tech skills, writes GovTech. One top example: the Brooklyn STEAM Center, which teaches specialized courses for high schoolers to earn industry certifications in everything from construction engineering, cybersecurity, and more.

  • “Cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, computer science and coding [are big for STEM programming] in this country because students today are already digital natives,” said Joaquin Tamayo, senior STEM lead for the US Dept. of Education.

  • US Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Martin called the Brooklyn STEAM Center a “perfect example” of an initiative preparing young people for a tech-integrated economy.

Our take: It’s all about a connected ecosystem – Tech:NYC has long highlighted NYC’s unique ability to develop partnerships between tech companies, universities, and nonprofit workforce training programs into real opportunities for New Yorkers who want local tech jobs. And we have thousands of them.

In other reading:

  • Pahdo Labs, a NYC-based anime game and user-generated content platform, raised $15 million in Series A funding. Andreessen Horowitz led the round and was joined by Pear VC, BoxGroup, Long Journey Ventures, Neo, and Global Founders Capital.

  • SaaSGrid, a NYC and San Francisco-based data and analysis platform for SaaS metrics, raised $3.3 million in seed funding. Craft Ventures led the round and was joined by a group of angel investors.

  • September 12: In-person: Entrepreneurs Roundtable, with Eniac Ventures co-founder and general partner Hadley Harris. Hosted by ERA. Register here.

  • September 20: In-person: Fundraising in Today’s Market When You Don’t Fit the Traditional Mold, with New Age Capital managing partner Ivan Alo, One Way Ventures partner Lex Zhao, Vesey Ventures founding partner Julia Huang, and Zeal Capital Partners investor Evelysse Vargas. Hosted by FirstGen and Free Agency. Register here.

  • September 21: In-person: New Climate Futures, with Revel CEO Frank Reig, Brooklyn Navy Yard CEO Lindsay Greene, Activate co-founder Matt Price, and more. Hosted by Newlab. Register here.

  • September 29: In-person: AcceleratorCON 2023, with The Muse founder Kathryn Minshew, Founders Village CEO Yasmeen Butt, and others. Use code “AC23013%” for 30% off tickets by registering here.

  • October 11: In-person: 2023 Tech Summit, featuring CLEAR CEO Caryn Seidman Becker, Esusu Co-CEO Wemimo Abbey, US Senator Kristen Gillibrand, and other. Hosted by Tech:NYC and Crain’s New York Business. Get early-bird tickets before Sept. 15 by registering here.

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