Tech:NYC Digest: September 30

September 30, 2022 • Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes

Friday, September 30, 2022

We’re back with another “Friday Five” roundup of our favorite stories in New York tech. Have a great weekend!

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New York ranks second in fintech ecosystem ranking despite major setbacks (Crain’s New York Business)

Tech:NYC and the New York City Economic Development Corporation collaborated with research organization Startup Genome to publish an assessment of dozens of fintech ecosystems around the world, and NYC is quickly catching up to Silicon Valley, thanks in large part to the city’s deep Wall Street legacy and talent pool. Get the report here (and don’t skip over the expert article Propel founder and CEO Jimmy Chen contributed on how to make sure fintech serves more populations).

New York is now the center for crypto (Fortune)

Speaking of fintech: In 2021, 46% of venture capital funding for all crypto startups nationwide went to those in NYC. The city has long been home to some of the earliest crypto firms, but the web3 ecosystem is being supercharged as traditional Wall Street giants like BlackRock and Nasdaq pile in too — which, in turn, attracts even more crypto startups that hope to work with them.

A VC firm backed by tech founders is expanding to NYC with a ‘Soho House for techies’ (Protocol)

The future of work has come to VC too: Contrary’s network of scouts and portfolio founders were 80% Bay Area-based before the pandemic. Today, that has split, with 40% now in New York. So like several other established VCs, Contrary is setting up shop in NYC, but they say their presence will be one defined by community spaces instead of offices.

Can NYC become more equitable? Here are 150 new ideas (Gothamist)

A new report from the Center for an Urban Future asks industry leaders to contribute a single policy idea that advances economic opportunity for all New Yorkers. They’re all great ideas, and we’re excited to echo many of the proposals we see included: Diane Leavitt on expanding CS4All; Kristen Titus on developing career pathway programs for New Yorkers of color; Dan Teran on creating tech apprenticeships; and many more.

A Night Out in the 50th Street Subway Station (Curbed)

If you thought a Times Square subway station doesn’t really register as a cool place, well, that’s where you’d be wrong.

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