Tech:NYC Digest: September 7

Tech:NYC Digest: September 7

September 07, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

Thursday, September 7, 2023

In today’s digest, NYC’s new housing ambitions, how to strategize your subway swipes, and why flex work has become just as important as pay.

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  • NYC tops the list of US metro areas with the most new apartment units expected to be constructed by the end of 2023. (Axios) 41% of US renters are now located in 20 metro areas, according to new research.

  • The MTA’s “fare capping” program for OMNY users is getting even easier: Now, users who tap the same credit card or smartphone for the first 12 trips in a given week can log that seven-day period on any day of that week. (Gothamist)

    • Previously, the system counted a week as one starting Monday and ending Sunday; this update is meant to appeal to New Yorkers who don’t work typical nine-to-five hours.

  • Gov. Kathy Hochul is considering calling a special session of the state legislature to address the ongoing influx of asylum seekers in New York. (New York Daily News)

In other reading:

  • Do they mask? Are they eating out? How COVID experts are living now. (Washington Post)

  • How much shade does your street really have? This map will tell you. (Gothamist)

  • The Best Downtown Bar Crawl, According to New York Comedian Karen Chee (Grub Street)

We’ve poured through countless RTO studies, and while many companies are still recalibrating their own policies, a through line remains: remote work is here to stay … if they want to retain talent.

  • A new survey found that flexible work policies were the most important consideration in taking a new job — even more important than pay. (Axios)

What’s unique about the data: It compiles sentiments of workers not currently in the workforce.

  • The survey of non-working US adults largely cited personal health and family caregiving as primary reasons for not seeking jobs.

  • But, as Axios writes, the survey helps explain why more women are in the labor force — remote work has emerged as a key benefit to raising women’s labor participation rate, especially those with children.

In other reading:

  • There’s won’t be a new normal — and that’s okay (Fast Company)

  • How Slack is tapping AI to help workers catch up from time off (Axios)

  • Why Do Companies’ IT Projects Fail So Much? (Wall Street Journal)

  • Bandana, a NYC-based job site for hourly jobs, raised $3.8 million in seed funding. General Catalyst and Craft Ventures co-led the round and were joined by Triple Impact Capital, Sarah Smith Fund, and a group of angel investors.

  • Loops, a NYC and Washington, DC-based email distribution developer for SaaS companies, raised $3.2 million in funding. Participating investors include Altman Capital, SV Angel, Liquid2, Soma, Box Group, and others.

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

  • September 13: In-person: The Founder’s Guide to Product Market Fit, with Innovatemap principal Katie Lukes. Hosted by Innovatemap and Industrious. 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.

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