Tech:NYC Digest: September 9

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Friday, September 9, 2022 

This summer, the digest capped off each week with a “Friday Five” roundup of our favorite stories in New York tech for the week. It’s been a hit, so we’re excited to continue delivering it to your inboxes each Friday afternoon.

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Google bets on CUNY program to diversify city’s tech talent pool (Crain's New York Business)

• A new NYC Tech Opportunity Fund is providing $4 million towards computer science education, with particular effort to connect under-resourced New Yorkers with good-paying tech jobs. One reason we’re excited about this program is that a quarter of the fund is dedicated to training teachers in digital literacy and STEM curricula — so they’re prepared to integrate those fields in their own classrooms. Google CEO Sundar Pichai recently explained why he’s “long-term bullish” on NYC, and this investment is walking the walk.

Lightspeed Venture Partners opens NYC office (Axios)

• The Silicon Valley firm joins a long list of established VC leaders redirecting attention to the New York tech ecosystem — Sequoia, Index Ventures, a16z are among those also opening new hubs in the city. Lightspeed partner Michal Mignano said the firm accelerated its New York-based investments in recent years, closing $330 million in NYC-based deals in 2021 alone, The new permanent office tells us they have no intention of slowing down.

Donnel Baird wants BlocPower to be the Amazon of home electrification (Protocol)

• You might have heard Baird describe his mission to “turn buildings into Teslas,” but he’s quick to remind us accessibility and affordability are the strategies that will make his mission succeed. The Brooklyn-based startup’s decarbonization products are focused on low-income communities, where environmental justice efforts often feel most urgent. Oh, and it also has an impressive workforce initiative: in NYC alone, it has hired 1,000 workers who are getting the training and going into buildings to electrify them.

WeWork Launches a New Initiative to Support Working Parents (Inc. Magazine)

• There’s been a swell of good research on how the pandemic has disproportionately impacted working parents, particularly women, who dropped out of the workforce at much higher rates. WeWork is partnering with jobs initiative Laddrr to support working women by connecting them to hybrid and part-time jobs, as well as subsidized office space, which could be particularly attractive for mothers prioritizing more flexible options.

What It’s Really Like Inside a Blindfolded Dinner (Grub Street)

• Would you be willing to be led into a Lower East Side basement for a completely blindfolded four-course dinner? Without knowing what the menu is in advance? We have to be honest, we are…skeptical.

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