Friday, July 18, 2025

July 18, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

Friday, July 18, 2025 

Welcome to another Friday edition of the Tech:NYC Digest, featuring our favorite five highlights in New York tech this week.

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A reporter’s methodical quest to find New York’s best croissants (New York Times)

  • How could one possibly narrow down New York’s best croissants? Well, a reporter for the Times was tasked with doing just that. 

    • The result? Over 200 croissants tasted, over 100 bakeries scouted, and countless ways to describe a croissant other than “buttery” discovered. 🥐

Brooklyn yo-yo champion spins his way to national title after 13-year journey (Brooklyn Paper)

  • Don Hodgkinson first picked up a yo-yo as a third-grade — nearly two decades ago — and has trained and competed professionally the last 13 years. This year, his preparation was more calculated than ever. 

    • The result? A yo-yo national championship has come to Brooklyn.

    • “I feel really proud to bring it back to Brooklyn,” Hodgkinson said. “Brooklyn’s been my home for almost eight years, so it means a lot — not only sharing the victory with myself, but the place I call home now.”

    • Check out his winning performance here.

NYU researchers develop system to track damaged cells with AI (Semafor)

  • New York University researchers have trained an AI system to track cells that have been damaged and don’t reproduce normally. 🤖

    • The result? A better understanding of how cancers and other illnesses develop, potentially contributing to new therapies.

    • Using high-resolution imaging and machine learning, researchers tracked mice with chemically damaged cells replicating what aging looks like in humans.

New digital MTA screens will make your NYC bus journey way easier (TimeOut New York)

  • As part of the 2024 Transit Tech Lab Challenge, NYC regional agencies sought tools to enable a faster, more efficient, cleaner, and safer transit experience in New York. 

    • The result? The MTA and NYC Department of Transportation have rolled out slick new digital screens that display real-time arrival info at bus stops on the Upper West Side and in Queensborough Hill.

    • The touch-screen devices — which are battery-powered and pole-mounted — are part of a year-long pilot program aimed at making bus travel smarter and less stressful.

How a 10-year-old NYC boy turned his lemonade stand into a full-blown business (NY Post)

  • Upper West Sider Julian Lin, 10, embarked on his first business venture in 2020 (at age 4), delivering homemade food to New Yorkers. That piqued his interest in the business world. 

    • The result? Fast-forward to today, and he now makes $250 a week selling “Bobanade” (lemonade plus boba), sells tote bags and other merch on his website, and recently organized a “Kids Business Fair” for fellow young entrepreneurs. 

Make some lemonade this weekend, New York! 🍋

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