Monday, April 14, 2025

April 14, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

Monday, April 14, 2025 

Happy Passover to all who celebrate!

  • In today’s digest, childcare and Brooklyn Bridge Park get upgrades and the high school of RBG and Bernie Sanders turns 100. 💯

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  • Childcare 🤝 Real estate? Yup. To combat a shortage of New York City’s preschool programs, real estate developers have started providing day care in their buildings and opening it up to the community. (New York Times)

  • Just in time for the nice weather (and its 15th anniversary), Brooklyn Bridge Park has opened its new Pier 1 pavilion and plaza. The pavilion acts as a “front porch” to the rest of the 85-acre park, offering stellar views of the East River and Manhattan along with lush landscaping. (6sqft) 

    • There’s also a new bakery expanding the park’s food options, so get ready to get your babka on while taking in the sights.

  • James Madison High School in Midwood, Brooklyn, is turning 100 (and it looks great for its age). The high school counts Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Senators Bernie Sanders and Chuck Schumer, baseball player Ted Schreiber, writer Irwin Shaw, and six Nobel Prize winners among its alumni. (Gothamist)

In other reading:

  • A first look at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s last rooftop exhibition (for a while) (TimeOut)

  • McNally Jackson is starting a book festival (Vulture)

  • Astoria the turkey is on the move in NYC — and she might be looking for love (Gothamist)

PSA: Tomorrow is Tax Day! Procrastinate filing this year? Don’t fear, AI is here. Let’s dig in.

Tax season is getting a much-needed tech glow-up, as AI takes on one of the government’s most complex (and least-loved) systems: Tax collection. From fraud detection to customer support, AI is streamlining processes, improving accuracy, and helping both taxpayers and tax agencies work smarter.

Here’s what’s happening:

  • Smarter audits, fewer headaches: The IRS is using AI to prioritize enforcement, focusing on complex filings from high-income earners and large partnerships. That means fewer blanket audits and more targeted, data-driven investigations.

  • Global models show it works:

    • In Singapore, an AI-powered assistant now answers over half of taxpayer inquiries — reducing wait times and lightening the load for human agents.

    • France uses AI to scan and respond to taxpayer emails, speeding up communication.

    • South Korea’s AI guide helps users file returns step-by-step, in real time.

  • Better service for everyone: AI is being deployed not just to catch fraud, but to make life easier for filers — especially small businesses, gig workers, and first-time taxpayers who need extra guidance.

  • What the experts recommend: Forbes highlights four strategies for agencies looking to adopt AI:

    • Start small and scale with intent.

    • Build flexible infrastructure for continuous learning.

    • Prioritize the human-AI interface — think user-friendly tools and clear communications.

    • Lean into transparency and data privacy.

🗽 Why it matters in NYC: With thousands of fintech and govtech startups in the city, there's a huge opportunity to build the next generation of AI-powered tax tools — from automated compliance assistants to real-time deduction finders. 

  • Plus, NYC-based payroll platforms like Justworks (a Tech:NYC member!) that integrate AI to manage tax withholdings, are already redefining what compliance can look like.

💡 Bottom line: Tech and AI aren’t just reshaping how taxes get collected — they’re reimagining how citizens interact with government. If done right, this could be one of the most people-centric transformations tech has delivered yet.

In other reading:

  • Small Language Models are the new rage, researchers say (Wired)

  • Should you record that meeting? (HBR)

  • How tech is driving the personalization of employee benefits (Forbes)

  • Fern, an NYC-based SDKs and API documentation generator, raised $9 million in Series A funding. Bessemer Venture Partners led the round and was joined by Y Combinator and angel investors.

  • Luzern Risk, an NYC-based captive insurance services provider, raised $12 million in Series A funding from Caffeinated Capital.

  • Noto, an NYC-based AI-powered operations platform for lesson-based businesses, raised $3.8 million in seed funding from Base10 Partners.

  • Rondah AI, an NYC-based AI-powered patient engagement software provider for dental service organizations, raised $1.8 million in pre-seed funding from 2048 Ventures and Twelve Below.

  • April 16: VC Best Practices: How VC Firms Hire and Scale Talent, an educational series for new investors who want to be exposed to venture and startup thinking. Register here. 

  • April 16: FirstGen Founders Powering the Care Economy, a panel conversation and networking event featuring immigrant and first-generation founders building innovative solutions across the care continuum. Register here.

  • April 17: Neighborhood VC Coffee Meet-Ups, to connect with local VCs and founders in NYC. Register here.

  • April 17: AMA: Techstars Economic Mobility, an info session for the Techstars Economic Mobility program, for entrepreneurs designing solutions that generate greater economic mobility for low- and moderate-income Americans. Register here.

  • April 23: Attention in the Age of AI with Gary Vaynerchuk, a discussion and Q&A on marketing oneself in the age of AI. Register here. 

  • April 23 and April 30: A 90-minute Masterclass: “Ace Your Financials and Use Them to Strengthen Your Pitch”. Register with promo code TECHNYC25 here. 

  • April 27: hackNY Spring, a one-day conference for early- to mid-career developers who want to level up in tech. Register with promo code techNYC here.

  • April 28-29: Momentum AI New York 2024, to connect with people who are pioneering global AI transformation. Register here.

  • April 29: Latest & Greatest from Jonathan Frankle, an AI Review talk from the Chief AI Scientist at Databricks on his latest research on the newest AI methods. Register here. 

  • April 30: Empower & Elevate Your Workforce Talent Mixer, for employers seeking to connect with the brightest emerging talent in social media marketing, Python, IT, data, and cybersecurity. Register here.

  • May 6: 43North Startup Showcase: Upstate NY, to hear pitches from founders in the 43North portfolio and across Upstate New York, and to connect, collaborate, and network with venture leaders and ecosystem builders. Register here.

  • May 6-7: AI Agent Conference, for leaders driving the next era of autonomous artificial intelligence, featuring 300+ world-class AI leaders, senior execs and top founders. Register with promo code TECHNYC15AI here.

  • May 15-16: Black Women Talk Tech hosts its 9th Annual Roadmap to Billions Conference. Register here and save 20% with code RTBPARTNER20.

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