- Tech:NYC Digest
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- Monday, April 7, 2025
Monday, April 7, 2025
Monday, April 7, 2025
In today’s digest, new beginnings for a beloved theater, new congestion pricing timeline, and a new winner of the Peerless pitch competition. 🆕
But first: Time is running out to apply for Cohort 3 of Decoded Futures at the Tech:NYC Foundation — our no-cost, seven-week program designed for NYC nonprofits looking to use AI to scale their impact.
Know a nonprofit that might be interested? Applications are open till April 15.
Want to volunteer? Technologists, apply here.
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The MTA and federal government have agreed to a timeline that would keep congestion pricing tolls on through late October. (PIX 11)
In the proposed timeline, both parties would have until late October to finalize their motions to the judge, at which point the court would have the final say on the program.
Some good news for movie and art lovers: The iconic UWS art deco Metro Theater, which has been shuttered for 20 years, is on track to reopen, thanks to a nonprofit purchasing the space and a state grant. 🎭 (Gothamist)
A Manhattan staple for decades before falling on tough times, the theater’s second life includes replicating the original design, restoring the historic marquee, and adding an arts education center and a cafe.
Welcome to another week of rainy New York weather. 🌧️ On-and-off showers throughout today are expected, there’s a chance of rain on Thursday, and showers are likely Friday and Saturday. (CBS News)
In other reading:
Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival in NYC 2025 (TimeOut New York)
More grocery stores that are also great restaurants (New York Times)
New Yorkers brace for higher prices as tariffs take effect (NY 1)
One million dollars. Over 1,000 applicants. Twenty virtual pitches selected. Five finalists. One winning founder.
What's new: Last week at Google’s NYC headquarters, five founders pitched their startups at Peerless, a pitch competition focused on identifying exceptional and underrepresented early-stage founders. The winner took home a $1 million investment from AlleyCorp (a Tech:NYC member!), free legal services, and a host of other prizes.
The finalists made their pitches in front of a full crowd of investors, founders, operators, and ecosystem stakeholders.
Think: Reality TV meets the tech ecosystem.
Picture: Five judges on stage, a ticking timer held up during each pitch, and game-changing money on the line. 📺
“We are prouder than ever to be committed to the idea of helping make this world more equitable, more diverse, more interesting, more successful, and we're not going to back off from that,” said Kevin Ryan, Founder and CEO of AlleyCorp, and a member of Tech:NYC’s board and executive committee.
🔢 Stats to know: In 2024, venture funding for Black and Latino founders was on the rise for the first time since 2021, according to Harlem Capital’s 2024 Diverse Founder Report.
But there’s still work to be done: Out of all the companies that have raised $1 million+ in venture funding in 2024, women-led companies account for 34%, but they received just 21% of this capital raised. That’s why initiatives like Peerless and the SEEN Summit last fall are so crucial.
🗽 NYC spotlight: Two of the Peerless finalists were NYC-based:
Carolina Rojas of Opus Health is revolutionizing healthcare payments.
“We are building the first platform to help patients reduce their out of pocket medical expenses through HSA and advocacy automation.”
Tsikata Apenyo of Volta Health is building a platform that streamlines campus health and wellness for administrators.
“It's my life's work to use Volta to make sure that these institutions can give the next generation the same incredible experience that many of us had.”
🏅 The winner: Juan Manuel Barrero of Lazo took the crown for his company that provides a tax, bookkeeping, and fundraising solution for startup founders.
“This journey started off with over 1,000 founders, and I really can't tell you how moving and inspiring it's been to see all the things these founders are dreaming up,” said Desiree Almodovar, Operating Partner at AlleyCorp.
In other reading:
AutonomyAI, an NYC-based front-end software development AI agents provider, raised $4 million in pre-seed funding from Inbound Capital, Gilad Shany, Vikram Makhiija, and others.
Ethic, an NYC-based asset management platform, raised $64 million in Series D funding from State Street Global Advisors.
Series, an NYC-based AI-powered social network for college students, raised $3 million in pre-seed funding. Parable led the round and was joined by Pear VC, DGB.VC, 47th Street, angel investors, and others.
YRIKKA, an NYC-based AI red teaming platform, raised $1.5 million in pre-seed funding from Focal and Garuda Ventures.
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.
April 8: #NotAPitch, to get feedback on concepts, prototypes, and ideas without it counting as a pitch. Register here.
April 10: GenAI Collective Demo Night, where eight startups will showcase their products. Register here.
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 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 27: hackNY Spring, a one-day conference for early- to mid-career developers who want to level up in tech. Register 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.
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