Monday, December 15, 2025
In today’s digest, NYC hospitals get upgraded, holiday markets galore, and tech predictions for 2026. 🔮
Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate! 🕎
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New York hospitals are getting a tech upgrade: New York State is borrowing $300 million to modernize hospital IT and cybersecurity systems, with more than $200 million headed to seven health systems in the five boroughs. 🏥 (Crain’s New York Business)
The funding comes from the Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program, backed by state-issued bonds.
The money will go toward electronic medical records, stronger patient data protections, and expanded telehealth services.
State officials prioritized financially distressed hospitals and facilities with outdated health IT.
It’s holiday market season! If you’re overwhelmed by the sheer number of holiday markets in NYC, we’ve got you covered. 🫡 Here’s a guide to the holiday markets across the city. (Secret NYC).
ICYMI (somehow): It snowed this weekend. Alternate side parking is suspended tomorrow as the Department of Transportation continues to clear the snow and ice off the roads. ☃️ (PIX 11)
In search of a thrill (or to relive your childhood)? Here are the best places to go sledding in the city.
In other reading:
An easy way to make real-estate ownership in NYC much more fair (Intelligencer)
Three NYC casino plans win final OK — two in Queens, one in Bronx (Gothamist)
39 reasons to love New York right now (Curbed)
2026 Predictions: Where Builders Are Headed Next
’Tis the season for reflection — and prediction pieces. 🔮
Here’s what some tech leaders see coming in 2026:
🤖 AI becomes the default, not the add-on:
Andreessen Horowitz’s Malika Aubakirova thinks the software behind the scenes will be reworked so it can handle AI “coworkers” doing thousands of tasks in parallel instead of humans clicking one button at a time.
🛡️ AI as the junior teammate in cybersecurity: a16z’s Joel de la Garza expects AI to take on repetitive security work so human teams can focus on real threats instead of endless alerts.
Cybersecurity expert Ken Underhill predicts AI-powered attacks and defenses will transform the cybersecurity model next year, including AI-assisted attacks outpacing classic approaches and new classes of threats like on-device malware.
🎬 Creative tools grow up: a16z’s consumer investor Justine Moore predicts AI tools for video, audio, images, and voice will start working together in one place.
🩺 Health gets rewired:
Nele Jessel, chief medical officer at Athenahealth, predicts that “2026 will be the year the electronic health record learns to think, shifting the conversation from interoperability to intelligence and driving more proactive care.”
🗽 New York angle: Last, but certainly not least, a prediction from Tech:NYC President and CEO Julie Samuels: “New York City solidifies its position as the place where companies need to be to interface with clients, customers, markets, and investors. Obviously.”
Bottom line: Ultimately, these are all just ideas, but NYC is where these ideas collide with real industries, public institutions, and millions of test users… all on one subway system.
In other reading:
Why everything is ‘aesthetic’ to Gen Z and Alpha (Washington Post)
The 82 books that top business leaders couldn’t put down (Bloomberg)
Dealmakers are toasting a solid year for tech M&A (The Information)
AIR, an NYC-based AI-powered credit intelligence platform for public and private markets, raised $6.1 million in Seed funding. The round was co-led by Work-Bench Ventures and Lerer Hippeau, with participation from additional investors.
Axion, an NYC-based AI platform for manufacturing product quality, raised $37 million in a Series B funding round led by Salesforce Ventures with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners, Schneider Electric Ventures, and other existing investors.
Cayuga Biotech, an NYC-based developer of novel therapeutics to address life-threatening hemorrhage, raised $8 million in seed funding. Wharton Alumni Angels led the round and was joined by Gopher Angels, Mass Medical Angels, New York Ventures, NuFund Venture Group, Purchase Capital, SideCar Ventures, SOSV, TBD Angels, Walnut Ventures, and others.
Cyphlens, an NYC-based enterprise security platform, raised $3.8 million in seed funding from Salesforce Ventures, Motivate Ventures, DCG, ex/ante, and Cambrian Ventures.
Esusu, an NYC-based credit building startup, raised $50 million in Series C funding at a $1.2 billion valuation. Westbound Equity Partners led the round, joined by Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and Blue Meridian Partners.
Keeper, an NYC-based AI matchmaker, raised $4 million in pre-seed funding. Lightbank and Lakehouse Ventures led the round, joined by Champion Hill Ventures and Goodwater Capital.
Subsense, an NYC-based maker of brain-computer interfaces to treat neurodegenerative diseases, raised $10 million in new seed funding from Golden Falcon Capital.
December 16: Newlab’s “Do Less” Maker’s Fair, a celebration of creativity and community featuring around 50 makers, artists, and companies showcasing crafts, products, and projects that reflect the spirit of innovation and creation. Register here.
December 17: ICONS: Fashion & Founders Mixer, a curated mix of founders, designers, marketing pros, digital folks, directors, and CPG + retail experts, engineers and builders across fashion, design, and tech. Register here.
December 17: NYC Startup + Tech Holiday Party, including a white elephant exchange. Register here.
December 17: Latino Tech Mixer 2025 Last-Dance, a gathering to celebrate 2025, connect with the community, and vibe together as we start thinking about what we want to build in 2026. Register here.
December 19: Holiday Tech Happy Hour, a low-key way to connect with the NYC tech and startup community to discover shared interests, explore areas for collaboration, and find your next co-founder or key hire. Register here.
December 19: Founders & Investors Holiday Gala, an innovation-meets-culture holiday celebration at a speakeasy in Soho. Register here.
December 20: Iconic Coffee Club: Design + Tech Founders, an event for designers & builders! if you’re building the next big thing and looking for the right people to bring it to life, this one’s for you. Register here.
December 22: NYC B2B: AI Founders & Investors Meetup, hosted by NYC B2B. It’s a great way to meet other founders, builders, and investors. Whether you’re building a company, exploring a side project, or considering a new idea, this event is for you. Register here.
January 7: Women with Saas: Female Founder Coworking Day, an opportunity to work alongside other female SaaS and AI founders to brainstorm, and build a more powerful network. Register here.
January 8: TechWalk | Jersey City, a different sort of networking event for members of the Tech and SaaS communities to get outside, meet new people, and enjoy some fresh air, while practicing mindful movement. Register here.
January 21: Building a Personal Brand in the Age of AI, where you can learn how AI can help you create content faster, understand your audience better, and stay authentic while standing out. Register here.
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