Monday, December 8, 2025
In today’s digest, World Cup matches, changes for your commute, and AI’s reading list. 🤓📚
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All aboard, it’s a big day for NYC transportation news. NYC Ferry’s major route overhaul launches today — including the system’s first-ever direct link between Brooklyn and Staten Island. 🚢 (amNY)
The St. George route will now connect Staten Island ▶️ Bay Ridge ▶️ Atlantic Ave ▶️ Wall Street ▶️ West 39th Street.
Next summer, NYC Ferry will also begin a weekend pilot of extending the South Brooklyn line down to Sunset Park and Bay Ridge.
Reminder: Today is also the day the MTA officially swaps the F and M lines between Manhattan and Queens.
Do you feel that? World Cup fever is starting to spread. 🥵 MetLife Stadium will host eight FIFA World Cup matches next year (including the final on July 19), and now we know which teams will play in five of ’em. ⚽ (ABC New York)
The stadium will host Brazil vs. Morocco (June 13), France vs. Senegal (June 16), Norway vs. Senegal (June 22), Ecuador vs. Germany (June 25), and Panama vs. England (June 27).
The 104-game, 48-nation tournament begins June 11 in Mexico City before fanning out across the U.S. and Canada.
The next ticket window opens December 11.
If you’re in a real estate state of mind, you’re in luck: StreetEasy just dropped its 2026 NYC housing market predictions. (Secret NYC)
Spoiler alert: Expect faster sales, new co-buying strategies, and communal amenities up the wazoo. 🏘️
In other reading:
NYC is home to five of the most Instagrammed landmarks across the U.S. (Time Out New York)
A LaGuardia terminal that recalls the glory days of air travel (New York Times)
Raoul's, New York's Soho stalwart, is 50 and thriving (Airmail News)
What the Bots Are Reading (And Why NYC Tech PR Teams Care)
A new Muck Rack analysis of 1,000,000+ AI citations reveals one thing clearly: ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude are reading the internet very differently than human scrollers do, and that’s reshaping how stories, startups, and sources get surfaced.
Here’s what stood out from the report:
👑 Earned media is still royalty: That’s right, it appears that reports of journalism’s death were greatly exaggerated.
94% of all links cited by AI are non-paid.
82% come from earned media alone like third-party blogs and news coverage.
About 25% of citations are from journalistic sources — still a backbone of AI answers.
Fresh beats evergreen: Half of all citations from AI in the study were published within the last 12 months. 🆕
The single highest citation window is the first seven days after publication.
📝 Press releases are suddenly in the mix:
Citations to press releases jumped 5x since July, rising from 1.2% to 6% of all citations.
Models are also pulling fewer management-consulting blogs (down 35% since July).
🏛️ Authority + niche expertise matter: Models favor high-authority domains (think Reuters, CNBC, Forbes) and sector experts for niche queries.
For many brands, 50% of AI visibility comes from just 20 outlets.
🗽 What this means for NYC’s tech ecosystem: For startups and VCs, getting covered by trusted NYC and national outlets is now a distribution channel into AI itself (in addition to human readers).
For comms teams in particular, this means:
Ship newsworthy, high-quality stories on a regular cadence. 📰
Treat the first week after publication as a high-stakes AI SEO window. ⏱️
Prioritize authoritative, linkable explainers over fluffy brand content. 🤓
Bottom line: As AI becomes a default interface for information, who gets cited is who gets seen.
In a city thriving on tech, media, finance, and fast-moving startups, New York teams that master “AI-era PR” will win twice: 1) with people and 2) the models shaping what those people read.
In other reading:
Is ChatGPT killing the em dash? (Airmail News)
Working from home is harming young employees. They’re starting to see that (New York Times)
Do you know how to behave at work? Take our quiz to test your office etiquette skills. (Wall Street Journal)
Excelsior Sciences, an NYC-based AI chemistry startup, raised $70 million in Series A funding from Deerfield Management, Khosla Ventures, Sofinnova Partners, Cornucopian Capital, Eli Lilly, Illinois Ventures, and MIT. It also secured a $25 million grant from New York’s Empire State Development.
imper.ai, an NYC-based startup that prevents AI and cyber impersonation, raised $28 million in funding. Redpoint Ventures and Battery Ventures led the round, joined by Maple VC, Vessy VC, and Cerca Partners.
LizzyAI, an NYC-based AI-powered talent interviewing company, raised $5 million in seed funding. NEA led the round and was joined by Speedinvest and Zero Prime Ventures.
Ply, an NYC-based inventory and purchasing platform for contractors, raised $8.5 million led by Ferguson Ventures and joined by Primary and SignalFire.
Soxton AI, an NYC-based AI-first law firm targeting early-stage founders and startups, raised $2.5 million in preseed funding. The round was led by Moxxie Ventures, with participation from Strobe, Coalition, Caterina Fake, and Flex.
December 9: Curated Founder Bowling (Seed+), a private bowling night for a curated group of founders from Seed+. Register here.
December 9-10: 2025 NYC Employment and Training Coalition Conference, bringing together the city’s premier policymakers, practitioners, and leaders — including Tech:NYC’s Julie Samuels — to focus on career pathways, emerging industries, and the vital link between workforce and economic development. Register here.
December 10: HubSpot for Startups x BusinessOutside’s Connection Walk, featuring rotating discussions regarding the achievement of fulfilling work-life integration and more intentional business success. Register here.
December 10: AI Security Fireside Dinner, designed specifically for executive-level peers who are leading technical, security, or AI strategy in their organizations. Register here.
December 10: Pitch and Run – Williamsburg, for founders to connect with Angels and VCs without the pressure of a pitch meeting and to allow founders and startup employees to connect. Register here.
December 10: SaaS Supper Club: Chief of Staff Mixer, an intimate gathering of Venture Backed Chiefs of Staff over wine and small bites. Register here.
December 10-11: The AI Summit New York, a platform for enterprise leaders and tech innovators to explore and apply commercial AI, featuring Flybidge’s Jesse Middleton, NYCEDC’s Jonathan Schulhof, and Tech:NYC’s Julie Samuels discussing NYC’s startup ecosystem. Register here.
December 10: The AI Summit NY Healthcare Happy Hour, a mixer for healthcare and pharma professionals after day one of the AI Summit in New York. Register here.
December 11: The Future of Applied AI in Finance and Banking, an annual one-day, invite-only conference blending elements of TEDx, Foo Camp, and Summit to bring senior managers, C-suite executives, and top AI/ML researchers together for curated sessions on applying the latest technology to problems in finance, banking, and insurance. Register here.
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 19: Founders & Investors Holiday Gala, an innovation-meets-culture holiday celebration at a speakeasy in Soho. Register here.
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