Monday, June 2, 2025

June 02, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

Monday, June 2, 2025 

🚨 In today’s digest, we have big news:

  • Today we launched Obviously New York, a bold new initiative from Tech:NYC, designed by Red Antler and supported by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC).

    • The initiative celebrates a simple truth: if you want to build in tech, in the capital of everything, build in NYC.

    • Much more below!

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Why it’s #ObviouslyNYC:

  • The city that turns ideas into impact. Tech:NYC President and CEO Julie Samuels joined Bloomberg TV this morning to discuss the impact of NYC’s tech sector. Tech has become the city’s economic engine, with 64% job growth since 2014, 25,000+ startups, and a $694 billion ecosystem. 🧑‍💻 (Bloomberg TV)

  • The city that every industry calls home. Building fintech? Rub shoulders with Wall Street. Building adtech? Lock arms with Madison Avenue. You can meet with artists, filmmakers, investors, and engineers — and be back before lunch. (New York Post)

  • Where the future is in walking distance. Part of our superpower is the proximity of everything you need to be a successful founder, investor, and technologist. NYC was named the most walkable city in the U.S. last year, and consider us unsurprised. 🚶 (Travel and Leisure)

In other reading:

  • Tech is driving the NYC economy, new report finds (The CITY)

  • Where college-educated Americans are moving (spoiler alert: it’s NYC) (Axios)

  • NYC, with 43 fortune 500s calling it home, is home to more industry leading companies than any other city in the country (Fortune)

  • New York tops destinations for relocating tech workers (Wall Street Journal)

  • NYC is among the happiest cities in the world (TimeOut New York)

Let’s dig a little deeper into this initiative, shall we? 

Why now?

The timing of Obviously NYC isn’t random. Over the past few years, NYC’s tech scene has skyrocketed. 🚀

  • 33% more tech companies in NYC since 2018.

  • 155% increase in tech jobs over the past 15 years.

  • Over 369,000 jobs in tech today.

  • Tech now contributes 10.2% of NYC’s Gross Product.

  • NYC now outpaces San Francisco as the most active hub for innovation in the U.S.

🤖 And then there’s AI. 

AI is reshaping industries and NYC is leading that charge too.

  • 2,000+ AI startups call New York City home.

  • 40,000 AI professionals work across sectors in the city.

  • From healthcare to finance to fashion, AI is integrated into the industries that thrive here.

From access to global industry leaders to top-tier talent, NYC isn’t just a place you move to. It’s a place where you grow.

Especially for new talent:

The initiative launch aligns with graduation season, when new grads are deciding where to build their lives and careers.

  • Since 2021, nearly 500,000 recent grads have moved to NYC. 🎓

  • NYC is the #1 post-college destination in the U.S.

If you're just starting your career in tech, there’s no better city to make it happen.

Obviously NYC is a call to action. Whether you're a founder looking to build, an investor searching for the next big thing, or a grad charting your next steps, NYC has the momentum, infrastructure, and energy to make it happen. ⚡

Because the future of tech? It’s already here. And it’s Obviously NYC. 

“New York City is the capital of everything, from finance to fashion, and it’s the nexus of all that’s important,”  said Julie Samuels, President and CEO of Tech:NYC. “For startups and tech companies, the city has proven to be the best place to build and scale; where else can founders and operators gain access to the leaders and buyers in their industry of focus. The launch of Obviously NYC underscores the incredible momentum in New York City’s thriving tech industry.”

On Friday, we rang the closing bell at the NYSE. Catch us around town during this, the biggest NYTW — and Tech Week — to date. On LinkNYC kiosks. At the Axios AI+ NY Summit. At our other events and member events and more here. And if you see #ObviouslyNYC in the wild in NYC, take a pic and tag us on X (@TechNYC) or email [email protected].

Be part of the movement: Sign up here to stay up to date, get your hands on some swag, and download the Obviously NYC badge. 

In other reading:

  • New York is the applied AI capital of the world (Daily News)

  • Gotham’s AI, robotics emerges as challenger to Silicon Valley’s dominance after biggest NY Tech Week ever (NY Post)

  • New Yorkers from Harlem to Hollis embrace free Wi-Fi, declare tech vital to city’s future (Harlem World Magazine)

  • ⭐ June 2-8: NY Tech Week, a decentralized tech conference featuring 900+ events throughout the city. Get Tech:NYC’s guide here. ⭐

    • June 3: NYC AI Demos with Tech:NYC, Pensar, and Two Trees, ​featuring technical demos from well known enterprises and early-stage startups. Request an invite here.

    • June 4: J.P. Morgan Payments x Tech:NYC Fintech Media Breakfast, bringing together leading tech journalists to explore how fintech innovation is transforming industries and shaping media coverage. Request an invite here.

    • June 6: Decoded Futures + Tech:NYC Social Impact AI Showcase, an inspiring showcase of how NYC nonprofits are using AI to solve real-world challenges across the social sector. Request an invite here.

  • June 4: Generative AI in the Built Environment, a networking breakfast and panel exploring how generative AI is reshaping design, development, and operations across the built world. Register here.

  • June 5: Runway’s third annual AI Film Festival, a celebration of the art and artists embracing new and emerging AI tools for filmmaking. Register here.

  • June 7: 2025 Tech Talent Exchange, an opportunity to explore new career paths, discover exciting job openings, and make connections that can propel your career forward. Register here.

  • June 9: Robin Hood Summit: Opportunity x AI, where leaders from the tech, academia, finance, and impact sectors will explore effective uses of AI that can expand opportunity and scale impact for our neighbors living in poverty. Register here.

  • June 11: IBM AI for Impact, an interactive workshop (featuring a session with Decoded Futures at the Tech:NYC Foundation!) designed to help nonprofits explore the transformative potential of artificial intelligence. Register here.

  • June 16: Fireside Chat with Ramp CPO Geoff Charles, who will discuss how Ramp keeps teams small and scrappy by emphasizing autonomy, focus, and smart tooling to do more with less. Register here.

  • June 18: AI Show Not Tell - Ditch The Deck, a social meet-up curated for NYC-area technologists, founders, developers, and investors. Register here.

  • June 25: Techie Tapas, to give techies a space to network, collaborate, and build community. Register here.

Any feedback or suggestions of things to add? Get in touch here.
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