Monday, May 12, 2025

May 12, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes

Monday, May 12, 2025 

In today’s digest, insights for NYC founders, a biker’s paradise, and later sunsets. 🌇

  • But first: Building something exciting in NYC? Today’s your last chance to apply to Tech:NYC and Rho’s Studio Open Hours at NY Tech Week!

    • We’ll shoot short video interviews with 10 founders, spotlighting the power and vibrancy of NYC's tech ecosystem.​ Founders, apply here.

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  • Unlike some policy changes that take years to show results, congestion pricing took New York by storm. From traffic patterns, commuter behavior, transit service, and school bus arrival, the program has been quickly achieving its two main goals: reducing congestion and raising revenue for transit improvements. Check out how congestion pricing has impacted New York. 🚆 (New York Times)

    • Plus, here’s how 40 Manhattan businesses are adapting to congestion pricing, surveyed along Greenwich Village’s Bleecker Street.  🗽

  • In other transit news, commuters should prepare for a possible NJ Transit strike to start this Friday that would affect 350,000 riders. The last NJ Transit strike was in 1983, lasting about a month. (NBC New York)

    • Here’s more on what to know about contingency plans and details on the negotiations.

  • New Yorkers won’t see a sunset before 8pm until mid-August, promising sunny skies and brighter days ahead. By the time the solstice arrives on June 21, New York is expected to have over 15 hours of sunlight a day. 🌞 (Gothamist)


In other reading:

  • Eataly is on an aggressive expansion spree in NYC (Eater NY)

  • City hopes to buy up to 61 mostly vacant lots to build new parks (Crain’s New York Business)

  • MTA opens a ‘biker’s paradise’ on RFK-Triborough Bridge (amNY)

➕ One more thing: Want a front-row seat to the intersection of AI and social impact? Decoded Futures at the Tech:NYC Foundation has launched a Substack! Check out their first post and subscribe here.

At this year’s Founders NYC, hosted by USV, First Round Capital, Lux, and BoxGroup, 500+ builders flocked to Chelsea to hear from operators, VCs, and tech leaders. At every panel, from early-stage VCs to post-IPO execs, founders and funders hammered home one lesson: Trust your gut, make decisions fast, and don’t forget that New York is the place to win.

🧑‍⚖️ Gut > spreadsheets: MongoDB’s Dev Ittycheria and Datadog’s Olivier Pomel opened the day reminding everyone that founding is a game of judgment.

  • “When your head says something, [and] your gut says something else, trust your gut,” said Dev.

💸 Fundraising in 2025: Less flash, more substance: In a panel with Nimi Katragadda (BoxGroup), Hayley Barna (First Round), and Grace Isford (Lux Capital), early-stage investors outlined what it takes to raise today.

  • Founder > Anything else — All three VCs agreed: back the person, not the pitch.

  • “Come in with clarity of thought,” said Grace. Can you explain the problem in one sentence?

  • “What an investor wants to hear is something that they can be like, ‘Oh, wow, that's different,’” added Hayley.

💼 The IPO path: Not an exit, just a mile marker: Fred Wilson (USV), Jenn Hyman (Rent the Runway), Neil Blumenthal (Warby Parker), and Joey Levin (Angi Inc.) tackled what it means to go public in 2025. 

  • “Going public is a stop along the journey,” not the destination, said Joey.

  • Jenn added that going public forces founders to compare yourself to everyone else in the industry.

  • Fred advised founders to avoid adding VCs to their boards if possible: “Put independent people on the board. Put CEOs on the board. Put people who actually run companies on your board.”

  • All agreed: Going public should support the mission, not replace it.

📍 The NYC advantage: The love for building in New York ran deep through each panelist that took the stage.

  • From applied AI to fintech to women’s health, founders reiterated that NYC has the depth, the talent, and the customers. 

  • As Uniswap’s MC Lader noted: “Being in a city where not everyone is doing tech, but you still have depth of tech talent,” is important for the founder-marathon journey.

  • Whether you’re building with hospitals, hedge funds, or households in mind, New York gives you access, scale, and ambition.

As Nimi Katragadda put it: “People come to New York to win.”

We couldn’t agree more.

In other reading:

  • Work-Bench’s new $160 million venture fund doubles down on New York enterprise tech investing (Fortune)

  • Apps you’ll want to take on vacation: a digital packing list (New York Times)

  • When picking a new CEO, ask them for a growth plan (HBR)

  • Clarium, an NYC-based hospital supply chain platform, raised $27 million in Series A funding from Northzone, General Catalyst, and others.

  • Clean Cult, an NYC-based company that sells cleaning products in paper-based cartons, raised $5 million in a Series B extension from Sage Hill Investors, Maywic Select Investments, and others.

  • Kouper, an NYC-based health-tech startup focused on transitions of care, raised $10 million from General Catalyst, 25Madison, and CVS Health Ventures. 

  • Parloa, an agentic AI management platform, secured $120 million in Series C funding. Durable Capital Partners, Altimeter Capital, and General Catalyst lead the round with participation from EQT Ventures, RPT Capital, Senovo, and Mosaic Ventures.

  • May 13: Watches and Wearables, a happy hour by Remedy and Ganance for anyone excited to chat watches and wearable tech, featuring drinks, hands-on product demos, and a fireside chat. Register here.

  • May 14: OpenAI and the AI for Nonprofits Sprint present Advanced Features for Nonprofits: ChatGPT's Next-Level Tools, a webinar to learn how to go beyond simple chats and explore ChatGPT’s next-level capabilities for more efficient and impactful work. Co-sponsored by the Tech:NYC Foundation. Register here.

  • May 14: Unlock LATAM by nocnoc, for VIP execs from leading U.S. companies looking to tap into Latin America’s $100 billion+ e-commerce opportunity. Register here. 

  • May 15-16: Black Women Talk Tech hosts its 9th Annual Roadmap to Billions Conference, a platform to forge connections, expand your knowledge, and drive generational wealth for you and your community. Register here and save 20% with code RTBPARTNER20.

  • May 16: Spring 2025 Startup Awards + Open Studio, where 10 student teams from Cornell Tech will be competing for $100,000 of investment in their startup ventures, and showcasing their research and projects. Register here.

  • May 20: Grow and Secure Your Business with Google, an in-person session on essential digital tools to grow your business, improve operational efficiency, and protect your business against cybersecurity threats. Register here.

  • May 20: The Future of the Intersection Between Design and Technology, a Cornell Tech panel discussion exploring how emerging technologies are transforming design practices and solving critical global challenges. Register here. 

  • May 22: Brderless’ May Founder Breakfast: Fundraising Readiness Beyond the Deck,  for early-stage founders to gain insights from experts and connect with other founders going through the fundraising process. Register here.

  • May 23: NYPL’s free job fair & expo, focusing on tech sector jobs. Employers can apply to table at the event here. Job seekers, register to attend here. 

  • May 28: Go for Growth: Mastering Strategy, Technology, People, and Culture for Long-Term Success, a virtual event for pre-IPO and growth-focused companies to get insights, connections, and a roadmap to scale. Register here.

  • May 30: NYC Coffee Club for early-stage B2B SaaS founders & funders, a no-stress way to connect with NYC VCs and founders. Register here.

  • June 2: AI Startup Pitch Day, where NYC’s top pre-seed AI startups will take the stage to pitch their startups to a roomful of 100 investors with a grand prize of $50K. Investors, register here. Startups can apply to compete 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.

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