Monday, May 18, 2026
In today’s digest, the state’s EV rollout speeds up, how to land that tough NYC restaurant res, and learnings from the Grid Fellowship. 🗽
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New York State says more than 1,850 zero-emission vehicles are now operating in its public fleet, and government-owned charging stations have topped 1,300 statewide. 🔋 (The Cool Down)
Electric vehicles now make up more than 10% of New York’s non-emergency state fleet as officials push toward a fully zero-emission light-duty fleet by 2035.
The new charging network includes fast chargers and even off-grid solar-powered charging systems with battery storage.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s plan for city-owned grocery stores is starting to take shape. The first location is now slated for Hunts Point in the South Bronx, where the city hopes discounted groceries can help address affordability concerns. 🛒 (New York Times)
The 20,000-square-foot store is expected to open next year inside the Peninsula affordable housing development, with City Hall still scouting locations for similar stores in the other four boroughs.
City Hall says it ultimately plans to open five city-owned grocery stores — one in each borough — by the end of Mayor Mamdani’s first term.
The Long Island Rail Road strike entered day three this morning. Negotiators for the MTA and five striking unions resumed talks today, with both sides sounding “cautiously optimistic.” 🚉 (ABC New York)
Governor Kathy Hochul urged commuters to telework if possible, and MTA officials said ridership on emergency shuttle buses has stayed relatively light.
Even if a deal is reached quickly, MTA Chair Janno Lieber says regular train service would likely take until the following day to fully restart.
➕ One more thing: Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the 20 members of FutureWorks, a commission developing recommendations for how New York can protect the economic security of workers while harnessing the economic benefits of AI.
👀 On the commission: Tech:NYC President and CEO Julie Samuels! More here.
In other reading:
How to get around during the Long Island Rail Road strike (PIX 11)
Mamdani admin set to open 2,000 new 3-K child care seats this September across five boroughs (amNY)
The toughest reservations in NYC right now (and how to get them) (The Infatuation)
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What Does It Mean to Lead in NYC Tech?
New York City’s tech ecosystem has never been stronger.
With more than 200,000 tech jobs across the five boroughs, NYC’s tech workforce represents 41% of the city’s net job growth since 2019.
We’re also the second-largest and second-most valuable tech hub in the world, and a leading global hub for AI.
As the tech sector grows, so does its responsibility to the city itself. 🗽
The mission: That idea shaped the inaugural Grid Fellowship, Tech:NYC’s civic leadership program designed to create a pipeline of leaders who understand the operations of the world’s greatest city and equip them with the networks and knowledge to build a better New York.
Over nine months, fellows explored how New York works — from transportation and housing to sanitation, public-private partnerships, and more — and heard from the leaders managing some of the city’s most complex challenges.
Lessons from Grid Fellowship 2025-26:
🚇 New York runs on invisible systems, and functions because thousands of operational decisions are made correctly every day.
Fellows toured DSNY’s Central Repair Shop and Spring Street Salt Shed with Acting Commissioner Javier Lojan, joined DEP Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala at the Owls Head Wastewater Facility, and met MTA Chair & CEO Janno Lieber at Grand Central Station.
⚙️ Government innovation moves differently than the private sector as institutional caution is rooted in scale and consequence.
Deputy Mayor Leila Bozorg, NYU Furman Center Executive Director Brad Greenburg, and NY Apartment Association CEO Kenny Burgos spoke to Fellows about housing in NYC, and its goals, policy, and results.
🤖 Tech and government are intertwined and the future of innovation is shaped as much by governance as by technology itself.
In Washington, D.C., fellows met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Representatives Pat Ryan, Joe Morelle, Ritchie Torres, and Grace Meng, alongside Airbnb’s Jay Carney, to discuss AI, workforce disruption, and federal technology policy.
🏙️ The broader takeaway: Leading in tech in New York is different because it means engaging with the city itself. More learnings for NYC tech leaders here.
📈 What’s next? The pipeline continues. Tech:NYC members can now nominate candidates for the Grid Fellowship 2026-27 cohort by emailing [email protected].
In other reading:
How to enter side doors: A field guide to jobs, cold emails, and making yourself legible to the right people (Velvet Noise/Substack)
The academic scramble to prepare future accountants for AI (Wall Street Journal)
The cheese mogul who turned to AI agents to save his iconic $50 million business (Fortune)
Chromie Health, an NYC-based AI-powered scheduling and management platform for hospital operations, raised $2 million in pre-seed funding. AIX Ventures led the round.
Crew Carbon, an NYC-based provider of carbon dioxide removal solutions for wastewater, raised $25 million in equity and grant funding. Burnt Island Ventures led, joined by AP Ventures, Sony Innovation Fund, Builders Vision, Kibo Invest, Idemitsu Ventures, New York Ventures, Counteract, ANIMO Ventures, Connecticut Innovations, Ponderosa Ventures, and Echo River Capital.
Greenboard, an NYC-based developer of compliance and operations software for financial services, raised $4.5 million in seed funding. Base 10 Partners led the round and was joined by Y Combinator, General Catalyst, Wayfinder Ventures, and others.
Novella, an NYC-based AI-powered wholesale insurance broker, raised $21 million in funding. Brewer Lane Ventures led the round and was joined by Box Group, Crystal Venture Partners, and others.
Turnkey, an NYC-based platform designed to help developers integrate crypto wallet infrastructure into their applications, raised $12.5 million in funding from Archetype, Circle Ventures, Sequoia Capital, and others.
Featured events:
⭐ May 20: Nysernet Leadership Symposium: Cyber Resilience for Museums and Cultural Organizations, bringing together CIOs and CISOs from museums, arts, and cultural orgs for peer discussion and executive-level insight on today’s cyber risks. Register here with promo code TECHNYC for 10% off.
⭐ May 21: NYC AI Demos, from Tech:NYC, Pensar, and Two Trees, this month spotlighting design companies with demos from Figma, Air, The Browser Company, Cartwheel, Flora, and Contra Labs. Register here.
⭐ June 3: Axios AI+ NY Summit, a half-day event during NY Tech Week convening top leaders across tech, finance, media, health care, and beyond to explore what’s next for artificial intelligence in conversations live from the Big Apple. Register here.
Other great events:
May 19: Agentic NYC: Retail Analytics in the Era of Agentic AI, a session on how elite retail are using agentic AI to move faster, be more prolific, and build more sophisticated analytics. Register here.
May 19: Founder Poker Night, an intimate poker night for NYC founders where you can play some cards and meet other founders also building something great. Register here.
May 19: Commerce Leaders Mixer at The Lead Summit, a curated evening of networking with senior retail and brand leaders across ecommerce, marketing, and digital. Register here.
May 20: Female Founders and Funders, where female founders can meet potential investors, and funders can discover innovative new ventures. Register here.
May 21: Pitchfest: New York City, a matchmaking program that pairs city agency staff with support from university faculty and volunteer civic fellows on short-term, high-impact projects. Register here.
May 21: Gen Z NYC Founder & Creator Mixer, where you can network with fellow Gen Z founders, share your wins, and find your next collab. Register here.
May 21: Brderless Founder Dinner, a private founder dinner for a curated group of Series A+ founders. Register here.
May 22: Crowd Theory: Live Business Pitching, a live, interactive experience bringing innovators, founders, and builders into one room to pitch their ideas in front of a crowd. Register here.
May 27: Cornell Tech Frontiers of AI Summit, bringing together academia, industry, and the public sector to explore the foundational perspectives that are shaping the future of AI. Register here.
May 28: Niural AI Summit, a pre-NY Tech Week summit bringing together CFOs, finance leaders, HR executives, founders, and investors shaping the future of AI-native finance and people operations. Register here for a discounted rate for Tech:NYC Digest readers.
June 16: Business Incubator Association of New York State’s 2026 Annual Conference, featuring high-impact panels with communities building across New York. Register here with promo code TECHNYC for a discounted pass.
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