- Tech:NYC Digest
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- Monday, May 19, 2025
Monday, May 19, 2025
Monday, May 19, 2025
In today’s digest, NJ transit strike, NYC workers are back in the office, and New York sports(tech) thrives. 🏀
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New Jersey Transit and the engineers’ union reached a deal this weekend to end the first New Jersey statewide transit strike in more than 40 years. Train service is set to resume on Tuesday, May 20. 🤝 (New York Times)
Though details on the strike are not yet publicly available, NJ Governor Phil Murphy said the agreement was fair for both NJ Transit’s employees, as well as affordable for the state of NJ and taxpayers. 🚆
NYC is leading the way in getting workers back into the office. In April, The rate at which New Yorkers were in offices was at 94.5% of pre-pandemic averages, first in the nation and higher than cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco (which were 42% to 44% below 2019 levels). (New York Post)
Speaking of post-pandemic life, 311 calls for illegal parking, noise, and heat/hot water have increased dramatically since the start of COVID-19. The state’s comptroller’s office released a new 311 monitoring tool that helps New Yorkers see service requests in their neighborhood, highlight where problems are concentrated, and identify trends that show where resources might be needed. (Office of NYS Comptroller)
In other reading:
A wet, hot, broker fee-free summer? A major change to rental broker fees is supposed to start in June (Brick Underground)
‘Don’t Do NYC Dirty’ anti-litter campaign turns city pride into action (Gothamist)
NYCxDESIGN 2025: 12 can’t-miss events during New York City’s annual celebration of design (6sqft)
Bing bong!
With the Knicks advancing to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000, the defending WNBA champions New York Liberty winning their season opener, and the Yankees winning the first set of Subway Series games this year, it’s safe to say it’s been a monumental weekend for NYC sports (sorry, Mets fans). 🏀⚾
Great timing: In true Tech:NYC fashion, there’s no better way to celebrate all these wins without a deep-dive into the state of sportstech globally. Good thing SportsTechX just released its global sports tech ecosystem report. Batter up, let’s get into it. 🏅
🌍 Global landscape by the numbers:
$58 billion: The amount in global SportsTech dealflow from 2020-2024.
SportsTech funding peaked in 2021 in North America at $7.1 billion.
12: Number of new sportstech unicorns in 2024, bringing the total to 38. 🦄
$3 billion: In record-breaking funding in the largest investment round ever: Infinite Reality (January 2025).
$7.6 billion: Amount invested across new leagues, competitive socialization, and the rise of APAC.
22: Number of new sportstech investors and initiatives in the last 12 months.
🗽 NYC spotlight:
From 2020-2024, NYC ranked #1 in number of sportstech startups among all North American cities, and #2 in funding for sportstech startups.
In 2024, NYC accounted for 11% of top deals in North America (#3 globally).
➕ Just a couple months ago, Midtown Manhattan hosted Sports Business Journal’s Tech Week, spotlighting everything from the NBA’s new “Dunk Score” to the NHL’s puck-tracking systems and MLS’s AI-driven fan experiences.
🤑 Investment focus: Think: Immersive tech, smart fitness, wellness-focused platforms.
Plus, competitive sports are becoming the new wave of socializing. Golf-focused concepts led the way, accounting for 55% of total funding in competitive socialization. 🏌️
In other reading:
LinkedIn’s new AI tool makes for more expressive job searches (Tech Brew)
Microsoft helped kick off the AI boom. It needs humans more than ever, its CEO says (Semafor)
Y Combinator startup Firecrawl is ready to pay $1M to hire three AI agents as employees (TechCrunch)
Algoma, an NYC-based AI-powered real estate development platform, raised $2.3 million in seed funding. Zacua Ventures led the round and was joined by SOSV, Iron Prairie Ventures, DOMiNO Ventures, Compose VC, and angel investors.
Cartwheel, an NYC-based AI-powered 3D animation AI tools provider, raised $10 million in funding. Craft Ventures led the round and was joined by WndrCo, Tirta Ventures, Runway, and existing investors Accel, Khosla, and Human Ventures.
Doji, an NYC-based AI-powered online shopping and virtual try-on platform, raised $14 million in seed funding. Thrive led the round and was joined by existing investor Seven Seven Six Ventures.
⭐ 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 Media Breakfast, bringing together leading tech journalists to explore how fintech innovation is transforming industries and shaping media coverage. Request an invite 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 21: Company Ventures’ Demo Night, an AI Review event featuring a fireside chat with Distill’s Russ Heddleston followed by demos from some of the more compelling AI applications being built in New York today. 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 28: FirstGen Founders Powering American Dynamism, a gathering spotlighting the immigrant and first-gen entrepreneurs building the next wave of American industries. 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.
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.
Any feedback or suggestions of things to add? Get in touch here.
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