- Tech:NYC Digest
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- Monday, October 20, 2025
Monday, October 20, 2025
Monday, October 20, 2025
In today’s digest, tech 🤝 mayoral race, Halloween 🤝 NYC dogs, and healthcare 🤝 AI.
A happy Diwali to all who celebrate!
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Today in tech and mayoral news:
Zohran Mamdani gave his thoughts on all things tech, including how technology can be used to increase civic engagement and which founder he’d like to have dinner with. 📱 (WIRED)
Andrew Cuomo announced plans to establish a Chief Innovation Officer, tasked with ensuring NYC “remains the global leader in business, technology, and job creation.”
E-bikes are facing a new speed limit this week. A 15 mph cap takes effect Oct. 24, but questions remain about how it will actually be enforced. See which vehicles are affected by the new speed limit, and how the city plans to make sure riders comply. 🚲 (The CITY)
NYC Ferry wants to offer visitors to the Big Apple a new tourist hack. To help boost ridership and revenue, the city’s Economic Development Corporation is testing a $15 two-day unlimited ferry pass this fall. ⛴️ (Crain’s New York)
It’s a bid to steer the money-losing system toward smoother financial waters. 😉
👑 Referral royalty: Big thanks to Anna Sian, Ayene Cruz, and Zoë Morse Garland for referring subscribers to the Tech:NYC Digest this week! Join them and win swag by participating in our referral program — details at the end of this email.
In other reading:
NYC tech education in today’s AI age (Daily News)
Costumed canines strut stuff in Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade (NY Post)
Speaking the language of New York’s outdoor sculpture (Wall Street Journal)
Oscar’s New AI Agent Reimagines Healthcare Navigation
It’s open enrollment season, and New Yorkers shopping for health plans just got a new reason to pay attention. 🧑⚕️
Oscar Health, the NYC-based healthcare technology pioneer (and Tech:NYC member!), has partnered with OpenAI (*another* Tech:NYC member!) to launch Oswell, a next-gen AI health agent designed to make healthcare feel as intuitive as texting. Think: ChatGPT for your health plan. 🤖
Answer questions about symptoms, prescriptions, and lab results.
Help schedule appointments and refill medications.
Prep patients for doctor visits and explain follow-up instructions.
💡 The bigger picture: Oscar’s launch comes as NYC cements its status as the nation’s epicenter of AI health innovation.
Local digital health companies raised $1.4 billion across 32 deals in Q3 2025, nearly double the capital raised during the same period last year. Most of that funding went to AI-powered companies focused on administrative efficiency, insurance, and clinical analytics.
Local startups like Neura Health, Inspiren, and Heidi Health are drawing major VC rounds to use AI for everything from fall detection to digital scribing.
A recent NYCEDC report shows that the city’s healthcare and life sciences sectors employ nearly 20% of NYC workers and are among the top industries poised for AI-driven growth.
⏰ Perfect timing: Walmart’s recent OpenAI partnership is bringing “agentic commerce” to retail, and Oscar’s Oswell may be the first mainstream test of agentic healthcare.
🗽 Bottom line: New York’s AI ecosystem is turning smart assistants into everyday agents. Oscar’s Oswell might just be the one that gets you to your next doctor’s visit faster, cheaper, and with fewer WebMD and search engine rabbit holes.
👀 See it live: Oscar will showcase Oswell at Tech:NYC’s next NYC AI Demos event on Oct. 23 with Pensar and Two Trees Management! The evening will also feature live technical demos from ElevenLabs, Tabs, Whop, Slingshot AI, Rogo, QuantumBlack AI by McKinsey, and Cyborg. Register here.
In other reading:
Even CEOs have to be influencers now (Fast Company)
The zipper is getting its first major upgrade in 100 years (WIRED)
Celebrity chef Mario Carbone backs AI-powered loyalty startup Magic in $10 million seed round (Fortune)
Counsel Health, an NYC-based platform where patients can chat with a medical AI and then connect with a real doctor, raised $25 million in Series A funding. Andreessen Horowitz and GV led the round.
Dreamdata, an NYC-based B2B marketing analytics platform, raised $55 million in Series B funding. PeakSpan Capital led the round, which included participation from InReach Ventures, Angel Invest, Curiosity Venture Capital and Crowberry Capital.
ExaCare AI, an NYC-based AI-powered platform for post-acute and senior care teams, raised $30 million in Series A funding. Insight Partners led the round and was joined by Foundation Capital, Bienville Capital, and others.
Second Nature, an NYC-based sales and service AI roleplay platform, raised $22 million in Series B funding round. The round was led by Sienna Venture Capital with participation from Bright Pixel, StageOne Ventures, Cardumen Capital, Signals VC, and Zoom.
Strella, an NYC-based AI-powered customer research platform, raised $14 million in Series A funding. Bessemer Venture Partners led the round and was joined by Decibel Partners, Bain Future Backed Ventures, MVP Ventures, and 645 Ventures.
October 22-23: Fundraising Strategy & Storytelling Workshop, a hands-on two-day workshop for early-stage founders preparing for fundraising and getting real feedback from top founders and investors on pitch deck. Register here.
October 23: NYC AI Demos, a series collab between Tech:NYC, Pensar AI, and the Refinery at Domino, this month featuring live demos from ElevenLabs, Oscar Health, Tabs, Whop, Slingshot AI, Rogo, QuantumBlack AI by McKinsey, and Cyborg. Register here.
October 23: Tech:NYC and Crain’s Tech Summit, a day of conversations that explore how AI is transforming key industries — from reshaping real estate tools and bedside care to revolutionizing financial strategies and raising urgent legal considerations. Register with promo code FRIENDSOFTECHNYC for a 15% discount here.
October 23: Curated Founder Breakfast, a private breakfast for a curated group of early-stage founders who are fundraising soon. Register here.
October 24: AI Builders & Ramen, for a curated group of AI engineers, consultants, or enthusiasts for an evening of great conversations over ramen. Register here.
October 28: SIEDC Elevate Tech Summit, where you can dive into specialized tracks in AI, marketing, and business operations, featuring top leaders and innovators shaping the future of tech in the tri-state area. Register here.
October 28: Curated Founder Breakfast, a private breakfast for a curated group of founders from Seed to Series B. Register here.
October 28: Building AI Agents for the Enterprise, exploring how cutting-edge teams are designing, deploying, and scaling AI systems that drive real business outcomes across industries. Register here.
November 5: NYCB2B: AI Startup Social, an evening of food, drinks, and all things AI while overlooking Midtown Manhattan, Bryant Park, and the Empire State Building. Register here.
November 7: AcceleratorCon, for top early-stage founders connect directly with investors, accelerators, and ecosystem partners. Register with promo code NYCDIGEST for a 30% discount here.
November 11-12: Urban Tech Summit, offering insights and examples of how researchers, companies, governments, and communities can continue to drive innovation, and how urban tech can help cities do more with less as they prepare for the future. Register here.
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