Thursday, April 23, 2026
In today’s digest, a bathroom crunch, how to land that New York dinner res, and NYC fintech companies to watch ahead of New York Fintech Week. 💰
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Ur-ine trouble. NYC is prepping to solve a very real World Cup problem: where everyone’s going to go to the bathroom. 🚽(Gothamist)
The City Council wants a plan by June to add temporary restrooms, signage, and maintenance ahead of an expected 1.2 million visitors.
Meanwhile, public urination complaints are already up nearly 50% this year, underscoring just how stretched the city’s bathroom infrastructure is.
Columbia University is contributing $33 million to fund new elevators and accessibility upgrades at the 125th Street 1 station, used by 6,500 daily riders, to make the subway stop easier to navigate. 🚇 (The CITY)
The MTA will add additional lifts to connect to platforms, with construction expected to begin in 2028 as part of its broader ADA upgrade push.
Wake up, babe. New tips for landing NYC dinner reservations just dropped. Landing a table at NYC’s hardest-to-book restaurants has turned into a full-blown strategy game, with diners tracking drop times and competing for reservations weeks in advance. Here’s how people are actually getting them. 🍝 (Time Out New York)
Standout hotspots like The Polo Bar still require calling right when lines open, while newer hits like Corner Store rely on booking systems and last-minute availability.
Here's a list of the hardest reservations to secure (and when to try and make your reservation) and here’s a nifty tool to help you set reservation alerts.
In other reading:
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Companies to Watch: NYC Fintech Founders Shaping the Future of Finance
New York Fintech Week kicks off next week, and it arrives at a moment when the city’s fintech ecosystem is looking a lot like core economic infrastructure. 🤑
From payments and spend management to market infrastructure, crypto, lending, and embedded finance, NYC fintech companies are reshaping how money moves, how businesses operate, and how financial markets are accessed.
New York fintech companies raised more than $7.8 billion across 372 VC deals in 2025, following $7.2 billion across 401 deals in 2024, according to PitchBook data.
And the sector has already logged more than $5.2 billion across 113 deals this year alone.
As fintech founders, investors, and operators gather across the city next week, we caught up with four builders defining where the sector goes next to shape the future of finance.
Here’s a preview of what they had to say, including why they decided to build in New York:
🤖 Nick Gavronsky, founder of Aboon, an AI-powered digital TPA, (Third Party Administrator) that makes it fast and easy for financial advisors to design, launch, and manage 401(k) plans for their business owner clients.
“For what we're building, a company at the intersection of fintech, wealth management, and enterprise partnerships, there's no better place [than New York].”
💰 Frida Leibowitz, founder of Debbie, a financial planning tool that allows users to earn rewards by hitting their financial goals.
“Against all odds, this city expanded my sense of what was possible — and it still has that magic in my eyes.”
💳 Aaron Marks, founder of Rhythmic, a financial platform that allows businesses to add balances, payments, rewards, and savings directly into their apps, without having to become a fintech company.
“New York is the center of gravity for everything we're building. Stablecoins, consumer finance, retail, payments… it all converges here.”
🏦 Sam Broner, founder of The Better Money Company, making stablecoins work smoothly across platforms by managing pricing, compliance, and settlement, so businesses can move digital assets 1:1 without friction.
“We’re building The Better Money Company in NYC so that we can be closer to our customers, partners, and the deep and talented community of folks who have worked on similar problems.”
In other reading:
A recruiter found you! Or is it a scam? (Wall Street Journal)
NASA’s Earth Day tool spells your name with satellite images (NASA)
Want to understand the current state of AI? Check out these charts (MIT Technology Review)
BetHog, an NYC-based crypto casino and sportsbook, raised $10 million in Series A funding. Will Ventures and RockawayX led the round and were joined by PCV, 6MV, Bullpen Capital, and Advancit Capital.
Futures Music Group, an NYC-based indie music label, has raised $6 million from investors including Ben Blackburn, founder of Common Knowledge.
Mosaic, an NYC-based deal modeling platform, raised an $18 million Series A led by Radical Ventures.
VAST Data, an NYC-based AI operating system company, raised $1 billion in Series F funding. Drive Capital and Access Industries led the round and were joined by existing investors including Fidelity Management & Research Company, NEA, NVIDIA, and others.
Featured events:
⭐ May 18-20: Sports Business Journal Tech Week, bringing together sports tech leaders to network, drive innovation, and discuss the trends impacting the sector. Register here with promo code LG-TECHNYC-2025 to get 15% off your pass.
⭐ 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.
Other great events:
April 24: Tech Happy Hour, a chance to connect with the NYC tech and startup community to discover shared interests, explore areas for collaboration, and find your next co-founder or key hire. Register here.
April 27: Veterans in Fintech Happy Hour, an opportunity for military veterans working in fintech to connect during Fintech Week. Register here.
April 28: Rillet Recon, a full-day program on the future of AI-native finance. Register here.
April 28: NYC Hardware Meetup – Round 3, where you can meet fellow engineers, inventors, and builders shaping the future of hardware. Register here.
April 29: Enshittification: In Conversation with Cory Doctorow, a discussion on Cory’s bestselling book, Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It. Register here.
April 29: Founder Finance Night: Poker and a Free Second Opinion (Post Tax Day), for founders who want to play some poker, and startup or SMB founders who want a gut check on their finances. Register here.
April 29: How to Raise a Series A, for founders who want to learn what investors are actually evaluating, how to think about timing and traction, and how to walk into the room knowing what to ask for, what to push on, and what to leave alone. Register here.
April 30: Fintech Takes 3v3 Classic @ NY Fintech Week, a friendly 3v3 competition complete with good conversation afterwards. Register here.
April 30: The Executive Night, a gathering of ~30 Series A+ founders and investors. Register here.
May 3: Startup Friends — Coffee & Chill Session at Branch, featuring convos with ambitious people who know how to keep things light while chasing big goals. 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.
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