- Tech:NYC Digest
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- Thursday, April 24, 2025
Thursday, April 24, 2025
Thursday, April 24, 2025
In today’s digest, a smiling moon, NYC food festivals, and EdTech founders powering next-gen learning. 🎓
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NYC has issued an air quality advisory until midnight tonight due to drifting smoke from a wildfire burning in southern New Jersey. Sensitive groups could be particularly exposed and have been urged by the Health Department to avoid prolonged outdoor activity. (amNY)
Say cheese! Look up to the night sky in the early hours tomorrow and you may notice a smiling face looking back down. Venus, Saturn, and the crescent moon will gather in the sky early Friday morning to create a “smiley face” in the sky. 🙂 (NY Post)
Speaking of cheese, with May around the corner, check out this list of can’t-miss food festivals happening throughout the city next month. 🍴 (PIX 11)
In other reading:
Adams’ neighborhood-reshaping rezonings could permit 40,000 homes in 2025 (Crain’s New York Business)
See thousands of elephants parachute into Dumbo next month (TimeOut New York)
Taxpayer-subsidized NYC Ferry sees record ridership during April’s warm weather days (amNY)
EdTech founders are powering next-gen learning.
The U.S. EdTech market is projected to reach $57.7 billion by 2027. And NYC is in the thick of this EdTech boom:
New York City allocated $350 million for personalized learning tech in 2024.
NYC EdTech startups raised $1.8 billion in 2023, a 30% increase from 2022.
35% of NYC EdTech startups focus on K-12 education, the highest percentage nationwide.
40% of NYC EdTech startups have at least one founder from an underrepresented background.
This month, we spoke with 10 founders from five EdTech startups who are transforming education and shaping the future of learning. Check out their reasons for building in NYC below! 🗽
🖍️ Emily Yudofsky and Stefan Bauer, founders of Marker Learning:
“I used to love coming into the city as a kid, and it is a dream come true to be able to build a company based out of New York.” — Stefan
🤖 Yusuf Ahmad, Ian Serlin, Narcisa Codreanu, Wyman Khuu, founders of Playlab.ai:
“New York is a hotbed of diversity, ideas, and collaboration — the core ingredients for innovation.”
🧑🔬 Olivia Levenson Korchagin, founder of Scientist Maker:
“NYC’s density makes it the perfect place to help kids see that science is local, not distant. And the energy of this city — the diversity, curiosity, and grit — is exactly how we want kids to feel about learning: Empowered, excited, and ready to explore their world.”
🎒 Garrett Smiley, founder of Sora Schools:
“New York uniquely offers every ingredient necessary for systemic change: Cutting-edge tech, finance, diverse industries, culture, and political influence, all concentrated in a small, vibrant island.”
📺 Ilya Lyashevsky, PhD, and Melissa Cesarano, PhD, founders of ThinkHumanTV:
“We met at our PhD program at Columbia in NYC, and we’ve continued to teach at Columbia Teachers College after graduation, so it was natural to build our company here.”
In other reading:
Scientists say they found a new color humans have never seen before (Science Alert)
The great AI skills disconnect — and how to fix it (ZDNET)
When you’re overloaded — and delegating isn’t an option (HBR)
May 1: Tech:NYC, Pensar, and Two Trees’ AI Demos at the Refinery @ Domino, featuring AI agent demos from a mix of later stage companies and early-stage startups. Register here.
May 9: Founders NYC, by Union Square Ventures, Lux Capital, First Round Capital, and BoxGroup, bringing together NYC’s best builders from the most iconic companies — founders from MongoDB, Warby Parker, Ramp, Ro, and others — to talk about lessons learned, off-the-record-tips, and well-trodden tales with the goal of helping NYC’s big next wave. Apply to attend here.
April 25: NYC Coffee Club for early-stage B2B SaaS founders & funders, a no-stress way to connect with NYC VCs and founders. Register here.
April 27: hackNY Spring, a one-day conference for early- to mid-career developers who want to level up in tech. Register with promo code techNYC here.
April 28-29: Momentum AI New York 2024, to connect with people who are pioneering global AI transformation. Register here.
April 29: New AI Frontiers & A Hacker Night: An Evening with Databricks, Anthropic, Timescale, Patronus, & Weaviate, an AI Review event. Register here.
April 30: Empower & Elevate Your Workforce Talent Mixer, for employers seeking to connect with the brightest emerging talent in social media marketing, Python, IT, data, and cybersecurity. Register here.
April 30: Woo Investors with Robust Numbers, a 90-minute masterclass on financial pitch training. Register with promo code TECHNYC25 here.
May 6: 43North Startup Showcase: Upstate NY, to hear pitches from founders in the 43North portfolio and across Upstate New York, and to connect, collaborate, and network with venture leaders and ecosystem builders. Register here.
May 6-7: AI Agent Conference, for leaders driving the next era of autonomous artificial intelligence, featuring 300+ world-class AI leaders, senior execs and top founders. Register with promo code TECHNYC15AI here.
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: 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 23: NYPL’s free job fair & expo, focusing on tech sector jobs. Job seekers, register to attend here. Interested in tabling at the event? Employers, apply here.
Any feedback or suggestions of things to add? Get in touch here.
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