Thursday, February 12, 2026
In today’s digest, the DMV goes dark, don’t eat that snow, and five ideas to bolster workforce development. 👷
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Friendly reminder: The DMV is hitting pause for a major tech reboot starting tomorrow. All in-person appointments, online transactions, and phone services will be suspended statewide from 2pm Friday through Wednesday morning as the agency replaces hundreds of legacy applications — some dating back to the Nelson Rockefeller era. 🚗 (Gothamist)
Another friendly reminder: The deadline to change your party enrollment for the June 2026 primary election is Saturday. 🗳️ (PIX 11)
If you’re registered with your current address and don’t plan on changing your political party, you’re all set.
If you plan on updating your party affiliation, you can do so here by February 14.
While the Montefiore and Mount Sinai nurses have approved three-year agreements — sending about 10,500 nurses back to work — the nurses’ strike at NewYork-Presbyterian rolls on. 🏥 (FOX 5 NY)
Roughly 4,200 nurses remain on strike after 3,099 union members rejected a mediator-backed deal that included 4% annual raises and 65 additional staff positions over three years.
👑 Referral royalty: Big thanks to Anil Dash (Electronic Frontier Foundation), Dawn DeCosta (CUNY 2x Tech), Shrikala Kashyap (a16z), and Mercer Martin (University of Oklahoma) 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:
We tested those gross piles of snow on NYC's sidewalks. Here’s what we found (Gothamist)
Dumbo just launched the first-ever AI neighborhood guide and concierge service (Time Out New York)
NYC’s Waldorf Astoria to hit market after acclaimed renovation (Bloomberg)
NYC’s Big Infrastructure Bet: Workforce Development
A new report from the Center for an Urban Future (CUF) argues that workforce development should be treated like housing or transit — core infrastructure for economic mobility. 💼
Here’s what the numbers show — and what the report says City Hall should do next.
📈 The opportunity in the data: The report’s message is that the city is sitting on a massive mobility lever:
NYC is still home to an enormous pool of people who want better work: ~1.1 million working-age New Yorkers are unemployed, underemployed, or earning minimum wage. That’s a big target for upward mobility if the pipelines are real.
Employers are hiring when pathways are clear: The NY Jobs CEO Council has helped catalyze 40,000+ hires, and in 2023 its ~30 member companies hired 10,000+ low-income New Yorkers into jobs paying $69K+
There’s a clear upside to fixing the “first rung” problem: Entry-level postings are down 37% since 2022, which means the fastest win is building more structured ramps into careers (internships, apprenticeships, employer partnerships).
🛠️ The playbook: The report says these five ideas would be a good start:
1️⃣ Make a bold new investment in workforce funding, including new city-backed financing tools.
2️⃣ Put someone clearly in charge — a Workforce Development Czar to align the 20+ agencies touching this space.
3️⃣ Remove practical barriers like transit and childcare.
CUNY programs that offer unlimited OMNY cards have boosted graduation rates by nearly 40%.
4️⃣ Recruit 100 more employers into structured hiring partnerships with CUNY and training providers.
5️⃣ Scale what works at CUNY, especially paid internships and work-based learning.
Our two cents: Programs like the NYC Startup Internship Program — backed by NYCEDC, Company Ventures, Tech:NYC, Blackstone LaunchPad, and the Zahn Innovation Center at CCNY— connect high-potential NYC students with early-stage tech companies for paid, meaningful work experience while building equitable pathways into our industry.
It's a win-win: You're investing in NYC's future tech workforce while meeting your talent needs today.
Applications for startups to host interns are due February 20, and companies can submit up to two positions here.
Bottom line: The report argues that New York needs to connect the parts that already work, fund them like core infrastructure, and align them with the sectors that are growing, including tech and AI.
In other reading:
Forbes 250: America’s greatest innovators (Forbes)
See ChatGPT’s hidden bias about your state or city (Washington Post)
What’s wrong with this idea? (Jake Worth/Substack)
Meridian, an NYC-based AI-powered financial modeling platform designed to integrate with Excel, raised $17 million in seed funding. Andreessen Horowitz and The General Partnership led the round.
Pelgo, an NYC-based agentic AI platform designed to help with career transitions, raised $5.5 million in seed funding. Flybridge Capital Partners led the round and was joined by Eniac Ventures, Primary Venture Partners, and 645 Ventures.
Santé, an NYC-based provider of POS software for wine and spirits stores, raised $7.6 million in seed funding. Bonfire Ventures led the round, joined by Operator Collective, YC, and Veridical Ventures.
Talkiatry, an NYC-based psychiatric care startup, raised $210 million in Series D funding. Perceptive Advisors led the round, joined by a16z, Sofina, blisce, and Left Lane Capital.
February 13: Where is the Money At? From Web2 to Web3, an education-focused, macro-aware discussion designed to explain how global forces shape Web3 innovation and capital flows. Register here.
February 17: AI Engineers NYC: Drinks & Bites, an evening of L’Industrie pizza, good conversation and drinks for builders to talk shop and make connections in the city. Register here.
February 18: Founder Bowling, a private bowling night for a curated group of founders in health tech and life sciences. Register here.
February 19: Founder Dinner, a private founder dinner for a curated group of founders from Series A+. Register here.
February 19: VC Community Happy Hour, a relaxed setting to catch up with peers and reconnect with familiar faces. Register here.
February 19: Vertical AI Founders & Investors Dinner, bringing the best vertical AI startups of NYC together for a seated dinner. Register here.
February 19: Towards Emissions-Free Microfreight, a multi-stakeholder discussion presents an opportunity to explore whether BATWorks, the new $100 million climate innovation hub at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, can become a center of expertise in decarbonized microfreight solutions. Register here.
February 20: IPPA Networking & Conference Kick-Off, an informal networking event bringing together NYU Wagner alumni, knowledge partners, speakers, organizations, and students to kick off the International Policy and Planning Summit. Register here.
February 23: Build & Deploy Voice Agent Workshop + Hackathon, a series of short, practical workshop sessions followed by a building session that will help you build voice AI for your company's needs. Register here.
February 24: Element 46 Tech Accelerator informational session, for Westchester County-based founders interested in applying for the accelerator program before the application closes on March 6. Register here.
February 25: The New York Official Cybersecurity Summit, a full day of expert insights, interactive sessions, and high-value networking with leaders across the cybersecurity community. Register here with promo code CSS26-TECHNYC for a free pass.
February 25: Hiring Beyond the 5 Boroughs, a roundtable for Heads of HR/People Ops and Talent to have an honest, off-the-record conversation about what’s working, what’s broken, and what no one really talks about when it comes to non-local hiring. Register here.
February 26: Climate Tech Fellowship Showcase, an inside look at the New York Climate Exchange Fellows’ six-month journey and the solutions they’re advancing across urban and coastal resilience, climate data, and energy and decarbonization. Register here.
February 26: Her Tech Community Launch Gathering, the launch of a new women in tech community designed to create meaningful connection, shared learning, and a space where your voice directly shapes what we build together. Register here.
March 31: Runway AI Summit, bringing together industry leaders across media, technology, consumer brands, robotics, and more to explore how AI is reshaping how work gets done — and what comes next for enterprise. Register here with promo code TECHNYC50 for 50% off.
April 6-9: HumanX’s conference for AI leaders in San Francisco, uniting 6,500+ leaders, builders, and investors driving real transformation. Discover cutting-edge innovations and accelerate your impact through networking opportunities. Register here with promo code HX26P_TECHNYC to get $$$ off your pass.
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