Thursday, February 19, 2026
In today’s digest, the Gateway Tunnel gets its cash back, keeping the New York accent alive, and AlleyCorp’s Susannah Shipton on her path from operator to investor. 💡
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The feds have unfrozen the remaining $205 million for the $16 billion Gateway Tunnel project and construction is expected to resume next week. 🏗️ (Gothamist)
The project will replace a 116-year-old two-tube passage that serves hundreds of thousands of Amtrak and New Jersey Transit commuters each weekday, and work is expected to be completed in 2035.
Fuhgeddaboudit? A new survey suggests the classic New York accent is slowly fading from everyday life. 🗣️ (amNY)
A powerful bomb cyclone could dump anywhere from a dusting to a foot of snow on NYC Sunday night (quite the range, we know). ❄️ (NY Post)
Meteorologists say a worst-case scenario could bring 6-12 inches and 40 mph winds, potentially rivaling January’s 11.4-inch storm.
Pro tip for you drivers out there: Park on the left side of the street this weekend — plows tend to push snow to the right.
In other reading:
This is NY’s favorite winter comfort food, according to Google Trends (Patch)
A downtown vibe comes to Broadway this spring (New York Times)
MSG Sports considering spinning off New York Knicks, Rangers (Crain’s New York Business)
VC Spotlight: AlleyCorp’s Susannah Shipton
When Susannah Shipton joined AlleyCorp in 2019, the firm had just five people and she worked on the platform side.
She was focused on one thing: finding and spending time with the smartest and most ambitious people in New York.
Today, as a Partner investing in pre-seed through Series A, that focus hasn’t changed — she just gets to back those founders directly. 💸
For our latest VC Spotlight, we caught up with Susannah to discuss her path from operator to investor, how she thinks about founder pitches, her tech stack, and, of course, where she grabs a slice.
Here’s a preview of what she had to say:
🔥 On the patterns or signals she looks for that indicate a marketplace is poised for breakout success:
“The thing I index most on outside of the founder and obvious metrics is the intensity of customer feedback about a product. We do tons of customer references and I am looking for them to be absolutely glowing. I need to hear that they or their business would not survive without the product, and I need to hear them talking about what features they want to be built next.”
🧠 On how her years working in operations have shaped her investment philosophy:
“While I have by no means solved every single type of problem a founder has faced, I’ve seen a lot of them or have worked alongside someone who has. I think it’s very helpful for an early stage investor to be able to put yourself in the shoes of your companies and have lived that experience to some extent.”
🤔 On the most common mistake she sees from founders when pitching to investors:
“I love being able to review materials in advance (even if just a few sentences from the founder, or reading a few articles they shared) so that during the conversation a deck can be used in the background but is not necessarily the central focus. ‘Pitches’ should really just be two parties meeting, learning, and deciding if they want to work together to tackle an exciting problem.”
🤖 On her tech stack:
“Wispr flow and Blockit are two current favorites. And building with Claude Code like everyone else! A super fun and useful adventure.”
🍕 On the best slice of pizza in NYC:
“I love a sourdough slice, and usually head to Leo Sourdough in Williamsburg.”
In other reading:
Chatbots are the new influencers brands must woo (New York Times)
India AI summit sees bevy of U.S. deals (Axios)
Grotto AI, an NYC-based coach for apartment leasing agents, raised $10 million in seed funding. Iconiq led, joined by Asymmetric Capital Partners.
Hook, an NYC-based site where users can use AI to remix songs, raised $10 million in Series A funding. Khosla Ventures led the round and was joined by Point72 Ventures, Imaginary Ventures, Waverley Capital, and others.
Kombo, an NYC- and Berlin, Germany-based developer of workforce integration technology, raised $25 million in Series A funding. Volition Capital led the round.
Monark Markets, an NYC-based private markets investing platform, raised $8.1 million in funding. F-Prime led the round and was joined by The Treasury, Commerce Ventures, Grit Capital Partners, and BBAE Holdings.
Odynn, an NYC-based platform for launching travel and loyalty programs, raised $9.5 million in seed funding co-led by Bonfire Ventures and Fiat Ventures.
Solid, an NYC-based startup adding business context to data, raised $20 million in seed funding led by Team8 and SignalFire.
Venice, an NYC-based account security platform, raised $33 million in funding. IVP led the round and was joined by Index Ventures, Vine Ventures, Holly Ventures, and angel investors.
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: The Science of Scaling, a virtual conversation with Mark Roberge, Co-Founder of Stage 2 Capital, and HubSpot for Startups to discover what most startups get wrong while scaling. Whether you’re refining your go-to-market motion or preparing for your next growth stage, this virtual fireside will help you build smarter, scalable sales operations. 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 5: NYC AI Demos, featuring an all-female lineup of technical leaders from Anthropic, Datadog (and more to be announced soon) building real AI products across infrastructure, dev tools, healthcare, fintech, and more. Register here.
March 5: Commonweal Ventures Briefing: Procurement at the Department of War, a virtual conversation with Andrew Hunter, Former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics. Register here.
March 19: City & State’s Digital New York Summit, for New York’s technology and information leaders from government and industry to gather for candid discussions and thought-provoking presentations on innovative ideas that are making everyday life for all New Yorkers more livable, safer, and more convenient. Register here with promo code TECHNYC for 25% off.
March 19: Human by Design: The Empathy Edge in an AI World, for women and allies who build — PMs, founders, designers, marketers, and engineers — to discuss how empathy, judgment, and collaborative AI tools can help you grow your influence and deliver meaningful impact in your work. Register here.
March 19: Airtable Buildathon, a one-day, live builder competition where participants solve real business challenges using Airtable and AI-powered workflows. 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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