Thursday, July 2, 2026
In today’s digest, the best spots to watch the fireworks, June’s Series A rounds, and it’s a love story, baby, just say ‘yes’. ♥️
Programming note: We’re off tomorrow for July 4th weekend. We’ll be back in your inbox on Monday. 🇺🇸
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Despite a furious lobbying campaign from pets around the city, NYC’s biggest fireworks show is almost here. And if you’re planning to watch, now’s the time to pick your spot. Expect 85,000 fireworks, a new laser show from the Brooklyn Bridge, and plenty of competition for the best views. 🎆 (Time Out New York)
Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Seaport offer the closest views for ticket holders, while sections of the FDR Drive will provide free first-come-first-served viewing.
Fireworks begin around 9:25pm Saturday.
New York is planning to swap nearly 30,000 curbside parking spaces for giant shared trash containers by 2032 as part of its push to get garbage bags off sidewalks. 🗑️ (Gothamist)
The rollout calls for roughly 66,000 “Empire Bins” and a new fleet of side-loading sanitation trucks, with larger apartment buildings automatically assigned curbside containers.
The city estimates the bins will replace about 1.5% of all legal street parking citywide, though some denser Manhattan neighborhoods could see larger reductions.
If you’re heading out this holiday weekend, pack some patience. Between Fourth of July festivities, World Cup crowds, a certain celebrity wedding, Sail 250, Fleet Week, and other major events, New York is gearing up for one of its busiest weekends of the year. Here’s how to avoid the crowds. 🚶 (The City Reporter)
Sunday’s Brazil vs. Norway World Cup match is expected to bring heavy crowds around Midtown shuttle bus hubs and New Jersey transit, while fireworks viewing areas, Coney Island, and the waterfront will also be especially busy.
In other reading:
Op-ed: NY state’s investment is keeping NYC on the cutting edge (Crain’s New York Business)
See how Taylor Swift wedding buzz is transforming the streets of Madison Square Garden (USA Today)
The best new restaurants in Manhattan, mapped (Eater)
One Year of Tracking NYC’s Next Generation of Tech Companies
Powered by Obviously NYC, presented by Gunderson Dettmer and PwC US.
One year ago, we launched Series A: A Series to track the next generation of NYC startups reaching one of venture’s biggest milestones. Twelve months later, the momentum has only accelerated. 🚀
This month, 26 New York City startups announced Series A rounds — the second-largest cohort we’ve tracked — and together they're already hiring for 150+ NYC-based jobs.
The headline, though, is the capital.
June’s cohort raised nearly $1.4 billion in Series A funding alone (and more than $1.7 billion across all rounds), compared to $414.2 million in Series A funding last June.
The average Series A round jumped from $18 million to $52.8 million — a figure boosted by Flourish Labs’ remarkable $500 million raise, but one that still underscores growing investor confidence in NYC startups.
So where did the money land?
Healthcare keeps attracting capital: Healthcare and life sciences startups raised $645 million — nearly half of all Series A funding this month.
Companies including Prosper AI, Novellia, Hera, Flourish Labs, and Fesarius Therapeutics are modernizing everything from care coordination and patient data to mental health and tissue engineering. 🏥
AI becomes the operating system: AI and enterprise software startups brought in another $487.6 million.
Fintech stays true to NYC's roots: Financial infrastructure companies raised nearly $200 million.
🗽 Why it matters: One year into Series A: A Series, here’s the pattern we’re tracking: The biggest rounds are flowing to companies building foundational infrastructure — for AI, healthcare, finance, manufacturing, and enterprise software.
💼 Explore the full June list, see who’s hiring, and zoom in on our map of NYC’s newest Series A companies here.
And, looking for your next role? With a fresh infusion of capital, these companies are hiring for scores of roles.
Want something later-stage? Or even earlier? Visit the Tech:NYC’s Jobs Board to explore over 7,300 NYC-based in-person roles at over 400 companies that are a part of the Tech:NYC network.
Did we miss your Series A raise? Let us know — we want to spotlight every NYC founder turning vision into venture.
In other reading:
AI is reshaping the economy. Good luck measuring how (New York Times)
UN launches ‘AI for Good’ commission (Axios)
America’s greatest hot dog (The Ringer)
July 3: TechWalk | NYC, a chance to network, share ideas, and build relationships in a healthy alternative to the average happy hour. Register here.
July 4: July 4th NY Founders Gathering, for New York founders who want to meet peers and enjoy July 4th with good company. Register here.
July 5: Founders, Funders, or Just Finders, a takeover of the Seville Hotel for an evening of cocktails, candid conversation, and the kind of warm intros that beat any cold email. Register here.
July 8: NYC Fintech Coffee, for fintech founders, investors, and enthusiasts to gather around and talk everything fintech. Register here.
July 8: Blind Tasting, Expert Vision: An Evening at Macallan HQ with Baselayer, a gathering of NYC’s best founders, bankers, and agentic commerce leaders for an intimate evening of high-end pours and high-stakes competition. Register here.
July 8: The NYC Breakfast Club: Checkout the Future, a room of DTC operators talking through what's actually shifting in how people (and machines) buy. Register here.
July 8: Fierce Founders Coworking Day, a day of working alongside the FF team and other female founders in the community, because everything’s better IRL. Register here.
July 14: Assets & Access NYC at Pubkey, a founder, operator, and investor meetup. Register here.
July 14: Demo Night: Internal Design Tools, bringing together designers for an evening of lightning talks highlighting internal design tools built for real teams. Register here.
July 16: Founders Basketball New York City, a growing community of startup founders and investors who love to connect over business and buckets. Register here.
July 19: West Village Pizza Crawl, a four-stop journey through NYC’s most iconic slices — no pitches, no panels, just passion and pizza. Register here.
July 21-22: DUMBO Office Open Houses, where you can tour new prebuilt workspaces designed for growing startups and teams in a neighborhood home to more than 500 tech, creative, and professional firms. Plus, rooftop views and refreshments. Register here.
July 22: Common Table NYC Book Club, a book club dinner just for founders (the first book will be Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo). Register here.
July 24: After Hours: NYC Tech Social at Maxwell Tribeca, where professionals across tech and fast-growing startups can step away from work, meet beyond their usual circles, and enjoy a great night out together IRL. Register here.
September 16: Primary’s NYC Tech Summit, an annual gathering for builders, backers, and operators shaping the future. Apply to attend here.
October 13-15: EdTech Week, where the brightest minds and the boldest innovators gather in a technological playground dedicated to transforming education. Register before August 31 for early bird tickets here.
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