Thursday, June 5, 2025

June 05, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

Thursday, June 5, 2025 

In today’s digest, the Tribeca Film Festival kicks off, the High Line becomes a museum, and Tech:NYC launches a new quarterly tech stats snapshot. 📊

  • But first: Join Bloomberg, Cornell Tech, and Tech:NYC for the latest installment of the Cornell Tech @ Bloomberg speaker series, featuring Hayley Barna, Partner at First Round Capital, in conversation with Caroline Hyde, host of Bloomberg Television’s flagship daily technology show.

    • Hayley will share her journey from startup founder to venture capitalist and explore what it means to back bold ideas from day one. Register here.

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  • It’s film season, folks! 🎥 The Tribeca Film Festival kicked off yesterday and will run through June 15. The festival will host hundreds of premiers and screenings of short films, documentaries, and cult favorites. (amNY)

    • Check out the full film lineup and buy tix here. 🎟️

  • It’s parade season, folks! 🎺 Among some of the celebrations taking over NYC this weekend are the annual 116th Street Festival and the National Puerto Rican Day Parade. Check out the street closures throughout the city that may impact your weekend commutes. (PIX11)

  • It’s High Line season, folks! 🚶The elevated NYC park is transforming into a free, open-air science museum this summer as part of "Nature in the City." (TimeOut New York)

    • Visitors can expect educational signage, expert-led tours, interactive programming and a massive mural — all designed to spotlight how city gardens can help create a greener, more resilient New York.


In other reading:

  • Inside our groundbreaking Tech Week AI Demo Night: ‘These are the ideas that are going to propel New York’s economy for generations to come’ (NY Post)

  • Five takeaways from the first NYC mayoral debate (New York Times)

  • The best NYC bars and restaurants to celebrate Pride (Eater NY)

Tracking NYC’s tech boom has never looked this good. 💅 

Today, Tech:NYC launched the Quarterly Snapshot, a data-rich dashboard designed to keep founders, policymakers, and investors dialed into the pulse of NYC’s innovation economy. 📊

Why it matters: NYC’s tech scene is evolving fast, with capital, talent, and trends all in motion. The Quarterly Snapshot brings much-needed clarity.

It tracks:

  • 💸 Venture deals: What sectors are hot, what rounds are closing, and where is capital flowing?

  • 🧠 Talent trends: Who’s hiring, who’s growing, and how are tech job postings evolving?

  • 📈 Economic signals: How is tech impacting NYC’s economy — and vice versa?

The Snapshot is a barometer for the city’s economic health, and a way to make smarter bets on its future. Think of it as NYC’s quarterly check-up for tech vitality.

Here’s a peek at some of the insights we have to offer:

NYC innovation shows no sign of stopping.

  • Local firms raised $25.3 billion in VC funding over the last four quarters.

  • While the number of transactions fell to 305 in Q1 2025 from 468 in Q1 2024, quarterly capital peaked at $7.6 billion in early last year.

  • New York has also narrowed the deal‑flow gap with the Bay Area (441 NY‑Combined Statistical Area deals vs. the Bay Area’s 65 in Q1 2025).

AI is where NYC really shines.

  • Nearly three-quarters of VC funding went to AI in Q1 2025, with NYC seeing 81 AI deals worth $1.5 billion, driven by megadeals from Rogo ($50 million), Ramp ($150 million), and Hebbia AI ($130 million), outpacing Los Angeles and Boston. 

  • New York State has also committed an additional $90 million for the Empire  AI initiative, bringing the total funding for that project to over $565 million. 

Tech job posts are also going strong:

  • NYC saw the largest amount of tech job postings in the U.S. in March 2025 at 12,853 tech job postings, with Tech:NYC’s job board posting 4,552 of those listings. 

💪 Data for all: By democratizing access to this data, Tech:NYC is helping the city’s innovation economy stay ahead of the curve, especially as emerging sectors like AI, climate tech, and fintech continue to gain momentum.

We invite you to “steal our data” and download/share the various graphs featured.

In other reading:

  • Alphabet CEO expects to keep hiring engineers as AI advances (MSN)

  • Don’t call it a side hustle. These Americans are ‘polyworking’ (New York Times)

  • CHROs love flexible work options almost as much as their employees (Fortune)

  • Amperos Health, an NYC-based provider of health-care billing and claims automation tools, raised $4.2 million in seed funding from Uncork Capital, Neo, and Nebular.

  • Reserv, an NYC-based insurance claims admit, raised $25 million in Series B funding led by Flourish Ventures, with Accenture Ventures participating.

  • Simetrik, an NYC-based reconciliation platform for finance teams, raised $30 million in Series B extension funding led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives.

  • Vivrelle, an NYC-based luxury accessories membership service, raised $62 million in Series C funding from Protagonist.

  • ⭐ June 2-8: NY Tech Week, a decentralized tech conference featuring 900+ events throughout the city. Get Tech:NYC’s guide here. ⭐

    • June 6: Decoded Futures + Tech:NYC Social Impact AI Showcase, an inspiring showcase of how NYC nonprofits are using AI to solve real-world challenges across the social sector. Request an invite here.

  • June 7: 2025 Tech Talent Exchange, an opportunity to explore new career paths, discover exciting job openings, and make connections that can propel your career forward. Register here.

  • June 7: NYC Tech Week Hike, a five-mile hike just outside NYC with fellow techies. Register here.

  • June 10: June Climate Tech Mixer, an evening of conversations and connections to spotlight founders building solutions to climate’s toughest challenges. Register here.

  • June 11: IBM AI for Impact, an interactive workshop (featuring a session with Decoded Futures at the Tech:NYC Foundation!) designed to help nonprofits explore the transformative potential of artificial intelligence. Register here.

  • June 16: Fireside Chat with Ramp CPO Geoff Charles, who will discuss how Ramp keeps teams small and scrappy by emphasizing autonomy, focus, and smart tooling to do more with less. Register here.

  • June 18: AI Show Not Tell - Ditch The Deck, a social meet-up curated for NYC-area technologists, founders, developers, and investors. Register here.

  • June 25: Techie Tapas, to give techies a space to network, collaborate, and build community. Register here.

Any feedback or suggestions of things to add? Get in touch here.
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