Thursday, October 16, 2025
In today’s digest, debate night in NYC, Open House Weekend, and finance ♥️ AI.
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The NYC mayoral debate is here! Tune in tonight at 7pm to watch Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo, and Curtis Sliwa face off in the first debate of the general election. 📺 (City & State)
The debate will air on WNBC and Telemundo 47 — the first hour will be televised, but you can stream the second hour here.
Open House Weekend is this weekend — a chance to get a behind-the-scenes look at more than 300 typically off-limits sites all around the city, including secret gardens and an abandoned post office. 🏚️ (New York Post)
Check out the full lineup here.
It’s spooky season, New York! Halloween is fast approaching, and there’s tons of spooky activities all around NYC to get in the spirit, from parades and family festivals to creative at-home ideas and the top spots for candy collecting. Check out this guide that has something for everyone, even your pets. 🎃 (New York Family)
In other reading:
Manhattan's surprising new residential hot spot? 42nd Street (Crain’s New York Business)
The 12 best new restaurants opening in New York this October (Observer)
Mosquito-borne Chikungunya virus confirmed in NY: What to know (Gothamist)
Finance Goes All-In on AI
From established banks dominating AI innovation to New York fintechs bucking national trends, banks are increasingly using artificial intelligence to stay ahead of the competition. 💰 Let’s take a look.
🏦 What’s new: Evident just dropped its annual AI Index, ranking and measuring how banks are adopting AI.
The world’s largest banks are doubling down on AI investments, with top performers including JPMorganChase, Capital One, and Goldman Sachs disclosing the most documented AI use cases — from fraud detection to risk modeling and customer personalization.
Across the 50 banks analyzed, AI talent surged 25% year-over-year, with U.S. banks leading the charge.
The number of banks reporting total active AI use cases roughly doubled year-over-year
The takeaway: The biggest financial institutions are past experimentation, and are now operationalizing AI at scale.
And it’s not just the incumbents:
We’re seeing lots of smaller, digital-first banks are proving they can innovate on par with incumbents — signaling real competition in AI-led banking.
CB Insights Q3 2025 Fintech Report found that 23% of all fintech funding this quarter went to AI-enabled platforms, the highest share in two years.
Startups like AppZen and (Tech:NYC member) Ramp and are attracting massive rounds as investors pivot toward “AI-first finance.”
🗽 The NYC connection: New York remains the beating heart of AI finance.
New York fintech companies raised $3 billion over 86 deals in Q3 (vs. $1.9 billion in Q2).
Almost 4,000 startups in NYC (~16% of total startups) focus on some aspect of financial services.
Tech:NYC’s Jobs Board currently lists over 1,200 open NYC-based finance roles.
🇬🇧 In plain English: AI capability + capital = sustained change for incumbents and startups alike.
Get involved: Join us at the Crain’s Tech Summit in partnership with Tech:NYC, a day of conversations that explore how AI is transforming key industries — including finance. Register with promo code FRIENDSOFTECHNYC for a 15% discount here.
In other reading:
How much will workers sacrifice for remote work? (Wall Street Journal)
Queens Tech Night returns with former NYC Transit chief Andy Byford as keynote speaker (QNS)
Aboon, an NYC-based AI-powered 401k platform for financial advisors, raised $17.5 million in seed funding. Bain Capital Ventures led the round and was joined by Altai Ventures, Runyon, and others.
October 18: Daydream.ing in SoHo, an IRL shopping experience from fashion startup Daydream (a Tech:NYC Company To Watch), where you can meet the team and shop at 25+ partner stores with discounts and giveaways. Register here.
October 23: Fundraising Strategy & Storytelling Workshop, a hands-on two-day workshop for early-stage founders preparing for fundraising and getting real feedback from top founders and investors on pitch deck. Register here.
October 23: NYC AI Demos, a series collab between Tech:NYC, Pensar AI, and the Refinery at Domino, this month featuring live demos from ElevenLabs, Tabs, Whop, Slingshot AI, Rogo, and Cyborg. Register here.
October 23: Tech:NYC and Crain’s Tech Summit, a day of conversations that explore how AI is transforming key industries — from reshaping real estate tools and bedside care to revolutionizing financial strategies and raising urgent legal considerations. Register with promo code FRIENDSOFTECHNYC for a 15% discount here.
October 23: Curated Founder Breakfast, a private breakfast for a curated group of early-stage founders who are fundraising soon. Register here.
October 24: AI Builders & Ramen, for a curated group of AI engineers, consultants, or enthusiasts for an evening of great conversations over ramen. Register here.
October 28: SIEDC Elevate Tech Summit, where you can dive into specialized tracks in AI, marketing, and business operations, featuring top leaders and innovators shaping the future of tech in the tri-state area. Register here.
October 28: Curated Founder Breakfast, a private breakfast for a curated group of founders from Seed to Series B. Register here.
November 7: AcceleratorCon, for top early-stage founders connect directly with investors, accelerators, and ecosystem partners. Register with promo code NYCDIGEST for a 30% discount here.
November 11-12: Urban Tech Summit, offering insights and examples of how researchers, companies, governments, and communities can continue to drive innovation, and how urban tech can help cities do more with less as they prepare for the future. Register here.
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