Thursday, September 25, 2025

September 25, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

Thursday, September 25, 2025 

In today’s digest, New York’s job rebound looks better than expected, COVID booster shot info, and climate tech founders share why NYC is the ultimate green sandbox. 🌱

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  • NYC’s jobs comeback looks even stronger than we thought. New U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics revisions from March 2025 show the city may have outpaced the nation in its recovery from pandemic-era job losses. 📊 (Bloomberg)

    • The metro area added over 100,000 more payroll jobs in March — meaning reports of NYC’s fall were greatly exaggerated.

    • Shameless plug for Tech:NYC’s jobs board! Check it out here.

  • Big ballot changes could be on the way, New York! 🗳️ NYC voters will soon decide whether to move mayoral elections to even years, syncing them with state and federal races. (NPR)

    • PSA: Early voting begins Oct. 25 and Election Day is Nov. 4.

    • Check out more NYC voting dates to know here.

  • After the FDA changed its regulations and eligibility requirements around the COVID vaccine recently, there’s been some confusion as to who can get a COVID booster and where. Here’s what you need to know about getting a COVID booster shot in New York this fall. 💉 (The CITY)


In other reading:

  • Tunnel to Towers: 5K run returns this Sunday, closing these streets in Manhattan and Brooklyn (amNY)

  • The pan-American philharmonic: Dudamel opens with a big sweep (Vulture)

  • A24’s first restaurant is an art-house supper club (Grub Street)

Companies to Watch: Climate Tech Startups Helping NYC — and the Globe — Go Green 🌱

🤔 A climate tech riddle for you: What do you get when you mix New York’s legally mandated decarbonization goals with 8.4 million residents, add in the countless residential and commercial buildings that define the skyline, and top it off with a growing climate tech infrastructure and a wealth of opportunities? 

Answer: A city that is ripe for climate tech disruption and innovation. 🍏

With Climate Week NYC in full swing, we caught up with four leaders in New York’s climate tech scene to hear how they’re helping New York (and the rest of the world) go green. 

Here’s why each founder launched in NYC:

🤖 Alex Cooper, founder of Pathways, working on building the data layer for sustainable manufacturing, helping concrete, steel, and wood producers generate environmental “nutrition labels” for their products:

  • “[New York’s] blend of talent and grit is unmatched. As we’ve grown our team, we’ve been able to tap into an incredible pool of smart, ambitious folks excited to build something great.”

🔋 Keeley Erhardt, PhD, founder of Strobe, orchestrating batteries, EVs, and buildings into distributed power plants for a modernized grid:

  • “New York is at the forefront of the energy transition, showcasing both the challenges and opportunities of modernizing America’s grid.”

🌊 Garrett Boudinot, founder of Vycarb, developing carbon capture systems that use water to store CO2 permanently and measurably:

  • “Being [in NYC] has allowed us to quickly integrate across complex infrastructure, policy, and applications critical for climate solutions at a level that few cities can offer.”

🗑️ Laura Rosenshine, founder of WATS, turning waste into a trackable utility with a SaaS platform for real estate and airports.

  • “If we can make waste data work in New York — the toughest sandbox — we can scale it anywhere.”

In other reading:

  • EdSights, an NYC-based student voice platform, raised $80 million from JMI Equity.

  • Inspiren, an NYC-based senior living tech ecosystem, raised $100 million in Series B funding. Insight Partners led the round with participation from Avenir, Primary Venture Partners, Scale Venture Partners, Story Ventures, Third Prime, and Studio VC.

  • October 2: From Founder to CEO: Leading Through Growth, an evening for early-stage founders who are building fast-paced, ambitious companies — and want to lead them well. Register here.

  • October 7-9: The 12th Annual TechFutures Summit, featuring hands-on workshops, keynote speakers, live podcast recordings, and networking events. Register here.

  • October 7: The Executive AI Cocktail Hour, for ​CEOs, directors, VPs, and other senior leaders running a SaaS company, agency, publishing house, or any organization that's seriously exploring what AI can do for your business. Register here.

  • October 7: Information Security Summit, for public sector leaders, cybersecurity pros, and tech experts committed to safeguarding New York’s state and local government operations. Register with promo code TECHNYC for a 25% discount here.

  • October 7: Fall Fintech Hour, a happy hour for leaders across fintech, banking, embedded finance, and financial services. Register here.

  • October 8: Speed Pitching: 1:1 Meetings With Investors, for AI-powered startups with market-ready MVP or revenue generating, preferably with one underrepresented founder, pre-seed to Series A. Register with promo code TechNYC20 for a 20% discount here.

  • October 9: NYC Tech Poker Tournament, where up to $500 in tech prizes and the chance to meet some of NYC’s best engineers are at stake. 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.

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