Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Tech is driving the NYC economy, according to our report with the Center for an Urban Future, adding jobs at nearly 10 times the rate of the city’s overall economy since the start of the pandemic and accounting for a whopping 14% of all employment growth citywide over the past decade. 💪 (The CITY)

In June, Tech:NYC launched Obviously NYC during New York Tech Week as a rallying cry for the city’s tech sector. Seeded by NYCEDC and designed by Red Antler, Obviously NYC is a brand and a movement — both a celebration of, and a call to, founders, funders, and talent building their futures where industries and innovation converge. 🧑‍💻 (Bloomberg TV)

Launched last year by New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Empire AI (championed by Tech:NYC) is a bold partnership between New York’s public and private universities to establish a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence computing center, housed at the University at Buffalo. 🗽 (Bloomberg TV)

Tech:NYC founder says city is in a ‘golden era’ of innovation (New York Post)

Move over, San Francisco. NYC tech founders say their city is the land of AI opportunity (Business Insider)

Turning passion into profit: NYC high school art students launch Etsy shops through new program (Chalkbeat New York)

203,000+ tech jobs citywide, with AI job listings leading the nation.

2,000+ AI startups and 40,000 AI professionals powering everything from fintech to climate tech.

$28 billion raised by NYC tech companies in 2025 — an 8% jump from 2024.

$15.84 billion of that went to AI companies alone (+50% year-over-year).

Tech companies now lease 17.8 million sq. ft. in Manhattan, including 486,000 sq. ft. taken by AI firms this year.

$13 billion flowed into NYC fintech, healthtech, and physical AI/robotics.

With more than $600 million in state investment through Empire AI and thousands of AI-focused roles across finance, media, health, and real estate, New York is doubling down on its edge as the global capital of Applied AI — where tools get tested on real problems, at real scale.

Obviously NYC launched as a shared banner for the city’s tech community — a badge for founders, funders, and talent who are building their futures here. 🚀

Programs like NYC AI Demos, FutureReadyNYC, the Grid Fellowship, and Decoded Futures are expanding the pipeline so that early-stage founders, students, and nonprofits can all plug into the city’s AI-driven growth. 📈

You can dive into the astounding impact of Decoded Futures in the Decoded Futures Annual Report here. 

Op-ed: How higher education drives New York's tech expansion (Crain’s New York Business)

Gotham’s AI, robotics emerges as challenger to Silicon Valley’s dominance after biggest NY Tech Week ever (New York Post)

New York is the applied AI capital of the world (New York Daily News)

Adaptive Security, an NYC-based cybersecurity startup focused on deepfake and phishing attacks, raised $81 million in Series B funding. Bain Capital Ventures led the round, joined by NVentures, OpenAI Startup Fund, a16z, Abstract Ventures, Capital One Ventures, and Citi Ventures.

Octane, a NYC-based recreational vehicle financing platform, raised $100 million in Series F funding at a $1.3 billion valuation. Valar Ventures led the round, joined by Upper90, Huntington National Bank, Camping World, and Holler-Classic Family.

Sequence, an NYC-based provider of B2B revenue operations agents, raised $20 million in Series A funding. 645 Ventures led the round, joined by a16z, Firstminute Capital, Passion Capital, Dig Ventures, and Vor Capital.

December 17: ICONS: Fashion & Founders Mixer, a curated mix of founders, designers, marketing pros, digital folks, directors, and CPG + retail experts, engineers and builders across fashion, design, and tech. Register here.

December 17: NYC Startup + Tech Holiday Party, including a white elephant exchange. Register here.

December 17: Latino Tech Mixer 2025 Last-Dance, a gathering to celebrate 2025, connect with the community, and vibe together as we start thinking about what we want to build in 2026. Register here.

December 19: Holiday Tech Happy Hour, a low-key way to connect with the NYC tech and startup community to discover shared interests, explore areas for collaboration, and find your next co-founder or key hire. Register here.

December 19: Founders & Investors Holiday Gala, an innovation-meets-culture holiday celebration at a speakeasy in Soho. Register here.

December 20: Iconic Coffee Club: Design + Tech Founders, an event for designers & builders! if you’re building the next big thing and looking for the right people to bring it to life, this one’s for you. Register here.

December 22: ​​NYC B2B: AI Founders & Investors Meetup, hosted by NYC B2B. It’s a great way to meet other founders, builders, and investors. Whether you’re building a company, exploring a side project, or considering a new idea, this event is for you. Register here.

January 7: Women with Saas: Female Founder Coworking Day​, an opportunity to work alongside other female SaaS and AI founders to brainstorm, and build a more powerful network. Register here.

January 8: TechWalk | Jersey City, a different sort of networking event for members of the Tech and SaaS communities to get outside, meet new people, and enjoy some fresh air, while practicing mindful movement. Register here.

January 16: The Age of Extraction: In Conversation with Tim Wu and Bradley Tusk, a discussion on Tim Wu’s latest book, The Age of Extraction: How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity, a timely exploration of platform power and the fight for economic balance in the digital age. Register here.

January 21: Building a Personal Brand in the Age of AI, where you can learn how AI can help you create content faster, understand your audience better, and stay authentic while standing out. Register here.

January 22: Capital Conversations: Women Who Lead, an intimate fireside chat featuring Nami Baral, Co-Founder & CEO of Niural, and Alexa von Tobel, Founder & Managing Partner at Inspired Capital, and Alison Moore, CEO of Chief. Register here.