Tuesday, November 18, 2025
In today’s digest, health insurance enrollment season, the Grand Central mini print vending machines return, and a new study on AI in the workplace. 🤖💼
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PSA: Health insurance enrollment for 2026 is now underway on New York’s Affordable Care Act marketplace. Here’s what you need to know, including if you have to pay full price for health insurance on the ACA marketplace, and what to do if your income fluctuates. 🍎 (Gothamist)
Some news from our friends across the river: For the first time in 25 years, all PATH lines will operate seven days a week. PATH will also be implementing a 25-cent fare increase starting next summer, with additional 25-cent increases every year through 2029. 🚆 (NY Post)
Weekday rush hours will also see more trains on the Hoboken-World Trade Center and Newark-World Trade Center lines.
Riders will see the first phase of these changes in March.
The New York City Council committee has voted against a proposed ban on horse drawn carriages in Central Park. 🐴 (ABC News)
There are currently 68 licensed carriage owners in NYC with a total of about 200 horses and 170 drivers.
When asked if he had any comment, a local horse responded “neigh.”
In other reading:
‘We can’t stop serving baked ziti’ New York’s Italian delis are adjusting to the threat of a pasta apocalypse (GrubStreet)
What’s key to improving digital equity in New York City? (Gov Tech)
Viral Grand Central mini print vending machine returns to Holiday Fair (PIX 11)
AI at Work: Why Employees Are More Energized Than Ever
PwC’s new “Hopes & Fears” survey lands with a clear message: workers around the world are cautiously optimistic about the future, and AI is reshaping how they think about their jobs, skills, and career paths. Let’s take a look. 👇
📊 The numbers that jumped out: PwC interviewed nearly 50,000 workers globally across 48 major economies and 28 sectors and found:
54% of workers across all industries have used AI in the past year.
Workers who used generative AI daily in the past year reported greater productivity (92% vs. 58%), more job security (58% vs. 36%), and higher salaries (52% vs. 32%) compared to infrequent users.
Workers who use gen AI daily are 13% more motivated than workers who don’t use gen AI.
The report paints a picture of a workforce that’s energized by the shift to AI.
Workers say that AI-assisted workflows, upskilling opportunities, and transparent leadership can make a meaningful difference in their day-to-day experience.
🗽 The NYC advantage: This optimism is seen throughout the New York workforce.
Tech:NYC’s recent report with Accenture showed that AI adoption in NYC jumped from 55% to 78% in one year.
AI-role job postings in NYC are up 120% year-over-year, while generative-AI postings doubled.
84% of NYC employers upskilled existing employees into AI roles, and 91% say this strengthens retention.
Almost all (99%) of the 500 executives who responded to our 2025 survey plan to increase their recruitment for AI-related roles (up 20% from last year).
“Employees using AI every day are reaping the rewards — higher productivity, greater job security and better pay,” said Pete Brown, Global Workforce Leader at PwC. “But to scale these benefits, businesses must go beyond training. Work itself needs to be redesigned and the human–machine partnership redefined. Getting this right will determine whether gen AI becomes a true engine of growth and inclusion, or a missed opportunity.”
In other reading:
Inside the Bloomberg Terminal’s AI (IT Brew)
OpenAI says it’s fixed ChatGPT’s em dash problem (TechCrunch)
Yale study shows CEOs picked from within drive higher returns (Semafor)
➕ One more thing: Commonweal Ventures wants to hear your predictions on what 2026 holds for “American Tech,” or the technology solving America's biggest challenges. Take the survey here.
Agentio, an NYC-based AI-native platform for creator-led advertising, raised a $40 million Series B round led by Forerunner. The round includes additional investments from Benchmark, Craft Ventures, AlleyCorp, Antler, and Starting Line.
Apono, an NYC-based cloud identity-security company, raised a $34 million Series B round led by U.S. Venture Partners (USVP), with participation from Swisscom Ventures, Vertex Ventures, 33N Ventures, and existing investors.
Chargeflow, an NYC-based fintech that automates chargeback disputes, raised $25 million in Series A funding. Viola Growth led the round, joined by insider OpenView.
Keychain, an NYC-based AI-powered private label operating system, raised $10 million in funding from W23 Global and others.
Ramp, an NYC-based expense management startup (and Tech:NYC member!), raised $300 million in primary capital at a $32 billion valuation. Lightspeed led the round, joined by new investors Alpha Wave Global, Bessemer Venture Partners, Robinhood Ventures, 1789 Capital, Epicenter Capital, and Coral Capital.
November 19: Join Glean and The Atlantic’s CEO Nicholas Thompson for Beyond Pilots: How Organizations Can Turn AI Into Real Results, a summit on AI produced by Glean. Apply to attend in person here.
November 19: Decoded Futures Build Day, a day of collaboration between technologists and nonprofit organizations to explore practical, hands-on ways to apply AI to real challenges. Register here. Want to volunteer? Apply here.
November 20: Insecure Agents: Live Panel & Podcast, a live conversation following day one of AIE Code exploring the cutting edge of AI agent development and security. Register here.
November 20: Smart Fundraising Strategies — Say No to Cold Outreach for Revenue-Generating, where you can learn how to connect with the right investors without a strong network, and to create a credible financial model that passes due diligence. Register here.
December 2: The Future of DevRel – with Abby Mitchel, an interactive roundtable with Meta’s Abby Mitchell exploring the evolving landscape of developer relations and technical community building. Register here.
December 2: The Element 46 Accelerator’s Fall Cohort Demo Day, where you can hear directly from the 10 startups selected for the fall 2025 cohort and engage with other members of the Westchester entrepreneurial community, including founders, advisors, mentors, and investors. Register here.
December 4: The SEEN Summit, the ultimate gathering for NYC-based founders, investors, and advocates of diverse-led teams, designed to foster networking, collaboration, and growth. Register here.
December 4: H-1Bs: Who Wins and Who Loses? A lively, high-stakes debate between a Rutgers professor and the Executive Director of an immigration think-tank on whether H1Bs and other non-immigration visas help American innovation more than they hurt American labor. Register here.
December 9-10: 2025 NYCETC Conference, bringing together the city’s premier policymakers, practitioners, and leaders, including Tech:NYC’s Julie Samuels, to focus on career pathways, emerging industries, and the vital link between workforce and economic development. Register here.
December 10-11: The AI Summit New York, a platform for enterprise leaders and tech innovators to explore and apply commercial AI, featuring Flybidge’s Jesse Middleton, NYCEDC’s Jonathan Schulhof, and Tech:NYC’s Julie Samuels discussing NYC’s startup ecosystem. Register here.
December 11: The Future of Applied AI in Finance and Banking, an annual one-day, invite-only conference blending elements of TEDx, Foo Camp, and Summit to bring senior managers, C-suite executives, and top AI/ML researchers together for curated sessions on applying the latest technology to problems in finance, banking, and insurance. Register here.
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