- Tech:NYC Digest
- Posts
- Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
In today’s digest, a Central Park foliage map, test your NYC knowledge, and sports 🤝 AI.
Was this digest forwarded to you? Subscribe here.
A congestion pricing update: August saw nearly 2.7 million fewer vehicles than the baseline average enter the congestion relief zone (south of 61st Street in Manhattan). That’s a 14% reduction in traffic. 🚗 (amNY)
The program brought in $219 million as of late May, which puts the MTA on track to meet its goal of generating $500 million in 2025.
The news comes about a month before the scheduled hearing in October that could determine the future of the program.
Readers, assemble! Seven-day services have been added to 11 library branches across the city, bringing the total to over 30 libraries that are open seven days a week. 📚 (QNS)
The new library hours are funded by $2 million from the city’s budget.
See all the library branches offering seven-day services here.
The Central Park Fall Foliage map is officially live! 🍂🍁 Leaf peepers can check out the real-time account of the 18,000 trees across Central Park’s 843 acres for when they will look their most autumnal. (Secret NYC)
Peruse the map here.
In other reading:
Test your NYC knowledge against other New Yorkers in citywide trivia (PIX 11)
How NY hired its 'chaotic' new phone ban mascot, Frankie Focus (Gothamist)
Flying into JFK soon? Here are all of the annoying new rideshare updates you need to know about (TimeOut New York)
The U.S. Open recently concluded, the NFL just had its first week of games, baseball is hitting its home stretch, and the WNBA playoffs are quickly approaching. So you know we’re going to find the tech thread in the midst of all these sporting highlights. ⚾🏈💻
Keep your AI on the ball: AI has transformed sports over the last few years by boosting fan engagement and analysis, leading to better fan experiences. Let’s take a look.
What’s new: IBM (a Tech:NYC member!) introduced new AI-powered features for the U.S. Open’s official website and app at this year’s tennis tournament. (Inc.)
IBM used AI to turn large amounts of real-time data into engaging fan content. 📊
This included an AI chatbot for fan inquiries, dynamic odds for singles matches, and AI-powered summaries of tournament data, analysis, and articles. 🎾
Why it matters: Sports fans are increasingly engaging with digital content experiences, with AI, personalization, and real-time features front and center, according to new IBM research.
73% of fans use mobile apps to stay updated during live events.
82% of in-person attendees use apps for real-time commentary, stats, and enhanced stadium features.
85% of respondents see value in integrating AI into their sports experience.
“The sports media landscape is more complex than ever, and fans are comfortable consuming digital content around the clock,” said Kameryn Stanhouse, Vice President, Sports and Entertainment Partnerships at IBM.
🔍 Zooming out: Market growth for AI usage is being driven by several factors, including an increased demand for player monitoring and tracking, real-time sports data analytics, AI for sports betting, and AI sports predictions.
There’s also rising interest in virtual assistants and chatbots to engage with fans and sports enthusiasts. 💬
This NFL season, fantasy football managers are experimenting with AI tools to optimize their teams.
These tools range from chatbots that suggest sleeper picks to scouts that analyze rivals’ drafting habits.
Our takeaway: As AI continues to evolve, its far-reaching impact on sports is limitless. The industry will be transformed by tech advances going far beyond customization, AI chatbots, and personalization.
In other reading:
Cassidy, an NYC-based AI automation platform for non-technical teams, raised $10 million in Series A funding. HOF Capital led, joined by The General Partnership, Neo, and Alumni Ventures.
Cognition, an NYC-based AI coding startup, raised $400 million at a $10.2 billion post-money valuation. Founders Fund led, joined by Lux Capital, 8VC, Neo, Elad Gil, Definition Capital, and Swish VC.
September 10: New York Developer & Lawmaker Roundtable, a discussion on key policy issues impacting app development today, including data privacy, artificial intelligence, online age verification, and more. Register here.
September 10: NYC Summit, Primary’s annual invite-only conference, bringing together 2,000 top founders, VCs, and LPs. This year’s speakers include Julie Samuels (Tech:NYC) interviewing Governor Kathy Hochul, Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals), David Karp (Tumblr), Toyin Ajayi (Cityblock Health), Lina Khan (FTC), Kareem Amin (Clay), and more. Apply to attend here.
September 11: Expanding the Tech Corridor: U.S.–Europe Innovation, a tech networking event connecting U.S. innovators with Europe's top innovation region, Baden-Württemberg. Register here.
September 11-12: AI, Impact, Investing, & Family Office Summit, a curated circle of family offices, other direct investors, institutional investors, and AI founders for a two-day deal making summit. Register here.
September 17: Startup Brand Strategy + Design Workshop, giving you the end-to-end brand strategy to guide decisions, from fundraising to go-to-market, content, and beyond. Register here.
September 17: Travel Tech's NYC Start-Up Founder Happy Hour, a chance to meet fellow founders and innovators, and plug into the NYC travel tech community. Register here.
September 18: NYC AI Demos, featuring live demos from OpenAI, Priceline, Daydream, Tabs, Lumos, Northflank, and AngelList. Register here.
September 18: Brderless’ September Founder Breakfast, a private breakfast for a curated group of early-stage founders, especially those who are scaling and looking for international hiring. Register here.
September 18-20: The Atlantic Festival relocates to NYC with its screenings, book talks, and more with influential thinkers including Scott Galloway, Keri Russell, Mark Cuban, H.R. McMaster, Robert Downey Jr., Richard Ayoade, David Letterman, Dr. Becky Kennedy, Tom Hanks, and others. Register with promo code TECHNYC20 for 20% off one-day passes here.
September 19: Vibe Coding for VCs, a crash course for venture investors to move from talking about AI to building with it. Register here.
September 23: Deep Tech Forum + Startup Showcase in NYC, bringing together deep tech startups from across the globe alongside corporate innovation leaders, investors, and ecosystem partners. Register with promo code TECHNYC for a 20% discount here.
September 25: 11th Annual Bloomberg-Columbia Machine Learning in Finance Conference 2025, with talks by international practitioners and academics on AI applications in finance including asset pricing models, neural SDEs, market sentiment analysis, and fairness in financial ML. Register for early rates here.
September 25: NYC Climate Week — Scaling Solutions with Fortune 100, exploring how Fortune 500 companies are aligning climate goals with business strategy, leveraging data to drive accountability, and empowering next-gen solutions to scale through meaningful partnerships. Register here.
September 29: From Demos to Durable AI: A Fireside Chat with Arize’s Aman Khan, who will share how to turn AI experiments into dependable products. 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.
Daily Digest Rewards 🎁
Treat yourself: Send subscribers our way, and we’ll send swag your way.
1 Referral: Shoutout in the Digest
5 Referrals: Obviously NYC Hat
10 Referrals: Obviously NYC Tote Bag
25 Referrals: Obviously NYC Sweatshirt
You currently have 0 referrals, only 1 away from receiving a Shoutout in the Tech:NYC Digest.
Or share your personal link with others: https://technycdigest.beehiiv.com/subscribe?ref=PLACEHOLDER
Any feedback or suggestions of things to add? Get in touch here.
Was this digest forwarded to you? Sign up to receive it directly here.