Wednesday, April 2, 2025

April 02, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

Wednesday, April 2, 2025 

In today’s digest, the New York Liberty get a training facility, Brooklyn and Queens get connected, and NYC high schoolers get inspired by computer science. 🖥️

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  • The queens are getting another jewel to add to their crown. 👑 The New York Liberty, the reigning WNBA champions, are building a new $80 million training facility to call their own in Greenpoint. 🏀 (BisNow)

    • The high-tech facility will feature a rooftop dining area with private chefs, practice courts with data-tracking cameras, an indoor/outdoor weight room, and a nursery.

    • Plus, instead of a traditional locker room, each player will have their own suite. 

  • Regardless of your relationship with speed cameras, new research shows that the tech is effective in increasing safety for New Yorkers. Speed cameras have reduced collisions in NYC by 14% and decreased speeding violations by 75%, according to a new study. (amNY)

    • The study, which tracked over 1,800 cameras throughout Gotham from 2019-2021, supports a DOT-led report from 2024 with similar findings.

  • Speaking of saving lives, NYC has seen a 23% decrease in shootings and a 35% decrease in murders compared to the same time last year. That’s on pace to be the lowest number of murders and shootings in nearly a decade. (NY Post)

In other reading:

We’re feeling energized after today’s Computer Science (CS) Fair, where thousands of high school students from across the city descended upon the Armory in Washington Heights for a day of innovation, inspiration, and ingenuity. ✨

🏋️ A powerful scene: The NYC tech leaders of tomorrow went booth to booth, activity to activity, tech company to tech company, to learn about the educational and career opportunities that can come from studying computer science. 

Some highlights:

  • The “dream machine” booth — an AI tool that illustrates thoughts and dreams.

  • An exhibit featuring Etsy’s Artist Youth Entrepreneurs program, which Tech:NYC also partnered on.

  • An AI pitch bot named “Bread Wilson” that gave feedback on student startup ideas.

But that wasn’t all.

🔢 The 2025 CS Fair featured:

  • ~1,800 high school students.

  • 55 participating schools from across the city.

  • 80+ engagements and booths from tech companies, nonprofits, colleges, and high schools.

  • 16 sponsoring tech companies.

This year’s CS Fair, presented by Gotham Gives and partners the Tech:NYC Foundation and New York City Public Schools, enforced that the tech talent pipeline in NYC is strong. 💪

🌱 Some AI talent stats:

  • NYC retains 66% of its graduates, a higher rate than both the Bay Area and Boston, according to a recent report by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC).

  • From 2021-2024, about 490,000 recent college graduates moved to NYC, making it the top destination for new grads.

  • Tech:NYC and Accenture’s report on Generative AI in NYC found that nearly 90% of local tech company execs are confident in their abilities to secure AI skills from the city’s talent pool. And judging from today’s event, that number is only going to keep growing.

Next in the pipeline: There are ~350 entry-level tech jobs available on Tech:NYC’s jobs board. Take a look! 

“I hope that every student that's here today leaves understanding that there is a place for them in the tech sector,” said Tech:NYC President and CEO Julie Samuels. “I hope that every student who leaves here has a vision for what she or he can do with their careers to build products, to work at companies, to start their own companies, and to really build the future of New York City.”

In other reading:

  • The tech you need to level up your humanity (Wired)

  • How CIOs can spring-clean their tech stack (IT Brew)

  • The 10 largest NYC tech startup funding rounds of March 2025 (AlleyWatch)

  • Adaptive Security, an NYC-based cybersecurity startup focused on deepfake attacks and other AI-engineered cons, raised $43 million. A16z and OpenAI Startup Fund co-led, and were joined by Abstract Ventures, Eniac Ventures, CrossBeam Ventures, and K5.

  • RapidClaims, an NYC-based provider of revenue cycle and claims management health-care providers, raised $11 million in Series A funding from Accel and Together Fund.

  • Applications are open for Decoded Futures at the Tech:NYC Foundation — our no-cost, seven-week program designed for NYC nonprofits looking to use AI to scale their impact. 

  • New Schools is accepting applications for the Gen AI Math Tutoring Funding Opportunity, providing up to $300,000 in funding, expert assistance, and product feedback for selected ventures. Apply by April 18 here.

  • Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator, a four-month program providing funding and mentorship for early-stage companies. Apply by April 28 here.

  • Urban Future Lab hosts the Urban Future Prize Competition, which identifies and supports top climate-tech startups. Apply by April 28 here.

  • Forum Ventures is accepting pitches for Forum for Founders, which will invest in 30+ companies over the next three months, offering $100K and admission to its pre-seed accelerator to provide personalized GTM and sales support. Apply here. 

  • AcceleratorCON introduces Draft Combine, an opportunity for startups to be scouted by top accelerators and investors. Apply here.

  • Each month, Union Square Ventures hosts usvwork — a casual coworking day for founders and builders in NYC. Apply here.

  • La Creme de la STEM’s Founding Member application, for early-stage female
    founders in tech or science, providing access to the knowledge of investors and guest speakers, and perks from corporate partners. Apply here.

  • Company Ventures’ Grand Central Tech Residency, for pre-seed/seed stage teams building venture-scale companies, or individuals launching a venture within six months. Apply here.