Wednesday, April 8, 2026
In today’s digest, a new Citi Bike feature, March’s Series A class, and ACHOO! 👃
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We start with some blossoming data: The five boroughs are home to at least 47 varieties of cherry and cherry-esque blossoms, 15 varieties of magnolias and 26 varieties of crabapples. Where are all the best blooms in NYC? There’s a map for that. 🌸 (The CITY)
One downside of all our beautiful NYC blooms — the sniffles. Allergy season is hitting earlier and harder this year, with rising pollen counts, warming temps, and longer seasons giving some of us something to sneeze at. 🤧
Here’s how to cope.
We’re walkin’ here: NYC is going car-free on more than 50 streets for Earth Day this month, turning major corridors across all five boroughs into pedestrian-only zones for a day. 🚶 (Secret NYC)
The April 25 event will run from 10am to 4 pm, with stretches like Broadway in Manhattan and Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn closed to traffic and open for walking, biking, and public art.
You may have noticed a new feature on your Citi Bike recently. 👀 Parent company Lyft has started rolling out cellphone mounts on a portion of its e-bikes. (Patch)
The mounts are part of a limited pilot on 10% of the e-bikes, with the goal being to reduce the need for riders to handle their phones mid-ride and lower the risk of distracted cycling.
In other reading:
AI companies growing their NYC offices at breakneck speed (Bisnow)
What’s behind the magical looking doors within the 72nd Street train station? (West Side Rag)
The New York Transit Museum is launching a city-wide scavenger hunt to celebrate its 50th anniversary (Time Out New York)
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Marching Forward with March’s Series A Class
Powered by Obviously NYC, presented by Gunderson Dettmer and PwC US.
Springtime may just be getting rolling, but NYC’s startup scene is already in full bloom. 🌱
This month’s Series A: A Series adds 32 new companies — the largest cohort since we launched this initiative last summer — and together they’re already hiring for 130+ NYC-based roles.
Here are the trends driving this record-setting class:
🤖 AI agents go industry-by-industry: March’s cohort doubles down on NYC’s signature move: applying AI to specific, high-stakes verticals.
Trayd — one of Tech:NYC’s Companies to Watch — and Rebar bring tech into construction workflows, Fuse and PactFi modernize lending and private markets, and platforms like Edra AI and Translucent automate internal ops.
Meanwhile, Amigo AI, AvoMD, and Ease Health embed AI directly into clinical workflows to shape care delivery.
🔐 Security scales with the stack: As companies deploy more AI and more infrastructure, security startups are scaling alongside them.
Jazz Security, Fig Security, Reclaim Security, Surf AI, and Bold Security all reflect a growing need for continuous monitoring, resilience, and automated remediation designed for systems that are constantly changing.
🧬 Life sciences + AI = a powerful pipeline: NYC’s life sciences progress continues, with companies like Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals, Prolium Bio, Amani Therapeutics, and Atommap pushing forward drug discovery and neuropsychiatric treatments.
This all reinforces NYC’s position at the intersection of biotech and AI.
🏗️ From atoms to infrastructure: Beyond biotech, founders are tackling the physical world in practical ways.
Trashie is modernizing textile recycling, Xscape Photonics is building next-gen chips for high-performance computing, and PointOne is rethinking time tracking for professional services.
These companies reflect a broader NYC pattern: applying tech to industries that don’t usually get the spotlight.
🎨 Culture, community, and consumer platforms: Even in a heavy enterprise cycle, NYC’s creative edge shows up.
Companies like Sandbar are rethinking human-computer interaction, while the Pro Padel League brings sports and entertainment into the startup mix.
Chptr offers a reminder that not all innovation is about efficiency — some of it is about memory, storytelling, and connection.
🗽 Why it matters: March’s Series A class is one of the most representative of NYC’s tech ecosystem.
From AI and fintech to biotech, infrastructure, and culture, this cohort shows a city building across every layer of the economy.
Explore the full February list, see who’s hiring, and zoom in on our map of NYC’s newest Series A companies here.
Did we miss your Series A raise? Let us know — we want to spotlight every NYC founder turning vision into venture.
In other reading:
Seven things I’ve learned getting companies to use AI (Every)
AI is changing how small online sellers decide what to make (MIT Technology Review)
I analyzed 789 ‘Shark Tank’ pitches. This personality trait gets funding (Fast Company)
Nominations are open for 100 Women in AI 2026, spotlighting the women building, researching, investing in, and leading the AI ecosystem. Nominate here.
Welcome to Chinatown, (a Tech:NYC Decoded Futures alum!) is hosting its first-ever small business AI hackathon on April 23-24, bringing together problem-solvers to build automation tools that free up time for NYC’s small business owners. Apply here by April 13.
Blue Ridge Labs’ Founder Fellowship helps early-stage founders move from idea to MVP through mentorship, research, and hands-on support. Apply here by May 3.
The Tech Week team has a list of companies open to co-hosting events in their offices/venues for NY and Boston Tech Week, a great way to reach customers, find co-hosts for Tech Week events, and increase your footprint at Tech Week. Apply to be a venue partner here.
CUNY 2x Tech’s NYC Tech Talent Pipeline Residency Program, connecting high-potential Computer Systems Technology students with NYC-based employers for 10-week, full-time internships focused on software engineering and data analytics. Employers, express interest here.
HubSpot’s How You Hustle, where you and your business could be featured and receive free press exposure to their 1.5 million subscribers. Apply here.
Downtown Brooklyn Partnership’s Living Lab is seeking innovative technologies that address operational and quality-of-life challenges in urban parks and public spaces. Participants will use DBP-operated streets and plazas as real-world testing grounds for their technologies. Apply here.
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