Wednesday, February 11, 2026
In today’s digest, more details on New York’s first free grocery store, where to celebrate the Lunar New Year, and answers to your NYC tech questions. 💌
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Get those tote bags ready: NYC’s first-ever free grocery store opens tomorrow at noon, run by NYC-based prediction marketplace Polymarket. Get all the (known) deets here. 🛍️ (Secret NYC)
The five-day pop-up store will be located at the corner of Charles Street and 7th Avenue, and the promotion includes a $1 million donation to Food Bank for NYC.
The NYPD is rolling out what Commissioner Jessica Tisch calls the most significant overhaul of officer training in decades. 👮 (Gothamist)
Officers will now complete recurring weeklong retraining programs focused on de-escalation, tactical skills, and legal standards meant to reflect what they are likely to face on patrols.
Commissioner Tisch also announced new tech upgrades including a digital dispatch system for 311 complaints and a new network of sensors, databases, and software that delivers information to officers’ cellphones and computers.
A side-effect of all this cold weather: New York may have fewer rats when it’s all over. Rodent experts say prolonged cold weather can reduce rat populations by killing some and slowing reproduction. 🐀 (New York Times)
The Sanitation Department reports that 311 rat sightings have declined for 14 consecutive months, down 21% overall year-over-year, as the city continues pushing sealed trash bins and other anti-rat measures.
In other reading:
Where to celebrate Lunar New Year in NYC (PIX 11)
A DSNY worker answers all your burning questions about the blizzard (and yes, the trash) (Hell Gate)
NYC temps are finally above freezing — here’s when the gross snow will melt (New York Post)
Tech:NYC Mailbag: AI in Government, Digital Equity, and AI Policies
You’ve got questions about tech in New York. We’ve got people with answers.
Introducing: The Tech:NYC Mailbag. 📫📩
This is where we answer your questions about tech, NYC, tech policy, and how it all intersects, by going straight to the people building, shaping, and implementing it.
Below is a preview of our answers — read the full mailbag here.
Let’s dive in. 👇
Have a question for a future Tech:NYC Mailbag? Submit your Qs about tech, NYC, tech policy, and more here.
✍️ Q: The NYC government is missing AI — everyone seems to be afraid of it. Why doesn't the local government get buy-in from every staff member by training them to help with ‘mundane’ tasks? – Christian L.
For answers, we called in Austin Boral, founder of Tech:NYC member Civic Roundtable:
“The hardest part isn’t tech. It’s trust. Public servants are resource-strapped and risk-averse for a reason, and new tools have to meet them where they are…”
“Those ‘mundane’ tasks are exactly where the opportunity lies…”
“Starting with these everyday pain points helps build trust, demonstrate impact, and create the conditions for broader buy-in. In government, it's those small ‘mundane’ wins that unlock mission-critical change.”
✍️ Q: What are the city's plans for the future of LinkNYC and efforts to ensure universal connectedness in the city? – Bojan
We reached out to Tech:NYC member LinkNYC for their thoughts:
“New York City is advancing LinkNYC as a cornerstone of its long-term strategy to achieve universal connectivity and digital equity. Through the Link5G program, smart poles are being deployed above 96th Street and outside Manhattan to expand free public Wi-Fi, phone calling, device charging, and enhanced 5G service across historically underserved neighborhoods.”
“Looking ahead, LinkNYC is evaluating potential new features and use cases — such as EV charging — to meet the evolving needs of New Yorkers.”
“In parallel, LinkNYC is expanding LinkLocal (the city’s largest philanthropic digital advertising program) and LinkDirect to help more small businesses and nonprofits engage their communities through LinkNYC.”
✍️ Q: What policy investment would most help NYC workers and small businesses adapt to AI over the next few years? – Dianne L.
From Alex Spyropoulos, Tech:NYC’s Senior Director of Policy and Government Relations:
“The most impactful policy investment New York City can make to help workers and small businesses adapt to AI is building AI and computing literacy for all New Yorkers, starting in our public schools and extending into adult workforce development…”
“NYC should implement an AI literacy framework across public schools, expand teacher training so educators in every discipline can support foundational digital skills, and invest in community-based AI training for adult workers and small business owners...”
Have a question for the next mailbag? Submit questions for future editions here.
In other reading:
Rules of mysterious ancient Roman board game decoded by AI (SciAm)
An ice dance duo skated to AI music at the Olympics (TechCrunch)
No humans allowed: This new space-based MMO is designed exclusively for AI agents (Ars Technica)
Brandlight, an NYC-based AI visibility platform, raised $30 million in Series A funding. Pelion Venture Partners led the round and was joined by existing investors Cardumen Capital and G20 Ventures.
Garner, an NYC-based healthcare navigation company, raised $118 million at a $1.35 billion valuation led by Kleiner Perkins with participation from Redpoint, Maverick Capital, Kaiser Permanente Ventures, Mercy, and Plus Capital.
Hauler Hero, an NYC-based platform that automates waste management business functions, raised $16 million in Series A funding. Frontier Growth led the round, joined by K5 Global and Somersault Ventures.
Lema AI, an NYC-based enterprise supply chain security startup, raised $20 million in Series A funding. Team8 led the round, joined by F2 Venture Capital and Salesforce Ventures.
Reco, an NYC-based software security company, raised $30 million in Series B funding. Zeev Ventures led the round and was joined by Insight Partners, boldstart ventures, and others.
Take2, an NYC-based healthcare hiring startup, raised $14 million in Series A funding. Human Capital led the round, joined by Bertelsmann Healthcare Investments, Reach Capital, SemperVirens VC, and Honeystone Ventures.
Tenna Systems, an NYC-based spectrum intelligence startup, raised $13.5 million in seed funding. Costanoa led the round, joined by Viola Ventures, Fresh Fund, and 202 Ventures.
Vega, an NYC-based cybersecurity platform, raised $120 million in Series B funding. Accel led the round and was joined by Cyberstarts, Redpoint, and CRV.
The Manhattan Chamber of Commerce’s Tech to Table, a new six-week accelerator designed specifically for local entrepreneurs in the food business. Apply here by February 13.
Tech:NYC is proud to partner with Company Ventures, Blackstone LaunchPad, NYCEDC, and the Zahn Innovation Center at CCNY to deliver the NYC Startup Internship Program for Summer 2026. This 10-week program connects high-potential NYC students with early-stage tech companies for paid, meaningful work experience while building equitable pathways into our industry. Apply to host an intern here by February 20.
The Startup Station’s six-week virtual Fundraising Bootcamp teaches MBA-level finance for founders with no prior experience, helps you craft your financial story like a CFO, create investor-grade financials, and approach fundraising through an investor’s lens with guidance from a veteran investor. Apply here by February 23 and use promo code OPENVC400! to save $400.
EY is accepting nominations and applications for Entrepreneur of the Year New York, honoring ambitious visionaries who are leading successful, dynamic businesses in the U.S. Nominate or apply by February 27 here.
Applications are now open for the eighth annual Transit Tech Lab, an accelerated innovation program founded by the Partnership Fund for New York City and the MTA to improve public transit in the NY metro area. This year’s Lab is seeking tech companies with solutions that can help transit agencies advance infrastructure systems or modernize data and operational workflows. Apply here by February 27.
Downtown Brooklyn Partnership’s Make It in Brooklyn Ag Tech Pitch Contest, seeking innovative startups that develop cutting-edge technologies to address critical challenges in modern agriculture — from precision farming and crop monitoring to sustainable irrigation, soil health management, and farm automation. Apply here by February 28.
Element 46 Tech Accelerator, a Westchester County program for tech startups, is accepting applications for its spring 2026 cohort. Applications are viewed on a rolling basis until March 6. Apply here.
Justice Through Code is recruiting tech mentors to support justice-impacted Fellows breaking into the AI economy. Commitment is ~1-2 hours/month virtually from February-June 2026. Apply 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. Selected participants will use DBP-operated streets and plazas as real-world testing grounds for their technologies. Apply here.
Zero Irving — the Union Square tech hub home to Civic Hall — is relaunching its Workforce Development Project Fund, which awards $200,000 annually for programs that expand tech access and economic mobility for underrepresented New Yorkers, especially those in Manhattan Community District 3 (Lower East Side, East Village, Chinatown). Submit your proposal here.
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