Wednesday, July 2, 2025

July 02, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

Wednesday, July 2, 2025 

In today’s digest, car-free streets, fireflies are having a moment, and NYC startups that raised Series A rounds in June. 💪

  • Programming note: We’re off the next two days. We’ll return to your inbox on Monday. Happy 4th!

Was this digest forwarded to you? Subscribe here.

  • Get your walking shoes ready. 👟 The city’s Summer Streets program returns this month with more than 22 miles of car-free streets, including a first-ever car-free route stretching from the top to the bottom of Manhattan. (Spectrum News)

    • On five Saturdays in July and August, New Yorkers will be able to walk, play, and bike in the streets from 7am to 3pm.

  • New York State will soon start covering all costs for most students at CUNY and SUNY community colleges pursuing associate degrees in high-demand jobs like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, engineering, and technology. 🧑‍💻 (amNY)

  • Get to the beach in style. 😎 Starting July 4, riders can board the Rockaway Rocket ferry at Long Island City or Greenpoint to head to the Rockaways for a day of NYC ocean adventure. (Gothamist)

    • The Rocket costs $12 for a one-way trip and comes with guaranteed seats and express service to the sand.

In other reading:

  • Fireflies are having a good year thanks to a warm, wet spring (Axios)

  • NYC taps landscape architect to reimagine Park Avenue (6sqft)

  • The map rating restaurants based on how hot the customers are (New York Times)

The NYC startup scene doesn’t slow down for summer. 🚀

Today, we’re kicking off Series A: A Series — a new monthly feature spotlighting the fast-growing NYC companies who have just raised their Series A round. 

📍 It’s a critical milestone: A check, yes, but also a signal that a company is ready to scale, grow its team, and go all-in on product and market.

  • Series A is where early vision starts to turn into late-stage ambition. And in a city like New York — where it’s obvious to build — it’s also a signal flare for innovation. ⚡

So what did we see in June?

  • 📈 Gen AI goes niche: Startups are applying AI to very specific verticals. Companies like Warp (HR, Payroll, and Tax Compliance AI) and Farsight (AI for financial and insurance data processing) show how New York’s strengths in finance are colliding with the next wave of machine learning.

  • 💪 AI also goes big: The two largest rounds (Traversal at $48 million and OpenRouter at $40 million) also went to AI companies.

  • 🏥 Health-focused startups continue to gain traction: Companies like Canid, which simplifies pediatric vaccination processes, and Elfie, which offers gamified health tracking applications, reflect a growing emphasis on personalized and efficient healthcare solutions. 

  • 🌊 Deeptech goes deep: Bedrock Ocean Exploration is venturing into deeptech, focusing on underwater vehicle platforms, a further expansion of NYC's tech scene into more specialized and infrastructure-heavy domains.

💼 And yes, they’re hiring: Series A rounds often translate into a surge in open roles. Founders use this capital to build out engineering teams, launch GTM strategies, and start laying the groundwork for Series B. 

We’ll update Series A: A Series monthly, so you can track the next generation of NYC startups.

Did we miss your Series A raise? Let us know — we want to spotlight every NYC founder turning vision into venture.

In other reading:

  • Savvy Wealth, an NYC-based digital platform for financial advisors, raised $72 million in Series B funding. Industry Ventures led, joined by Vestigo Ventures, Euclidean Capital and insiders Canvas Ventures, Thrive Capital, The House Fund, and Brewer Lane Ventures.

  • The Exchange’s Climate Tech Fellowship aims to support promising technologies and teams from university graduates as they embark on their early-stage commercialization journey. Apply by July 8 here.

  • NYCEDC has released a request for proposals for a Founder Alumni Program and is seeking operators to build a dynamic, long-term network of program alumni from its entrepreneurship programs. Register for the virtual info session on July 8 here, and download the RFP and apply by August 4 here.

  • Company Ventures’ Grand Central Tech Residency, for pre-idea founders to seed stage teams looking to accelerate wherever they are on the journey from company concept exploration to company launch. Apply by July 23 here.


  • The third annual Environmental Tech Lab, an accelerated innovation program ensuring that New Yorkers can continue to enjoy safe drinking water and a clean environment as the climate continues to change in unpredictable ways. Apply by August 8 here.

  • See NYC is gathering 150 New Yorkers for a three-day summer camp-style experience to share ideas to build a better New York City. Apply here.

  • Company Ventures is hosting AI Review events, a year-long conversation series on the current and future state of AI. Submit your AI-related event for consideration here.

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

  • Forum Ventures is accepting pitches to its Forum for Founders program. The firm is investing 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.

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.