Wednesday, June 17, 2026
In today’s digest, NY homeowners get relief checks, high-tech NYC bathrooms, and where New York ranks among the global tech ecosystems. 📈
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Check your mailbox: New York State Governor Kathy Hochul announced yesterday that the state will send roughly $2 billion in tax relief to homeowners, co-op owners, and condo owners across the state over the next few months. 💰 (CBS New York)
Most eligible homeowners earning under $500,000 will receive between $350 and $600, while qualifying seniors could receive up to $1,500.
About 474,000 New York City households are expected to receive payments, with checks and direct deposits arriving throughout the summer.
New York is “flush” with innovation right now. The city will roll out 17 solar-powered, app-enabled public bathrooms across the five boroughs as part of a new effort to tackle the city’s longstanding restroom shortage. 🚽 (Gothamist)
The $4 million pilot uses high-tech toilets that can be unlocked by QR code, text message, or app, and include sinks, changing tables, and free menstrual products.
FIFA World Cup fever is here, and with it, the food deals. Throughout the tournament, over 900 restaurants and bars across the city are offering discounted $26 food and drink deals. Here are some of the best items on the menus. 🍝 (Time Out New York)
Check out the full list of participating restaurants here.
In other reading:
Eight NYC spots just made the cut for the world’s 101 best burger places — and two landed in the top 10 (Secret NYC)
Orange subway seats will soon kick the bucket. This museum is hosting a memorial (The City Reporter)
Did NYC Mayor Mamdani and the NYPD just reveal Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding plans? (Yahoo)
AI Is Reshaping the Startup Map and New York Is Right at the Center
Startup Genome’s annual Global Startup Ecosystem Report is out, and New York has earned some well-deserved bragging rights. 🗽
New York ranks as the No. 2 startup ecosystem in the world, trailing only Silicon Valley. AI, life sciences, and climate tech are helping fuel the city’s momentum as New York has become a place where new technologies are built and bought.
Let’s take a closer look. 🧐
The headlines by the numbers:
$713 billion: Amount New York’s startup ecosystem generated in between July 2023 and December 2025, a 182% increase compared to the end of 2020.
$163 billion: Total VC funding in New York startups between 2021-2025.
$96 billion: New York’s AI native ecosystem value (vs. a global average of $4.4 billion).
150: Number of active unicorns (startups valued at over $1 billion) in New York. The global average is 11.
$153k: The average software engineer’s salary.
The headline by the words: New York remains a global startup heavyweight.
AI has become the new growth engine: New York ranks among the world’s strongest ecosystems for AI company creation. 🤖
Tech:NYC President and CEO Julie Samuels told Crain’s that AI companies are increasingly expanding in New York because “that's where the market is” — bringing jobs, investment, and even demand for office space along with them.
🧬 And it's not just AI:
Startup Genome highlights life sciences as another area of strength, citing New York's concentration of universities, research institutions, and healthcare assets that support biotech, pharma, and medtech innovation.
The report also points to climate tech growth, including more than $100 million invested in the climate innovation hub at the Brooklyn Army Terminal.
Growth is accelerating (and concentrating):
Global startup ecosystem value grew by $2.8 trillion between the 2025 and 2026 reports after contracting the previous year.
New York alone contributed roughly $100 billion of that growth, joining Silicon Valley and Los Angeles as the three ecosystems responsible for about two-thirds of global gains.
🗽 Why it matters for New York: New York’s combination of talent, capital, global market access, and AI startup activity has helped it maintain its place near the top of the global rankings.
As cities around the world race to build AI ecosystems, NYC is starting from a position of strength.
Staying there will require continuing to turn research, talent, and investment into new companies.
“New York continues to be a place where companies build and scale transformative technologies, especially in AI, life sciences, and climate innovation,” Julie said. “With a deep talent pool and collaboration across industries, the city’s tech ecosystem is driving new investment, new companies, and new opportunities for economic growth.”
In other reading:
Is technical literacy the new MBA? (Fast Company)
The job interview is broken. Here’s how AI could actually fix it (Wall Street Journal)
Americans and AI 2026: Chatbots, smart devices, and views on impact (Pew Research Center)
Copia Automation, an NYC-based industrial DevOps company, raised $26 million in a Series A extension. AE Ventures and Squadra Ventures led the round and was joined by KAS Venture Partners and existing investors Construct Capital, Lux Capital, Ironspring Ventures, and Renegade Partners.
Swsh, an NYC-based fan engagement platform for live experiences, raised $4 million in seed funding. Game Changers Ventures led the round, joined by Stellation Capital, SignalFire, MaC Venture Capital, Scooter Braun, and Guy Oseary.
Tenet Security, an NYC-based cybersecurity startup that builds tools to secure autonomous AI agents and agentic workflows against data exfiltration and misuse, raised $6 million in seed funding. The Westly Group and MizMaa Ventures led the round.
Tech:NYC has partnered with Company Ventures, Blackstone LaunchPad, NYCEDC, and the Zahn Innovation Center to run the NYC Startup Internship Program, connecting NYC college students with paid summer internships at early-stage startups across the city.
We’re looking for volunteer mentors to support interns as they gain firsthand experience in startups and tech throughout the summer. Apply to be a mentor by June 20 here.
CUNY’s IT Job Fair on June 24 is looking to connect companies with upcoming graduates from their Cloud Engineer, Computer Networking, and Cybersecurity tracks. Companies can express interest here.
Make It In Brooklyn is accepting applications for their Renewable Energy Pitch Contest, spotlighting companies advancing the future of clean and renewable energy. Selected startups will pitch before a panel of industry leaders and compete for up to $10,000 in funding and commercialization support. Apply here by June 28.
The Social Science Research Council has opened applications for their Just Tech Fellowship, a one-year, unrestricted award of up to $60,000 for researchers, artists, and practitioners working to understand and shape how technology impacts society and public life. Apply here by June 28.
KPMG Private Enterprise is accepting applications for their 6th Annual Global Tech Innovator Competition for entrepreneurs who are successfully making the transition from the startup phase to the next stage in the growth of their businesses. Apply here by July 6.
Endless Frontier Labs has opened applications for its 9-month program which helps founders transform their science and tech based ideas into commercially scalable companies. Apply here by July 31.
Gutter Capital is accepting applications for their accelerator, Elbow Grease. They’ll embed with a small group of founders to recruit the team, deliver the product, close customers and otherwise do whatever it takes to build a company of consequence. Apply here by July 31.
Applications are now open for the New York Climate Exchange’s Climate Tech Fellowship, designed for early-stage innovators working on energy technologies with meaningful urban resilience potential. Apply here by August 1.
The Social Justice Fund is launching the Brooklyn Pitch Competition to help local businesses access the growth capital, strategic support, and connections they need to scale. The competition will award a total of $450,000 in unrestricted grant funding to selected Brooklyn-based businesses, including a $150,000 grand prize and additional finalist awards ranging from $25,000 to $75,000. Apply here by September 4.
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 can 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.
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