Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Wednesday, May 14, 2025 

In today’s digest, judging judges, creating creators, and shearing sheep. 🐑

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• The Knicks are one win away from reaching their first conference finals since 1999, when current star Jalen Brunson was just two years old. Can they do it? (New York Magazine)

  • Game 5 vs. the Boston Celtics tips off tonight at 7pm. Here’s how to watch! 🏀 
    
    

• Still deciding who you want to rank on the ballot as the next mayor of NYC? Take this handy quiz to find out the candidate who most closely aligns with your views on issues ranging from public safety to housing and health. 🗽 (The CITY)
  
  

• Time to judge the judges. A new database allows New Yorkers to dig into the records of more than 1,200 judges across the state. (Gothamist) 

  • The new tool includes extensive information about every active state judge, including their published decisions and judicial metrics, and which judges are up for reelection or reappointment. 🧑‍⚖️ 
    
    

In other reading:

• Mayor Adams announces new office to combat antisemitism (News 12 Bronx)

• NJ Transit faces a possible strike. Here's how it could impact you (NBC New York)

• Celebrate spring at NYC’s only sheep shearing festival this Sunday at Queens County Farm (QNS)
  
  

The creator economy is growing like never before, and New York is coming out on top. Let’s dive into this sector’s growth. ⬇️

The landscape:

• 📈 Creator boom: Creators are now the largest and fastest-growing segment of the 28.4 million internet-dependent jobs in the U.S.

• 🚀 Creator jobs have grown 7.5x since 2020, and creator media revenue is growing five times faster than traditional media.

🌐 What’s driving growth: Consumer choice. “You decide what's good, not hierarchies or intermediaries. We heard about that decades ago with the internet, but now there are actual business cases attached to it," said Leora Kornfield, principal research consultant and co-author of a recent creator economy study.

Read the full Axios article here.

📊 New York takes the lead: According to a new report from Creator Economy Jobs, NYC emerged as a top hub in this sector in Q1 2025.

• Top hub: NYC accounted for 6.3% of all open creator economy jobs, the first time ever the city has led in this category.

• North American dominance: North America accounted for 45.4% of all creator economy job listings.

💡 Future outlook:

• 📍 A shift from the West Coast: NYC’s rise highlights a broader move away from traditional Silicon Valley dominance.

• 🧘 Flexibility rising: Year-over-year growth in part-time roles suggests greater adaptability in work arrangements.

• 📈 Executive roles surge: Listings for executive positions in creator economy companies jumped by 36.7% quarter-over-quarter, with many concentrated in NYC.

Dig deeper: Creator economy job market rebounds In Q1 2025, New York emerges as top hub

In other reading:

• Airbnb expands into services and experiences, plans more social and AI features (TechCrunch)

• Pope Leo XIV names AI one of the reasons for his papal name (The Verge)

• GM’s new battery tech could be a breakthrough for affordable EVs (Wired)
  
  

• AI Startup Pitch Day by Flybridge, Next Wave NYC, Goodwin, Mercury, and Lynx Collective, where NYC’s top pre-seed AI founders will take the stage to pitch their startups to a roomful of 100 investors with a grand prize of $50K. Apply to pitch by May 15 here.
  
  

• VC Lab & Emerging Institute, a 12-week program that transforms emerging VC managers into institutional-grade firms through intensive training, direct LP introductions, and personalized guidance. Apply by May 19 here.
  
  

• America on Tech is accepting applications for TECH360, a program for students to explore artificial intelligence and develop an AI-powered tool to pitch to mock clients. Apply by May 25 here.
  
  

• Techstars Economic Mobility, for entrepreneurs designing innovative solutions that generate greater economic mobility for low- and moderate-income Americans. Apply by June 11 here.
  
  

• The Factor Fellowship, an 18-week, part-time program for working professionals from diverse backgrounds looking to break into in-demand roles at NYC’s fastest-growing startups. Apply by June 15 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.
  
  

• 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.
  
  

• 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.