This is the February 2020 edition of the Tech:NYC newsletter. If you're not already getting this in your inbox, sign up now.

It’s been an exciting month at Tech:NYC! After months of preparation, including lots of conversations with many of you, we shared a major new research project on NYC’s tech training ecosystem. You can read the full report here.

For the first time, the project scans the entire city and maps 850 programs — literally. We built techskills.nyc as a new interactive tool to better understand the the K-12 computer science curriculums and adult workforce readiness landscape. By mapping what’s already out there, we got a clearer picture of where the gaps are. The city’s tech sector is the fastest-growing source of well-paying jobs, and companies here are hungry for talent. To meet that demand, more investment in skills-building will be key. CUF’s Jonathan Bowles and I wrote in the New York Daily News about how industry and policymakers can come together to achieve that, and the New York Times published a feature on our findings — and the models we can look to as examples of what works.

One example that we know works is the annual CS Fair. Next month, we’re bringing dozens of New York tech companies to Washington Heights to meet thousands of high school CS students — the next generation of tech geeks and entrepreneurs. The CS Fair is always one of our favorite events of the year, and a reminder that, with the right resources in place, everything we need to ensure that NYC is prepared for the future is right here in our own backyard.

Julie

WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO

Our own Julie Samuels joined WBAI’s Max and Murphy Show to discuss the state of NYC’s economy and how the tech sector is powering it. Listen to their full conversation here.

For this month’s Cornell Tech @ Bloomberg speaker series, we chatted with Flatiron Health co-founder Zach Weinberg. Check out recaps of past events here, and register to join us for the next one on March 16 here.

GET INVOLVED

The 2020 census is coming up, and it’s the first year most respondents will be encouraged to complete it online. Tech:NYC, with our partners at Association for a Better New York, is mobilizing our member companies to support the city’s census research centers and get-out-the-count efforts. Be it donating equipment, volunteering time, or joining official social media campaigns, there’s lots of ways to help! If you or your company are interested in being involved, send us a note and we’ll share more details.

Tech:NYC, together with Microsoft’s TEALS Program, and CSNYC, brings back its annual Computer Science Opportunity Fair to the Washington Heights Armory on March 31. The CS Fair is an opportunity to inspire students to pursue interests and careers in tech by giving them unparalleled access to leading tech companies, universities, and extra-curricular programs. Check out a video summary of last year’s CS Fair here. If you’re a technology company that wants to get involved and host a booth this year or would like to volunteer at the event, get in touch with us here.

Techstars NYC is now accepting applications for their summer 2020 program, guided by an impressive group of mentors with experience at top tier companies like Classpass, Plated, Zola, and hundreds of others. Find out more and apply by April 5 here.

The Mayor’s Office of the CTO and NYCEDC announced the opening of applications for tech-enabled solutions from startups, technologists, and innovators for the the NYCx Co-Labs program. They are seeking proposals for two competitions — one addressing housing rights and one addressing mental health access. Winners will be eligible to receive up to $20,000 and pilot their technology in New York City, in partnership with City agencies, for up to one year. Learn more and apply by April 7 here.

NYC TECH COMMUNITY EVENTS

March 1: The Tech Incubator at Queens College, along with Serval Ventures, hosts a data hackathon for teams will examine NYC Open Data and come up with new ways of visualizing the data and envisioning the future of NYC. Register here.

March 6: The 2020 Female Founders Forum brings together 250 female founders, investors, and members of the NYU community, featuring a keynote from BBG Ventures managing partner Susan Lyne. See the full lineup and register to attend here.

March 7: NYC School of Data 2020, BetaNYC’s annual civic tech and open data conference, features Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, CIO Jessica Tisch, CTO John Paul Farmer, and dozens of other speakers. See the full schedule here and get tickets here.

March 16: Join Tech:NYC, with partners Cornell Tech and Bloomberg, for the next installment of our Cornell Tech @ Bloomberg speaker series, featuring Inspired Capital founder and managing partner Alexa von Tobel. Registration is required here.

March 18: Join Products that Count for this month’s meetup, featuring remarks from Liz Burstein, the head of product at Maven, on building products that drive behavior change. Get tickets here.

March 19: Join City & State for its 2020 Digital New York Summit, featuring NYC CIO Jessica Tisch, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, and other government and industry leaders to examine the technological landscape in New York, the need for (high) speed across digital sectors, the current state of data security, and more. Use code TECHNYC for 25% off tickets by registering here.

March 31: Disruption Forum New York brings together fintech and finance leaders of fintech and finance share insights on the sector’s rapid growth and the future of digital transformation, featuring founders and executives from Citi Ventures, Stash, Petal, Barclays, and more. Register here.

April 1: Join Empire Startups for their Empire FinTech Conference 2020, featuring executives from RRE, Grasshopper Bank, Mastercard, and more. Get tickets here.

April 2: The NYS Department of Financial Services is hosting the Financial Innovation and Inclusion Symposium during New York Fintech Week 2020. The symposium will focus the conversation between innovators, regulators, policymakers and consumers on the important issues of inclusion and innovation in today’s dynamic environment. Request tickets here.

WELCOME TO TECH:NYC

A warm welcome to our newest members:

• CritiqueMatch: Online platform that helps writers find critique partners and beta readers

• Dronegrafix: Drone inspection Services

• fiifi: System of record and dealflow management for the investor

• JustFix: Builds technology for tenants and organizers fighting displacement

• Moodbit: AI platform for your employee experience management

• RealBlocks: Leveraging the blockchain to provide liquidity and access to alternative investments

• ResoluteAI: A discovery engine for research

• Temboo: Nocode software platform for environmental engagement

• Vertoe: Luggage storage anywhere, anytime

• Workstream: Collaboration platform for financial analysts.

JOIN US

Tech:NYC is looking for a Communications and Marketing Director and for a Policy and Communications Associate to join our team. Apply now or share the listings with someone you know! 

We want your company to be a member of Tech:NYC! Sign up at our membership page, and let us know if you have any questions.

New York, New York, USA skyline. by Sean Pavone/Shutterstock