Summer Tech Watch: 30 NYC Companies to Know

Summer is finally here. Whether you’re working on a tan, picnicking in Central Park or touring MoMa’s latest exhibit, it might also be a good time to catch up on the movers and shakers in your local tech scene — and Built In New York has curated 30 noteworthy companies to get you started.

With 2021 venture capital investments valued at $50 billion in the Empire State, many of the city’s tech employers are unveiling upgrades to the breadth, depth and inclusion of their culture and perks.

The New York-based companies we featured are unique in many ways, but all 30 have one thing in common: They are exciting, people-first organizations worth keeping on your radar.

 

 

 

What they do: Pumpkin is a company that provides pet insurance for the beloved four-legged members of your family. The company aims to remove significant economic barriers for pet owners who want to ensure their fur babies’ access to preventive and emergency care. 

 

 

Pets come first: “The numerous benefits of Pumpkin for the veterinary industry make pitching it a very rewarding experience,” Lauren Rerucha, regional sales manager, told Built In NYC in April. “We help with clinic profitability, reducing compassion fatigue and allowing veterinarians to get back to the main reason why they got into this industry: to practice the best medicine and help as many pets as possible.”

 

 

 

What they do: Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a gaming developer responsible for iconic series such as Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption and NBA 2K. With its recent acquisition of Zynga, Take-Two now also owns the popular apps Words with Friends and Farmville. 

 

 

In the news: In January, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. announced it was purchasing San Francisco-based gaming company Zynga for $12.7 billion, reportedly creating one of the world’s  largest publicly traded interactive entertainment companies.

 

 

 

What they do: Derivative Path is a cloud-based trading platform that specializes in complex interest rate, foreign exchange and commodity transactions. The financial technology firm supports more than 180 companies. 

 

 

Who they’re hiring: Derivative Path is looking to add members to its operations and data and analytics teams. 

 

 

 

What they do: Prizeout is an ad-tech company that creates digital gift card campaigns for big name brands such as Instacart, Uber, Starbucks and more. The online marketplace’s campaigns provide consumers with exclusive money-saving deals for companies they love. 

 

 

Employee autonomy: “I have a large amount of autonomy over my roles and responsibilities, which shapes my work by allowing me to plan, build and execute the way I best see fit,” Sagar Patel, senior software engineer, told Built In NYC in February last year. “Whether it is balancing priorities or trade-offs in the systems I build, it is up to me to manage the way I work and the decisions I make.”

 

 

 

What they do: Spotlight Sports Group is a sports betting and publishing platform. The company partners with well-known names in online sports gambling such as FanDuel and Betfair. 

 

 

In the news: In June, Spotlight Sports Group won the in-play software betting award at the EGR B2B awards ceremony in London. The EGR B2B awards recognize achievements in the online gaming industry. 

 

 

 

 

What they do: Helix Sleep sells mattresses directly to consumers that are customized for their body types, sleep positions and feel preferences. Helix Sleep also operates Birch, an all-natural bedding brand, and Allform, a high-end couch company. 

 

 

In the news: In October 2021, Helix Sleep was acquired by Cerberus Capital Management, an NYC private equity firm, for an undisclosed amount. Around the same time, Cerberus also purchased Brooklyn Bedding, with plans to combine it with Helix. 

 

 

 

What they do: Citadel is a Chicago-based investment company with a Manhattan location. The firm was founded in 1990 by billionaire Kenneth C. Griffin, who also serves as CEO, just three years after he began trading from his Harvard dorm room. 

 

 

Who they’re hiring: Citadel is looking to add members to its teams in data and analytics, development and engineering, marketing, and HR and recruiting.  

 

 

 

What they do: Perry Health is a healthtech company that provides remote care for people living with diabetes. Composed of nurses, doctors and dieticians, the care team offers nutritional education, medication guidelines and preventative care seven days a week, all covered by Medicare. 

 

 

Who they’re hiring: Perry Health is hiring for roles in data and analytics, operations, finance, product and more. 

 

 

 

What they do: Unacast is a location data platform with purposes ranging from informing business strategies to tracking the spread of infectious diseases. The company developed the Real World Graph, a map of connections between people and places. 

 

 

Be your own CEO: “For me, our biggest cultural strength is our focus on ownership and personal responsibility. We project this through our first core value, ‘be your own CEO,’” Dave McCutcheon, chief revenue officer, told Built In NYC in March. “The idea is to really empower people at every level to be independently impactful.”

 

 

 

What they do: Applecart maps social relationships through publicly available data to inform the advertising campaigns of Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, presidential campaigns and more. The marketing technology company was founded in 2013 by University of Pennsylvania undergraduates Matthew Kalmans and Sacha Samotin, both of whom were named to Forbes’s 30 under 30 list for marketing and advertising in 2021. 

 

 

Who they’re hiring: Applecart is looking to add members to its teams mainly in development and engineering, HR and recruiting, marketing and sales. 

 

 

 

 

What they do: EnergyHub allows consumers to transform their smart thermostats, electric cars and other devices into virtual power plants. The Brooklyn-based company’s clients include energy industry giants like National Grid and Eversource. 

 

 

Who they’re hiring: EnergyHub is hiring roles in development and engineering, operations, sales and more. 

 

 

 

What they do: Yieldify is an adtech company that uses AI-driven testing to help companies personalize online consumer experiences. More than 1,000 brands including Adidas, L’Oreal and Reebok use Yieldify’s services. 

 

 

Evolving design: “At Yieldify, whenever we develop a new feature, we focus on identifying how we can simplify the surrounding ecosystem to make the new feature accessible and representative of evolving design decisions we make as a company,” Michael DeSimone, vice president of product and data science, told Built In NYC in March. 

 

 

 

What they do: JPMorgan Chase is a global financial services firm involved in investment banking, commercial banking, asset management and more. 

 

 

Customers first: “At JPMorgan Chase, our customers are at the center of everything we do,” Gill Haus, chief information officer, told Built In NYC in February. “Chase’s product, data, design and technology teams work very closely to build and design digital products and services that help more than 60 million households make the most of their money.” 

 

 

 

 

What they do: Covera Health offers end-to-end delivery of clinical-grade, AI-powered quality insights for providers and insurers. The company’s ​​clinical intelligence platform helps doctors enhance their care, ensures patients get the right diagnoses and enables the healthcare system to support quality improvement at scale.

 

 

Mission matters: “When your company’s goal is to reduce misdiagnoses and improve patient care, every workday feels important,” Shara Bromberg, product manager of internal product, told Built In NYC in January last year. “There is nothing more inspiring and motivating than working at a company filled with people who are passionate about what they do.”

 

 

 

What they do: AlphaSights connects investment and business leaders with a dynamic network of industry professionals whose informed perspectives help clients make investment and business decisions. The company’s distributed team offers a truly global perspective, with offices in the United States, Europe, Middle East and Asia.

 

 

Teams with tools to succeed: “Despite joining off-cycle, the professional development team prepared a thorough onboarding plan that included a series of introductions to the wider team,” Senior Product Manager Ronier Zalnieriunas told Built In NYC this April. “As I worked my way through individually meeting product managers, designers, engineers and strategists, I could see the passion and drive in my new colleagues and began to envision my place within the team. Surrounding myself with ambitious people is the reason I chose AlphaSights, and I immediately saw this quality in my new teammates.”

 

 

 

What they do: With its time-based social media platform, Saturn helps tens of thousands of students at hundreds of schools manage their time and stay connected with friends. Since its inception in 2019, the company has raised nearly $50 million from leading investors including venture capital firm General Catalyst, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, actor Ashton Kutcher and more. 

 

 

Planetary growth: “Our team is growing — and fast. We have nearly doubled in size over the past year and we’re on a steady path to at least double our headcount again over the next year,” Max Baron, co-founder and chief operating and strategy officer, told Built In NYC in November last year. “We’re hiring across all areas of the business from engineering and product to operations and people.” 

 

 

 

 

What they do: An independent media-buying platform designed for the open internet, The Trade Desk helps global brands deliver insightful and relevant ads to consumers across a variety of websites, apps, podcasts and streaming TV platforms. More than 225 companies make use of The Trade Desk’s premium selection of data, inventory and brand safety providers — companies including Disney, Condé Nast, ABC, Hulu and more. 

 

 

A mission to believe in: “I love working at The Trade Desk because the work I do really matters, and I get to be a part of something big,” Anna Sayre, senior director of NAMER brand marketing, told Built In NYC in September last year. “Our mission attracts some of the best people in the industry: super smart, grounded and generous. I am so inspired by the team I get to work with every day, and I know the work we’re doing will have a lasting impact on the industry.”

 

 

 

What they do: IEX operates IEX Exchange — a U.S. stock exchange focused on driving performance for broker-dealers and investors through innovative design and technology. The company’s offerings also include IEX Cloud, a financial data platform, and IEX Astral, a platform designed to help clients store, protect and use complex data.

 

 

In the news: This May, IEX announced the addition of the company’s first chief marketing and communications officer, Marija Zivanovic-Smith, in a move intended to, according to the company’s press release, “strengthen the company’s strategic marketing, brand and communications function, adding talent and incorporating digital tools to drive growth for IEX’s exchange and technology businesses.”

“Marija is a seasoned executive who has succeeded at every point in her career due to her drive, creative vision and ability to execute. Her track record speaks for itself, and we are thrilled she chose to work on the IEX team at such a great moment in our evolution,” said IEX Co-founder and CEO Brad Katsuyama.

 

 

 

What they do: A consumer insights research technology platform that measures how effectively media content changes opinions, Swayable services major brands, agencies, foundations and political campaigns around the world, providing insights at all stages of the creative process.

 

 

The future of AI: “For the first time in about a century of statistics, there have actually been some meaningful advances in how causal relationships can be discovered by machines,” CEO and Co-founder James Slezak told Built In NYC in December last year while discussing the exciting opportunity to work in the emerging field of causal AI. “We’re building a data platform where the structure at all stages is optimized around proving causality, starting with consumer opinion. As the sophistication of the modeling and computing increases, you start to discern more and more subtle causes, giving greater insight into how to move the metrics that matter most.”

 

 

 

What they do: Torii is a SaaS management company that lets IT and finance professionals discover, optimize and control their organization’s SaaS usage and costs. The company’s platform is used by a number of high-profile clients including Twitch, Delivery Hero, Pipedrive, TypeForm and monday.com.

 

 

In the news: This year, the Torii team was honored for its SaaS excellence. The company took home five awards at the IT World and the Golden Bridge Awards.“These IT World and Golden Bridge awards validate the importance of our solution as companies struggle with SaaS management and look for better ways to manage costs,” Uri Haramati, CEO and co-founder, said in a press release. 

 

 

 

 

What they do: A technology and services company working to simplify the healthcare experience for clients and members, Rightway combines engagement-first technology with personalized guidance and health guides to improve outcomes and reduce costs. It offers care navigation and a consumer-centric PBM that connects innovative technology with clinical experts to help members navigate their care journey, also making prescription drugs more affordable.

 

 

A place to grow: “I personally think startups are the best environment for professional development, and I put the career growth of my team members at the top of my goals as a product leader. I am equally as proud of the influence I’ve had on the careers of people whom I’ve worked with as I am of the technology products I’ve launched,” Audrey Warren, vice president of product, told Built In NYC last December. “Recently, we spent a lot of time as a team developing a formal career ladder and defining competencies for each level. This new structure allows for deeper conversations about what someone will need to focus on specifically to get to the next level in their career.”

 

 

 

What they do: FireHydrant operates a comprehensive incident-management platform. The company’s technology allows developers and their businesses to create consistency for the entire incident-response life cycle to focus on fighting proverbial fires faster. From alert to retrospective, tracking, communicating and reporting on results, FireHydrant automates the entire process so developers can focus on resolution.

 

 

Doubling down on talent: Last August, FireHydrant announced that it had closed a $23 million Series B round of funding, and it would use those funds to double the size of its team. “Our vision is a world where all software is reliable,” Robert Ross, FireHydrant’s co-founder and CEO, said in a statement. “To achieve this vision, we will build solutions, such as our Incident Management and Service Catalog offering, for developers to successfully manage and maintain their complex systems and meet their customer’s requirements, so they can focus on building great products.” 

 

 

What they do: Chronograph brings next-generation technology to private capital markets. Its suite of cloud-based analytics and data management solutions helps investors — including private equity firms, venture capitalists, and public pension plans — manage their investments in unprecedented detail. The company supports firms that enable the future across high-growth startups, global infrastructure and renewable energy. 

 

 

Brand new office: Chronograph received media buzz this winter for its new residence along the historic Williamsburg waterfront: the iconic Ten Grand Street building, overlooking Domino Park with sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline. 

Chronograph has leased the entire tenth floor of the building, making room for the substantial increase in headcount it has planned for this year. The team is enjoying the stunning views, excellent building amenities, and vibrant Williamsburg neighborhood.

 

 

 

 

What they do: Dots is a mobile game studio that applies minimalist art to create soothing yet challenging experiences. Its three games “Dots,” “Two Dots” and “Dots & Co” have been downloaded more than 100 million times. 

 

 

Professional growth: “As a product manager at Dots, you get the opportunity to grow in many different areas professionally,” Kate Spears, senior product manager, told Built In NYC in June. “Having a product with millions of passionate users means learning how to get really good at interpreting both quantitative and qualitative data and developing intuition around how to translate those learnings into features to both grow the business and satisfy highly engaged players.”

 

 

 

What they do: Click Therapeutics is an app that develops personalized prescription treatments for patients. The healthtech company treats a range of diseases and conditions from mental health issues to chronic pain and autoimmune disorders.

 

 

Understanding unmet medical needs: “At Click, we create products for people with unmet medical needs, so it’s important to understand the user’s disease state and emotional journey alongside their actions in the app,” Manasi Arora, associate product manager, told Built In NYC last October. 

 

 

 

What they do: With its digital real estate platform, Spruce enables fast, frictionless and transparent real estate transactions across the country. The company’s APIs and dashboards enable our partners to better service homeowners through title insurance, escrow and related services.

 

 

A sense of trust: “We trust each other to bring our best work to meet our opportunity as a business,” Emmie Katz, vice president of people operations, told Built In NYC last November. “We trust the business team in each area to know the space best and prioritize a dedicated roadmap. The team includes employees directly enabled by the technology they build, so they know the space, know what’s important and know what success looks like. Leadership supports and unblocks the team by ensuring they have the right people and tools to deliver the impact they want.”

 

 

 

What they do: With their stated mission “to keep small businesses in business,” Melio offers small businesses a way to manage their business-to-business payments and receivables digitally. The company’s digital payment platform helps businesses save time, improve cash flow, and make payment workflows simple.

 

 

Developing leaders: “Melio requires people leaders to attend a multi-session intensive course on how to lead a team, develop direct reports and provide 360-degree feedback,” Hannah Wolfberg, payment operations recovery manager, told Built In NYC recently. “The team has really set me up for success with regard to my personal growth, as well as ensuring that I am prepared to help my peers and direct reports succeed. I work with so many amazing people who are experts in their fields and am continuously learning new things.”

 

 

 

What they do: Openpay delivers an omnichannel financing solution that extends beyond the traditional Buy Now, Pay Later form. The company’s BNPL 2.0 product provides users with a gateway to complete transactions — up to $20,000 with payback terms of up to 24 months — across underserved BNPL verticals including automotive, healthcare, home improvement, memberships, education and retail.

 

 

Just getting started: The company first launched its product in the U.S. payments market last October under the name “Opy.” According to a press release, Openpay plans to expand continually to meet the demands of one of the largest markets in the world. 

“Opy is committed to supporting its consumers by offering the most flexible installment plans in the market, partnering with leading payment providers, market leaders, distribution partners and aggregators to create a diversified global fintech company that is highly differentiated for the U.S. market,” said Brian Shniderman, CEO and global chief strategy officer for Openpay.

 

 

 

What they do: Utility partners with brands to develop and design custom mobile apps and digital experiences. Some of its best-known clients include Airbnb, Buzfeed and the NBA. 

 

Who they’re hiring: Utility is hiring team members in design and UX, development and engineering and product.

 

 

 

What they do: Private Division empowers studios to develop games they are passionate about developing. 

 

Open role: Private Division is hiring for a director of marketing role to lead the strategic development and go-to-market executions of its development partners’ games.