As New York City edges towards the brink of dominating the startup world, a few announcements have helped its gradual climb to the top of the global tech scene. From Etsy’s long-awaited IPO to Mayor de Blasio’s ambitious plans for New York’s future, its been an interesting year for New York tech. Here’s a glimpse at 2015’s top newsworthy stories:
1. The New York Times is getting three dimensional with new virtual reality project
The 164-year-old New York Times announced the launch of NYT VR, the publication’s new virtual reality project. The project comes out of a collaboration with Google to produce a series of virtual reality films, beginning with The Displaced, a film about the global refugee crisis.
2. FanDuel and DraftKings ordered to stop taking ‘bets’ in New York
New York Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, ordered fantasy sports sites
and DraftKings to cease operations in New York. Schneiderman ruled that the sites constituted as illegal gambling under New York state law.
3. Esty now worth over $3 billion. Stock jumps 88% after IPO
made its debut on Wall Street as the largest certified socially-responsible company to go public in the U.S. On the day it went public, Etsy shares closed at $30 a share, an 88 percent surge from its initial public offering price of $16 a share.
4. Square jumps in IPO after pricing shares lower
Fintech merchant, Square, priced shares for its IPO at $9, but when trading started in New York on November 19, Square’s shares opened at $11.05 per share and peaked in early trading at $14.78 per share, which briefly put the company’s market cap at $4.77 billion.
5. NBC official launches SeeSo, the $3.99 comedy-only streaming service
While we’re still anxiously waiting for SeeSo to roll out, one of this year’s biggest stories was NBCUniversal’s announcement that it was launching its own ad-free streaming comedy channel. A large portion of SeeSo’s programming will draw from NBCUniversal’s robust archive of shows, including Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, The Office, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and all 40 seasons of Saturday Night Live.
6. These 5 NYC tech companies raised more than $250M in 24 hours
As a testament to New York’s booming tech scene, Dec. 9 saw a rapid flurry of funding news.
raised a $200 million investment, while startups such as , , and also saw significant funding rounds.
7. Mayor de Blasio offers 3 pillars for tech growth in NYC
During May’s TechCrunch Disrupt New York, Mayor de Blasio laid out a vision for New York’s tech community. The mayor announced a new infusion of cash into the CUNY system for STEM-centric degrees, the creation of a tech talent pipeline and an initiative to bring broadband access to all New Yorkers.
8. Airbnb releases trove of New York City home-sharing data
On Dec. 1, Airbnb began sharing data on the ways that people open their homes to guests in New York City. The data included statistics such as host earnings, types of listings posted and how often people rent out their homes. The released data marked the first time Airbnb voluntarily shared information on how a city’s hosts use the online platform.
9. New York is finally installing its promised public gigabit WiFi
Workers began installing the first LinkNYC access points in New York. The hubs are designed to retrofit standard phone booths, using upgraded technology to provide gigabit WiFi access points throughout the city.
10. 7 public projects that are turning New York into a 'smart city'
Read on to find out all of the projects that New York is currently undertaking to make the city more technologically savvy.
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