New York had a busy week with a new tech unicorn emerging and new partnerships formed. Read on to see how these changes are innovating the local tech scene. This is the Built In NYC weekly refresh.
Here are the top 5 tech sectors to watch in NYC. Several industries in tech are popping up across NYC. Some sectors are making big gains and changing the way the city operates. The top five sectors to watch are alternative investments, banking, mental health, customer engagement and proptech. [Built In NYC]
JOKR became a unicorn. The instant grocery delivery company raised $260 million in Series B funding, bringing the startup’s valuation to $1.2 billion and solidifying unicorn status. JOKR will use the funds to expand locally and focus on new customer acquisitions. [TechCrunch]
Via raised $130M. Via now has a valuation of $3.3 billion after a recent funding round. Via is a transit-tech company using new technology to develop public mobility systems. The unicorn will use the funds to expand into new markets and grow its team. [Via]
NYC TECH QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Smartling gained $160M. Smartling’s latest funding round was led by Battery Ventures. Smartling is a translation company that uses AI and human translators for various company websites. The fresh funding will be used to innovate the product and grow its team. [Built In NYC]
Goalsetter raised $15M. The Series A round was led by Seae Ventures. Goalsetter is a finance startup aimed at teaching children the ins and outs of finance. Goalsetter offers a debit card that can be controlled by parents and offers gamified features for kids to learn about investments and savings. [Built In NYC]
Away announced passport scholarship. Away partnered with Global Glimpse to offer the Passport Scholarship Fund. Away is a global lifestyle brand and Global Glimpse is a nonprofit organization that provides leadership and travel programs to students. The new fund will benefit Global Glimpse students in need of financial support for their first international travel experience. [PR Newswire]
Ocrolus’ new hire. Ocrolus is a documentation automation platform helping those in the finance industry make more informed decisions. The company recently hired Arjun Iyer to serve as its new senior vice president of business development. [Ocrolus]
Onna appointed a new chief product officer and VP of product platform. Onna announced Jose Lazares as chief product officer and Andy Mallinger as vice president of product platform. Lazares will be responsible for leading product strategy and management, among other duties, while Mallinger will work on expanding Onna’s Knowledge Integration Platform core services. Onna is a knowledge integration platform working on data management, security and processing. [Onna]
