Winter Tech Watch: 16 New York City Companies to Track

Winter is arriving in New York City. Whether you’re trekking out to Brooklyn to see the Christmas lights in Dyker Heights, strapping on skates at The Rink in Rockefeller Plaza, or hitting up holiday markets at Union Square, Columbus Circle or Bryant Park, 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 City has curated 16 noteworthy companies to get you started.

What’s more: Many of the city’s tech employers are developing upgrades to the breadth, depth and inclusion of their company culture, tech stacks and benefits.

These New York-based companies are special in many ways, but all 16 have one thing in common: They are innovative, people-first organizations with intriguing perks — and well worth keeping on your radar in the season ahead.

 

 

What Rent the Runway does: Rent the Runway operates an e-commerce platform that allows users to subscribe to, rent or buy designer apparel, accessories and home decor from more than 700 designer partners.

 

 

Leaders are welcome: “RTR has identified four leadership competencies that guide how we recruit, develop and engage our employees and are critical for achieving success, which are ‘influential communicator,’ ‘fosters innovation,’ ‘drives continuous results’ and ‘embraces diverse strengths,’” Chief People Officer Andrea Alexander told Built In this June. “These competencies were born out of observations, discussions and data on what it takes to be successful at RTR, and we use them as a common language when talking about growth and development of our people.” 

 

 

What They Do: Spotlight Sports Group operates a sports betting and publishing platform. Through its various brands including Racing Post, Pickswise and Fantasy Alarm and in partnership with companies including DraftKings, FanDuel, and Caesars Casino and Sportsbook, the company engages millions of users in sports betting and fantasy sports.

 

 

Remote first means respecting employees: “The key to working virtually is for leaders to understand that everyone is different,” SVP B2B Partnerships Rick Wolf told Built In this July. “Some people will need to make boundaries between their work and home lives. Others will enjoy the freedom to work more often and mix in aspects of their home life throughout the day. We do not use tracking tools. We know work looks different for everyone, and we need to respect team members’ abilities and not judge them on how they decide to accomplish their jobs and have a happy rest of their life.” 

 

 

What Albert does: Serving more than 12 million users, Albert’s banking app combines banking, savings, investing and budgeting tools with guidance from a team of expert financial advisors.

 

 

Elevating diverse voices: Albert boasts a management team committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace where employees of all backgrounds can thrive.

“One of the best things you can do is give people space to grow,” Amanda Lui, head of product, told Built In this February. “Growth is difficult, especially in a fast-paced, startup environment. I believe in learning by doing, which involves searching for ways to give team members a chance to try new things. If you give them space to hone a new skill or make mistakes and learn from them, there’s a good chance they’ll achieve success.”  

 

 

 

What Schrödinger does: Schrödinger provides chemical simulation and enterprise software solutions and services for clients in pharmaceutical, biotechnology and materials science research.

 

 

In the news: This October, Schrödinger announced a drug discovery collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company. In addition to an upfront payment, Schrödinger will be eligible to receive up to $425 million in discovery, development and commercial milestone payments as well as royalties.

“We have a 30-year history of continuing scientific innovation, which has resulted in a very powerful technology platform that can accurately predict molecular properties by combining the accuracy of physics-based modeling with the speed of machine learning,” Ramy Farid, CEO, said in a press release. “Moreover, our physics-based methods allow us to extrapolate beyond characterized chemical space to find the molecules that are beyond the limits of current knowledge.”  

 

 

What CLEAR does: CLEAR is a secure identity platform. Using biometric data to confirm one’s identity, CLEAR is helping airports, hotels, doctor’s offices and others provide faster, easier and more secure experiences. 

 

 

In the news: This November, CLEAR announced plans to launch expedited identity verification lanes at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Puerto Rico — the company’s first ever expansion outside the continental U.S. 

“CLEAR is excited to bring our secure identity technology to Puerto Rico, create good-paying local jobs and invest in the local economy,” CEO Caryn Seidman-Becker said in a press release. “Aerostar has been a great partner, and we’re pleased to work together to create a more predictable, less stressful airport experience for people traveling through SJU.”

 

 

What Radar Labs does: Radar operates a geofencing platform that powers services like curbside pickup, delivery and location-aware app experiences for brands including Panera Bread, American Eagle Outfitters, T-Mobile and Afterpay. The company processes more than 100 billion locations each year. 

 

 

Primed for growth: “In February 2022, we raised $55 million in a Series C funding round led by Insight Partners, a private equity and venture capital firm based in NYC,” VP of People Lisa Sholkin told Built In this March. “The new capital will be used to rapidly scale and extend our market lead through expansion of existing and new building blocks for the platform, growth of the Radar team and increased impact in key verticals such as retail, quick-service restaurants, logistics, travel, hospitality and entertainment.”

 

 

 

What Skillshare does: Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes on topics including illustration, design, photography, video, freelancing and more.

 

 

Healthy habits in the workplace: “Ensuring employees feel that they can bring their whole selves to work, talk to their managers about their needs and know that the company supports a healthy work-life balance are all critical pieces of the puzzle,” CEO Matt Cooper told Built In this May. “All around, we try our best to offer resources and real-time support for our employees to ensure they are set up for consistent wellness both personally and professionally.” 

 

 

What Maven Clinic does: A virtual clinic for women’s and family health, Maven offers continuous holistic care for fertility and family building through maternity, parenting, pediatrics and menopause.

 

 

In the news: This November, Maven announced that it had raised $90 million to expand its virtual reproductive healthcare services and grow its team by 20 percent.

“At Maven, we have reimagined the care model to address the complex needs of women and families in a global system that was not designed for them,” Founder and CEO Kate Ryder said in a statement. “Whether it’s a pregnant woman faced with access issues in rural America, working parents in India needing financial support and navigation for infertility treatment, a same-sex couple facing bias in the opaque surrogacy industry or a senior executive unable to get support for menopause, our platform shows up reliably, affordably and relentlessly focused on patient outcomes.” 

 

 

 

What LeafLink does: LeafLink is a B2B online wholesale cannabis platform, empowering thousands of licensed cannabis brands and retailers across North America to streamline ordering, payments and logistics. 

 

 

In the news: This September, LeafLink announced plans to offer a new full-platform pricing model intended to help cannabis brands and retailers simplify operations.

“At LeafLink, everything we do is driven by our desire to make it easier for cannabis brands and retailers to do business,” Ryan G. Smith, co-founder and CEO, said in a press release. “By packaging our offerings together in this simplified way, our new full platform pricing plan is about exactly that. Whether you are a leading MSO working across the country, or just starting up shop in a single state, like Michigan or California, LeafLink is the trusted partner and one-stop shop for all of your operational needs.” 

 

 

What Flume Health does: Flume operates a digital platform for healthcare administration. By digitizing what had previously been cumbersome paper-based processes, Flume is able to provide better health outcomes at reduced costs, impacting the entire payer supply chain from the way a member finds their doctor to the payments happening in the background. 

 

 

A team primed for success: “Flume has the right mix of fuel to break through to new heights: We have an open, collaborative, fun and energetic culture and a team of driven and smart people,” Casey Hancock, SVP, engineering, told Built In this September. “Our product is in demand with innovators in healthcare looking to build their new and different visions in a space that’s tough to break into. We engineer products while our competitors work with their IT departments to manage solutions.”

 

 

What TaskRabbit does: TaskRabbit’s online and mobile marketplace connects users with Taskers that can assist with furniture assembly, handyman work, moving help, and household tasks. Acquired by IKEA Group in 2017, TaskRabbit currently operates in eight countries and more than 75 cities. 

 

 

In the news: This May, TaskRabbit CEO Ania Smith outlined the company’s commitment to a fully remote workplace in an interview with The Washington Post. 

“The notion that everyone needs to come into the office Monday through Friday is outdated,” Smith told the Post. “Most workers will crave some sort of flexibility. I would go as far as to say that companies that are not providing flexibility may likely see more attrition and will have more challenges with hiring.”

 

 

What Private Division does: Private Division is a developer-focused video game publisher. The company has published popular titles like the Kerbal Space Program franchise, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey from Panache Digital Games and The Outer Worlds from Obsidian Entertainment, among others. 

 

 

In the news: This August, Private Division announced a new publishing agreement with Wētā Workshop, a New Zealand-based game developer best known for their work on Middle-Earth for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

“It’s a privilege to create a new game set in Middle-earth, especially one that’s so different from what fans have played previously,” said Amie Wolken, head of interactive at Wētā Workshop, said in a press release. “As fans ourselves, we’re excited for gamers to explore Middle-earth in a way they never have before, and introduce new fans to the magic of The Lord of the Rings.”

 

 

 

What Amplify does: Edtech company Amplify serves more than 15 million students in all 50 states. The company creates core and supplemental curriculum, assessment, and intervention programs for K-12 students.

 

 

In the news: This September, Amplify published the results of a year-long study of more than 50,000 K-5 students. The research showed demonstrable gains among students who used Amplify Reading just 30 minutes each week. 

“Amplify Reading consistently drives student growth, even in inconsistent times,” Melissa Ulan, SVP and general manager of supplementals, said in a press release. “Given the enormous toll Covid disruptions have taken on our early literacy learners, it’s heartening to see students clearly making gains, especially our most academically vulnerable students, so that educators can implement the most effective strategies to catch students up and accelerate growth.”

 

 

What Newsela does: Newsela is an edtech company that brings together digital content with integrated assessments and insights.

 

 

A curious, driven team: “I’m looking for candidates who don’t simply share a laundry list of things, but those who take the time to talk about the ‘why’ of building this feature and get excited when they talk about the customer problems, the impact the feature had on customers, the skeptical stakeholders they had to convince and the roadblocks they crossed,” Subash Gutala, VP, software engineering, told Built In this September. “It’s very enriching to hear such a diverse and varied set of challenges that different candidates had to solve to get here. It makes me very happy to be leading such a talented group of people.”

 

 

What Tapestry does: Tapestry is a New York-based house of global luxury lifestyle brands. The company’s portfolio of brands includes Coach, Kate Spade New York and Stuart Weitzman.

 

 

Diversity in action: Tapestry’s support for its ERGs demonstrates the company’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.

“We provide our ERGs with annual budgets that are aligned to their membership size for engagement and development programs, and cash bonuses are awarded annually to ERG leadership teams in recognition of the impact they’re driving within the organization,” Carmen Arocho-Blanco, senior director, equity, inclusion and diversity, told Built In this September. “Through the Tapestry Foundation, ERGs are also provided with an annual stipend to grant to non-profit organizations whose mission and purpose align with that of the respective ERG.”

 

 

 

What Peloton does: Peloton operates an interactive fitness platform with a community of nearly 7 million members. Consumers can access the Peloton library with thousands of live and on-demand classes at the gym, at home, on the road or wherever they choose through the Peloton Bike, Peloton Tread, Peloton Bike+, Peloton Row, Peloton Guide, or Peloton App on any iOS or Android device and select smart TVs.

 

 

Helping employees make gains: “People change perspective all the time, particularly in high innovation and high growth spaces,” Matt Skavenski, VP of engineering digital and partnership, told Built In this September. “You can be proactive by realizing when the game changes and ensuring you use that opportunity to check in with your people and update that alignment. It’s best to have explicit conversations about how your team members are looking to grow and then map that to open opportunities.”