best nyc tech x cultures this Halloweek-end worth your time (10/26): wed 10/28: - @automattic dev/ai talk with @dens Dennis Crowley (founder of foursquare, dodgeball, hopscotch - who wrote amazing substack on FSQ acquisition) thu 10/29: - @EdisonSci fdes in science - Halloween @ new museum (largest art & tech museum in nyc, live jazz @ oberon) - @AllTechIsHuman responsible ai policy summit (w/ chief security office @github and other stacked speakers) fri 10/30: - @NousResearch nous con

-*- ATTENTION NYC FOUNDERS -*- “Thanks, you made me look forward to failing!” Best feedback I’ve ever gotten on a talk. Every year for 10+ years, I give the "Failure" Keynote to the @startlead NYC cohort. I told them about losing a million dollars and filing for Chapter 7 in my early twenties, my first startup. One fellow wrote back: “If you project just strength to your team, the moment you show vulnerability, they leave.” That’s the whole job. The founders in the SLP room aren’t there to take notes. They’re building. They ask what went wrong and what you’d do differently. You can’t find that anywhere else. SLP is recruiting the Class of 2027 now. Info session is TOMORROW Tuesday, Oct 27. Founders, or anyone who knows one, sign up 👇🏾

Alta, the NYC-based AI styling and avatar app, has raised $20 million in a Series A funding round led by Forerunner Ventures, with participation from returning investors Menlo Ventures, Aglaé Ventures and Benchstrength, alongside notable angel investors including Nico Rosberg and Kelvin Beachum Jr. Led by CEO Jenny Wang and CTO Joon Kim, Alta began as an AI-powered digital closet and has evolved into a platform where users generate millions of outfits daily and create at least one Alta Avatar every second. The company will use the new funding to advance its in-house computer vision models and personalized recommendation algorithms, while expanding into new commerce categories. LEADERS: Jenny Wang & Joon Kim INVESTORS: Forerunner Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Aglae Ventures, Benchstrength, Nico Rosberg, Kelvin Beachum Jr, Jasmine Tookes, Keltie Knight, Meredith Koop, Karlie Kloss, Zita D’Hauteville, Meena Harris, Paris Johnson Jr & Rylee Martell, Manish Chandra ROUND: Series A AMOUNT: $20,000,000 HQ: New York City, New York #VentureCapital #Alta #TradedPartner #TradedVC

Stand clear of the closing doors, please - next stop: Tech:NYC. Some news - I’ve joined @techNYC as Chief Marketing Officer. I’m a native New Yorker who’s spent 30+ years building media and technology companies here, from the NBA, IAC and AOL to the companies I co-founded: Patch, Confide, and Roam. Through all of it, one conviction never changed: New York is the best place in the world to build. Period. What Tech:NYC has accomplished in its first ten years is remarkable - growing from 40 founding member companies into the indispensable voice of a tech sector that now drives nearly a quarter of the city’s economy. A first decade like that isn’t just a track record - it’s a running start. I’m beyond thrilled to work with @juliepsamuels, Sarah Brown, the extraordinary Tech:NYC team, and a Board that’s a genuine murderers’ row - to take this organization to the next level and meet the moment. Both for the industry, and for New York. Let’s go - New York in 5! 🗽

We can't stop/won't stop shouting out New York tech companies! Our celebration last week at @NYSE brought together an all-star group of founders who had recently raised Series A rounds. Highlights below! Thanks to @PwCUS & @GundersonLaw for helping make the night magical. ✨

Congratulations @GovSherrillNJ! This initiative is an important first step for NJ toward shared computing for science, following HiPerGator at @UF and the nation-leading @nyempireai initiative championed by @GovKathyHochul in New York. roi-nj.com/2026/10/20/tech/s…

Today, our team is excited to announce @InspiredCap Fund IV, $450M in new capital to back early-stage founders. There has never been a moment in history when more is possible. It takes just one person with exceptional ambition to take on the world’s problems and change billions of lives for the better.

Proud to lead @BabaHQ's $40M Series A! Navigating Medicare shouldn’t be a second job for families. @_ConnorSweeney experienced this firsthand while supporting his grandmother through her recovery. That’s why he created @BabaHQ — an AI-native care team of coordinators, licensed therapists, and AI agents dedicated to delivering quality outcomes for patients and their families. Baba has already served 10K+ patients and families, and we are excited to partner together as they work to empower every Medicare patient.