The Urban Tech Mosaic

What if buses were smaller and smarter and came at the click of a button, like an Uber? What if buildings knew when employees were working from home and turned off office lights and air-conditioners to reduce energy waste? These are just two of the ideas driving growth in “urban tech,” a new slice of New York City’s tech sector focused on solving urban challenges that’s providing the ideas and tools for rewiring the post-pandemic city and contributing to its economic recovery.

The pandemic was a surprising catalyst for urban tech innovation in New York City. At first, tech was viewed as a city-killer, offering remote replacements for work, learning, health, entertainment, and education as buildings emptied out and commuters abandoned public transit. But more than three dozen new urban tech enterprises have started up since the start of 2020. Among the many innovations they are pioneering are solutions that make the recovery from the pandemic safer, smarter, and easier for people and businesses alike.

The findings of this interactive analysis published by the Urban Tech Hub reveal that the more than 500 urban tech enterprises headquartered in New York City have created over 44,000 jobs, and raised more than $17.4 billion over the last decade. Urban tech now rivals established clusters like life sciences as a source of jobs in the city’s continuing tech renaissance.