No Tricks, Only Treats

Author

Walter Charnizon
October 31, 2025

Happy Halloween from the tech-tunnels of NYC 🎃 — Here’s your weekly digest of what’s happening in the city’s startup & VC world, with a spotlight on AI, quantum, and space.

🧠 AI

Subway takeover meets big ambitions — NYC-based AI startup Friend splashed its brand across the city, pouring more than $1 million into a subway-ad campaign on wearable AI-device positioning.


Infrastructure shifts — According to Tech:NYC data: the city has over 2,000 AI startups, the workforce grew ~25% year-over-year, and since 2019 more than 1,000 AI-related companies in NYC have raised ~$27 billion.


Regulatory flag — stay alert — The state is requiring companies filing WARN notices to disclose if layoffs were driven by AI or robotics. A trend worth watching.

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🔬 Quantum Tech

Quantum computing hits Manhattan — UK-based Oxford Quantum Circuits (OQC) has installed what is billed as NYC’s first quantum computer in a Manhattan data-centre, with an AI directive via a partner high-performance computing chip.


Big state investment — The State University of New York at Stony Brook (SUNY Stony Brook) ecosystem got a landmark $300 million investment to establish a “Quantum Research and Innovation Hub” focused on quantum communications & networking.

🚀 SpaceTech

From the hardware side — While less headline-specific this week for NYC, a broader trend: global VC investment in space tech is rising, and NYC-based firms or investor groups are increasingly part of the mix.
Ecosystem signal — The presence of firms like Space Capital (based in NYC) investing at the intersection of space technology and markets confirms the city isn’t just software anymore.

🔎 Why you should care

👉If you’re a founder: AI marketing coups (like Friend’s) show how branding is creeping into even infrastructure/hardware-adjacent plays.

👉If you’re building quantum or space tech: The dual signals (first quantum computer install + major state hub funding) suggest NYC isn’t just a silo for software startups—it’s opening for deeper tech.

👉 If you’re in VC/sourcing leads: Watch for founders bridging AI + quantum, or hardware + space—those hybrids are gaining visibility.NYC VCs & Internship Lift

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