Week in review: White House embraces AI, Spacious converts restaurants into coworking spaces and more

by Wellesley Daniels
July 14, 2016

D.C. embraces artificial intelligence

The story:

In collaboration with the White House, NYU hosted a free public symposium on the impact AI technologies will have on social inequality, ethics, healthcare and labor.

Why does Washington care?

The White House is hosting a series of workshops across the country to explore the impact of AI on social and economic systems, as the tech world continues to successfully push the boundaries and applications of AI in every industry. [University Herald]
 

Startups find a home at GCT

The story:

Grand Central Tech offers a year of free office space to 19 new startups.

Which 19?

GCT's diverse third cohort spans a wide range of industries, from cybersecurity companies like Drawbridge Networks to the e-commerce AI bots at Agent Q. [Built In NYC]
 
 

Office space by day, restaurant by night

The story:

New startup Spacious capitalizes on restaurants' off hours by renting them out during the day and converting them into coworking spaces for its members.
 

Why it's brilliant

Over 2,000 restaurants in New York don't open their doors until 5 p.m. That's a ton of hours of inefficiency for these establishments, as well as for the city's economy collectively. [Marketplace]
 
 
 

Fundings of the week

Codecademy, $30 million

Investors: Naspers, Union Square Ventures, Flybridge Capital Partners, Index Ventures and Sir Richard Branson.
 
Codecademy offers coding classes for the masses internationally — and for free. [Built In NYC]
 

Freshly, $21 million

Investors: Insight Venture Partners, Highland Capital Partners and White Star Capital.
 
Freshly is a food-subscription service that delivers healthy, chef-made meals to customers’ doorsteps. [Built In NYC]
 
 
 
Have a news tip for us or know of a company that deserves coverage? Let us know or tweet us @builtinnewyork

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