NY Tech Week is 3 weeks away

& you should be planning now, if you haven't.

Author

Gustavo Casas
May 12, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

Follow along & see what’s new in Consumer, Creators & Community.

🔮Consumer: “Open Ai effect or Tarrifs”

  • Building Software: With Vibe Coding what your team of 15 engineers did in a full year can be done by three cracked college kids with cursor in a weekend. On top of that if you were building in the Ai space your company and TAM can be virtually deleted over night with one ChatGPT update, which happened.

    • Insight to watch: “Dunzo” made by Brian O’Neil in one day.

    • Startup to watch: Midjourney reached $200M ARR with a team of 11.

  • Selling Products: With distribution democratized & the era of UGC content creators over Facebook ads, it is easier than ever to get products in the hands of your customers. But what happens when your COGS increase over night?

    • Insight to watch: Cuts Clothing eyes layoffs because of tariff impact.

    • Startup to watch: Whop “a digital goods etsy” processes $1B annually.

Synthesis: “Pick your problems”

🤳🏼Creators: Community over influence

  • Feeling sold too: The speed at which I scroll past a tiktok that says ‘Paid Partnership’ is truly a marvel. Authenticity on the other hand, works like a creator telling a true story or genuinely excited about a product.

    • Insight to watch: Since its inception Glossier pioneered the use of micro influencers taking it to unicorn status, at least for awhile.

    • Startup to watch: Hummingbirds - Small hyperlocal content creators

  • Feeling included/fomo: Seeing content from an event that you missed is more powerful than an ad promoting it. The comments often riddled with “when’s the next one” “how do I find out when these are” inspires folks into action.

    • Insight to watch: “The year brands reconnect in the real world”

    • Startup to watch: Rue - Connecting Brands to Hosts

Synthesis: “Social Amplification done right is the X factor”

🗓️ Community: IRL [5.12-18th] x NYC Tech Week

Insight to watch: A16Z takes Tech Week, becoming the main funnel for deal flow.

Chicago

New York Tech Week

🖼️Art Piece of the Week: Mothers Day Edition

My mom & her favorite Warhol (2022)

Untitled from Flowers (1970) Andy Warhol

The Lore: With over 500 flowers paintings Andy was big on repetition and commercialism using a simple signature silkscreen technique, he was a machine. Many pieces weren’t done by Andy, he hosted parties for celebrities & socialites who helped make his work.

Where to see it: On display at the The Broad in Los Angeles, California.

❝

"Making money is art & working is art & good business is the best art."

Andy Warhol

Let’s meet IRL?

Gratefully,

G.C

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