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INNOVATION GOES HIRE: Tech employment in NYC jumped by more than 40K, to about 115K, since 2007, a 57 percent increase and six times the pace of other job growth in the City. That’s still not quite what Mayor de Blasio has been claiming, but it’s impressive nonetheless. Average tech wage, BTW, $118K versus $84K citywide. Which may be why: A new LIA report on the economic links between Long Island and NYC suggests the number…

GONNA FLY NOW: PowerToFly, a NYC startup that matches companies with work-from-home moms, raised $6.5M this week, with the money going for a big expansion of the engineering staff. And, yes, all of them will work from home. FINAL WORD: NO. New York officially banned fracking as the state Department of Environmental Conservation issued its “findings statement,” finally ending a nearly seven-year review of high-volume hydraulic fracturing. The ban now has the force of law and will likely lead to legal…

HARNESS THE STARS? PSEG Long Island is looking to power the Hamptons with a series of small energy points capable of operating with the grid or independently, Capital NY’s David Giambusso reports. The utility hopes to avoid costly investment in transmission lines and new power plants, which it has said aren’t needed on the Island. Well, the rest of the Island. HEAR ME, SEE ME: Greenlawn’s BAE Systems landed a Pentagon contract to help Navy jets identify…

OPTIMUM SPEED: Cablevision increased the max downstream speed of its basic Optimum Online Internet service to 25 Mbps, from 15, putting it line with the FCC’s new definition of broadband. And at no charge. Speed fiends can also get 50, 75 and 101 Mbps service. Multichannel A VIRTUAL $1M: Arie Kaufman, chief scientist at Stony Brook University’s wireless technology center and chair of the computer science department there, has received a grant for almost $1 million…

A good start to the week, everybody and a welcome to new readers including Jim, James, Tasha, Allan, Joe, Joseph, Cindy, Ed, Harry, Michael, Vinny, Tony, Walter and many more. Remember: We’re always on the hunt for story ideas, trends, promotions, criticisms and corrections via editor@innovateli.com. HAVE APPS RUN THEIR COURSE? Last year was a very good one for startup funding, with investments climbing 62 percent to more than $47B. The big winners: biotech and…

STILL BREWING: Another Long Islander has taken to Kickstarter to fund his brew-related startup. Paul V, aka the Hopster, is hoping to raise $5K to launch a mascot character that would pose with revelers at local beer festivals and other events. Potential hurdles: Finding someone willing to wear a giant hop suit and “people actually loving the thing.” At last check, the Hopster had $650 pledged with two weeks to go. Innovate’s complete look at alcohol-focused…

THE 1099 ECONOMY: Consider that Uber has 160,000 contract drivers and fewer than 2,000 employees. Though no one tops that 80 to 1 ratio, firms like Handy, Eaze and Luxe aren’t far behind. Behold the future of employment, where head count will mean something else entirely. Tech Crunch A CLEAN BREAK WITH THE PAST? Plastic is being printed into custom prosthetics and manipulated into patient-specific surgical instruments. Titanium powder is being used to produce implants that are…

NY CALLING: New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, still busily looking into Apple’s new streaming music program, found time to send letters to eBay and Paypal asking the firms to explain provisions in their new user agreements that authorize robocalls to customers. BECAUSE HIS LAST HIT WAS IN 2007: Rocker Jon Bon Jovi has joined Gov. Cuomo’s call for fair wages. TO SAY NOTHING OF INCONTINENCE PRODUCTS: The real downside of losing all our young people? We will…

JOB INSECURITY: Port Authority exec Pat Foye has told senior staffers he intends to compete for the new CEO job at the agency, which is being reorganized following the Bridgegate scandal. It could be a tough slog if New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has a vote: Foye blew the whistle on the lane closures, which have pretty much derailed Christie’s presidential aspirations. Despite lap band surgery. No comment from Foye when reached by Innovate. VERY DRY…

RAGE OF THE MACHINE: There is no shortage of angst about the relentless advance of digital technology and what it means for the workforce, if not humanity. But new research suggests we should chill already. NYT CERTAINLY SOMETHING TO CHEW ON: As NYC composting mandates start to kick in, Frank Celli, CEO of Rockland County-based BioHitech America, is pushing his aerobic digesters – they’re like a “mechanical stomach,” he says – that can plow through…

START-UP NY DOES MORE STARTING UP: Start-Up NY announced the addition of 11 companies on Tuesday, none on Long Island. Unless you count Brooklyn. Which maybe we should. The firms have promised to invest about $4.5M and create nearly 200 jobs in exchange for corporate and personal tax bennies. Included: SUNY Cobleskill, University at Buffalo, SUNY Downstate, Mount Saint Mary College and Ulster County Community College. Please note, Tom DiNapoli: Three of the 11 firms are…

YOU’RE GONNA LIKE THE WAY THIS LOOKS: Though ousted from Men’s Wearhouse, George Zimmer still wants you to look your best. Behold zTailors, a digital platform that connects customers with on-demand thread meisters who make housecalls. Deal Book STARTING OUT: Becoming the next billion-dollar startup starts with a careful eye on launch expense. Here’s sage advice – and a handy template every entrepreneur and mentor should use – from Tech Crunch’s Sanil Rajaraman. CHECKING IN WITH LESKO: Accelerate…