Ramp, Clay, Runway, Kalshi and 3 more NYC startups hiring now, with funding, pay ranges and Clera data on 432 open New York roles.
If you want a New York startup that is well funded, growing and hiring in the city right now, start with these seven. Best overall: Ramp. Best if you want liquidity before an IPO: Clay. Best for AI researchers: Runway. Best for finance-minded builders who can live with legal risk: Kalshi. Best mid-stage AI bet: EliseAI. Best early unicorn: Basis. Best for building AI tools banks actually use: Hebbia.
Every company here is headquartered in New York, has raised a priced round we could verify, and was hiring in October 2026. Two of them, EliseAI and Basis, have open New York roles on Clera today, with salary ranges listed below.
The 7 best NYC startups at a glance
| Company | Best for | Key stat | One limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramp | Proven growth plus a path to an IPO | $44B valuation (June 2026) | Late-stage equity has less upside left |
| Clay | Cashing out some equity early | Two employee tender offers in nine months | Narrow focus on sales and growth tooling |
| Runway | AI research and creative tools | $315M Series E (Feb 2026) | Competes with the biggest AI labs |
| Kalshi | Fintech and market-structure work | $22B valuation, talks at $40B | Fighting lawsuits in several states |
| EliseAI | Mid-stage AI with real revenue | $100M+ annual recurring revenue (2025) | Splits focus across housing and healthcare |
| Basis | Joining a young unicorn early | $1.15B valuation (Feb 2026) | Fully on-site roles |
| Hebbia | AI products for banks and law firms | $130M Series B led by a16z | Latest public valuation is from 2024 |
How we picked
We started with about 30 New York companies drawn from Seedtable's NYC rankings, Built In NYC's 2026 best startup places to work, the Y Combinator NYC hiring list, and Clera's own job data. To make the cut, a company had to be headquartered in New York City, have a funding round reported by a press release or a major outlet since 2024, and be hiring in New York this month.
We dropped any company whose headquarters or funding we couldn't confirm from a primary source. One promising name failed that test because two different startups share it. Rankings reflect momentum, funding and how much you'd learn there. They do not reflect employee review scores, which you should check yourself.
1. Ramp
Best for: people who want a fast-growing company with a realistic path to going public.
Ramp makes corporate cards and spend management software, and it is based in New York. On June 4, 2026, it raised $750 million at a $44 billion valuation, led by ICONIQ, GIC and Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, according to FinTech Futures. That report put Ramp at $1.5 billion in annualized revenue and more than 70,000 customers. In October, Bloomberg reported a further $1.85 billion raise at roughly $60 billion, which Ramp had not confirmed (FinTech Futures).
Why it made the list: few New York companies combine this growth rate with positive free cash flow.
Downside: at a $44 billion or higher valuation, new equity grants have less room to multiply than at a Series A.
Stage: late stage, Series F.
2. Clay
Best for: people who want to turn some equity into cash before an IPO.
Clay builds data and AI tools that sales and growth teams use to find and research leads. It was founded in New York in 2017. In January 2026 it ran its second employee tender offer in nine months, letting staff sell up to $55 million of shares at a $5 billion valuation (Business Wire). In September 2026 it closed a $115 million Series D at $7.1 billion, led by Wellington (Verdict).
Why it made the list: repeated tender offers are rare, and they mean employees can actually use part of their equity.
Downside: the product serves sales and growth teams. If that work doesn't interest you, the problems may not either.
Stage: Series D.
3. Runway
Best for: AI researchers and engineers who want to work on video models and creative tools.
Runway builds AI video generation tools and is headquartered in New York. In February 2026 it raised a $315 million Series E led by General Atlantic, at a valuation of about $5.3 billion (Bloomberg). It said it would grow its 140-person team across research, engineering and go-to-market roles, and is pushing into world models (Pulse 2.0).
Why it made the list: with about 140 people, it's a small team doing frontier model work, in a city with few AI labs at that level.
Downside: it competes directly with labs that have far bigger compute budgets.
Stage: Series E.
4. Kalshi
Best for: engineers and operators who like finance, markets and regulation.
Kalshi runs a federally regulated exchange where people trade on the outcomes of real events. A Series F led by Coatue valued it at $22 billion, and Reuters reported on September 30, 2026 that it was in advanced talks to raise about $1 billion at $40 billion (Cointelegraph). An SEC filing shows it sold about $1.12 billion of equity between April and August 2026 (The Block).
Why it made the list: the valuation has climbed from $5 billion in October 2025 to talks at $40 billion.
Downside: it is in court with several states over its sports contracts, including Connecticut, which sued in August 2026 (Crowdfund Insider). Regulatory risk is part of the job.
Stage: Series F.
5. EliseAI
Best for: people who want an AI company that already has large revenue, without the late-stage valuation.
EliseAI builds AI that runs leasing, maintenance and patient communication for housing and healthcare operators. It's based in New York. In August 2025 it raised a $250 million Series E led by Andreessen Horowitz at more than $2.2 billion, after passing $100 million in annual recurring revenue (Salestools).
Why it made the list: it has real revenue and an active New York hiring push. On Clera, EliseAI has 10 open New York roles right now, with listed pay from $100,000 to $250,000, hybrid and on-site.
Downside: housing and healthcare are two very different markets, so priorities can pull in two directions.
Stage: Series E.
6. Basis
Best for: people who want in early at a company that just became a unicorn.
Basis builds AI agents that do accounting, tax and audit work for accounting firms. It was founded in 2023 and raised a $100 million Series B in February 2026 at a $1.15 billion valuation, led by Accel with GV and Khosla Ventures (Business Wire). It says it works with 30% of the 25 largest accounting firms and plans to grow its engineering and machine learning teams (Built In NYC).
Why it made the list: it's one of the most active New York hirers we see. Basis has 12 open New York roles on Clera, with listed pay from $77,000 to $300,000.
Downside: every New York role we see from Basis is on-site. If you need remote days, look elsewhere.
Stage: Series B.
7. Hebbia
Best for: people who want to build AI products that banks, investors and law firms rely on.
Hebbia makes AI tools for finance and professional services, including Matrix, which runs research across thousands of documents at once. It's headquartered in New York. Its $130 million Series B in 2024 was led by Andreessen Horowitz at around $700 million (Sacra). CB Insights lists a follow-on Series B in February 2026, with the amount undisclosed (CB Insights).
Why it made the list: its customers include major banks and law firms, which makes for hard, high-stakes problems.
Downside: the newest public valuation is from 2024, and the AI-for-finance space is getting crowded fast.
Stage: Series B.
What Clera's NYC data shows
As of October 16, 2026, Clera lists 432 open roles in New York City across 236 companies. Of the 384 roles that list a US dollar salary range, the median midpoint is $205,000. Most roles want you in the office: 235 (54%) are on-site, 119 (28%) are hybrid and only 46 (11%) are remote.
That remote figure matters. If you're set on a New York startup, plan to commute. If you want remote work, a different list will serve you better than this one.
How to choose
- If you want the safest bet with upside left, pick Ramp or Clay. Both have revenue, recent rounds and a track record of rewarding employees.
- If you want to do research-grade AI work, pick Runway.
- If you want more equity per dollar of salary, look at Basis or Hebbia. Earlier stage means more risk and more upside.
- If you love markets and can live with legal headlines, Kalshi is the most interesting problem on this list.
Before you sign, compare the offer against our guide to startup software engineer salaries, and read how to negotiate your first salary at an AI startup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pay depends more on role and level than on company. Across Clera's 384 New York listings with a salary range, the median midpoint is $205,000. Basis lists up to $300,000 and EliseAI up to $250,000. Ask about equity alongside salary, since early-stage grants can matter more than base pay.
Mostly not. Only 11% of the New York roles on Clera are fully remote, and 54% are on-site. Hybrid setups make up about 28%. If remote work is a must, filter for it before you apply rather than hoping to negotiate it later.
Late-stage companies like Ramp offer stability and a clearer path to selling your shares. Early-stage ones like Basis offer bigger equity grants and more scope, with more risk. Our questions to ask before joining an AI startup help you test either kind.
Apply directly, get warm intros from people already inside, and show work that maps to the role. Our guide on landing a job at an AI startup without a recruiter walks through the steps.
Sources
- FinTech Futures: Ramp raises $750m at $44bn
- Business Wire: Clay employee tender offer at $5B
- Verdict: Clay Series D at $7.1bn
- Bloomberg: Runway valued at $5.3 billion
- Cointelegraph: Kalshi in talks at $40B
- Business Wire: Basis raises $100M at $1.15B
- Salestools: EliseAI Series E
- Clera job data, New York City open roles, October 16, 2026
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