Governor Hochul Announces Cutting Edge AI Company Aaru Will Expand in New York City, Creating Over 650 New Jobs

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that Aaru, a Manhattan-based AI company that helps businesses test new products and ideas before bringing them to market, will expand its operations in New York City and create over 650 new jobs over the next five years. The company plans to keep growing in New York and will invest in the State to make New York the home of its research and development operations. The company will lease and build out more than 27,000 square feet of office space near Union Square, growing its workforce from about 60 employees today to more than 700.

"When the most promising AI companies choose where to grow, they are choosing New York, and Aaru is the latest proof of this," Governor Hochul said. "We've made big investments in computing power, research and talent and companies are bringing jobs and investment here because of it. Aaru started here, it's growing here and it's creating hundreds of good-paying jobs for New Yorkers."

Aaru Co-Founder and CEO Cameron Fink said, "We made a deliberate decision to build Aaru in New York City. The depth and diversity of talent here, proximity to the world's largest enterprises, and the city's history of innovation make it the right place for what we're building. Being a New York company is core to our DNA, and we're grateful to Governor Hochul and Empire State Development for their belief in Aaru."

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, "Aaru's remarkable growth demonstrates what is possible when innovative companies have the talent, resources, and support they need to succeed. Founded in New York City just two years ago, the company has rapidly emerged as a major player in artificial intelligence, and this expansion represents an important investment in its future. Under Governor Hochul's leadership, we're helping companies like Aaru scale their operations, deepen their roots in New York, and create lasting economic opportunities."

Aaru's founders are remaining in New York City and are building its next phase here due to the State's talent, its proximity to global business and a strong innovation ecosystem. New jobs will span software engineering, computer and information research, product development, enterprise sales, client management, and corporate operations.

To ensure this expansion happens in New York, Empire State Development has offered Aaru up to $13.12 million in performance-based Excelsior tax credits in exchange for 650 jobs and $109 million in research and development expenditure commitments, reinforcing New York State's mission to supporting innovative companies and creating high-quality, good paying employment in emerging technologies.

Under Governor Hochul's leadership, New York City and State are attracting the world's most advanced companies. Since 2024, fintech industry leaders like PayPal and iCapital have committed to creating thousands of jobs and expanding their presence in New York City. Additionally, The London-based AI voice startup ElevenLabs announced plans to create 230 jobs in Downtown Manhattan, while Radical AI announced it would transform an office into an advanced materials science lab and add 115 new jobs in Brooklyn. CBRE's 2026 Scoring Tech Talent report found that the New York Metro area employs nearly 395,000 tech workers, surpassing the San Francisco Bay Area for the first time in the report's thirteen-year history. New York City's tech sector has added jobs at nearly ten times the rate of the city's overall economy.

About Empire State Development

Empire State Development is New York's chief economic development agency, and promotes business growth, job creation, and greater economic opportunity throughout the state. With offices in each of the state's 10 regions, ESD oversees the Regional Economic Development Councils, supports broadband equity through the ConnectALL office, and is growing the workforce of tomorrow through the Office of Strategic Workforce Development. The agency engages with emerging and next generation industries like clean energy and semiconductor manufacturing looking to grow in New York State, operates a network of assistance centers to help small businesses grow and succeed, and promotes the state's world class tourism destinations through I LOVE NY. For more information, please visit esd.ny.gov, and connect with ESD on LinkedIn, Facebook and X.

About Aaru

Aaru operates at the bleeding edge of predictive intelligence, using language models to simulate and impact human behavior at scale. By generating and deploying orchestrated instances of artificial intelligence that mirror humans, Aaru models entire populations with unprecedented accuracy. Our partners leverage Aaru to refine strategy in an uncertain geopolitical climate, cut new product innovation timelines from months to minutes and deploy marketing campaigns that win in an era where consumers have never been harder to understand. Visit us at aaru.com.