52 things I learned in 2020–Medium, December 1, 2020
A yearly celebration! Always fun to read with invariably a few insightful snippets like: “For the first time ever, Americans are saying they want more immigration, not less,” or “For VC companies in 2004, the average time from first contact to funding was 90 days. Today, it’s just nine days.” Our favorite: 10% of the GDP of Nepal comes from people climbing Mount Everest.
A rare pandemic silver lining: mental health start-ups–New York Times, December 7, 2020
Using teletherapy, metrics and matching algorithms, entrepreneurs are focusing on addressing aspects of the mental health care system that they view as broken.
Three categories in the health and wellness industry that venture capitalists are betting big on–Forbes, December 6, 2020
Crunchbase estimates that at least a billion dollars in venture funding was raised in the last year by early-stage tech companies in the health and wellness space. Those focused on fitness raised hundreds of millions of dollars in just the last couple of quarters.
New data indicates where we can expect to see substantial growth in consumer adoption and investment in wellness in the near future: 1) personalized food and nutrition, 2) metabolic health trackers and diagnostic wearables, and 3) stress management. On the horizon: psychedelics, massage devices and more.
No-kill, lab-grown meat to go on sale for first time–The Guardian, December 2, 2020
To get a sense of how the future of food is going to dramatically change, read this piece. It explains why Singapore’s approval of chicken cells grown in bioreactors is a landmark moment across the meat industry. For the first time ever, cultured meat, produced without the slaughter of an animal, has been approved for sale by a regulatory authority.
Global giant Unilever to trial four-day working week in NZ–New Zealand Herald, December 1, 2020
Global consumer goods giant Unilever is to trial a four-day workweek in its New Zealand arm ahead of a potential rollout to its more than 165,000 workers.
A Striking Stat:
One in two global travelers feel optimistic—that is, comfortable or even excited—about taking a trip in the next 12 months.
Source: Expedia research, December 2020
Read more about when travelers are most likely to travel in 2021 and which nations and age groups plan to travel first.
