VC Amidst Crisis, TikTok Livestreaming, Alexa Telemedicine, Creativity Boom, Depop Thriving, Kings Go Virtual eSports, Bespoke Brands Embrace Virtual Fitting Tools
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Do Not Buy Toilet Paper — Venture Investing In Times of A Crisis
Even though toilet paper is out of stock, manufacturers are not increasing supply. Having been in the business for a long time, they know…
Should venture capitalists back online grocery experiencing record growth or a travel startup that’s unlikely to have any meaningful revenue for the next quarter.
While the business is facing a major drop in bookings, Airbnb’s asset light model and the likely demise of many traditional hotels point to future dominance.
TikTok pushes US livestreaming during coronavirus quarantine – Glossy
Known for its short-video dance crazes that have become a Gen Z obsession, TikTok is pushing heavily into livestreaming during the U.S. coronavirus quarantines.
Between March 23 and 27, the app’s first-ever livestream series featured a wide range of celebrities including Alicia Keys, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dr. Phil, as well as top TikTok stars like Charli D’Amelio.
Adam Ray, an influencer with over 4 million followers who skyrocketed to TikTok stardom within a four-month timeframe, participated in a beauty “tutorial,” playing his fictional character Rosa, who has gone viral on the app.
How we are talking to Alexa - NHS Digital
The NHS website team has worked with Amazon’s Alexa team to offer health information by voice search. Eva Lake, Head of Engagement for the website, explains how the collaboration is working.
This makes it a sensitive area to operate in, but, fundamentally, we are happy that Amazon wants to be able to offer trusted health information to answer questions from Alexa users.
A bullet list doesn’t work well on voice and you don’t have access to colours and positioning to help your users navigate high priority content.
Creative Thinking In A Time Of Social Distance — PILGRIM SOUL
There’s is a long history of breakthrough creative thinking coming as a by-product of social distance.
According to Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking , brainstorming groups generate fewer ideas than the same number of solitary people working alone.
In literature, isolation is a classic technique, and the most significant 20th-century writers, including poet Carl Sandburg , Nobel Laureate Thomas Mann, and acclaimed author Franz Kafka, receded from the word to think and create.
We spoke to the Depop sellers making bank off the coronavirus pandemic
Capitalism! Yikes! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Surgical face masks have become increasingly in demand too, and news outlets around the world have reported severe shortages -- particularly in the US -- which could potentially affect doctors and care workers on the frontlines of treating coronavirus in hospitals.
Misinformation around coronavirus -- particularly in the form of 'homemade cures' -- is spreading at a rate that’s proving difficult to contain, and for many people, it’s hard to know what they can do to protect themselves (if you’re lost, the NHS and CDC have useful tips that don’t involve magic mushrooms or garlic).
Kings turn to video game simulations to keep fans engaged amid coronavirus shutdown
Every time a real Kings game is scheduled to take place, such as Sunday’s delayed meeting with the Chicago Blackhawks, the team instead stages a virtual rendition viewed by thousands on an online stream.
Now, the streams open with an original pre-recorded package, include intermission reports, postgame shows and in-game video interviews with actual Kings players themselves, and are finding a steady audience online.
The little-known Thai startup that makes e-commerce go
Omise powers purchases of Big Macs and more while honing blockchain tech
Warisa Wattanapanit, a 27-year-old Thai, used Omise one recent Saturday, before the coronavirus spread, when she decided to order a McDonald's meal and spend a lazy afternoon watching an "Avengers" movie.
Besides McDonald's, Omise has attracted a host of big-name clients in Thailand including duty-free retailer King Power, second largest mobile carrier True Corp. and hospitality giant Minor International.
Bespoke brands are rushing to build and promote virtual fitting tools – Glossy
With the vast majority of Americans quarantined and events canceled, one area of fashion that one would expect to be hit the hardest is bespoke suits. But according to several founders, suit fittings are still happening, they’ve just moved online.
Some of the brand’s mills are closed, but others remain open and Alton Lane has 17,000 yards of spring and summer fabric ready to go and craftsmen on hand to make the suits.
To address the industry-wide pause, Indochino recently partnered with Canadian television network CTV for a web series called “I Do, Redo” about the weddings and events that are being postponed.