Highlights of the Week (December 3, 2021)

One of the top stories from this week is the unsettling news of a new coronavirus mutation, the Omnicron variant. Public health experts are still learning about the variant and warn that the global risks could be very high. Still, we don’t know yet if it carries the same threat of high transmission and/or worse side effects than the Delta variant, which delayed economic recovery and travel plans this past summer. 

Biden’s plan aims to keep the economy open, calling for greater funding for vaccination sites, for boosters, and for insurance reimbursement for at-home testing. Other countries are taking politically-divided yet potentially life-saving approaches like mandatory vaccinations or financial penalties. Meanwhile, vaccine misinformation continues to spread, with the U.S. at the epicenter of the most mistruths. Too bad there’s no travel ban for the Internet’s reaches of misinformation. Please stay safe. 

Let’s look back on the week’s top stories from PrivCo:

• Monday’s feature was on the steps to empower and protect whistleblowers speaking out against discrimination at some of the top tech firms. One activist and former employee of Pinterest, Google, and Facebook has created a playbook and protective legislation for those who speak out. Find out more.

• For our Tuesday Investor Highlight, we looked at a mega-retailer incubating the world’s next biggest beauty brands. The Sephora Accelerator has emphasized BIPOC founders in its latest cohorts of beauty CEOs. Check it out.

• Retail isn’t dead, just changing. We looked at the runaway success of the retail challenger to Amazon, Faire. The company helps shop owners stock their shelves with unique products through an online marketplace full of thoughtful and unique product lines. Stock up.

• The gig economy reaches trucking with the latest innovations from CloudTrucks. The company is one example of tech wizardry infiltrating an out-of-date industry. Keep on trucking.