Startup Stash - Celery Cards, So Darn Happy, 9 days 🎴

Have you ever wondered if your healthy could be the new currency? Do you get excited when you get a new credit card in hand?

Ness is a fresh credit card startup that rewards members for their everyday healthy purchases, not just those occasional splurges.

How does it work? 

Ness offers a Mastercard-backed charge card — a card with no interest, only a monthly balance that needs to be paid off. As a member, you earn 5x points for your "healthy" purchases and 2x points for everything else. These points can then be redeemed with various marketplace vendors, including popular names like Sweetgreen, Warby Parker, and Canyon Ranch wellness retreats.

The ness card is not just about healthy food.
It rewards people for a broader range of purchases, including salons, spas, therapy, healthcare, health insurance, groceries, pharmacies, and anything that contributes to a holistic and modern view of health.

But why a card? 

Well, the wellness market in the US is booming, estimated at over $450 billion. Gen Z and millennials are at the forefront of this trend. However, it's no secret that wellness can come with a hefty price tag, even if you're not following every recommendation from Goop. Ness hopes that by rewarding healthy purchases with healthy goodies, it can ultimately make wellness more affordable.

It's worth noting that the initial Ness card does come with a $349 annual fee, but they have plans to introduce a more affordable $99/year card in the future.

Loneliness has hit us hard, making it even tougher to build and maintain relationships. Thankfully, startups are stepping up to tackle this issue. 

Amorai is creating an AI relationship coach to help us foster real-life connections. The AI will give you advice on how to deal with situations or people. Basically, a therapist in your pocket. 

Obviously not everyone is convinced of its merits. 

For one, relationships are tricky, and nuances matter. And there are worries that the AI might dish out the same advice to everyone, regardless of their unique situations. Plus, who's to say people will trust AI advice over a fellow human?

Another concern is that if the model learns solely from itself, it could create a bit of an echo chamber. That means it might reinforce certain biases.

And third, we can’t forget the recent incident where a person killed himself after taking suggestion from an AI. 

Despite these valid concerns, Amorai has managed to snag some serious pre-seed funding in just 24 hours. Maybe the investors have more faith in the company than what's out in the open.

Introducing the nine-day fortnight, the younger brother of the popular four-day week. This new work model is gaining momentum in workplaces, with leaders praising it as a balanced approach to combat burnout while still offering ample time off.

So, what exactly is a nine-day fortnight? In this working pattern, employees work nine days out of a 14-day calendar cycle, leaving them with five days off. Often, the additional day off falls on a Friday. Some companies ask their employees to work longer hours on the days they are working, allowing for the extra day off, or to take a small pay cut of around 10%. Others prioritize consistent output over these factors.

The benefits are for employees as well as employers.
Similar to the four-day week, studies have shown that reduced working hours can lead to increased productivity. Additionally, it can contribute to reducing carbon emissions, promoting gender equality, addressing unemployment, and fostering a better work-life balance.

In Australia, many workers embraced the nine-day format, even with a 10% pay reduction during the recession. The UK's public sector bodies have also embraced this model, such as the London Councils.