House First, The Push Back & Vegan What? 🥦

Sinking under the weight of work or relationships? There’s something better out there to get under. A 20 pound blanket. Literally!

The startup Baloo — that launched in 2017 — is all about cosying up under the weight of a blanket. They sell 15 pound and 20 pound blankets, duvet and comforters. 

But why are they so heavy? 

According to studies by the Occupational Therapy in Mental Health, the Journal of Complementary Medicine, weighted blankets are designed to apply a gentle, even weight to the body, simulating the effects of Deep Pressure Touch, or DPT. The pressure relaxes the nervous system and encourages serotonin production, which lifts your mood. The response is an all-natural, calming effect which soothes and supports deeper, sounder sleep.

So it’s basically like a hug from a large teddy bear or a big husky. 

Baloo is clearly one of the many startups in the wildly growing wellness industry. Sleep and anxiety are major issue for a lot of people, and this heavy blanket is an addition to the long list of wellness-startup products trying to help people stay calm and mentally healthy.

But the idea of a heavy blanket isn’t new. Even boomers knew the value of a warm and itchy quilt. So what’s the difference? 

For one, these 20 pound blankets aren’t wooden or quilted. Meaning they won’t itch. They’re made from pure cotton. And aren’t necessarily just for winter times. According to their website, they’re cool enough to be used in all climates — after all, we need good sleep everyday, not just when it’s snowing.   

We started this year with almost 50% companies in the US wanting employees to return to a 5-day in-office week. That number fell to 42% in April and to 39% in July.  That's according to new data from the Flex Index. 

So if you were worried about falling back into the running-to-work-on-time days, worry not. The return-to-office push is losing steam.

The trend suggests that fewer and fewer companies will be all about full-time office work. In the long run, it looks like 2 to 3 days in person will be the new norm.

Afterall, these relaxed office policies save startups thousands a year in office rent and utilities.

Interesting tidbit: Companies offering remote or hybrid gigs are growing their teams more than twice as fast as those demanding a 9-to-5 in the office.

This hiring edge is a big deal, especially because the job market is super tight, and startups are still stressing about finding good talent. Last month, the National Federation of Independent Business found that 42% of all business owners had job openings they couldn't fill. And out of those trying to hire, a whopping 92% said they had trouble finding folks who fit the bill.

Some school districts in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Arkansas have already completed housing projects, while others are in the planning or construction stages. 

Schools are dipping into funds from federal grants, NPO partnerships, and their own tax-exempt land to build these houses.

It’s a tried and tested solution, not just in the teaching industry, but in others as well. 

For instance, a Wisconsin dairy farm offered housing to approximately half of its 75 employees, thereby reducing turnover rates to under 1%. To put this in context, the national industry average for turnover was a staggering 38.8% in 2019. Meanwhile, Colorado is allocating a noteworthy $6.5 million towards employee housing to address the labor shortage in snowplowing.

Veganism ain’t so hot right now. In fact, according to Gallup's Consumption Habits poll, meatless dietary choices have fallen to their lowest popularity since the late 1990s, with only 4% of Americans identifying as vegetarian in 2023, and just 1% placing themselves in the vegan category.

So what does this mean for all the plant-based and alternative meat startups? 

The industry giant - Beyond Meat - that reached a market cap peak of $14billion on the back on investments from Bill Gates and Leonardo DiCaprio, is not worth less than $1billion. Its sales slipped, costs rose and optimism faded. A similar fate befell the Oprah-backed, oat-derived plant-milk brand Oatly. 

🤳 Alt Earnings - Since the actors’ strikes started in July, over 2,400 performers have joined Cameo, a platform where celebrities send fans paid video messages.