How To Automate Good Decisions | Inside Mirror, A $300 Million Pandemic-Ready Business | The World Bank’s New Chief

Plus: Six Ways To Stand Out In A Virtual Work Environment

I published a story this morning that was hard for me to write: why the rate of women-led companies lags that of male-led companies on our Next Billion Dollar Startups list. There’s some mild progress to report, year over year, which is certainly better than backsliding. But man, don’t you wish we could stop talking about it? (While simultaneously want to never stop talking about it so that the numbers can equalize?)

I know many female founders and investors do wish we could just stop talking about the gender thing and move on to subject-matter expertise. I am here for that. So, to that point, I wanted to share with you something Inspired Capital (and LearnVest) founder Alexa von Tobel told me that didn’t make it into the story:

“We’ve always been a firm that sees just as many female founders as male founders. We happen to have three of four partners who are female, [but] I care more about being a phenomenal firm and excellent firm,” she said. For example, one of her investment theses for 2020, established before the coronavirus hit, involves frictionless money movement, and the pandemic and demand for PPP has proven it more necessary than ever before. She noted, “we don’t have a gender lens. We think, ‘is this a billion dollar opportunity?’ That’s the first-order thought.”

Cheers to that!
Maggie

P.S.: Because my skin has been positively rebelling on me during quarantine, my favorite advice on the site this week comes from dermatologist and ForbesWomen contributor Dr. Neera Nathan: don’t forget the sunscreen, even if you’re indoors! UV rays can still travel (through your windows!) even if you cannot.

ICYMI: Stories From The Week

Speaking of sunscreen: Black Girl Sunscreen (BGS), the only indie black-owned brand carried full-time in Target’s suncare section, secured a $1 million dollar investment from a private female funding source. Double minority-owned businesses typically have the most challenging time raising capital, and BGS achieved this milestone with one single anchor product.

The World Bank announced that Harvard Kennedy School professor Carmen Reinhart will be its new chief economist. She replaces Penny Golberg, who left this month to return to her work in academia at Yale University.

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling revealed Tuesday that she will publish an original 34-chapter fairytale online for free for children in lockdown. Called The Ickabog, it’s a story “about truth and the abuse of power” that Rowling’s had stored in her attic for the last ten years.

Stacey Cunningham, the president of the New York Stock Exchange, reopened the trading floor to a small percentage of brokers on Tuesday. The floor (temporarily) closed for the first time in eight years on March 23 amid the rampant spread of coronavirus.

The FDA approved the first non-hormonal prescription birth control gel. It works by maintaining the vaginal pH within the normal range which is acidic and inhospitable to sperm.

Maria Shriver and her son, Patrick Schwarzenegger have teamed up for an Instagram Live show, #HomeTogether, to highlight the helpers, the healers, and the cultivators of hope.

Amy Cooper was fired from her job at investment firm Franklin Templeton after a video showing Cooper calling the police on Christian Cooper, who is African American and had politely asked her to keep her dog leashed in Central Park, went viral.

Check List

#1: Consider a communication contract. Establishing expectations around workplace communication is especially important while we’re all working remotely. If you haven’t done it yet, it’s always better late than never!

#2: Automate good decisions. It’s true in personal finance (autosave FTW!) and it’s true for working from home. Use an app to block distracting websites, always keep a full glass of water on your desk, and try these other tips for structuring your environment in a way that maximizes your motivation.

#3: Focus on facts. Some 70-plus days into self-isolation in many parts of the country, tempers are running short and outrage is running long. Focusing on the facts of the situation that’s enraging you (in or out of work!) will help tamp down your rage.