CB Insights - IRL school > Zoom school?

Hola,
 

NYC reopened all of its public schools for in-person classes this week, welcoming back half a million students — the only large district in the US to do so. 
 

This may be a sign of a return to normalcy, but nearly 40% of NYC parents remain wary, opting for online schooling instead.
 

Tech like UV sanitation, continuous monitoring wearables, and voice activation could help assuage some of the anxiety around returning to in-person classes throughout multiple points in the process, from buses to classrooms to cafeterias. 

For a peek at what a new normal could look like for schooling systems, check out our graphic here.

Out with the old

Telehealth usage has skyrocketed amid Covid-19, with the industry worth an estimated $81B. 
 

Its benefits reach beyond faster and cheaper care for patients, extending to payers and providers as well. Take a look here.

Love the way you fly

AI is becoming increasingly integral to the aerospace and defense industry.
 

From autonomous aircrafts to predictive maintenance, clients can read more about how AI is transforming the space here.

It's a rich man's world

Robo-advisors and online brokerages have seen record activity amid the pandemic. 
 

We map out 110+ wealth tech companies reshaping the way retail and institutional investors manage their money in this client-only brief.

Your chance to make history 
 

We'll be unveiling our first-ever Retail Tech 100, CB Insights’ list of the most promising retail tech cos in the world, later this year.

From in-store experience to e-commerce to supply chain, we’re looking for the tech companies that are transforming retail. Apply here to be considered for the list before October 4.

$1.7B: D2C shoemaker Allbirds raised $100M at a valuation of $1.7B. We look at how the unicorn branded itself around minimalism and sustainability to take on giants like Nike in our report on 14 direct-to-consumer success stories. 

300B school days: The Covid-19 pandemic will lead to 300B missed school days across the world by the end of the year, according to a new study by Insights for Education. We look at how tech like UV sanitation and no-touch bathrooms could help students return to the classroom in this report. 
 

2 stores: Amazon launched biometric technology that allows shoppers to check out by placing their hand over a scanner in 2 of its cashierless stores. The company says that it’s planning to license out the tech to other retailers. We dig into how the company is moving deeper into payments in our report on Amazon’s financial services strategy.

7 papers: Researchers say that MIT spinout Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ design for a fusion reactor is viable, according to results published across 7 papers. We highlighted Commonwealth Fusion Systems in our 2020 Game Changers cohort of startups with world-changing potential. 

-9,000 jobs: Energy company Shell said that it would cut up to 9,000 roles in response to a sustained fall in demand for oil stemming from the pandemic. The company previously announced plans to pivot away from focusing on oil and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Expert Intelligence clients can see 55+ startups looking to improve efficiency across the oil and gas value chain here.
 

$32M: Cybersecurity company Axis Security — one of our 2020 Cyber Defenders — raised $32M. Learn about the third-party access tech the company is working on, with applications for managing businesses remotely, in the Cyber Defenders report. 
 

20,000 security issues: Microsoft-owned development platform GitHub launched an automatic code scanning tool, which reportedly identified 20,000 security issues during its testing phase. We look at how GitHub’s approach to software development is reflected in its organizational structure in our report on 8 Laws Driving Success In Tech.  

Strange delivery instructions aren't new. 

For years, people have requested delivery drivers to draw cats on pizza boxes or cut pizzas in strange shapes, but now, in a Covid twist, a Brooklyn pizzeria is offering "comforting words." 

For just $1, the delivery driver will "look you straight in the eyes and tell you 'everything's gonna be ok and you're doing the best you can.'" Of course, please tip well.

Have a great rest of the week.

Marcelo