Thematic Reads: April 27, 2020
Each week Team Tematica consumes a voracious amount of content as we look to stay on top of the latest data and mine it for tailwind and headwind signals for our 10 investment themes.
Aging of the Population
The global demographic shift towards a more senior population
- California to reboot ‘ravaged’ restaurant industry with new meal delivery program for seniors (Nation’s Restaurant News)
- The New Science of Aging (Harvard Business Review)
Cleaner Living
Growing demand for items that claim to be better for you and the planet:
- All-Electric Sky Taxi Service to Launch in Los Angeles in 2021 (The Manual)
- Replacing plastic with plant pulp for sustainable packaging attracts a billionaire backer (TechCrunch)
- An LA-led, public-private partnership pitches a $150B green infrastructure package to Congress (TechCrunch)
- Ford goes drag racing with 1,400 HP electric Mustang Cobra Jet (TechCrunch)
- Why Plastic Waste Is a C-Suite Issue (Harvard Business Review)
- Pandemic accelerates shift to meat substitutes (Financial Times)
Securing individuals and organizations against cyber threats and privacy violations:
- Apple, Google in a ‘standoff’ with Germany and France over contact tracing privacy (Apple Insider)
- Apple and Google build more privacy and flexibility into Bluetooth contact tracing tech (VentureBeat)
- Phishing Scams Target SMBs Seeking COVID Aid (PYMNTS)
- After 160,000 accounts are compromised, Nintendo shuts down NNID logins (TechCrunch)
- Temporary hospitals are rife with cybersecurity vulnerabilities (Healthcare IT News)
- Auction Featuring World’s Most Expensive Whisky Bottle Hacked (Forbes)
Digital Infrastructure
The Buildout and upgrading of our Networks, Data Storage Facilities, and Equipment
- Work from home surge may work in Wi-Fi 6’s favour (The Register)
- China ODMs gearing up for 5G smartphone market boom (DigiTimes)
- Mobile network operations in a 5G world (Light Reading)
Disruptive Innovators
Business models designed to transform an entire industry and leap-frog over incumbents.
- How RBC Is Overhauling Digital Account Opening With AI (PYMNTS)
- Robots, AI, and the road to a fully autonomous construction industry (VentureBeat)
- Allstate On Using AI To Fight Insurance Claims Fraud (PYMNTS)
- Japanese startups rush to develop service robots for medical use (Nikkei Asian Review)
- Faced with Online & Grocery Surges, Walmart Expands Both Human & Robotic Staff (PSFK)
Digital Lifestyle
The increasingly digital landscape that now underpins the entire consumer experience.
- Online gaming during the pandemic (Comscore)
- Coronavirus pandemic and online media consumption: settling into the New Normal (Comscore)
- Half of physicians now using telehealth as COVID-19 changes practice operations (FierceHealthcare)
- Zoom parties are so five weeks ago: Hello virtual reality (Chron)
- With 100,000 stores set to close by 2025, mall owners face this legal hurdle next (CNBC)
The products and services people will consume no matter the economic environment.
- Uber Eats has turned into a rogue cocktail bar (The Washington Post)
- Drinkers and Lenders Alike Lament Closure of British Pubs (Bloomberg)
Those things that bridge the gap between want and ability at every socioeconomic level.
- How Luxury Are Reaching Consumers During Lockdown (Jing Daily)
- Empty resorts spell long crisis for Caribbean as coronavirus hits (Reuters)
Consumers trading down when and where possible or looking to stretch the disposable dollars they do have.
- People struggling to pay bills during coronavirus crisis could get hit again starting in June (USA Today)
- Restaurant chains roll out family meals for budget-conscious customers (Nation’s Restaurant News)
- Millions of Credit-Card Customers Can’t Pay Their Bills. Lenders Are Bracing for Impact. (The Wall Street Journal)
- Credit card companies lower credit limits as coronavirus pandemic rolls on (Consumer Affairs)
Areas around the world where rising disposable incomes are driving demand for a host of products and services.
