Highlights of the Week (June 11, 2021)

Jobs, jobs, and more jobs. It’s an employees' market out there, with a record 9.3 million jobs open in the U.S., and 40% of employees considering quitting their jobs if forced to return to the office, confident they can find something better. Moreover, 53% of employees have adapted to the WFH lifestyle and enjoy a commute measured in steps instead of miles. While a trickle of resignations might be manageable, involuntary terminations reaching anywhere near 40% will cause employment metrics to plummet. Communicating flexibility, and sticking to it, will be key for employers.

Here’s a look at this week’s top stories from PrivCo:

• Mergers and acquisitions deals have already blown through records this year, exceeding $2.4TN, a 158% increase over 2020. After a sluggish April for SPAC deals, due to fear of greater regulation and less-than-impressive post-deal stock performances, SPACs made up 11% of M&A deals in May. Startups can reasonably expect those deals to pick up again due to the 24-month rule. We get into it here.

• Durable Capital Partners is a relative newcomer to VC, founded only in 2019, but its founder has been picking tech winners for 18 years.  Founder Henry Ellenbogen brought along several T. Rowe alums and got to work writing big checks. Read about their tech picks here.

• The Biden-Harris administration announced this week the key findings and plans of its 100-day review of America’s supply chains, including major budget proposals to invest in partners. We looked at several private companies building better supply chains. Find out who they are here.

• With climate change affecting the way we eat, we looked at the private companies meeting the appetites of the 21st century. We give you our ten fast-growing AgTech companies to watch. Check them out here.