Highlights of the Week (April 29, 2022)

Greetings from Sonoma County, California, where I am in the final stages of home improvements before putting my childhood home on the market. For anyone who has sold a home before, you must feel me. I am in the throes of spackling the hole in the wall where my childhood friend and I dropped “treasures” for our future selves (or the future homeowner, as it turns out), painting the cabinet where I used to hide before I was 6’ tall, and adding new address numbers to create curb appeal that isn’t based in 80s' nostalgia.

I only just realized there are concierge services for prepping a home for sale, and not all of them require a huge upfront cost. Compass, Redfin, and other realtors will actually do the prepping for you, from deep cleaning to painting to staging, paid out from the (likely) higher sale price, not to mention the throngs of new startups trying to get a piece of the real estate pie. Oh well, wish me luck!

Here’s a recap of the week’s top stories:

• Monday we released our Q1, 2022 insight on the year’s “vibe” to date. Who are the hottest companies and industries? We’ve ranked the top 50. Find out who they are.

• Seed rounds are growing. The back-of-the-napkin idea stage of funding is gaining momentum for mega-rounds. What’s fueling the larger rounds? Learn more.

• Elon Musk is dominating headlines with his looming purchase of Twitter, but what about his more boring company–The Boring Company? He’s building hyperloop technology to reimagine the future of transportation. Read what they’re up to.
• When the economic panic button gets hit, employers instantly start cutting jobs. It has worked the last two recessions, but the pandemic was different. Find out how companies might be rethinking their firing strategy here.