FT: “Investment is overwhelmingly going to start-ups working on artificial intelligence. Kruze’s clients had raised $2bn in 2024, said Jones, and three-quarters of that had gone to AI start-ups, despite them representing fewer than a quarter of its total customers. For those in less glamorous sectors, the outlook is more challenging. “There are only so many ‘venture-backable’ companies at any one time,” said Walker. “The amount of capital may have grown faster than the number of start-ups to absorb it.””
Matthew Ball: “Roblox is unquestionably “working.” Yet Roblox is also unprofitable. Very unprofitable. What’s more, Roblox’s losses continue to swell because its impressive rate of revenue growth has been outpaced by that of its costs. Over the last four quarters, Roblox’s income from operations was ($1.2B) on revenues of $3.2B, representing a -38% profit margin. During the company’s four pre-pandemic quarters, income was ($66MM) on $508MM, for a -13% profit margin. Put another way, revenues are now 6.2x greater, but losses are 18x greater. This is not the typical path of a company, least of all a tech company that is a platform and at Roblox’s scale. So what gives and what’s the significance of the answer? Obviously, Roblox has a costs problem. Over the last twelve months it has averaged $138 in costs for every $100 in revenue.”
WaPo: “The holistic mind-body practice of yoga provides physical and mental health benefits through four main components: breathing, physical relaxation, mindfulness meditation and postures. Together, they make up a “smorgasbord” that allows people to reap benefits and gravitate to what speaks to them the most, said Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and editor in chief of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy. “It’s about optimizing your functioning and performance as a human being on all levels,” Khalsa said. Research suggests that yoga may sharpen our minds by honing our ability to regulate stress and use our cognitive resources efficiently. Studies have found that yoga is associated with changes in the brain.”
WSJ: “Scanning barcodes at checkout could be a thing of the past as early as 2027, brands and retailers say, as they work to replace the decades-old technology with newer, more capable QR codes, a move that could boost sales and customer engagement. The transition won’t be easy, requiring cross-industry global collaboration, software and hardware updates for retailers, manufacturing changes for brands, and educating shoppers who use self checkout…The ultimate goal: a single QR code that can satisfy customer engagement as well as point-of-sale and inventory scan requirements. For a QR code to be used at point-of-sale, it needs to be embedded with a digital standard set by GS1. It also needs to be sold by a retailer that has readied its hardware and software for the new mode of scanning. GS1 is working with brands and retailers on a project known as Sunrise 2027, with the goal of a full transition from traditional UPC barcodes to point-of-sale enabled QR codes within the next three years.”
NYTimes: “Roughly 25 percent of the container cargo between India and Europe or East Asia is routed through ports in Singapore, Dubai or Colombo, Sri Lanka, where their shipments are transferred to and from smaller vessels that are able to dock in India — the equivalent of having to change planes in Chicago or Atlanta, rather than catching a nonstop flight. As a result, Indian shippers are spending roughly $200 extra per 20-foot container, and the journeys are taking an additional three days, Mr. Wagh said. A three-day gap in delivery time undermines India’s competitiveness as a place to make goods. The Vadhvan port is aimed at reducing such costs and speeding delivery time, Mr. Wagh said. “We should not be depending on the smaller vessels,” he said. “Our port should be ready for our future growth.””
