Amid Coronavirus Outbreak, UV Sanitizing Startups See Surge In Sales

While the new strain of coronavirus is causing disruptions to the travel industry and broader economy, heightened concerns about germs are contributing to a surge in sales for some startups in the disinfecting space. Zoom Communications, which makes video conferencing software, gained more users so far this year than it did in all of 2019, according to Bernstein Research. Sales of Bath and Body Works’ popular hand sanitizers are also being lifted from fears of coronavirus.


It’s Not Just You, Seed Rounds Are Actually Getting Bigger

Like our yellow stripey friends, the bees, seed funding rounds are small and numerous. And, like bees, an individual seed round is likely to create only just a little buzz. Disentangling what, exactly, a “seed” round is these days is kinda tough. Not so long ago, a company might’ve raised a little bit of money from friends and family to get off the ground, and raised their first institutional investment round at Series A. But institutional capital has moved further and further upstream. In many cases today, seed is the first institutional round a company raises.


University of Dubai and Krypto Labs accelerate student startups on-campus

The innovation hub aims to grow the next generation of all-rounded leaders who are equipped with the transferable skills for the 21st century


Studying abroad? Edtech startup Terra Dotta is prepping students on how to deal with coronavirus

The firm, which offers cloud solutions and mobile apps to streamline all aspects of global collegiate travel and international student programs, is hosting a webinar to discuss higher education’s response and best practices for study abroad and international education. “Coronavirus: How to Prepare Your Students and Faculty” will be held on Wednesday, March 4. at 2 pm.

Students launch prison communication startup

A cohort of students from the School of Management and Yale College have been collaborating in recent months to establish a startup that helps incarcerated persons and their families remain in touch.


Startup Job Fair opens opportunities for students

Startup culture is expanding as students increasingly look for internship and employment opportunities in smaller and newer companies. Featuring seven companies, Lehigh’s Startup Job Fair allowed students and employers to discuss the different environment of startups on Feb. 27 in Williams Hall.


Founders Factory backs Creators Fund, student led VC to back EU student startups-TechCrunch

It seems like everyone wants student entrepreneurs. Entrepreneur First makes startups out of raw student material, for instance. Most countries want high-skilled students to stick around and make new companies.


Lyft buys Halo Cars, a startup founded by four Penn students in 2018

Lyft Inc. has bought Halo Cars, a startup founded by three Penn students and one Penn graduate, that pays drivers to display digital advertisements on top of their vehicles. Halo Cars attaches smart LED screens to the top of rideshare vehicles to show “hyper-targeted” advertisements that are calibrated to appear based on location, weather, and consumer profiles, according to the company’s website.


Liu foresees new business models as hospitality infuses retail shopping

When Peng Liu, associate professor in the Cornell School of Hotel Administration (SHA) was growing up in Beijing, the Chinese central government determined which apartment his parents lived in, which industry they worked in, and how much they could spend on groceries each week.


The impact of e-commerce: China versus the United States

When it comes to shopping, there are many factors that impact how consumers spend. One of the most important is the price of goods and potential substitutes. Ten years ago, a consumer wanting to buy a laptop would have had to travel to many different stores to compare prices and specs of a particular laptop model. Today, the rise of e-commerce allows shoppers to price check the same item at different stores within seconds.