Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Alexa Grabell was running sales strategy for a billion-dollar company when she grew frustrated by the lack of tools available to answer company leadership’s questions about how customers were interacting with their product. “I was building these hacky solutions,” she says. “The tools did half the job.” Out of this frustration grew Pocus, a startup founded by Grabell and Isaac Pohl-Zaretsky. Pocus, which was on Forbes’ Cloud 100 Rising Stars List last year , announced $23 million in seed and Series A funding on Wednesday. Founders Grabell and Pohl-Zaretsky, who serve as CEO and CTO of the startup, respectively, are Forbes 30 Under 30 enterprise technology alums for 2022 . The company declined to share its valuation. “Valuable data about how users interact with a product lives in other places like a data warehouse where sales people can't get access,” Grabell says. It’s time-intensive for engineers to transform … [Read more...] about Pocus, Which Helps Companies Manage Product Data, Raises $23 Million
Which assembly line is used for large products
Apple Just Updated a Product No One Even Knew It Still Sold
It's official. It's finally here. The brand new, updated, turbo-charged, better than ever... iPod Touch? Wait, the iPod might be one of the most significant innovations Apple has ever created, but did anyone know it still actually sold them? I'm pretty sure I still have a 5th generation iPod Video in a drawer somewhere. I even swapped out the original hard drive for a compact flash card a few years ago, but I haven't used it since I bought an iPhone . It turns out not only does Apple sell them, but the company just announced it has updated them with the A10 Fusion processor from the iPhone 7, with support for augmented reality (AR) and Group FaceTime. Apple's announcement includes an especially interesting quote from Greg Joswiak, who is Apple's vice president of product marketing. In it, Joswiak says that Apple's "making the most affordable iOS device even better with performance that is twice as fast as before." Here's why that's interesting. He … [Read more...] about Apple Just Updated a Product No One Even Knew It Still Sold
At an almost two-year low, DRB-Hicom is still demonstrating upside uncertainty
This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on June 20, 2022 - June 26, 2022. - A + A THE share price of DRB-Hicom Bhd has been on a downward trend since December 2020, when the shortage of semiconductors became apparent the world over. Last Friday, DRB-Hicom was trading at RM1.16 — its lowest since March 23, 2020. This means DRB-Hicom is now trading at the level when stocks tumbled in reaction to the first Movement Control Order (MCO), which was implemented in March 2020 to contain the spread of Covid-19. This is in contrast to other automotive or automotive-based groups listed on Bursa Malaysia. For example, Bermaz Auto Bhd is trading at more than double the level on March 23, 2020, and MBM Resources Bhd is 38% higher than at the start of the pandemic. Shares in Sime Darby Bhd, which is also a conglomerate like DRB-Hicom, were up 43.5% last Friday compared with March 23, 2020. UMW Holdings Bhd, another conglomerate with a huge automotive … [Read more...] about At an almost two-year low, DRB-Hicom is still demonstrating upside uncertainty
3 Predictions for How A.I. Will Change Business Practices in the Near Future
The machine learning boom is here, and it's only going to get bigger. When the pandemic decimated workforces and limited in-person interaction, artificial intelligence tools helped companies increase productivity. Industries such as hospitality , healthcare , and energy have all benefited from recent A.I. innovations, but there's more disruption on the horizon. I nstances of businesses using automated experiences are increasing, and automation is expected to grow in both the metaverse and in how companies pursue environmental, social, & governance (ESG) initiatives, according to Pranay Agrawal, co-founder and CEO of A.I. services and analytics provider Fractal. Here are three predictions from Agrawal on some of the next big steps for A.I. Customers will expect more from automation services. When the pandemic hit and businesses scrambled to adapt to a digital world, automation became much more commonplace in everyday life. People became used to seamlessly … [Read more...] about 3 Predictions for How A.I. Will Change Business Practices in the Near Future
5 Reasons Why Steve Jobs’s iPhone Keynote Is Still the Best Presentation of All Time
Today the iPhone celebrates its 10th anniversary as one of the best-selling products of all time. As a communication specialist, I mark the event for a slightly different reason. The launch of the iPhone was accompanied by one of the best business presentations in corporate history. Here are five techniques that Steve Jobs used to make the iPhone launch magical and memorable, tips that you can use in your very next pitch or presentation. 1. The Setup A good story--and nearly every successful Hollywood movie--follows the three-act structure: setup, conflict, and resolution. The setup is key. It introduces the characters and provides the background to move the action forward. In the 2007 iPhone presentation, Jobs built up the narrative before he even mentioned a new product. "This is a day I've been looking forward to for two and a half years," Jobs began. "Every once in a while, a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything ... Apple … [Read more...] about 5 Reasons Why Steve Jobs’s iPhone Keynote Is Still the Best Presentation of All Time
Why ‘recycled’ clothes are so hard to recycle
Today we make more clothing than ever before. And the driver for this is primarily economic, rather than human need. Over the past decade, the term “circular economy” has entered the fashion industry lexicon, wherein materials are made to be reused and recycled by design. advertisement advertisement Yet we haven’t seen the same level of recycling in fashion as we have in other spaces – such as with plastic recycling, for instance. And this is mainly because clothing-to-clothing recycling is much more difficult. The use of recycled polyester and cotton by brands such as H&M and Cotton On are key aspects of these companies’ sustainability initiatives – but the source of these recycled fibers usually isn’t clothing. Recycled polyester tends to come from plastic bottles , and recycled cotton is usually made from manufacturing waste. The fact is most clothing is simply not designed to be recycled. Even when it is, the fashion industry lacks the kind … [Read more...] about Why ‘recycled’ clothes are so hard to recycle
How the iPhone Is Becoming Hollywood’s Secret Weapon
Here's a challenge: Figure out a way to shoot your top-rated television show while all of your stars, crew, and talent are forced to stay home . Even better: Plan, shoot, and film a musical sing-along special under those same conditions--and do it in a week. Or, record your daily late-night show without access to your studio, your crew, or an audience of any kind. Sure, in a world where people still can't find toilet paper at the grocery store, how Hollywood produces shows might not seem like a big deal--but hear me out. There's a lesson here for every business . As much as people need toilet paper, or anything else right now, people need some form of "normal," whatever that may mean. People are counting on their favorite forms of entertainment to unwind and stay sane right now. The problem is, productions have largely shut down amid social distancing and stay-at-home orders. A few shows, however, have figured out creative ways to keep things going. … [Read more...] about How the iPhone Is Becoming Hollywood’s Secret Weapon
Three Tech Considerations To Refresh Your Small Business
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Sam Yoshida is VP and GM of the Business Information Communications Group for Canon USA and Vice Chairman of Canon Solutions America (CSA). May was Small Business Month, a time to recognize the resiliency and contributions of America’s entrepreneurs. While most businesses have faced immense change during the pandemic, a survey by the U.S. Census Bureau indicated that roughly half of all small businesses reported a significant decline in business over the past two years, especially as a result of dispersed employment. In many ways, ongoing change has forced small businesses to become more agile and connected to their employees and partners as they help them thrive through difficult times. Thankfully, new technology can make this task easier. Here are a few tech considerations for your small business checklist. Get in the cloud. Cloud adoption accelerated during the pandemic as businesses shifted … [Read more...] about Three Tech Considerations To Refresh Your Small Business
This Goal Digger Can Help You Tap Your Own Potential
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Jenna Kutcher is crystal clear on what she wants in life, and she’s figured out how to get it. This 30-something Minnesota mom treasures her at-home time with her husband and two little girls. She does the things other moms do—grocery shopping, struggling with nap time, keeping tabs on house repairs, cleaning up spilled Cheerios from the kitchen floor. For Jenna, there’s nothing in the world more important than the happiness and wellbeing of her family. She clearly embraces the adage that “no other success can compensate for failure in the home.” Stay-at-home Jenna is also one of the best-known social media influencers on the planet. After buying a $300 camera on Craigslist, Jenna became an award-winning wedding photographer. She loved that. But she dreamed a different dream and decided she preferred working from her cozy craftsman home in her yoga pants. To provide practical advice to other women entrepreneurs, … [Read more...] about This Goal Digger Can Help You Tap Your Own Potential
Forget capturing mindshare. It’s time for brands to start giving customers space
Did you find it hard to choose what to wear today? Or what to eat for breakfast? If so, you’re not alone. According to the American Psychology Association , 32% of adults are so stressed they struggle to make everyday decisions. advertisement advertisement Much has changed over the past two years. From hoarding and unprecedented DIY projects to supply chain disruptions and mass unemployment, to social unrest and the Great Resignation, the pandemic has radically altered our outlook in many ways. The issue of mental space existed well before COVID-19 hit, but the barrage of events over the last two years has made it even more challenging for people. As the APA study indicates, a large number of us simply have less headspace available than we did before the pandemic. It’s a significant shift, and one that prompts profound questions for those leading brands. Perhaps it’s time to declare a ceasefire in the decades-long battle for mindshare and find a new … [Read more...] about Forget capturing mindshare. It’s time for brands to start giving customers space