ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
- Smart contacts. Former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is focused on making contact information more streamlined at the startup she launched in 2020, Sunshine Contacts. After overhauling the app, Mayer is banking on generative A.I. to learn the personal preferences of how people store their contact info. CNBC
- New gig. Julie Wainwright, founder and former CEO of The RealReal, is launching a new personalized nutrition startup. She founded Ahara with Melina Jampolis. The company will provide food recommendations based on a questionnaire and at-home tests. TechCrunch
- No surprise. In a surprise decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the state of Alabama, affirming a lower court's ruling that its congressional map violated the Voting Rights Act. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson argued this case boldly on her second day on the bench, saying that lawmakers had to consider race to ensure equal distribution of power. NBC News
- Moving out. The Grace Hopper Celebration, a tech conference of 16,000 women and nonbinary attendees, has announced that it will no longer hold the conference in Orlando after this year. "Recent actions by the Florida Legislature and governor are inflicting harms that override the goodwill of local communities and impose harsh state-mandated restrictions that challenge our mission and hurt our members," says the organization website. Orlando Inno
MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Brevo has appointed Isabelle Guis as CEO of North America and global CMO.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
- Brick by brick. Former cofounder of Glowbar Neha Govindraj has launched Bonside, a financing platform to support brick-and-mortar businesses, with $4.35 million in funding of her own. Her experience as a founder made her realize the impracticality of venture capital for funding businesses that aren't looking for hockey-stick growth. TechCrunch
- City business. New York City Mayor Eric Adams plans to contract $60 billion worth of work with minority- and women-owned businesses by 2030, doubling the amount the community currently receives. Government contracts can help businesses grow capital and plan for the long term; women of color have had disproportionally fewer contracts with the city. Bloomberg
- Under investigation. In 2021, the James Beard Foundation launched an internal investigation process to ensure that restaurant award finalists adhered to the organization's code of ethics. The restaurant industry has high rates of sexual harassment, and organizational leaders said the process intended to weed out bad actors. Those who have come under investigation find the process lacks transparency. Washington Post
ON MY RADAR
The Joan Rivers card catalog of jokes finds a home New York Times
Lindsay Lohan is the happiest she’s ever been Allure
In Prima Facie, a lawyer puts her own rape on trial Jezebel
The messy economics of Vanderpump Rules’s Scandoval Vox
PARTING WORDS
“I could be who I am. I could express things and then figure it out from there.”
—Filipina fashion model and transgender advocate Geena Rocero on coming out during her 2014 TED Talk