Trends in the Gig Economy + Work in the Metaverse
Welcome back to the Great North Ventures newsletter! We talk about labor trends this month, with some original research from Branch and some Metaverse updates. First the pandemic, now inflation is driving growth of the gig economy. According to a Pew Research Center survey, as of Aug 29th, 2021, 16% of Americans had earned money via an online gig platform. Specifically, driving […]
The Rise of Rapid Consumer Detection Technologies: A 2022 Outlook
At Great North Ventures, we are excited to support entrepreneurs seeking to make the world healthier and safer. The rise of rapid, simple, point-of-use detection technologies promises just that.
Top Stories of 2020, iraLogix, and LaunchMN Calls for Mentors
Welcome to our last newsletter of 2020. It’s been a challenging year. We feel fortunate that the local early-stage startup scene has remained strong, and believe that investment in innovation and digital transformation will help fuel the post-pandemic economic recovery. In 2020 Great North Labs invested a total of $5.8M, adding 14 startups to our portfolio for […]
Post-Pandemic Times – Sand Hill Moves to Middle America
Tech Sector’s Growth has Accelerated It is no secret that during the pandemic, the tech sector is delivering stronger returns than other sectors. As examples, underlying the stock prices, Zoom sessions increased from 10M daily in Dec 2019 to 200M daily in March 2020. Daily broadband usage in the US jumped from 13.2GB in March […]
COVID-19 Trends, the Great North response, and our Founders Survey
Forecasts of the economic impact are still developing as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Mary Meeker (famed for her annual Internet Trends report) released a report on coronavirus trends as an exclusive to Axios. Takeaways from the trends report include the acceleration of digital transformation, the inclusion of more scientists and domain experts, and the broad technological evolution of healthcare. […]
Giving in the Time of Coronavirus
With unemployment soaring, small businesses shuttering, and even some large chains withholding rent, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are reverberating through our communities. Many people wait on relief from the government in the form of stimulus payments and unemployment benefits. Businesses scramble to secure emergency loans, payroll support, and new ways to gain revenue. […]
COVID-19 Resources for Startups, State-by-State
Welcome to our state directory for startups seeking COVID-19 resources! Last month we whittled the plethora of resources available down to the essentials here. We certainly weren’t the first to provide a guide, and we realized that with the proliferation of the same information over many sources, it would also be valuable to provide this […]
COVID-19, the CARES Act, and startups stepping up
The world is in the grip of a pandemic that is testing our health systems, our governments, and our economies. COVID-19, known simply as the coronavirus, has hit 700,000 cases worldwide, with the U.S. now topping the list of countries affected. While a cure continues to elude us, there are practical steps being taken to limit […]