3 charts for you today:
COVID-19 vaccination programmes around the world are starting to take off, per the latest data from Our World In Data.
Of the late bloomers, Canada's effort has been one of the most impressive. After a slow start, the country has now administered 108 doses per 100 people, meaning that they are well underway into their second round of doses. The EU has also caught up, and is now up to 88 doses per 100 people.
Slowing up
The early leader in the vaccine race — Israel — has seen its rollout slow substantially. Similarly the US, which for a time was vaccinating at a remarkable rate, has slowed — suggesting there remains a decent level of vaccine scepticism across the country. In the UK the rate has slowed but not as dramatically, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson looking to remove most restrictions on July 19th (in England at least).
Spectatorless Olympics
Japan's vaccination drive is another that's now hitting its stride, with the country now having administered 42 doses per 100 people. Unfortunately, that level hasn't been enough to save the atmosphere at the Olympic Games. With the games just 2 weeks away Japan has declared a state of emergency, which in turn has lead to Olympics organizers banning all spectators from attending the games in Tokyo.
To find data on a specific country or region not shown here we recommend checking out the full dataset from Our World In Data.
In 2019 alternative meat company Beyond Meat debuted on the Nasdaq, with its share price soaring more than 160% on its first day of trading. Investors were excited about the growth trajectory of Beyond Meat, and its potential to be a major leader in the alternative meat space — which is likely to only grow in the future.
Beyond growth
Recently though Beyond Meat has seen its revenue grow modestly, if at all. Its most recent release showed revenue of $108m, which is up just 11% on last year — not quite the exciting 200%+ year-on-year growth that the company was delivering back in 2019.
Chicken tenders to the rescue?
This week Beyond Meat announced the release of its latest product: plant-based chicken tenders. Set to debut in up to 400 restaurants around the US, Beyond Meat will be hoping that the new product will spice things up for their customers taste buds, and their own sales.
Unicorns are rare. Kids know that, and it's why the name stuck as the descriptor for private startup companies that were valued at more than $1bn. But recently, amidst a frenzy of funding activity, unicorns have become a lot less special. Data from a new CB Insights report reveals that 136 unicorns were created in the second quarter of this year — which is more than for all of 2017, when 85 companies made it into the "three comma club".
FOMO
With stock markets near record highs, economic activity returning (kinda) and interest rates still at historic lows it's no surprise that there is a lot of money sloshing around trying to find a home in the next Facebook, Google or Amazon. As competition intensifies for the hottest deals the "fear of missing out" (FOMO) gets pretty real, and investors are willing to give the same money for a smaller slice of the equity pie — which means higher valuations for the startups themselves.
Data from another source (Pitchbook) finds that it's a similar story in early-stage investing. A decade ago the median early-stage pre-money valuation for a startup was somewhere around $10m. Today it's more like $40m. If you would like to fund Chartr at this kind of valuation please get in touch.
1) Zaila Avant-garde, a 14-year-old from Louisiana has won the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee. The prize, which comes with $50k, adds to Zaila's impressive collection of accolades which also include a Guinness World Record for most bounce juggles in one minute using 3 basketballs.
2) A report from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reveals that cancer death rates in the US have fallen by an average of 2.2% for men and 1.7% for women from 2014 to 2018.
3) A drawing by Leonardo da Vinci of a bear, which is roughly the size of a post-it note, has sold for $12m.
4) That old car in your driveway might be worth more than you think. The price of used cars in the US were up 30% in May, relative to the year before.
5) For 72 hours, starting tomorrow, App Sumo will be making it rain amazing products, discounts, surprises, and giveaways for entrepreneurs. Check out Sumo Day, you're not going to want to miss this one.**
6) Popstar Dua Lipa is being sued for damages of up to $150k after posting a copyrighted photo on Instagram... of herself.
**This is a sponsored snack.
