đ Itâs time to start making your New Yearâs Eve plans. But it will be hard to top Macon-Bibb County, the Georgia city thatâs imploding a vacant 16-story hotel at midnight on New Yearâs Eve. Unfortunately, if youâre hoping to replicate such a stunt, it might cost you â the city spent $4.5m to buy the hotel in a federal bankruptcy proceeding and $2.6m to have it blown up.
đ§ On the pod:Why some banks are adding cafes, even with mobile banking on the rise.
NEWS FLASH
đ§č Defying a box office slump, musical Wicked forecast $117m its opening weekend, the yearâs third-highest domestic opening behind Deadpool & Wolverine and Inside Out 2. Gladiator II also earned a projected $60m, another boon for theaters following a sluggish fall. The numbers are also positive considering Wicked and Gladiator IIâs $150m and $250m respective production costs, not to mention a marketing blitz including a deluge of Wicked merchandise and Gladiator IIâs $2m ad buy that plastered its trailer across 4k+ channels last Monday.
đ€ Wait a minute: Indian delivery startup Zomato is hiring a chief of staff, but the initial posting came with a catch: no pay for the first year, and the new hire would have to pay Zomato ~$23.6k. CEO Deepinder Goyal said the job would provide â10xâ more learning experience than a management class and that the fee would be donated to his NGO Feeding India. Following backlash and ridicule, however, he claimed it was all a stunt designed to âfilterâ for candidates who âhad the power to appreciate the opportunity.â And perhaps it did â 18k+ people applied.
MORE NEWS TO KNOW
Toys âRâ Us is developing a family-friendly competition show with Fox Alternative Entertainment and Known Originals. It involves âlarger-than-life challengesâ around iconic toys and games.
DirecTVterminated its deal to acquire Echostarâs satellite TV business, including rival Dish TV. The merger, had it gone through, would have formed one of the largest pay-TV companies in the US, with 20m combined subscribers.
McDonaldâs is still trying to lure inflation-weary customers back to its restaurants. This time, the chain is introducing the McValue menu, which will include the return of its $5 meal deal, plus a âbuy one, add one for $1â offer.
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From taboo to treatment: Menopause startups address the needs of millions
Most of us know that women constitute roughly half of the US population.
But there are some other stats you might not know:
By 2030, an estimated 47m women worldwide will enter menopause each year.
Around 25% of the US working population is affected by menopausal symptoms at any given time.
Thirteen percent of women have experienced an adverse work outcome related to menopause symptoms, per a 2023 study.
Rather speak in dollars and cents? Menopause leads to an estimated $1.8B in lost work time annually â $26.6B including medical expenses, according to the Mayo Clinic.
And the global menopause market is projected to reach $27.6B by 2033.
Now that you know the issueâŠ
⊠and the opportunity, meet the menopause startups looking for solutions:
Alloy recently closed a $16m fundraising round for its online health care platform offering FDA-approved menopause treatments.
Midi lets patients book virtual visits for various womenâs health issues, offering hormonal and nonhormonal prescriptions, supplements, and lifestyle coaching.
Evernow has a monthly membership structure that connects women to medical experts 24/7 and offers medications and mental health services.
These services could prove invaluable for women struggling through the traditional health care system.
Studies show that while 85% of women experience menopause symptoms, 75% of those who seek care for those symptoms donât receive any treatment.
More women are speaking upâŠ
⊠both for better medical treatment and for support in the workplace.
In the UK, employers can be certified as âmenopause friendlyâ through an accreditation organization. Other companies â including Nvidia â are contracting with menopause startups to offer benefits to their employees as they do for other physical or mental health needs.
Ultimately, talking about menopause at all is a win â and exactly the kind of change that makes room for more innovation.
Like TikTok and money? We thought so. Sam Parr and Shaan Puri are giving away five ideas to make millions on TikTok.
What type of manager are you? What type of manager do you want to be? Read up on these 10 leadership styles to level up your leadership.
NEWSWORTHY NUMBER
How much King Charles IIIâs coronation cost British taxpayers last year. The lavish affair â the nationâs first coronation since that of Charlesâ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1953 â included a gold carriage, a display of jewels, and a concert at Windsor Castle featuring Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Andrea Bocelli.
While Buckingham Palace claimed the celebration would stimulate the local economy, critics have called it excessive for a time when Brits were struggling with rising energy and grocery costs. CNNnoted the Kingâs parade cost as much as 24m free lunches for London schoolchildren.
AROUND THE WEB
đ On this day: In 1952, Agatha Christieâs murder-mystery âThe Mousetrapâ â which would become the longest continuously running play â premiered in London.
đ¶ïž Thatâs interesting: The history of hot sauce.
đ Newsletter:Subscribe to Female Startup Club for must-have resources for small-biz owners (like a $200k grant đ±).
đȘ Thatâs cool:Classical music from around the world⊠on an accordion.
