Apr 6, 2017

04/06/2017: Half of all the venture capital goes to two places

Startup investors tend to back ventures similar to those that worked in the past, which often means pouring more money into the same old places. MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/Getty Images

Yesterday we were talking about how bank ethicists measure success (by boredom), today we're looking at a way President Trump and Republicans could actually make banking a little more boring. Gary Cohn, one of Trump's economic advisers, told Bloomberg he'd be OK with the financial sector going back to the days when investment banks did trading and underwriting of securities, and commercial banks did banking as the rest of us know it. We'll talk about it, plus the unusual way Spotify could go public and injecting a little geographic diversity in the startup world.

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Startups fight for geographic diversity

by Mark Garrison

Apr 6, 2017

It's not just about investors thinking broadly, it's also about starting businesses away from the herd.

Startup investors tend to back ventures similar to those that worked in the past, which often means pouring more money into the same old places.

MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/Getty Images

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Wisconsin lake yields prized sturgeon, if you can spear it

by Kai Ryssdal

Apr 6, 2017

Frozen Lake Winnebago is no deterrent for anglers looking for the huge fish that is the source of Russian caviar.

Freshwater sturgeon can be found around the world and can weigh up to 100 pounds.

David Silverman/Getty Images

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The return of Glass-Steagall

by Marielle Segarra

Apr 6, 2017

Republicans, including President Trump, have been talking about bringing back Glass-Steagall, the 1930s law requiring banks to separate their commercial and investment banking businesses. Gary Cohn, the president’s economic adviser, reportedly told senators he supports that proposal in a private meeting yesterday, according to Bloomberg. If Glass-Steagall were to be reintroduced, what would that mean […]

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Why rideshare companies might want to embrace in-depth driver background check

by Mitchell Hartman

Apr 6, 2017

Uber and Lyft are in the news because more than 8,000 potential drivers were banned in Massachusetts after background checks turned up convictions for violent felonies and sex-crimes, uncontested court charges, driver’s license suspensions and traffic violations. Uber and Lyft usually run their own background, and those typically go back seven years. But to get […]

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Axing social programs can mean more social costs in the future

by Andy Uhler

Apr 6, 2017

President Trump’s budget director, Mick Mulvaney, made some waves a few weeks ago when he defended cuts to the community development block grant program because “We can’t spend money on programs just because they sound good.” It can be hard to justify spending on things like Meals on Wheels or children’s after school-programs, because their […]

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Companies looking for legal cover make harassment prevention programs big business

by Kimberly Adams

Apr 6, 2017

Companies can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on workplace training, but does it work?

Oli Scarff/Getty Images

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Spotify’s non-IPO: What’s a ‘direct listing’ anyway?

by Reema Khrais

Apr 6, 2017

Here’s why the music streaming service is considering a method of going public that’s quite rare.

Mario Tama/Getty Images

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Yesterday we were talking about how bank ethicists measure success (by boredom), today we’re looking at a way President Trump and Republicans could actually make banking a little more boring. Gary Cohn, one of Trump’s economic advisers, told Bloomberg he’d be OK with the financial sector going back to the days when investment banks did trading and underwriting of securities, and commercial banks did banking as the rest of us know it. We’ll talk about it, plus the unusual way Spotify could go public and injecting a little geographic diversity in the startup world.