L Catterton bought majority stake in sandal maker in 2021. LVMH-backed firm working with Goldman, JPMorgan on listin.L Catterton, the private equity firm backed by luxury French fashion house LVMH, is considering strategic options for Birkenstock including an initial public offering, according to people familiar with the matter. The iconic German sandal maker could be valued at more than $6 bil...

Since the release of tools like ChatGPT, artificial intelligence (AI) has begun to permeate industries worldwide, transforming the way we work and live.To gain insight into this rapidly evolving landscape, our sponsor MSCI has ranked U.S. industries by their estimated share of employment that could be exposed to AI-driven automation.According to these findings, “office and administrative suppo...

Celestial AI, a developer of optical interconnect technology, has announced a successful series B funding round, raising $100 million for its Photonic Fabric technology platform. IAG Capital Partners, Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT) and Temasek’s Xora Innovation fund led the investment. Other participants included Samsung Catalyst, Smart Global Holdings (SGH), Porsche Automobil Holding SE,...

NASA's supersonic plane has moved closer to the runway in preparation for its debut flight. NASA's X-59 'quiet' supersonic jet looks ready to fly in new photos. A head-on shot of NASA's X-59 supersonic jet, whose wingspan stretches across the middle of the photo. Green and black panels of the jet's body reveal sleek, sharp angles. The jet sits on three wheel connected by landing gear struts. Th...

Colorado-based Prometheus Materials has developed masonry blocks from a low-carbon cement-like material grown from micro-algae.The blocks, which meet the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards, were made using an organic cement-like material grown in bioreactors that reproduces itself in ways similar to coral."Coral reefs, shells, and even the limestone we use to produce ce...

Each year, The Economist publishes a ranking of the cities with the best living conditions. In 2023, the Liveability Index saw improvements, rising from an index score of 73.2 out of a possible 100 in 2022 to 76.2 this year. This is partly due to the Covid-19 pandemic finally subsiding, as well as healthcare and education scores improving in multiple cities in Asia, the Middle East and Africa....

One in six people are expected to be affected by infertility at some point in their lives, and with the cost of procedures, like in vitro fertilization, costing tens of thousands of dollars for each procedure, more people seek better ways to understand their reproductive health.There are a number of startups tackling this issue, for example, Generation Prime, Flo, Future Family, Maven and Mate...

The global food system depends on nature but also contributes to its destruction. With a nature-positive approach, companies can preserve the resources necessary to ensure a healthy food supply. To achieve this, organizations must do the following:Expand their focus beyond carbon emissions to also recognize which industries play a key role in the destruction of natureTrack science-based nature...

Earth’s surface is covered by 71% water, connecting every corner of the world, so it’s no surprise that 80% of global trade is carried by ship. But how does it all work?This is part one of The Shipping Industry: Plotting a Course for the Future, a two-part series for our sponsor Seaspan Corporation about the current state and future of global maritime trade.A Bird’s Eye View of ShippingThe s...