SpaceX alumni who founded TerraFirma land $115M funding round

TerraFirma’s semi-autonomous construction equipment Courtesy: TerraFirma As SpaceX‘s Elon Musk sells investors on a space economy with life beyond Earth, a two-year-old construction startup founded by two of the company’s former engineers is positioning itself for the future of interplanetary infrastructure. TerraFirma on Tuesday said it raised $115 million in a funding round with investments…

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How brands are cashing in on functional beverages

Starbucks Iced Vanilla Protein Matcha Latte. Starbucks Beverage brands are cashing in on the growing demand for functional drinks among younger, health-conscious consumers by introducing increasingly innovative offerings, including protein-boosted coffees and CBD-infused sodas. The $160 billion global functional drinks market has become an increasingly lucrative category, encompassing multipurpose drinks that claim to promise taste…

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Target, Walmart and Amazon losing LGBTQ+ consumer spending

LGBTQ+ consumers are shifting their brand loyalties based on companies’ diversity, equity and inclusion policies, according to new research from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. The findings released Wednesday found that nearly 72% of LGBTQ+ consumers say they buy fewer products from companies they perceive as “reducing diversity and inclusion commitments.” Nearly 70% also said…

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Starbucks says afternoon traffic is rising amid turnaround

Digital menu boards at a Starbucks promote “Good Afternoon” drinks, highlighting the company’s effort to boost afternoon traffic as part of its turnaround strategy. Courtesy: Starbucks Afternoon traffic is becoming a bigger growth engine for Starbucks, the company said Thursday, as it pushes deeper into a key part of CEO Brian Niccol’s turnaround strategy. The…

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