Some of the earliest internet startups and success stories focused on the travel industry – an industry that’s been inherently ripe for disruption.  In...

The average Fortune 500 company spends in excess of $150M in outside counsel each year. Spending for outside counsel falls into the budget for...

We are all using an endless array of apps to manage our professional lives.  The ability of these apps to connect with one another...

According to the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, there’s been a 10% increase in demand for cosmetic surgery.  Cosmetics procedures like...

We’ve seen a monumental shift to remote work that’s also had a profound impact on workplace culture.  The lack of face-to-face interactions has also...

There has been a resurgence in the debate about the clinical use of Psychedelic therapies or psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP).  There’s been increased legalization of...

Live shopping e-commerce sales have had a meteoric surge since 2019 in China, where sales went from $62B to $300B last year. The entire...

The two primary mechanisms to improve home energy efficiency is to first target a home’s building envelope (walls, attics, windows, doors, etc.) and to...

63% of full-time employees indicate that financial stress has increased during the pandemic; 72% of employees would be attracted to another company that cares more about financial well-being than their existing employers. Keeping employees engaged and satisfied during the current intensified competition for talent is not only good business but absolutely essential. Addition Wealth is a financial wellness platform for employees to receive trusted guidance in navigating their financial circumstances. Employers, through Addition Wealth, are able to offer financial education and tailored solutions to their employees as a workplace benefit with free, unlimited access to certified financial advisers in addition to a suite of digital tools. Founded by an ex-Uber employee, the company is able to address the needs of employees that have significant equity compensation components in addition to handling more traditional financial planning like budgeting, debt management, retirement, taxes, purchase of a home, and educational planning. AlleyWatch caught up with Addition Wealth CEO and Founder Ana Mahony to learn more about how Additional Wealth is democratizing access to financial solutions for employees, the company's strategic plans, recent round of funding from investors that include Nyca Partners, Core Innovation Capital, and Financial Venture Studio.

The uncertainty of the pandemic led to exploding demand for estate planning and much of this demand was serviced through technology for the first time. This digital transformation allowed individuals to execute and revise wills and estate plans quickly. The newfound attention for this planning also served as a boon for charitable giving. FreeWill is a comprehensive online estate planning platform that gives people the ability to update or write their will in 20 minutes directly from their computers and all for free. The platform provides living wills with beneficiary designation as well as power of attorney, and in California, living trusts are offered as well. How is this free? The company partners with 600+ non-profits and during the process of establishing wills, users are given the option to provide small gifts (bequests, charitable distributions, and stock gifts) to these non-profits. Since launching in 2016, the company has executed over 420K wills and provided commitments exceeding $4.7B to non-profits. AlleyWatch caught up with FreeWill Co-CEO and Founder Jenny Xia Spradling to learn more about the public benefit corporation that sits at the intersection of philanthropy and utility, the company's strategic plans, and latest round of funding from investors that include Bain Capital Double Impact, ICONIQ Growth, QED Investors, Ulu, Highland, Pear, and HearstLab.

The entire pet food market is growing rapidly and is expected to exceed $136B by 2028 from current ~$100B levels. While much attention has been paid to providing dogs with human-grade food recently with a number of new entrants seeking to disrupt the market, the feline food market has been largely overlooked. The cat food market is more consolidated with a few key players with large market shares and little incentive for innovation or change. Made by Nacho, cofounded by celebrity chef Bobby Flay, is a chef-approved cat food brand launched last spring. The company features a wide assortment of both dry food and wet food; all recipes contain ethically sourced and sustainable proteins. Made by Nacho is available through partnerships with pet retailers as well as online through the company’s website and Amazon. A 2-lb bag of dry food retails at $13.99 with a 10-pack of wet cups running $17.89. AlleyWatch caught up with Made by Nacho CEO Tessa Gould to learn more about the inspiration for the business, the company's strategic plans, and latest round of funding from investors that include CAVU Venture Partners, New Fare Partners, and Mars’ Companion Fund.