(Wired) One year ago Google artificial intelligence researcher Timnit Gebru tweeted, “I was fired” and ignited a controversy over the freedom of employees to question the impact of their company’s technology. Thursday, she launched a new research institute to ask questions about responsible use of artificial intelligence that Gebru says Google and other tech companies…

(Pitchbook) Venture capital fundraising in China is cooling off as investors weigh how to navigate the country’s new regulatory regime. One strategy that’s taking shape: VC firms are aligning themselves with Beijing’s strategic goals by planning big bets on climate-friendly industries. VC investment in Chinese cleantech startups is rebounding, with nearly $8.7 billion invested across…

(CNBC) The red-hot SPAC market could have an ESG problem. Securus Technologies, a prison services company that makes profit from charging families of the incarcerated for phone calls, is in talks to go public via merging with Atlantic Avenue Acquisition Corp, according a person familiar with the matter. While prison services telecoms are less scrutinized…

(Sifted) The two billion teenagers and young adults born after 1995 that we call Generation Z have been described as many things. They’re seen as uncompromising, not swayed by political or marketing tricks, but also supporters of “cancel culture” — the public and vocal shutting down of speech perceived as problematic. They’re at once entrepreneurial,…

(The New Yorker) As monopolies and other large companies gain increasing control of our daily lives, Khan is Joe Biden’s pick to do something about it. In the spring of 2011, a recent Williams College graduate named Lina Khan interviewed for a job at the Open Markets Program, in Washington, D.C. Open Markets, which was…

(The Atlantic) Social capital is becoming economic capital. Alex Masmej revered Steve Jobs—his favorite shirt was emblazoned with Apples that changed the world: Adam’s, Isaac’s, Steve’s. Masmej dreamed of moving to Silicon Valley to start his own company, but he just didn’t have the money. In April 2020, as the world reeled from the coronavirus…

(Fast Company) If you own stocks, chances are good you have heard the term ESG. It stands for environmental, social, and governance, and it’s a way to laud corporate leaders who take sustainability—including climate change—and social responsibility seriously, and punish those who do not. In less than two decades since a United Nations report drew…

(BCG Henderson Institute) Companies are increasingly embracing sustainable business model innovation (SBM-I) to simultaneously address environmental and societal challenges and create competitive advantage. But those efforts often run into significant constraints stemming from the underlying structure, resource and capability bottlenecks, and other limitations of the broad socio-economic ecosystem in which companies operate. Read more here.

(GreenBiz) Whatever your take was on COP26, a key takeaway at the intersection of capital markets and climate was the formation of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB). During the initial days in Glasgow, the IFRS Foundation announced the formation of the new board, an organization meant to develop a global baseline of sustainability disclosures…

(Fast Company) Sam Lessin’s recent article The End of Venture Capital as We Know It has received a lot of attention in the startup community. Lessin argues that a monumental shift in startup investing is coming to fruition as software has already eaten the world, and larger institutions continue to jump into the software venture…