🍋 Furry Office Neighbors

Together With

Good Morning! Hope you had a great weekend! In a choppy environment for public markets, Zendesk agreed to go private at a $10.2 billion valuation. Market turbulence doesn't phase meme stock traders though, who are flocking to Revlon. Revlon filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and subsequently saw their stock shoot up 615% thanks to the cultural movement. Alos, more workplaces are allowing employees to bring their 4-legged best friends to work.

📢 Short Squeez recently hit 100,000 subscribers! As a THANK YOU to you, we are giving away 3 months Insiders membership FREE to the next 100 people that sign up here.

1. Story of the Day: Furry Office Neighbors

Have you loved working from home because you've gotten to spend more time with your four-legged best friend? Getting frustrated now because your boss, who's not a good boy, is telling you to get back to the office? Well, don't worry. Dogs in the office are becoming more commonplace in the office space!

According to a survey done by Cesar Canine Cuisine, more than 23 million households added a pet recently, as remote work allowed for the opportunity to care for an animal that people may not have had before. Workers hope to start bringing their puppy pals to the office with them now.

Surveyed workers said bringing a dog to work would encourage them to take breaks (55%) and increase social interaction at work (52%.) With 89% of people surveyed saying it's important for them to continue spending time with pets during the workday, employers are taking notes.

The International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans' ongoing research shows that the number of workplaces allowing pets has increased since 2020. Beth Stultz-Hairston, Pet Sitters International president, said, "Now, more than ever, employers are looking for ways to boost employee morale."

Short Squeez Takeaway: Friday is the annual National Take Your Dog to Work Day, so when you grab your morning Starbs, get your pup a puppaccino, and show them off. Don't forget to be extra productive though, so that these policies can stick.

2. Markets Rundown

Equities ended the week higher, snapping a three week losing streak as consumer sentiment seems to have bottomed. Crypto was also able to ride these vibes to being up over the weekend.

Movers & Shakers

• (+) Carnival Cruise Lines ($CCL) +12% after the company said its Q2 booking volumes were at their highest levels since the pandemic.

• (+) FedEx ($FDX) +7% because the company expects adjusted earnings to rise in its current fiscal year.

• (–) LendingTree ($TREE) -8% after lowering second quarter guidance with revenue down to between $259 and $264 million, from between $283 to $293 million.

Private Dealmaking

• Airbnb launches $10 million OMG! fund for the world’s craziest listing ideas

• Ankler, digital media start-up, raised $1.5 million at a $20 million valuation

• Apptronik, that is developing robots to replace human workers in the manufacturing, raised a $14.6 million seed round

• August Health, SaaS platform manages care and compliance for senior residents, raised a $15 million Series A round

• Finhay, investment platform for Vietnamese consumers, raised a $25 million Series B round

• ESG Book, with sustainability and ESG data of more than 25,000 public companies, announced $35 million series B round

3. Top Reads

• Every new passenger car sold in the world will be electric by 2040 (CNBC)

• El Salvador’s $425 million bitcoin experiment isn’t saving the country’s finances (CNBC)

• Fear has gone missing in Wall Street’s slow-motion bear market (BB)

• Japan loves private equity (Axios)

• Slowly but surely, golf finds that sustainability is a winning formula (BB)

• Beer bars turn to coffee to draw crowd (WSJ)

• Why does a hard workout make you less hungry? (NYT)

• Why summers keep getting hotter? (Vox)

• How closely do oil and gas move together? (Fred)

A Message from Sweater Ventures: The Venture Capital Fund for Everyone

Sweater opens venture investing for everyday investors, regardless of accreditation status.

The venture capital ecosystem was begging for change. The majority of investors—even founders, analysts, and venture insiders—couldn’t meet the requirements for most of the existing paths into venture investing, so we decided to reshape the landscape for everyone, for you.

With the Sweater app, you can start investing in venture capital at a low minimum investment and grow your position in the fund with automatic recurring investments. We report on the investments we make right back to you through the app.

Venture capital shapes the future, and here at Sweater, we believe the right to shape that future belongs to everyone.

Sweater VC has officially launched. Download the app.

4. Book of the Day: Soul in the Game: The Art of a Meaningful Life

Soul in the Game is a book of inspiring stories and hard-won lessons on how to live a meaningful life, crafted by investor and writer Vitaliy Katsenelson.

Drawing from the lives of classical composers, ancient Stoics, and contemporary thinkers, Katsenelson weaves together a tapestry of practical wisdom that has helped him overcome his greatest challenges: in work, family, identity, health―and in dealing with success, failure, and more.

Part autobiography, part philosophy, part creativity manual, Soul in the Game is a unique and vulnerable exploration of what works, and what doesn’t, in the attempt to shape a fulfilling and happy life.

“Soul in the Game is a beautiful way to search for the lost value of happiness, strength and health.”

5. Short Squeez Picks

• 10 characteristics that define Gen Z

• Couple who left US for Europe cut expenses by 50%

• Why pro sport team values only go up

• Money is no substitute for good manners

• The complete list of unicorn companies

A Message from Chartr: Enjoy Daily Visual? Sign up to the #1 Visual Newsletter today

Behind every big headline or emerging theme, there's the data that underpins the story. When we want to understand the numbers behind a topic – the deeper context that we can't get just from reading news – we turn to our friends at Chartr.

Their free visual newsletter is packed with snackable charts and easy-to-remember insights on business, tech, entertainment and society – in less than a 5 minute read.

Join 200,000+ professionals and get the data, anecdotes and visuals you need to understand today's world and thrive in conversation at the office, bar and dinner table.

Sign up today.

6. Daily Visual: Percentage of Teams with Foreign Majority Owners

Source: Axios

7. Daily Acumen: Golden Question

You can use the golden question in challenging situations.

The golden question is actually five questions in one, and goes like this:

When you need to make a decision under emotional circumstances, ask yourself:

How will I feel about this in:

a day?

a week?

a month?

a year?

five years?

Suppose you are in a satisfying relationship. Everyone has their moments with their significant other but nothing you haven't been able to work through.

But today is a bad day for both of you. You are tempted to respond to a cutting remark with something that will hurt your partner.

Before you do, you ask yourself:

How will I feel about this in a day?

Not good, but (s)he deserved it.

... a week?

Wow. This is the longest fight we've ever had.

... a month?

Maybe I shouldn't have said what I said.

... a year?

I can't believe we're breaking up.

... five years?

I wish I could have that day back.

Source: Inc

8. Crypto Corner by Bonkalytics.com

• Eminem and Snoop Dogg turn into BAYC chars in new music video

• Crypto exchanges hunker down as everything goes wrong in India

• Crisis in crypto lending shines light on industry vulnerabilities

• Voyager’s 60% share price plunge leads sea of red for crypto stocks

• Why margin calls and bot liquidations are roiling crypto

• FTX may be planning to purchase a stake in BlockFi

For more crypto-focused content, sign-up here.

9. Memes of the Day

*****

*****

Want to reach an audience of 100,000+ business leaders, young professionals, and policy influencers? Advertise in Short Squeez.