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Now on with the show…

Heads up: abc123 isn’t a strong password. A whopping 80% of hacking-related data breaches involve stolen or reused credentials. 

But nobody has time to remember 4,000 unique passwords involving uppercase letters, numbers, special characters, a line from the Hamilton musical, and your genome sequence.

Passwords are not just a burden for individuals; they also represent a major security risk for companies. Luckily, there are a host of technology companies addressing password-less verification and other pressing issues in cybersecurity, from privacy by design to decentralized digital identities. Learn more about them in our latest Cyber Defenders report. 

Download it for free here.

The healthy kind of rebound
 

US deal activity rebounded in Q2 despite the pandemic. 

We dig into the latest venture capital funding trends in our latest PwC x CB Insights MoneyTree report here.

Humble beginnings

It's so obvious this was going to become a trillion-dollar company, right?

Not just burping cows

Global methane emissions just hit a record high. 

We cover the tech that could help remove greenhouse gases in our What Is Geoengineering? report. 

The everything store 
 

This year, Amazon has partnered with banks like Goldman Sachs and ING to offer SMB loans. 

From payments to lending, the e-commerce giant is attacking financial services without becoming a conventional bank. Read more about Amazon’s biggest moves in banking and fintech here.

Bright spots

The pandemic has created an unprecedented opportunity for some industries.

From alternative proteins to biometric tech, clients can check out 12 categories that have been gaining traction since the beginning of the crisis here.

Business Insider. Troy Wolverton (@troywolv) looks at the VC-backed companies that received PPP loans, according to CB Insights’  analysis of PPP data.

Fortune. Lucinda Shen (@ShenLucinda) references the CB Insights  tally of privately funded companies that received PPP funding in the Term Sheet newsletter.

Glossy. Emma Sandler (@EmmaSandler) covers hair care startup Prose’s new membership program and quotes CB Insights analyst Kenya Watson.

P.S. Don't forget to sign up for our insurtech webinar. Even if you can’t make it, register and we’ll send you all the good stuff after.

The empire strikes back again. The second film in the Star Wars franchise topped the box office for the first time in 23 years, propelled by drive-in theater sales.

Variety

But who will soundtrack elevators? Mood Media, the owner of now-retired background music brand Muzak, plans to file for bankruptcy.

Billboard

Look ma, no hands! Autonomous AI systems can make rapid adjustments to spacecraft, but they also create new opportunities for error.

MIT Technology Review 

Power up. US economic growth has largely decoupled from electricity generation, but this may not be enough to counter environmental damage.

Quartz

Back to the land. Restricting private car ownership in urban centers like Manhattan could free up large amounts of land for cleaner and safer forms of transportation. 

New York Times