Hi there,

• Look for more news around Israel's deal to buy Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine candidate, which is entering its final round of testing. Moderna is reportedly the first company to begin human trials of its vaccine in the US, and it announced last week that it would begin final-stage trials with 30,000 volunteers in July. The global response to Covid-19 has further highlighted AI’s potential in healthcare systems, with startups applying machine learning to accelerate the discovery of new therapies.  Check out 100+ startups leveraging AI to optimize healthcare here.
   

• Groupon, Oracle, and Kroger Co. are slated to report their latest quarterly earnings. Groupon and Oracle are expected to deliver disappointing results, while Kroger is anticipated to report positive growth due to Covid-19-induced demand. Retailers like Kroger have seen e-commerce sales skyrocket amid the pandemic, emphasizing the importance of digital tools that enhance the retailer-consumer relationship. Take a look  at the emerging tech solving retailers' biggest post-Covid challenges in this post.
   

• Many US companies will observe Juneteenth as an employee holiday this year for the first time. Twitter, Square, Nike, Adobe, Lyft, Mastercard, Postmates, and Sequoia Capital are among the growing list of companies and firms that will observe Juneteenth, which is celebrated on June 19 and commemorates the ending of slavery in the US.
   

• The May US retail sales report will be released Tuesday. Economists are expecting a rebound in economic activity after US retail spending plunged by 16% in April, the largest one-month drop on record, amid Covid-19.
   

• Some European Union countries are reopening borders within the bloc starting today. Countries including France, Germany, and Greece will reopen their borders to many European travelers starting today, while Spain will welcome EU visitors on Sunday. 

‘Once in a generation’ recession, huh?
 

Though deal activity has plummeted amid the pandemic, it doesn't compare to the funding dip seen by startups after the 2008 financial crisis.  

In this post, we dig into the data behind the economic impact of the global pandemic vs. the Great Recession. 

Teamwork makes the dream work

The pandemic created shortages of key medical equipment like masks, face shields, and more. 

Ask away 

Healthcare startups are tackling long-held challenges of accessibility and effectiveness across industries like infectious disease mitigation and mental health.

From the post-pandemic telehealth outlook to big pharma in digital health, we tackle some of the most-asked questions from our healthcare webinar in this post.

Gotta hang on 'til tomorrow

The CB Insights Technology Conference starts tomorrow and it's going to be epic.
 

Speakers include: 

• Mark Cuban, Investor, Shark Tank Host, and Dallas Mavericks Owner
• Fred Wilson, Co-founder and Partner, Union Square Ventures (early investor in Stripe, Twilio, MongoDB, Twitter, Zynga, and Indeed)
• Scott Galloway, Founder, Section4 (Author of NYT bestseller "The Four")
• Julie Bornstein, Former COO, Stitch Fix; CEO, The Yes (newly launched app-only e-commerce startup)
• Chamath Palihapitiya, Founder & CEO, Social Capital (Virgin Galactic Chairman; Golden State Warriors Co-Owner)
• Vlad Tenev, Co-founder and Co-CEO, Robinhood ($8.3B valuation)
  Chris Larsen, Executive Chairman, Ripple ($10B valuation; blockchain tech for cross-border payments)
• Christine Trodella, Head of Americas, Workplace from Facebook (NASDAQ: FB; Facebook's enterprise work solution, 5M paid users)

And so, so many more. Save $100 with code somanyspeakers and register now before it's too late.

Banking on it 

Retail banking is going through upheaval as mobile adoption and software innovation accelerate competition in the fintech space. 

From digital lending to API banking to autonomous finance, clients can see 13 retail banking trends in this report.

I love you.

P.S. We're looking for a senior product designer. Check out the job description here.