Esusu: Save More Money with Your Friends and Family
In cultures around the world families and friends pool their money together into a single pot of money. The process is called esusu, and a new app has adopted the name and making the process easier than ever.
Abbey Wemimo is the co-founder of Esusu. As an immigrant himself, Wemimo's mother practiced esusu and used that financing strategy to send Wemimo to school.
Wemimo explains that the main focus is to create a platform for immigrants and people of color, but of course he would be happy for all Americans to use the platform. Accessibility was a key factor in developing Esusu, which is why Wemimo says the company built a phone-based app.
Sustainable consumer products maker Grove Collaborative is gearing up to launch an IPO via a SPAC merger with Richard Branson's Virgin Group Acquisition Corp II. Stuart Landesberg, CEO and co-founder of Grove Collaborative, talked to Cheddar's Kristen Scholer about going public through the merger and aligning with a partner he felt also prioritizes climate. "What this partnership will mean is that we're able to expand the assortment and innovations that we bring to market in products that work just as well as the conventionals and market leaders but have a significantly different environmental profile," Landesberg said.
Cuy Sheffield, head of crypto at Visa, joined Cheddar's "Closing Bell" to talk about Visa's commitment and the partnerships the company has established to make crypto a conventional form of currency. He noted that banks are becoming more receptive to digital currency as their customers move portions of money to crypto platforms and also explained steps Visa is taking to make them more climate conscious.
Many brands and industries are announcing their predictions for new trends to watch in 2022. According to Forbes, cooking robots and plant-based meat are just some of the many food trends that are expected to dominate. Jeff Crivello, CEO of BBQ Holdings, joins Cheddar News to discuss more.
Boxed, an e-commerce grocery platform that sells bulk consumables to businesses and household customers, began trading under the ticket symbol "BOXD" after completing a transaction with SPAC Seven Oaks Acquisition. Chieh Huang, co-founder and CEO of Boxed joins Cheddar News to talk about the company's growth.
Live music took a big hit last year, and many artists had to cancel or postpone their tours to 2022. Many partnered with the graphic novel company Z2 Comics to make money by creating unique comic book stories. Josh Bernstein, executive vice president of Z2 Comics, and Sridhar Reddy, founder and publisher at Z2 Comics, join Cheddar News to talk about the company's popularity.
Employees at a Buffalo, NY, area Starbucks voted to establish a union due to ongoing staffing issues, demands for higher pay, and complaints about non-functioning equipment. The development could clear the path for other locations across the country to unionize.
Caleb Silver, Investopedia Editor-in-Chief, joined Cheddar to break down Lululemon's Q3 earnings beat. Men's sales drove revenue up over the quarter, a key area that the company would want to grow, Silver said. He also noted that its $500 million acquisition of at-home fitness startup company Mirror could be a detriment for the company with its sales outlook slashed as more people head back into physical gyms and supply chain disruptions continue.
