Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, Co-Founder of Fitz, is a serial entrepreneur tackling problems in the beauty and apparel industry. After co-founding Gilt Groupe and serving as CEO of GlamSquad, Wilkis Wilson is moving on to her next big venture. She shares how her new company, Fitz, an in-home styling service, is helping consumers across the country.
Wilkis Wilson says her company is catering to time-starved consumers. People get busy with life events such as weddings, new jobs, and weight-gain, and can lose sight of their wardrobe, says Wilkis Wilson. Fitz makes it easy for consumers to get their style in order by sending stylists straight to the clients' doors.
Fitz has a deep network of 400 affiliates to help clients shop for style pieces they are missing at a wide range of price points. Wilkis Wilson also discusses the amazon effect. She says there is truth behind the belief that retail is in a tough spot because of the e-commerce giant, but remains hopeful that there is "room for the little guys" as well.
Software company BigPanda recently raised $190 million in Series D funding, led by Advent International and Insight Partners. The funding round gives the company unicorn status with a $1.2 billion valuation. BigPanda develops A.I. software that detects and analyzes problems in I.T. systems. The company says it aims to be the solution for other companies that do not have enough manpower to manage their data, as more and more industries continue to build a broader digital presence. BigPanda co-founder and CEO Assaf Resnick joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
AT&T and Verizon have agreed to delay activating their 5G services around airports due to safety concerns. This comes after major U.S. airlines voiced their concern over the rollout of 5G technology, warning of an impending "catastrophic" aviation crisis. Hugh Odom, founder and president of Vertical Consultants, telecom expert, and former AT&T attorney, joined Cheddar Movers to discuss.
Tech giants Meta, Amazon, Alphabet, and Apple are faced with a bipartisan antitrust legislation effort underway in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The companies stand accused of promoting their own goods and services over smaller competitors on their platforms, holding too much monopolistic power via their app stores and services. Adam Kovacevich, founder and CEO of Chamber of Progress, a technology industry trade group, joined Cheddar to argue that the bills that are being debated currently could end up hurting consumers, rather than helping.
A saving grace for offices during pandemic lockdowns, video communication platform Zoom announced its own plans for doors to reopen from its Work Transformation Summit 2022. Dubbed Workstyles, CFO Kelly Steckelberg joined Cheddar to discuss the self-reported, tiered levels for how employees will be reporting going forward, from the majority of workers going hybrid to personnel who will work fully from home or the office where it makes sense. Steckelberg also talked about the company's plans for the future, stating “what we can control is our own execution," as Zoom's stock hit a 52-week low.
Sebastien Lagree, creator and founder of Lagree Fitness, joins Cheddar News to talk about the growth of Lagree Fitness and industry trends to watch in 2022.
Nikhilesh De, managing editor of global regulation and policy at CoinDesk, joins Cheddar News to discuss Bitcoin's slump and corporations' growing interest in NFTs.
Airlines around the world cancel or change flights ahead of Verizon and AT&T's 5G rollout. The two wireless companies agreed to temporarily delay the launch of the new service near some key airports, after airlines warned the 5G signals could interfere with certain aviation equipment. Jonathan Adelstein, president and CEO of the Wireless Infrastructure Association, joined Cheddar News to discuss.
Thrive Market is a health-first membership for conscious living, with a mission to make healthy and sustainable living easy and accessible. Nick Green, CEO and co-founder, chatted with Cheddar's Baker Machado about the company's approach and new ventures in 2022. "I grew up outside of Minneapolis, middle class, middle America, and really saw firsthand how hard my mom had to work to put healthy food on the table, on a budget, without a health food store nearby," he said. "Twenty-some years later we looked around and just thought it was crazy that millions of Americans are still struggling with the same thing, and we decided to change it." Recently the brand released a line of organic frozen products and will be introducing new beauty and home brands.
In the ongoing saga of AT&T and Verizon versus airlines over the U.S. rollout of 5G near airports, the telecom giants have agreed to delay some deployments. The decision came after arguments that the technology could pose a threat to the safety and security of flights. However, AT&T countered that airlines had two years to prepare for this rollout date.
