*By Conor White*
New Jersey could become a home to increased innovation with more hands-on support from lawmakers, said one of the state's leading advocates for technology innovation.
Aaron Price, the founder and CEO of Propelify, said that Gov. Chris Murphy, a Democrat elected last year to succeed the two-term Republican administration of Chris Christie, could help revive the state's tech sector.
"I think we have the right leadership, in my opinion, finally," said Price in an interview Monday with Cheddar. "We reached out to Christie's administration, who was more hands-off, I'm pleased so far that Gov. Murphy has been extremely supportive and he's making a lot of steps in the right direction."
Price founded the Propelify Innovation Festival three years ago.
"If you're looking to advance your business, or advance your career, this is the place that you should be," said Price.
Last year's festival had 10,000 people participate from around the world. Past speakers include Gary Vaynerchuk and Ariana Huffington. This year, Gov. Murphy and Sen. Cory Booker will speak to the conference participants.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/turning-ideas-into-action-at-propelify).
A Senate bill unveiled on Wednesday looks to tackleonline safety for children by regulating Big Tech and social media platforms to deter users from content that can harm their mental health. Irene Ly, a policy counsel for the age-based ratings and review organization Common Sense Media, joined Cheddar News to break down the potential of the Kids Online Safety Act. "We can't be imposing such a big burden on parents to be doing it all on theirselves," Ly said. "I think you also have to keep in mind that parents often didn't grow up with social media, so they don't understand what it's like to be addicted to social media or really understand how they work."
While many still remain skeptical about the metaverse, big tech firms and even one big bank are ready to expand their virtual worlds. Facebook parent company has pivoted so hard it will now call its employees 'Metamates,' and even JPMorgan Chase has created its own digital lounge on one virtual platform. While the sector remains young, there seems to be significant investment opportunity, especially with companies like Nvidia. Adam Johnson, a portfolio strategist at Adviser Investments, joins Closing Bell to discuss which companies could win in this space, consumer appetite, and more.
Marc Blinder, Co-Founder and CEO of Aikon, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he discusses how his company is helping businesses use blockchain applications without needing to learn the intricacies of the new technology.
Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) have introduced a new bill to afford greater protection to minors on social media. The genesis of the Kids Online Safety Act came from a Facebook whistleblower case exposing the harm apps can have on the mental health of young girls.
Ride share competitors Uber and Lyft both posted their fourth quarter earnings days apart from each other. Both companies have been trying to get back on their feet after taking some pandemic-related hits, but the Omicron variant had other ideas as the year came to a close, with each company taking a hit in ridership in December. Lance Ippolito, head trader at The Future of Wealth explains how Uber and Lyft measured up this earnings period and why Uber may still have an edge over the competition.
