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<ul><li>The agrochemical company <keyword id="13053010" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="dharmaj-crop-guard" source="Orion">Dharmaj Crop Guard</keyword> is likely to announce its share allotment status on December 5. </li><li>Overall, the IPO saw decent demand from investors amidst volatile market conditions, being subscribed 35.49 times. </li><li>The shares will be listed on December 8 on the exchanges. </li></ul>The agrochemical company Dharmaj Crop Guard is likely to announce the allotment status of its initial public offering (IPO) on Monday, December 5. Overall, the IPO received decent demand from investors amidst volatile market conditions, being subscribed 35.49 times. The qualified institutional buyer portion was subscribed 48.21 times. The portion reserved for non-institutional investors witnessed a subscription of 52.29 times. The retail portion, on the other hand, was subscribed 21.53 times. The grey market premium (GMP) for the company’s shares stood at ₹55 per share. The Ahmedabad-based agrochemical company distributes and markets insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, plant growth regulators, micro fertilisers and antibiotics to the B2B and B2C segments. Here is how to check <keyword id="15699155" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dharmaj-Crop-Guard-IPO-allotment-status" source="Orion">Dharmaj Crop Guard IPO allotment status</keyword> on the stock exchange websites: <ul><li>Go to the <a href="https://www.bseindia.com/investors/appli_check.aspx">BSE website</a> or NSE website<a href="https://www1.nseindia.com/products/dynaContent/equities/ipos/ipo_login.jsp"> here</a>. </li><li>On <keyword id="35140" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="bse" source="Orion">BSE</keyword>, Select 'Equity' and then from the dropdown, select ‘Dharmaj Crop Guard’. </li><li>Now, enter your application number and PAN. </li><li>Click on 'Search'. </li><li>Please note the details will only be available once the shares are allotted. </li></ul>You can also visit the registrar website (Link Intime India) to check your application status. <ul><li>Visit the registrar's website <a href="https://linkintime.co.in/MIPO/Ipoallotment.html">here</a>. </li><li>Click on 'Select company' and click on ‘Dharmaj Crop Guard’. </li><li>Once the company is selected, you will have to enter either your PAN details, the application number, or the client ID. </li><li>Enter the captcha code and click ’submit’. </li></ul>Once you hit 'submit', the status of your application will appear on the screen. Please ensure the details that you provide are correct. It will show the number of shares you subscribed to and the number of shares allotted to you. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/bank-of-baroda-expects-25-35-basis-points-rate-hike-from-dec-5-7-rbi-policy-meet/articleshow/95992359.cms">Bank of Baroda expects 25-35 basis points rate hike from Dec 5-7 RBI policy meet</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/this-mumbai-startup-is-making-tearable-laundry-sheets-bamboo-based-facial-tissues-and-more-to-replace-plastic/articleshow/95946533.cms">This Mumbai startup is making tearable laundry sheets, bamboo-based facial tissues and more to replace plastic</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/govt-approves-pli-scheme-for-making-drones-with-outlay-of-rs-120-cr-comes-out-with-norms/articleshow/95981288.cms">Govt approves PLI scheme for making drones with outlay of Rs 120 cr, comes out with norms</a>

Dharmaj Crop Guard IPO : Here’s how you can check the allotment status

<ul><li>The company said in a statement that it "had to take the tough decision to let go 150 of our team members".</li><li>The platform offered a severance package of two months to the laid-off employees, with two weeks per year served at the startup.</li><li>According to the company, it caters to more than 30 million users in over 300 cities with over 2,000 coaches.</li></ul>Leading AI health and fitness platform <keyword id="2698623" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="healthifyme" source="Orion">HealthifyMe</keyword> has sacked at least 150 employees as the company's growth did not "keep pace with expectations and hiring". The company has a physical presence in Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Singapore. The company said in a statement that it "had to take the tough decision to let go 150 of our team members". "Like much of tech, growth hasn't kept pace with expectations and hiring," the company added. The platform offered a severance package of two months to the laid-off employees, with two weeks per year served at the startup. "As a part of our severance and support to those impacted, we will offer 2 months' salary severance with 2 weeks per year served at HealthifyMe, vested stocks till March 2023, and medical insurance continuance till June 2023, along with counseling and outplacement support," said the company. According to the company, it caters to more than 30 million users in over 300 cities with over 2,000 coaches. The <keyword id="2534058" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="healthtech" source="Orion">healthtech</keyword> platform in July this year raised $75 million (nearly Rs 560 crore) in a Series C round led by <keyword id="15700419" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="leapfrog-and-khosla-ventures" source="Orion">LeapFrog and Khosla Ventures</keyword>. The company aimed to use the funds to expand in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> and <keyword id="53564" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="southeast-asia" source="Orion">Southeast Asia</keyword>, make inroads into <keyword id="6378080" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="north-america" source="Orion">North America</keyword> as well as to acquire relevant companies in the digital health and fitness space. "We are already the market leaders in India and Southeast Asia and by combining AI and human empathy, we can deliver results in weight and lifestyle disease management at a fraction of the cost possible today," Tushar Vashisht, Co-founder and CEO, HealthifyMe, had said in a statement. While HealthifyMe's base has been India, it has been expanding internationally and now nearly 25 per cent of its revenues come from outside the country like Malaysia and Singapore, it had said in July. The company had also said to hire over 1,000 trainers and coaches this year. "We are also undergoing an evolution with our new vision around metabolic health (HealthifyMe 2.0) which requires different resources. In view of this and changing market dynamics, it made sense for us to steer toward profitability, despite a comfortable runway," the company spokesperson said in the latest statement. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/ayushmann-khurranas-doctor-g-set-for-ott-debut-on-netflix/articleshow/95995391.cms">Ayushmann Khurrana's 'Doctor G' set for OTT debut on Netflix</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/expect-nifty-to-end-the-december-series-on-a-positive-note-reach-a-target-of-18900-19000-says-r-venkataraman-of-iifl-securities/articleshow/95992944.cms">Expect Nifty to end the December series on a positive note, reach a target of 18,900-19,000, says R Venkataraman of IIFL Securities</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/dharmaj-crop-guard-ipo-how-you-can-check-the-allotment-status/articleshow/95992589.cms">Dharmaj Crop Guard IPO : Here’s how you can check the allotment status</a>

HealthifyMe sacks about 150 employees, says growth didn't keep pace with hiring

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The adult industry is increasingly embracing AI for tasks like chatting and image generation.</li><li>Some startups even create chatbots and "digital twins" based on existing influencers.</li></ul>The adult industry has long been an early adopter of new technologies, from as early as the printing press in the 1400s to DVDs and the internet.In 2024, the adult industry is experimenting with and sometimes embracing AI. Superstars in the space like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/adult-content-onlyfans-star-riley-reid-ai-chatbot-fans-2023-11">Riley Reid</a> have already created AI versions of themselves; subscription platforms like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-models-creators-see-success-on-onlyfans-challenger-fanvue-2023-11">Fanvue</a> have made AI-generated characters a centerpiece of their missions; and a crop of new startups promises to help adult-content creators generate their "digital twins.""We sincerely believe that the adult industry always drives all the technology," said Ana Levy, CMO of My.Club, one of the platforms that recently began offering users the possibility of creating an "AI twin." "This is the most responsive industry, the one that drives all the changes."With experimentation have come excitement and fear. AI could ease the burden on creators that comes with the constant need for fresh content and fan interaction, and many have been curious about the possibility of turning themselves into digital characters. But as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-onlyfans-became-outlet-source-help-loneliness-sadness-connection-sex-2024-1">fan relationships</a> have become central in adult content in the era of OnlyFans, some worry that relying on AI too much may alienate their audiences."I'm seeing so many of my fans get riled up and upset if they have the slightest little thought of 'Am I not talking to you for real?'" OnlyFans creator <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-neuroscientist-turned-onlyfans-creator-made-millions-in-year-2024-1">Isla Moon</a> said. "I'm slightly nervous about that."And for others, the idea that AI may eventually replace creators entirely is not too far-fetched."I think the people who spend the most on fan pages are the most lonely people and seek validation," OnlyFans creator Jada Sparks said. "And if they can get it from an AI, it's validation nonetheless."Business Insider spoke with industry insiders about the state of AI in the adult-content world and what the future may hold.<div type="image" title="Two side-by-side screenshots of emails sent by subscription company Fanvue to some users, offering free subscriptions to profiles." height="1600" width="2000" msid="109954043" hostid="261" sizebytes="107816"></div><h2 id="99a8dfb7-494e-4074-b166-f14c25a87002">AI for chatting and voice</h2>Exchanging messages and chatting with fans has become one of the fundamentals of the new style of adult content that's gained ground on OnlyFans and similar platforms.Some credit it with helping <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-onlyfans-became-outlet-source-help-loneliness-sadness-connection-sex-2024-1">lonely fans build relationships</a> that go beyond the sexual, while others warn that it may turn into a dangerous game, and further isolate people from the real world and real relationships.For the creators, it's certainly one of the most lucrative ways to monetize their online presence. But the volume of messages they receive can quickly get overwhelming, and many have long outsourced chatting to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/onlyfans-creator-made-6-million-strategies-for-success-2023-1">their own employees</a> or <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/unruly-agency-managing-onlyfans-accounts-influencers-tana-mongeau-daisy-keech-2021-1">external agencies</a>. Now, AI can become an addition to this arsenal of chatting tools.Companies like ChatPersona and FlirtFlow have developed chatbots that can be used on OnlyFans to chat on behalf of creators. OnlyFans has taken a staunch anti-AI stance, though, so a human still has to press "send" on the messages (even if they don't write them).Creators could use these AI tools to replace existing "chatters," who have often been low-wage workers in countries like the Philippines, India, and Pakistan, <a target="_blank" href="https://fortune.com/2024/04/05/ai-is-coming-for-the-onlyfans-chat-industry/">Fortune</a> reported.Other companies, like MySentient.ai or Riley Reid's Clona, have developed the capabilities to create chatbots that can exchange messages with fans on behalf of the creators, using their style of conversation. Unlike ChatPersona or FlirtFlow, these chatbots live on separate platforms from their human counterparts and are clearly labeled as being generated with artificial intelligence.Riley Reid told BI that she hoped her AI version would be a way to "immortalize herself" and continue to monetize the fan base she'd created with her adult content even as she moves away from it. To chat with AI Riley, fans need to pay a subscription that costs $30 a month.MySentient has been investing in creating "sentient" AI chatbots based on people that range from adult creators like Amouranth to Jesus.Reese Leysen, the company's CEO, said MySentient approaches AI with a clear goal of trying to make the interactions positive and putting guardrails in place for its use from the get-go. He said users had been able to form positive connections with chatbots like Amouranth's."I know there's many concerns around this, but we have so far not seen one person say in our community, 'This is bad for me,'" Leysen said. "We've actually only seen the opposite, where people say, 'This has made me so much more secure. It has made me feel like I am perfectly capable of forging these kinds of relationships.'"While chatting with a creator — whether real or AI — can have a positive impact, some experts <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-onlyfans-became-outlet-source-help-loneliness-sadness-connection-sex-2024-1">previously told BI</a> that the type of relief chatting offers can be a temporary Band-Aid to real-life problems, and can become a kind of addiction."They don't know how to be intimate. They don't know how to grow. They literally didn't learn that," Robert Weiss, a certified sex-addiction specialist who focuses on digital intimacy, said of some of his clients.Fanvue, an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/onlyfans-rival-fanvue-bets-on-ai-content-creators-have-concerns-2024-2">OnlyFans competitor</a> that has taken an AI-first approach, has developed a variety of AI tools to help its creators. These range from AI message drafting and voice notes to a "creator coach," an AI chatbot that helps users understand their performance on the platform better and gives advice and support.Creators have also been experimenting with AI tools that can replicate their voices. One of the most well-known and utilized tools is ElevenLabs, an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elevenlabs-ai-voice-cloning-startup-confirms-unicorn-valuation-2024-1">AI darling</a> that's recently achieved unicorn status for its text-to-speech and dubbing capabilities.Isla Moon said she'd seen some fellow creators clone their voices and then task their employees with sending voice notes to subscribers, pretending they're genuine. She and a number of other creators BI spoke with said they worried about how the use of AI could impact their credibility and undermine audiences' trust in them."That's the part that stresses me out a lot," she said. "At what point are [the fans] going to not trust what I'm saying?"<div type="image" title="An AI-generated image of OnlyFans model and adult content creator Elaina St James in a yellow bikini in a field of sunflowers." height="549" width="731" msid="109954045" hostid="261" sizebytes="52826"></div><h2 id="3e9fc336-71d7-491b-b6a3-7958b3b75f68">Level up: AI 'digital twins'</h2>Some startups are going a step further from just offering chatbots or voice clones, and promise to create full-on "digital twins" — also referred to as "duplicates" or "döppelgangers" — for existing influencers, which also generate pictures.Some companies — like Eva AI, Foxy.ai, and My.Club — are fully leaning into the adult world. Eva and My.Club even had booths at AVN, the world's biggest adult entertainment expo, where they were inviting adult stars to duplicate themselves.Jessica Moore, a creator who generated her digital twin using My.Club, said the idea of making a digital twin excited her not only for money-making potential but also for the creative possibilities and the interactions her AI version could have with other AI-generated characters."You're able to interact with your friends, digital versions of them," she said. "I think that's probably where we will see the twin going. For me, I live in a small town in Canada. I don't have access to every creator. Having the ability to do that, I think, is going to be really cool."Some creators are also experimenting individually with different AI image generators like MidJourney or Stable Diffusion to create depictions of themselves in different settings.Elaina St James, for example, has started Twitter and Instagram <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/elaina_world?igsh=MXhwZnNuNXZ5YWNuag%3D%3D">accounts</a> dedicated to AI art of herself — primarily simple portraits of her in revealing outfits in a variety of settings."I can be really creative," St James said in a recent <a target="_blank" href="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/chat-with-elaina/episode-12-ai-the-end-of-LBsaPCu5ibg/?t=2404">podcast</a> episode she hosted. "I can make myself, or I can make a younger, blonde, super curvy version of me. Or I can make somebody older than me … This can all be part of the Elaina-verse."<div type="image" title="AI-generated image of two girls wearing jean bottoms and white tops, standing in the middle of a mall." height="1920" width="2560" msid="109954046" hostid="261" sizebytes="382272"></div><h2 id="1b0b7e11-b48b-4b87-bb92-f2c45171434d">The next frontier: AI-generated influencers</h2>There's been quite some buzz in the news about AI-generated characters, like Spanish <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-influencer-aitana-clueless-agency-tech-spain-2023-11">Aitana</a>, who besides being popular on Instagram makes money from adult content.In recent months, crops of AI-generated influencers in racy outfits and curves that defy the laws of physics have emerged, and some of them have amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. Some of the creators behind these characters previously told BI they chose to lean into adult content because of its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-influencers-social-media-make-money-get-instagram-followers-2024-2">higher monetization potential</a>.To create these characters, they use a variety of AI tools, including Unstable Diffusion, an AI <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-porn-generator-unstable-making-500k-images-day-ceo-says-2023-7">image generator</a> that focuses on NSFW content. Many of them publish this content behind a paywall on Fanvue.Some creators have gone as far as using deepfake technology to superimpose AI-generated faces to the bodies of real influencers or celebrities like Dua Lipa and Margot Robbie, a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.404media.co/email/d72b3844-9d62-4961-b52f-86ba9f237480/?ref=daily-stories-newsletter">404 Media</a> investigation recently found.A popular app that enables this kind of deepfakes is HelloFace. Three AI creators BI previously spoke to mentioned they had seen the app being used in their community, both in legitimate and unauthorized ways.A spokesperson for HelloFace told BI the company is working actively to limit these unauthorized uses of third-party videos, but the practice still appears to be running rampant.<div type="image" title="Influencer and OnlyFans creator Sophie Annaston sitting on a wooden bench among trees." height="1206" width="1608" msid="109954047" hostid="261" sizebytes="185422"></div><h2 id="dc73d61e-dc0c-4788-8515-5a02db0eb8cb">Some creators are still skeptical — and worry about deceiving their audiences</h2>Like with many technological advancements, the excitement and interest are balanced with a healthy level of skepticism.Sophie Annaston, who's built a presence on social media primarily with "try-on" videos, said she'd been avoiding AI entirely out of respect for her audience and concern for the potential outcomes."If this AI model is directly associated with me, I can't do that," she said. "My account is very much me. It's been managed by me, it sounds like me. I could never have anything being said on my behalf that I don't see and send myself."Others see the power of AI but also the issues it could create for the adult industry as a whole. Similarly to those in other media sectors, many are embracing AI to speed up processes and for efficiency, but not to replace the creative and human sides. But the pressure to constantly produce new work has led many to at least contemplate how AI could fit into their output."In order to ride the algorithm wave, anybody needs a certain amount of content," said Charles Lyle, who co-owns adult production company Blush Erotica with his wife. "We would use AI to replace what we have not shot ourselves. Just to fill the space of how much content we need to feed the beast. That's how we would use AI."

How AI is shaking up OnlyFans and adult content creation

Ben Keenan estimates that over the past year, he's spent somewhere between $1,500 and $2,000 on dating. Despite spending a hefty sum on everything from drinks and food to tickets and Ubers, the 31-year-old Seattle communications consultant and content creator said the payout had yielded no real results: His relationship status is "nonexistent.""A lot of times I'm spending money just to get to know somebody out from behind a screen," he saidLike many younger Americans, Keenan is encountering a harsh reality: Not only is the modern <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-dating-declines-all-time-low-inflation-loneliness-friendship-2023-10">dating scene really tough</a>, but putting yourself out there adds up. To be smarter about his romantic spending, Keenan has become more selective with whom he meets — and instead of immediately suggesting pricey drinks, he's proposing lower-cost options like grabbing a coffee or going for a walk.As someone who's also been dating through whatever it is we've been doing romantically since 2020, I've noticed that my dating costs are going through the roof. There are, of course, the basic increases in just about everything, as anyone who's bought groceries or gas knows. In addition, new costs are getting layered on every day as the dating pool becomes tougher to navigate — relationship apps are barren unless you pay for access, and the new crop of exciting <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/speed-dating-better-than-online-dating-apps-2024-3">speed-dating events</a> will cost you (if they don't sell out first).In an age of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/loneliness-epidemic-decline-in-third-places-friends-parks-community-2023-9">increasing isolation</a>, an intimate relationship can be especially valuable. And, pragmatically, finding a partner can have some economic advantages — after all, things are cheaper when they're divided by two. But the price tag to find the right person is getting higher. Love, in this economy, is increasingly reserved only for those who can afford it.<h2>Bring in the dating coaches!</h2>There's no magical financial formula for a relationship (sadly), but to sketch out the new cost of love, I decided to ask several dating coaches a few questions that could help me develop a relationship road map: How long does it usually take to find out whether you're compatible? How much should a date cost? Who is expected to pick up the tab?The coaches said it usually takes about three months of seeing someone once or twice a week for most people to consider it a relationship. So that's at least 12 dates before getting into a relationship. Not every date is the same — costs and activities will vary by person, location, and what you're drawn to. Amy Nobile Messing, a New York City <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/love-amy-nyc-matchmaker-perfect-dating-profile-2020-2">dating coach</a> with a holistic and technology-based approach and clients aged 25 to 81, recommended a "mini screener date" for a first meetup before escalating to anything more."First dates should not be the traditional go out to dinner for four hours and spend a ton of money," she said. "They really shouldn't."Damona Hoffman, a Los Angeles dating coach, similarly recommended doing drinks because clients could otherwise end up overstaying their welcome and shelling out a whole lot of money."First dates should be something short and sweet," she said.After the first date is when the tabs get more substantial — a longer meal where you can sit across from one another and delve deeper. Daphney Poyser, whose <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fernconnections.com/press">Fern Connections</a> specializes in queer dating, recommended dinner and an activity like mini golf, ax throwing, or cooking classes.As things progress, another big question is who's picking up the bill — a decision that comes with a host of gendered assumptions and changing norms. Messing said that among her heterosexual clients, there's still an expectation that the man is paying for all the dates."If you're in a heterosexual relationship and you believe in chivalry, which, again, 95% of my clients do, then the man is paying, period, end of story," Messing said.But the answer is not as clear-cut for same-sex couples, couples who don't skew toward traditional heterosexual norms, or younger generations."My younger daters, they're like, 'Of course, we're going to split the cost of the date,'" Hoffman said. "That's a huge shift."Poyser tells her clients that everybody should expect to split the cost."If you like someone and they like you, then you should be willing to split the cost," Poyser said. Among Messing's queer clients, the rule of thumb has been that whoever asked the other person out or planned the date should pay — and they naturally trade-off as things progress.So for simplicity's sake, in our road map, let's assume that you're always splitting costs, with the expectation that straight men will pick up the bill more often.<h2>The nitty-gritty</h2>Now that we have a sense of the time, shape of the activities, and share of the bill, we can get a sense of what dating costs look like for a 12-date plan. Of course, these numbers are all approximations — your favorite restaurant or activity might cost more or less. But to get to rough estimates, I tried to stick close to real menu prices and approximate how much costs have risen.Since the coaches' first-date suggestions generally boiled down to drinks, I started the tabulation by looking at the average cost of a cocktail, which was <a target="_blank" href="https://conormclaughlin.net/2019/06/a-semi-scientific-study-of-american-cocktail-prices/">about $12 in 2019 across major US markets</a>. Adjust that for inflation, and it's about $14.50 in 2024 dollars. For alcohol-free drinkers, the average price of a coffee <a target="_blank" href="https://ny.eater.com/2024/5/9/24151420/price-of-coffee-nyc-latte-cold-brew">is about $6</a> in New York City, which is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/03/people-in-this-city-spend-the-most-on-coffeeits-not-new-york-or-la.html">comparable</a> with other markets."The cost of everything is more expensive," Hoffman said.For movies, prices vary across the country. The average ticket cost $11.75 in 2022, the research firm EntTelligence estimated; round up for recent inflation, and the average movie ticket costs about $12, plus $27 for a large popcorn, a drink, and candy. The same logic can be applied to museums: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/01/arts/design/museums-raise-admission-fees-guggenheim.html">Ticket prices across the country</a> have ticked up to the $30 range. I chose the American Museum of Natural History as our museum date spot because it is, inarguably, a great place to go on a date. The cost of an adult ticket: $28 for non-NYC residents. I also chose a premium concert experience for our daters since those <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jennifer-lopez-cancels-tour-slow-ticket-sales-concerts-prices-ticketmaster-2024-6">are less likely to get canceled than smaller shows right now</a>. Pollstar, a live-music industry publication, found that the average ticket price for a tour of the top 100 performing artists was $123.25 in the first quarter of 2024, up from $95.63 in 2020.Numbers got a little fuzzier when I looked at how much it cost to go out to dinner or order in. I chose my favorite date spot — Thai72 — as a menu example, and it tracked fairly closely with MoneyGeek's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.moneygeek.com/living/analysis/cost-of-a-date-in-major-cities/">estimate</a> that a romantic dinner out costs $96. Similarly, I used my favorite pizza spot — Mama's Too — to gauge the cost of a nicer takeout pizza and then added a Trader Joe's Caesar salad and a bottle of Josh rosé.After they have a few dates under their belt, I figured that many daters clustered in too-small urban apartments would want to get some breathing room. After all, there's nothing like a day trip to figure out what longer-term travel with your partner might look like. I looked at the cost of driving from New York City to Hudson, New York, a popular mini-road-trip destination (and, conveniently, a great way to visit Business Insider's economic-data editor, Andy Kiersz, who helped oversee these calculations). For our later dates, I also included a few spicier ideas, like a visit to the board-game café Hex&amp;Co., a pasta-making class, and a cheese tasting at Murray's Cheese, as fancier date activities.With these estimates, it's easy to see how dating adds up: Our hypothetical dater is spending $650 to make it to the 12-date mark.The estimates also don't take into account the subtler costs of dating. That could be as simple as the price of the commute to and from your meetup — which would cost you $5.80 if you took New York City's subway — or having to fill up your gas tank. The dating experts I spoke with also listed services their clients may want to invest in for dating, from hair and makeup to Botox and dating-app subscriptions.Hoffman, for instance, said that beauty norms had shifted: Skincare and different types of fillerl, along with Botox, are increasingly seen as necessary parts of a beauty regimen."All of these beauty enhancements, people aren't really thinking about the cost of them, but many times the reason that they're doing it is for attraction," she said. "I consider that a cost."Given these costs, I decided to incorporate a few of the major categories into the road map. An <a target="_blank" href="https://youprobablyneedahaircut.com/how-much-does-a-haircut-cost/">informal survey</a> of salons across the country pegged the average haircut at $56, so add one of those to the tab for the three-month getting-you-know-you period. In a 2023 survey by the data-analytics firm Inmar Intelligence, one-third of surveyed consumers said they <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/beauty-shoppers-still-spending-big-as-us-consumers-cut-elsewhere-2023-3">spent over $500 on beauty products in the past year</a> — that works out to $125 in beauty-product spending, if we're accounting for around a three-month period. Meanwhile, an informal 2022 report <a target="_blank" href="https://www.styleseat.com/blog/waxing-cost/">found</a> that the average cost of a full body wax was $152, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/a36462846/botox-cost-guide/">Cosmopolitan reported</a> in January that low-end forehead Botox would cost you $300. Taken together, that could mean up to $500 more in beauty spending alone.Modern dating also comes with a new cost: forking over money for dating apps. In a 2022 Pew <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2023/02/02/the-who-where-and-why-of-online-dating-in-the-u-s/?utm_source=npr_newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=20240202&amp;utm_term=9250242&amp;utm_campaign=money&amp;utm_id=8562679&amp;orgid=128&amp;utm_att1=#paid-to-use-a-dating-site-or-app">poll</a> of adults who were online dating, 35% said that they'd paid to use one. Messing recommended paying for HingeX — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90849674/hinge-is-rolling-out-its-50-per-month-subscription-on-thursday">$50 a month</a> — and <a target="_blank" href="https://bumble.com/en-us/the-buzz/bumble-premium">Bumble Premium</a>, which runs about <a target="_blank" href="https://mashable.com/review/bumble-premium-review">$40 a month</a>. Hoffman doesn't have a uniform recommendation for dating apps but said people should pay for what's important to them. Similarly, Poyser recommended paying for Hinge preferences."The average dater that only started using dating apps in the last five or 10 years has what I feel like is an unrealistic expectation of what they should get from a free dating-app experience," Hoffman said. She added: "A lot of the apps are breaking out the different levels of service, different features that you can pay for, and it's kind of like streaming television. You just pay for the ones that you are going to use."You could also choose to employ a dating coach. Messing's services run $25,000 for a four-month program. Hoffman's costs range from $9 into the five figures; she said her most popular program was group coaching, which costs $2,500. Poyser said that she charged $200 for her initial one-hour session and then $150 for bundled sessions afterward.After adding up all the direct and implicit costs of dating, the price of finding that special someone rang in at about $1,000 for around 12 dates. Adjusting for inflation, that would've come out to about $800 in 2019 — without accounting for the loneliness and geographical shifts the pandemic caused, where people are willing to spend more to find friends. Notably, the $50 paid version of Hinge that our coaches recommended rolled <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90849674/hinge-is-rolling-out-its-50-per-month-subscription-on-thursday">out in 2023</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://fortune.com/2023/09/22/tinder-500-a-month-subscription/">pricier app</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.platformer.news/grindr-ai-boyfriend-wingman-monetization-paid-taps/">offerings</a> are a more recent invention all around.And that's just the cost to get into a relationship. Even deeper down the romantic path, couples face <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/average-wedding-cost-in-biggest-metro-areas-of-us-2023-2">the soaring cost of weddings</a> — not to mention the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/millennial-gen-z-parents-struggle-lonely-childcare-costs-money-friends-2023-11">rising price of being a parent</a>.<h2>What does that mean for all of us?</h2>The daters out there might not be too surprised to learn that getting into a relationship is expensive — though even I was taken aback by just how much I'd been sinking into finding a partner.But the rising costs of dating aren't just an issue for the lonely hearts of America, they also point to a growing problem for everyone in the US: The things that bring us joy, happiness, or meaning are all getting more expensive. Dinner out with friends is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/food-prices-cheapest-option-groceries-restaurants-fast-food-2023-12">more expensive</a>. Going on vacation is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/young-people-booking-vacations-despite-finances-debt-summer-economy-travel-2024-6">getting pricier</a>. Owning a pet <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/protect-finances-pets-likely-recession-2022-11">will cost you more</a>.Even those who have moved beyond the cycle of dating and into building a family are facing these price pressures. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.brookings.edu/articles/middle-class-marriage-is-declining-and-likely-deepening-inequality/">Research</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/jep.30.2.79">has found</a> that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-marriage-family-structure-kids-over-2023-9">marriage is becoming increasingly reserved</a> for the wealthy and more educated. Some people are happily opting not to have children, while others are finding themselves pushed into a child-free existence because they can't afford to have kids. But even with the high up-front cost of dating, getting into a long-term relationship might pay off in the long run. Solo Americans often come up against what's known as the "singles tax": They're <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rent-higher-singles-tax-living-alone-new-york-san-francisco-2024-2">paying thousands more than couples to live alone</a> and need to make nearly (if not more than) six figures to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/single-family-city-living-costs-income-nyc-la-inflation-rates-2024-3">live comfortably</a>.Keenan, the Seattle dater still looking for love, is keenly aware of the singles tax."Bills are made for a household," he told me. "I'm paying the same amount on my sewer and my garbage and my gas as I would if I had four people living in my apartment as I do with one person living in my apartment. There's nothing that is intended to be comfortable for one person."As things get more expensive, the singles tax gets worse — creating an ever-increasing price for singledom."Just because I haven't found my person, suddenly society's expecting me to pay more because I'm living alone," Keenan said.But Keenan's still out there. For about six to eight months, he tried to just meet people in person — which, as he noted, is often cheaper. Bumping into somebody at a bar means they probably already have a drink, and it's less formal than a sit-down dinner.Keenan's status, though, might be familiar to fellow beleaguered daters out there: He's back on the apps. It's a fate we all may have to resign ourselves to in the era of modern dating. It looks like those $12 first-date cocktails aren't going anywhere anytime soon (and they soon may be $20 cocktails). The only question is what new paywall might emerge in pursuit of a partner.<a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/juliana-kaplan">Juliana Kaplan</a> is a senior labor and inequality reporter on Insider's economy team.

The heartbreaking cost of modern dating

With the early trends in all 182 seats of Gujarat Assembly coming in, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (<keyword id="14666" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="bjp" source="Orion">BJP</keyword>) was seen inching towards an all-time high record of 149 seats. As per the latest trends, the party was leading in 149 seats, the number of seats which the <keyword id="1575" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="congress" source="Orion">Congress</keyword> had won in the 1985 election under the leadership of Madhavsinh Solanki, in what remains a record till date. The BJP was all set for a sweeping victory for the eighth term in a state where it has not lost an election since 1995. The Congress was ahead in 19 seats and the Aam Aadmi Party (<keyword id="6356115" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="aap" source="Orion">AAP</keyword>) in 9, according to the first trends of all the seats in the state Assembly as reported by the Election Commission. The others were leading in five seats, including a candidate of the Samajwadi Party in Kutiyana seat of Porbandar district and four independents in Dhanera, Vaghodia, Santrampur and Deesa. After registering initial gains, the Congress and AAP slipped while the BJP continued to improve its tally to reach the tally of 149. A number of sitting BJP MLAs were among those leading in the initial trends. Party leaders like Jitu Vaghani, Purnesh Modi, Kanubhai Desai and Hardik Patel were among those ahead of their rivals. AAP's chief ministerial candidate Isudan Gadhvi was leading in Khambhalia. The party's candidates were also leading in Jamjodhpur, Dediapada, Dhari, Vyara, Botad, Bhiloda, Gariadhar and Limbayat. AAP state chief Gopal Italia was trailing in Katargam seat and Alpesh Kathiriya was trailing in Varachha Road seat, both in Surat. The BJP has so far received 53.62 per cent vote share, Congress 26.57 per cent and AAP 12.80 per cent. The results of the two-phase elections, held earlier this month, will be watched more for the performance of the Congress and the new poll entrant AAP, which seem to be locked in a battle to grab the status of the main opposition party in the state. While the Congress was not expected to replicate its creditable performance of the last Assembly elections in 2017, a good showing by the AAP would have helped its leader Arvind Kejriwal cement his place as a key challenger to Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="narendra-modi" source="Orion">Narendra Modi</keyword> in the parliamentary elections due in 2024. The Modi government is struggling with issues like rising inflation, slowing growth and joblessness, but economic troubles are unlikely to dent the BJP's popularity in Gujarat that has been a bastion of the party for decades and where Modi was the chief minister from 2001 to 2014. Gujarat has 182 Assembly seats and the majority mark is 92. Exit polls have predicted the BJP will comfortably win a seventh straight term -- an outcome that will equal the Left Front's feat in West Bengal. For the Congress, its role as the main challenger to the BJP is at stake. Thursday's results will reveal if the party's silent campaign has cut ice with people. The party's campaign, mostly shouldered by local leaders, has leaned on door-to-door canvassing for votes as its leader Rahul Gandhi, who had aggressively campaigned in the 2017 elections, chose to stay away to focus on the Bharat Jodo Yatra. For the AAP, which carried out a high-decibel campaign, the elections in Gujarat are an opportunity to establish itself as a pan-national party and a challenger to BJP at the national level. Emboldened by the victory in the Delhi municipal elections, the AAP hopes its politics of welfarism will be accepted by the people in Gujarat. That said, the BJP has had to battle anti-incumbency after being in power for 25 years. It is banking on Modi's charisma and appeal to contain anti-incumbency. Modi addressed as many as 30 election rallies. Unemployment, price rise, water not reaching certain pockets of the state, land acquisition for big projects and farmers not getting proper compensation for crop damage due to excess rains were among key issues of the campaign this time. The voter turnout this time dropped 4 per cent compared to 2017, signalling fatigue and possible disillusionment among some supporters of BJP. While the contest in Gujarat has traditionally been between the BJP and Congress, it turned three-cornered this time with the entry of the AAP. Altogether 182 counting observers and as many election officers along with 494 assistant election officers will be on duty for the entire counting process, the official said. A three-tier security system has been ensured at all the counting centres with local police and personnel of State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) and Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), the CEO said. The fate of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s chief ministerial candidate Isudan Gadhvi, youth leaders Hardik Patel, Jignesh Mevani and Alpesh Thakor, among a total 1,621 candidates will be decided on Thursday. A total of 70 political parties and 624 independents were in the fray. Apart from the main rivals BJP, Congress and AAP, 101 candidates from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and 26 from Bharatiya Tribal party (BTP) also contested. In the 2017 Assembly polls, BJP won 99 seats and Congress 77 seats, while two seats went to BTP, one to NCP, and three to independents. Ahead of this month's elections, the BJP's number in the House stood at 110 and Congress at 60 after 20 MLAs who won on Congress seats switched over to the BJP in the last five years, three of them quitting just ahead of the elections. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/rate-hike-to-affect-housing-demand-in-the-mid-and-affordable-segments-say-experts/articleshow/96076359.cms">Rate hike to affect housing demand in the mid and affordable segments, say experts</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/dharmaj-crop-guard-lists-at-12-premium-but-below-grey-market-expectations/articleshow/96075246.cms">Dharmaj Crop Guard lists at 12% premium but below grey market expectations</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/top-searches-on-google-in-india-in-2022/slidelist/96075404.cms">IPL to KGF Chapter 2 to FIFA World Cup, here are the top Google searches in India in 2022</a>

Gujarat assembly elections: BJP inches towards all-time high record of 149 seats

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The day after he purchased Twitter, billionaire <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1586104694421659648">Elon Musk posted</a> "comedy is now legal" on the platform.</li><li>In the days since, parody accounts impersonating Musk and joking about the acquisition have been removed.</li></ul>While comedy might be "legal" on Twitter following Elon Musk's $44 billion acquisition, parody accounts could receive a "permanent suspension" with "no warning," Musk <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1589390597798125568">tweeted</a> on Sunday — which several users told Insider has happened to their accounts after joking about the billionaire.The day after he purchased Twitter, <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1586104694421659648">Musk posted</a> a tweet saying "comedy is now legal" on the platform, but in the days since his takeover, parody accounts impersonating Musk have cropped up across the site, riffing about the new owner, and getting banned in the process. <h2>Fake Elons suspended</h2>"There is nothing better than waking up and enjoying a fresh, steaming cup of my own urine," Former NFL punter <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chris-kluwe-article-slams-vikings-2014-1">Chris Kluwe</a> tweeted from his verified account after changing his account details — including photo, name, and bio — to match Musk's profile. "Such a tangy way to start the day, and it's scientifically proven to help brain cells grow. If you want to be like me, drink your pee." "Okay, time to employ plan b since they're MAKING me keep twitter," read one of a series of tweets by actor <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mad-men-actor-roles-before-they-were-famous-2015-4">Rich Sommer</a> of "Mad Men" fame, parodying Musk: "Does anyone know any advertisers who are, like, kind of 'into' racism NOT ACTUAL RACISTS!! just ad ppl who are, y'know, curious about what it's all about (racism).""The remaining staff at twitter are actively bullying me now," cartoonist <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wal-mart-furious-over-horse-website-2015-3">Jeph Jacques</a> tweeted from his verified account, which featured a profile photo of Musk from his PayPal era prior to <a href="https://pagesix.com/2018/07/25/its-highly-likely-elon-musk-spent-over-20k-on-hair-transplant-surgery-doctor-says/">suspected hair transplant surgery</a>. "Jed from accounting called me 'little baby bitchboy' to my face and nobody even said anything. I mean obviously I fired him and I'm having my goons break his wife's legs, but still. it hurts :("Since posting the joking tweets, each of the verified accounts — as well as others, including the account of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kathy-griffin-trump-reactions-2017-5">comedian Kathy Griffin</a> — have been restricted on Twitter or removed entirely."I had absolutely, let me be very clear, no intention of anyone truly believing that I was Elon Musk," Sommer told Insider. "I wanted to, I guess go down in flames. I knew I was headed for the exit door probably. But I also, just while I had that blue check, wanted to show that anyone could say they were anyone." <h2>The future of parody accounts</h2>Musk, who has described himself as a "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/free-speech-absolutist-elon-musk-censors-employees-critics-2022-3">free speech absolutist</a>" with intentions to make Twitter akin to a digital town square that allows <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1519036983137509376">all constitutionally protected speech</a>, on Sunday modified his previous comments to include only posts clearly designated as parody. "Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying 'parody' will be permanently suspended," Musk <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1589390597798125568">tweeted</a>. "Previously, we issued a warning before suspension, but now that we are rolling out widespread verification, there will be no warning. This will be clearly identified as a condition for signing up to Twitter Blue."Musk added that going forward, any change in name at all from a verified account would result in a "temporary loss of verified checkmark." His tweets came after accounts like Kluwe's, Sommer's, and Jacques' were suspended without warning."That is like just trying to put a band-aid on a forest fire, essentially," Kluwe told Insider about the plan to prevent abuse of the verification system. Kluwe said he aimed to draw attention to how easy it is to abuse the verified check mark by impersonating Musk and encouraged other verified users to do the same."It's especially rich coming from him, the 'champion of free speech' that he is," Kluwe added. "Like, if they're cracking down on parody then that actually would be a violation of free speech if this was a governmental public forum." <h2>Verified impersonators</h2>The existing Twitter <a href="https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/parody-account-policy">policy on parody, commentary, and fan accounts</a> specifically prohibits users from using language like "real" or "official" on accounts not associated with the person or organization they are parodying, but accounts that specify they are parodies are not an inherent violation of Twitter's existing <a href="https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/twitter-impersonation-and-deceptive-identities-policy#:~:text=You%20may%20not%20impersonate%20individuals,people%20can%20find%20authentic%20voices.">impersonation policy</a>. "You may not impersonate individuals, groups, or organizations to mislead, confuse, or deceive others, nor use a fake identity in a manner that disrupts the experience of others on Twitter," the existing <a href="https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/parody-account-policy">parody account policy</a> reads.In discussions with Insider, Kluwe, Sommer, and Jacques each clearly indicated they knew their posts were in violation of Twitter terms of service and each anticipated a warning or suspension of some kind, but wanted to prove a point about the potential for abusing the verification badge to fool other users, especially in light of planned changes to the process."Really the whole point was that I knew I was breaking the terms of service — like if they're perfectly within their rights to kick me off because you're not allowed to impersonate people, it's bad for disinformation — but under this new plan of trying to monetize the verified status, that's exactly what's going to happen," Kluwe told Insider, adding that scammers using verified accounts could post links to malware or scam sites while impersonating others."All it takes is one person clicking on that link and then falling for it," Kluwe said. "From the scammer's perspective, it's a huge return on investment."Musk last week announced planned <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/verified-twitter-users-may-have-to-pay-to-keep-their-badges-report-2022-10">changes to the verification system</a>, including an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-twitter-users-complain-pay-blue-tick-verification-fee-2022-11">$8 monthly subscription</a> to Twitter Blue to unlock verified status, which critics — including Kluwe, Sommer, and Jacques — worry will lead to scammers paying for verification only to pose as a more credible person to take advantage of others."One of the things the email [about my suspension] says is that 'significant changes to a verified profile can lead to confusion and erode the meaning of the badge,'" Jacques told Insider, adding that he believes Musk is a "chronic bullshit artist." "I'm thinking reading this email, like 'Yes the badge that you're going to be selling for $8 to anybody. That definitely has a lot of meaning.' It has been very funny. Elon has reacted exactly as I would have expected. And I'm very proud of everybody who took part in this amazing sequence of events," Jacques said.Musk and representatives for Twitter did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

While Elon Musk said 'comedy is now legal' following his acquisition of Twitter, jokes about the new owner and criticism over his takeover are getting users blocked and suspended

The incredible oblivion of Judge Marvin Isgur

Happy Friday! Somehow we've almost reached the end of this cursed year, and I, for one, could not be more pleased to give a not-so-fond farewell to 2020. Sadly I am not spending the holidays with my family due to the pandemic, and instead will be staying home and crossing my fingers that my holiday gifts arrive on time. (See more on the <keyword id="6354851" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="retail">retail</keyword> "shipageddon" below.) In the meantime, I've had the lyrical stylings of Taylor Swift to ease my woes. Not only were we blessed with a surprise album from the singer-songwriter last week, but also an iconic mention of Olive Garden. The restaurant chain makes an appearance in "No Body, No Crime," a murder-mystery ballad Swift sings alongside Haim, the trio of sister wunderkinds with hair as impeccable as their vocal skills and an <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CIqgddZl2uV/">enthusiasm for unlimited breadsticks</a>. The internet, of course, promptly lost its mind. Olive Garden was even so touched that Gene Lee - the CEO of Darden Restaurants, the chain's parent company - <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/olive-garden-ceo-thanks-taylor-swift-after-evermore-name-drop-2020-12">thanked Swift on a call with investors</a> earlier today. "When Taylor Swift drops our name in a song, our brand becomes very, very relevant. Thank you to Taylor Swift for dropping Olive Garden in her song," Lee said. Anyway, a lot happened in the world of retail this week, so let's dive in. If you haven't already subscribed, <a href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/click/19921095.876/aHR0cDovL25ld3NsZXR0ZXIuYnVzaW5lc3NpbnNpZGVyLmNvbS9qb2luLzRucC9kcml2ZXRocnU_bnJfZW1haWxfcmVmZXJlcj0xJnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9U2FpbHRocnUmdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY29udGVudD1Ecml2ZVRocnU/5c818d302ddf9c27c19a8b1aB1c4ef4a7">click here</a> to get me, Bethany Biron, and my colleague, Shoshy Ciment, in your inbox every Friday. <h2><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/shipping-delay-messages-important-narvar-ceo-says-2020-12">Tensions rise over 'shipageddon,' as holiday orders overwhelm capacity limits and cause shipping delays</a></h2><div type="image" title="fedex amazon" height="2000" width="2666" msid="79806436" hostid="261"></div>Though retailers <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/online-sales-surge-holiday-shopping-shipageddon-chart-2020-11?r=ts-sub">warned consumers</a> to get holiday shopping done early this year to prevent shipping delays, it appears many missed the memo. Now, tensions between retailers, carriers, and consumers are rising over what some are calling "shipageddon," as the US Postal Service, UPS, and FedEx struggle to navigate an unprecedented volume of online orders during the pandemic, leaving many Americans anxiously tracking the status of their holiday packages. In order to account for the increased demand,<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fedex-shipping-limits-surprising-small-businesses-pandemic-peak-holiday-season-2020-12"> FedEx announced this week</a> that it will place daily package limits on select businesses. The decision follows <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ups-tells-drivers-stop-picking-up-packages-macys-nike-gap-2020-12">UPS's choice of telling drivers</a> earlier this month to stop picking up orders altogether from large retailers like Gap and Macy's. Meanwhile, brands like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-last-day-to-order-for-christmas-2020-12">Walmart advised shoppers</a> making last-minute holiday purchases using two-day shipping to do so no later than December 19 to ensure gifts arrive by Christmas, a full three days earlier than last year. Other companies have simply conceded that it is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/last-day-to-order-before-christmas-deadlines-earlier-2020-12">already too late</a>, a challenge that Amit Sharma, CEO and founder of customer experience platform Narvar, said brands should be as transparent about as possible. "Even if it's not good news, I would expect a retailer to inform me," Sharma <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/shipping-delay-messages-important-narvar-ceo-says-2020-12">told Madeline Stone</a> this week. <h2><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/9-executives-leading-the-worlds-largest-pet-care-brands-2020-12">BarkBox goes public as the $100 billion petcare industry continues to skyrocket </a></h2><div type="image" title="Scoob! BarkBox" height="1110" width="1480" msid="79806437" hostid="261"></div>BarkBox, the popular subscription service for pet owners, announced it will file an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/barkbox-dog-subscription-service-to-go-public-via-spac-merger-2020-12">initial public offering</a> this week, coming on the heels of a huge uptick in pet adoption during the pandemic and massive growth for the petcare industry.The IPO - which notably follows competitor Petco's IPO just one month ago - is a result of a $1.6 billion merger with special acquisition company (SPAC) Northern Star Acquisitions Corp. The deal also marks the latest in a string of SPAC-backed IPOs over the last year.Sales of pet products are expected to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/9-executives-leading-the-worlds-largest-pet-care-brands-2020-12">reach $100 billion this year</a>, as pet owners increasingly look beyond traditional retailers to buy food, toys, and treats for their furry friends. Alex Bitter reported this week that the pivot to e-commerce has been particularly advantageous for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/10-dtc-pet-brands-that-are-challenging-mars-and-nestle-2020-12">brands like Chewy and BarkBox</a>, as consumers continue to find ways to purchase pet items online amid the pandemic. <h2><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-food-brands-overuse-plant-based-label-2020-12">'Plant-based' foods are everywhere now as brands cash in on the growing $5 billion industry</a></h2><div type="image" title="Impossible burger grocery shelf" height="1610" width="2146" msid="79806439" hostid="261"></div>The plant-based food industry swelled to an estimated $5 billion this year, as meat alternatives like Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger took over grocery store shelves and cropped up on menus everywhere from Burger King to Disney World.However, as Alex Bitter and Catherine LeClair reported this week, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-food-brands-overuse-plant-based-label-2020-12">nebulous definition of "plant-based"</a> has led several companies to use it as somewhat of a marketing catch-all. Beyond the popular meat alternatives, some brands - including those that have always been plant-based or that even contain a percentage of animal protein - have started adopting the term in an effort to cash in on the lucrative business. As a result, some experts are concerned the term is being over-used and may not accurately depict the contents of a product. "The reason they're doing it is they've seen the data that we have," said Michele Simon, the founder and executive director of the Plant Based Foods Association. "It's no secret to anyone following the food industry that plant-based foods are strongly growing and skyrocketing in popularity."<h2>Everything else you need to know:</h2><ul><li>We created a guide for getting <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-get-job-at-shopify-according-to-current-employees-2020-12">hired at Shopify</a>.</li><li>Finding Christmas trees has been particularly difficult during the pandemic as a result of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/christmas-tree-shortages-pandemic-great-recession-2020-12">higher than usual demand</a>.</li><li>Rihanna's lingerie company, Savage X Fenty, is seeking <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rihanna-savage-x-fenty-lingerie-brand-raising-100-million-nyt-2020-12">$100 million in funding</a> to launch athletic wear and expand in Europe.</li><li>Amazon employees have started a new <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-employees-start-anti-surveillance-petition-for-labor-tracking-2020-12">"anti-surveillance" petition</a> in order to curb union-busting and labor monitoring efforts.</li><li>Walmart wants to avoid <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-get-job-at-shopify-according-to-current-employees-2020-12">Amazon's mistakes with Whole Foods</a> as it adds more personal shoppers in-store.</li><li>A handful of companies are buying up <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-companies-acquired-zombie-brands-brooks-brothers-pier-1-2020-12">bankrupt "zombie brands"</a> on the cheap to save them from extinction while driving a profit. </li><li>Apple officially launched its new digital subscription fitness service, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/experts-say-peloton-doesnt-need-to-worry-apple-fitness-plus-2020-9">Apple Fitness Plus</a>.</li></ul>

Insider Retail: Americans are fretting over 'shipageddon,' BarkBox goes public, and brands play fast and loose with 'plant-based' moniker

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right no-rightrail"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div>It's a fascinating time for fintech.What was once a disruptive force in the financial world has become standard practice for many industry leaders. Fintech industry funding has already reached new highs globally in 2018, with overall funding hitting $32.6 billion at the end of Q3.Some new regions, including South America and Africa, are emerging on the scene.And some fintech companies, including a number of insurtechs, have dipped into new markets to escape heightened competition.Now that fintech has become mainstream, the next focus is on the rising stars in the industry. To that end, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/bi-intelligence-fintech-and-payments-research-bundle?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=content_marketing&amp;itm_campaign=report_teaser&amp;itm_content=learn_more_text&amp;itm_term=bundle_subscription_text_link-top-fintech-startup-companies">Business Insider Intelligence</a> has put together the following list of 10 Up and Coming Fintechs for 2019.<h2>Coconut</h2>Total raised: £1.9 million ($2.5 million)What it does: Coconut is a UK-based current account and accounting platform for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).Why it's hot in 2019: Next week, Coconut will launch its first subscription service, dubbed Grow, which will bundle unlimited invoicing and end of year tax reports, for £5 ($6.51) a month. This will make it a very attractive option for SMBs, that conventionally don't have a lot of time on their hands to handle their accounting.<h2>Brex</h2>Total raised: $282 millionWhat it does: Brex is a US-based corporate credit card provider, which initially focused on serving startups.Why it's hot in 2019: The startup gained unicorn status in 2018, only <a href="https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/post/credit-card-startup-joins-unicorn-club-months-after-launching-goldmans-marcus-threatens-uk-incumbents-uk-pfm-startup-launches-for-freelancers-2018-10">months</a> after it launched its first product. Now, after <a href="https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/post/goldmans-digital-product-marcus-eyes-wealth-product-tide-to-help-smbs-register-business-brex-gets-100m-in-debt-from-barclays-2019-4">receiving</a> debt financing worth $100 million, Brex wants to target larger enterprises with its topic - opening it up to a whole new set of customers and helping bring the company to the next level.<h2>TrueLayer</h2>Total raised: $11.8 millionWhat it does: UK-based TrueLayer provides financial services companies with application programming interfaces (APIs), and helps them make the most of new regulations including Open Banking. Why it's hot in 2019: TrueLayer recently partnered with <a href="https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/post/how-truelayer-helped-plum-make-the-most-of-open-banking-2018-12">Plum</a> to help it make the most of open banking, and expanded its API to <a href="https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/post/big-wall-street-names-team-up-to-launch-stock-exchange-2019-1">Germany</a>, where banks continue to struggle to comply with PSD2.<h2>Raisin</h2>Total raised: $178 millionWhat it does: German savings and investment marketplace Why it's hot in 2019: Raisin became a fintech unicorn after <a href="https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/post/raisin-raises-114m-revolut-closes-deal-with-wework-for-working-space-offering-coverhound-secures-58m-2019-2">raising</a> $114 million in January, and has since then formed partnerships with <a href="https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/post/london-stock-exchange-trials-blockchain-to-sell-shares-2019-4">Commerzbank</a> and <a href="https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/post/ai-insurtech-lemonade-secures-300m-investment-clearscore-partners-raisin-for-savings-accounts-ing-leads-funding-round-in-pfm-app-2019-4">ClearScore</a>. Additionally, the startup <a href="https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/post/finance-veteran-to-invest-50-million-in-life-insurtech-starling-helps-raisin-launch-bank-accounts-uk-account-aggregator-eyes-us-expansion-2018-12">partnered</a> with Starling Bank in 2018 to launch bank accounts in the UK<h2>Anorak</h2>Total raised: £9 million ($11.7 million)What it does: UK-based insurtech Anorak provides advice on life insurance Why it's hot in 2019: It <a href="https://www.accenture.com/gb-en/company-news-release-fintech-innovation-lab-london-uk">graduated</a> from Accenture's fintech innovation lab earlier this year, and is present on Starling's and Yolt's marketplace, where it will likely be able to gain more traction.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right no-rightrail"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div><h2>SoFi</h2>Total raised: $2 billionWhat it does: US-based online personal money management startupWhy it's hot in 2019: While the company previously focused on loans, including student loans, in 2019 it has made some significant moves into the wealth management space, and launched both free <a href="https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/post/sofi-to-launch-free-etfs-singapore-p2p-lender-nabs-152m-go-jek-partners-with-insurtech-for-driver-benefits-2019-2">ETFs</a> and an investment product, dubbed <a href="https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/post/sofi-launches-sofi-invest-eyes-fresh-lending-products-iwoca-secures-194m-mambu-raises-30m-2019-2">SoFi Invest</a>. As it becomes a more rounded financial product, SoFi will be worth watching in the next few years.<h2>Lending Express</h2>Total raised: $2.7 millionWhat it does: Lending Express is a US-based lending platform, which focuses on SMBs, and helps them gain access to more funding by providing them with advice.Why it's hot in 2019: SMBs remain underserved globally, and while a number of alt lenders have cropped up that make capital more accessible, there are still plenty of startups that need guidance on what they have to do to be able to get access to funding.<h2>Volt Bank</h2>Total raised: $45 millionWhat it does: Volt is an Australia-based neobankWhy it's hot in 2019: In <a href="https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/post/goldman-invests-in-uk-robo-advisor-nutmeg-lloyds-to-use-new-core-banking-system-volt-is-australias-first-fully-licensed-neobank-2019-1">January</a>, Volt became Australia's first fully licensed neobank. The challenger bank will first offer a suite of retail banking products, as well as budgeting and account aggregation tools, and plans to enter the SMB banking sector in 2020.<h2>Bowtie</h2>Total raised: $30 millionWhat it does: Hong Kong-based startup Bowtie provides consumers with life insurance.Why it's hot in 2019: In December 2018, Bowtie became the <a href="https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/post/square-applies-to-be-a-bank-hong-kong-awards-bowtie-first-digital-only-insurance-license-earnin-scoops-up-125-million-2018-12">first</a> insurtech in Hong Kong to receive an online-only insurance license from Hong Kong's Insurance Authority (IA). <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-insurance/hong-kong-gives-first-online-only-insurance-license-to-sun-life-backed-firm-idUSKCN1OJ0LE">Over 80%</a> of customers in Hong Kong willing to use digital channels to interact with insurance providers, making future demand for Bowtie very likely.<h2>Wefox</h2>Total raised: $158.5 millionWhat it does: German Wefox connects insurance companies to brokers that manage and consult their customers completely digital.Why it's hot in 2019: The insurtech <a href="https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/post/german-insurtech-gets-125m-as-ecosystem-flourishes-us-first-neobank-unicorn-minted-2019-3">raised</a> $125 million in March 2019, partnered with SBI Group earlier this year to launch in Asia. Given that Wefox partly works on a business-to-business model, it is likely that demand will be high from insurers that have to compete with a plethora of emerging insurtechs.<h2>Want to learn more?</h2>There's plenty more to learn about the future of fintech, payments, and the financial services industry. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/bi-intelligence-fintech-and-payments-research-bundle?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=content_marketing&amp;itm_campaign=report_teaser&amp;itm_content=learn_more_text&amp;itm_term=bundle_subscription_text_link-top-fintech-startup-companies">Business Insider Intelligence</a> has outlined the road ahead in a FREE report called The Future of Payments. Click below to receive your copy of the report.

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