The ugly duckling of shared economies

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Raise your hand if you own a powerbank. Now raise your other hand if your phone still often runs out of battery because you keep forgetting to either charge it or have your powerbank with you. 🙌

The shared powerbank sector was once considered a foolish idea. But look who’s laughing now as it dangles its US$1.1 billion market volume in front of those early naysayers. How did the concept grow? And will it take off in Southeast Asia? Scroll down for an analysis of this odd hype.

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🚚 Mumbai-based premium delivery service platform Scootsy will be merging with its parent company Swiggy.

😷A Japanese startup created an internet-connected face mask that connects via Bluetooth to devices and can make calls, amplify the mask wearer’s voice, and transcribe speech into text messages.

The ugly duckling of shared economies

You think betting on a losing team is bad? Try declaring online that “if powerbank sharing becomes successful, I’ll eat s**t” – only to find out a couple of years later that the shared powerbank market has become a US$1.1 billion market.

Powerbank rentals have become so commonplace in China that you would likely see a few of them just by walking around a mall.

A startup monitors conditions to keep construction workers safe