It’s Wednesday: Another week half shot. Today is National Gibberish Day. No safe bets on the word’s etymology, but likely an onomatopoeia of the jibber-jabber, babble and gabble it describes.
But not gobbledygook. That was all Maury Maverick.
Jobless numbers creep up again: Long Island’s unemployment rate climbed to 4.4 percent in August, up 0.2 percentage points from a year ago. Nassau County’s rate increased by the same amount to 4.2 percent, while Suffolk County’s rate also rose 0.2 percentage points to 4.6 percent.
By comparison, New York State’s rate was 4.9 percent and the national rate was 4.5 percent.
Long Island unemployment was highest in the villages of Lindenhurst and Hempstead, at 5.3 percent.
Strength in numbers: NYC-based Brighton Health Plan Solutions is partnering with the nine-hospital Long Island Health Network. The story’s here.
Clear opportunity: Huntington startup Kantian Skincare has topped $1 million in sales and is considering doubling the workforce. To two.
Open your arms, bonnie gene: Two NYIT faculty members have landed a three-year, $568,000 grant from the NIH’s human genome research institute to study how the environment is affecting our DNA.
Adding resources: Uniondale’s Sahn Ward Coschignano has been retained to handle land-use and environmental issues for the Shinnecock Indian Nation. SWC partner Miriam Villani and special counsel Thomas McKevitt are leading the effort.
Planet Earth is blue: A Stony Brook University team is working with Australian researchers to study the depression and psychological conditions experienced by astronauts. (Just imagine if your analyst was on a 44-minute delay.)
Speaking of depressed space people: The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico had to shut down this week as Hurricane Maria was upgraded to a Category 5. The observatory is home to the largest single-dish radio telescope on the planet. (Yes, it’s where Pierce Brosnan kicked butt as Bond in “Goldeneye.”)
Listen up: Farrell Fritz partner Charles Strain opines, eloquently, about the need for a true innovation district at the Nassau Hub space.
Don’t forget: Mark “Let’s Buy it” Mlotek, chief strategic officer for Henry Schein, keynotes the next LI Capital Alliance investor forum, Sept. 27, 8 to 11 a.m., 68 South Service Road, register here.
Oh, and: Suffolk County is holding an auction of “real” properties, by which it appears to mean delinquent tax seizures, mostly homes and land but at least one boat slip, Oct. 17 and 18, details here. (Fake properties sold at a later date.)
A bone to pick: The median time needed to complete an autopsy in NYC decreased to 57 days, down from 69 days a year ago, according to a report from the mayor’s office.
Craic service: Northwell Health is expanding its partnership with an Ireland-based care management company. As part of the deal, Northwell patients can avail themselves of online physiotherapy, which helps restore movement and function lost by injury or illness.
Also: The health system opened a $13 million, multi-specialty practice in Bay Shore, near Southside Hospital.
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WHAT WE’RE READING
This didn’t go over very well: A group of prominent scientists announced that we may have a lot more time than previously thought to save the world from climate change.
Apple Watch: There are now eight models of the iPhone on the market. Here’s a handy guide.
Growth opportunity: Bayer is teaming up with Boston startup Ginkgo Bioworks to engineer new microorganisms that provide nitrogen to host plants, reducing the amount of fertilizer farmers need. The Bayer/Ginkgo joint venturedoesn’t have a name, but it does have financing. The partners, joined by Viking Global Investors, have committed $100 million.
This is cool: SkyCool Systems is commercializing technology that uses high-tech mirrors to cool buildings, cutting energy use by 10 to 70 percent and shrinking one of the biggest single demands on the U.S. grid and reducing greenhouse-gas emissions accordingly.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ Ellevest, a New York-based investment platform geared towards women, raised $34.6 million in a funding round led by Rethink Impact, Salesforce and Morningstar among others.
+ Mikey’s, a baked goods company with offices in Scottsdale and Manhasset that offers certified gluten-free, dairy free, diabetic friendly, vegan and kosher products, raised $5 million from Factory LLC.
+ ManufactOn, a Boston-based startup delivering a collaborative, cloud and mobile solution for the construction industry, secured a $2.5 million Series A funding round led by Brick & Mortar Ventures with participation from Autodesk and WND Ventures.
BELOW THE FOLD
Taking the entrepreneurial plunge: Evelyn & Bobbie set out to make a brawomen might actually look forward to wearing. That means no straps, no wires and no tags. The Kickstarter campaign brought in $400,000 from 3,500 backers.
Sneaker shock: Adidas’ footwear has overtaken Brand Jordan as the No. 2 top-selling brand in footwear. It’s shoe, the Tubular Shadow, is also on the top five best selling shoes list.
Tastes like chicken: By 2050, more than 9 billion people on the planet will be looking for something to eat. It will almost certainly include edible insects.
Related: Sept. 23 is Zwanze Day, on which kegs of the famed beer are tapped at select locations around the world simultaneously, including 28 U.S. locations, two in NYC.
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Compiled by John Kominicki. Thanks for reading.
