Market Research

Below is a collection of every Market Research article by The Information.
Art by Clark Miller.
Market Research

Has Continuous Glucose Monitoring Peaked?

By Annie Goldsmith · Oct 27, 2023 10:00am PDT · 5 comments
In November 2020, marketing consultant Sarah Eade Bengard was in St. Barts, mingling at a venture capitalist friend’s beach party, when she noticed something strange. A number of guests had small circular sensors dotting their upper arms. They were continuous glucose monitors, medical devices usually reserved for diabetics who need to... In November 2020, marketing consultant Sarah Eade Bengard was in St. Barts, mingling at a venture...
Market Research

Market Research: The AI Boom Expands to the Hair and Makeup Counter

By Beth Shapouri · Aug 26, 2023 6:00am PDT
Selin Tyler was frustrated. The director of product marketing and business operations for Dolby Technologies was stuck in what she called “a cycle of trial and error” with her skin. She turned to Parallel Health, a beauty company focused on custom skin care, set to launch next month. Tyler joined the brand’s 2021 Institutional... Selin Tyler was frustrated. The director of product marketing and business operations for Dolby...
Art by Clark Miller.
Market Research

Education Meets Insulation: Bento Boxes, Smartwatches and Other Back-to-School Buys

By Annie Goldsmith · Aug 19, 2023 6:00am PDT · 1 comment
Janine Sickmeyer, the founding partner at seed and pre-seed firm Overlooked Ventures, was trying to find a low-tech way to occupy her four kids under age 8. She, like many of her Silicon Valley peers, aims to keep her young children off screens as much as possible. “Even though I’m a tech entrepreneur and investor in tech, I always... Janine Sickmeyer, the founding partner at seed and pre-seed firm Overlooked Ventures, was trying...
The DJI Mavic Mini 3 Pro Drone ($669). Art by Clark Miller.
Tech on the Trail: Silicon Valley’s Favorite Smart Hiking Gear
By Beth Shapouri · Jun 24, 2023 6:00am PDT · 12 comments
The DJI Mavic Mini 3 Pro Drone ($669). Art by Clark Miller.
Market Research

Tech on the Trail: Silicon Valley’s Favorite Smart Hiking Gear

By Beth Shapouri · Jun 24, 2023 6:00am PDT · 12 comments
Drew Romero’s hikes were weighing on him, literally. A Reston, VA-based senior software developer for technology consulting company Tkxel, Romero thought heavy accessories—battery packs and bottles of water—would hamstring him on a challenging five-day hike through a remote mountain range in Skardu in the Gilgit-Baltistan... Drew Romero’s hikes were weighing on him, literally. A Reston, VA-based senior software...
Art by Clark Miller
Market Research

The Electric Vehicle Newbie’s Guide to Summer Road Tripping

By Tim Stevens · Jun 17, 2023 6:00am PDT · 6 comments
Road trip season is upon us, and with electric vehicle sales up almost 50% so far in 2023, there’s a good chance that wherever you’re going, you won’t need gasoline. But you will need to recharge, and that’s where things can get complicated. I have been testing EVs for well over a decade and have driven thousands of miles... Road trip season is upon us, and with electric vehicle sales up almost 50% so far in 2023,...
Nike Vaporfly ($250). Art by Clark Miller.
Market Research

Running Shoe or Cheat Code? Tech Pros on Their Performance-Enhancing Athletic Gear

By Annie Goldsmith · May 13, 2023 6:00am PDT · 2 comments
Samantha Whitmore has run seven marathons and six ultramarathons. Her favorite was a 44-mile rim-to-rim-to-rim run of the Grand Canyon, which she and her husband have traversed four times. “You’ll come away from the experience feeling like you are capable of anything,” she said. “It’s a mental as well as... Samantha Whitmore has run seven marathons and six ultramarathons. Her favorite was a 44-mile...
Art by Clark Miller.
Market Research

Hacking Mother’s Day: What Tech Leaders Are Buying the Moms in Their Lives

By Annie Goldsmith · May 6, 2023 6:01am PDT
Dallin Bills’ family has a very specific Mother’s Day ritual. The Battery Ventures principal and his three kids, ages 7, 5 and 1, cut out hearts from colorful construction paper. On each paper heart, the group writes down their favorite things about their mom, Kayla, such as “I like it when Mom swings me on the swing” and... Dallin Bills’ family has a very specific Mother’s Day ritual. The Battery Ventures...
Fujifilm X100V digital camera ($1,900). Art by Clark Miller.
Smart Travel Tech for the Work-From-Anywhere Crowd
By Annie Goldsmith · Apr 22, 2023 6:00am PDT · 3 comments
Fujifilm X100V digital camera ($1,900). Art by Clark Miller.
Market Research

Smart Travel Tech for the Work-From-Anywhere Crowd

By Annie Goldsmith · Apr 22, 2023 6:00am PDT · 3 comments
Luca Tomescu and Selina Eshraghi spend around nine months a year as nomads. The couple just arrived in Vienna, where Tomescu, a Web3 product manager, and Eshraghi, the founder of Pandamonium Design, will remain for the next month and half. Then they will head to Romania, where Tomescu is from, for two weeks, before venturing to New York for June... Luca Tomescu and Selina Eshraghi spend around nine months a year as nomads. The couple just...
Photo-illustration by Clark Miller
Market Research

Biohacking Spas Are Becoming the New Starbucks

By Zara Stone · Apr 15, 2023 6:00am PDT · 8 comments
The first time Joslyn Lacy tried neurofeedback, she was skeptical. A finance administrator for a large cloud software company, Lacy dealt in numbers, not woo-woo. But she’d long struggled with chronic pain and anxiety related to underlying medical conditions. “As an African American, I wasn’t feeling heard by my doctors,”... The first time Joslyn Lacy tried neurofeedback, she was skeptical. A finance administrator for a...
Art by Clark Miller
Market Research

Roadie Revolution: The Stunning New Tech on Silicon Valley Bikes

By Tim Stevens · Apr 8, 2023 7:00am PDT · 7 comments
As a technology, the bicycle hasn’t changed much since 1885, when designer J.K. Starley decided to use a chain to drive the rear wheel. Nearly 140 years later, a foot still turns a crank that pulls a chain that spins a wheel. But the tech that’s layered on top of the modern bicycle is the stuff of sci-fi. I spoke with a number of... As a technology, the bicycle hasn’t changed much since 1885, when designer J.K. Starley...
Art by Clark Miller.
Market Research

The Full-Body Scanners Will See You Now

By Zara Stone · Mar 31, 2023 11:00am PDT · 5 comments
In late September 2022, Ryan Crownholm, a 46-year-old entrepreneur from Los Angeles, donned a pair of plush surgical scrubs and hopped onto a stainless-steel MRI table at Prenuvo, a fast-growing chain of body-scanning clinics. Crownholm, the founder of dirt-hauling startup DirtMatch, was undergoing an elective MRI, which cost him... In late September 2022, Ryan Crownholm, a 46-year-old entrepreneur from Los Angeles, donned a...
Art by Clark Miller.
The Skin-Tech Devices Helping Execs Beautify in a Hurry
By Aja Mangum · Mar 25, 2023 7:00am PDT · 3 comments
Art by Clark Miller.
Market Research

The Skin-Tech Devices Helping Execs Beautify in a Hurry

By Aja Mangum · Mar 25, 2023 7:00am PDT · 3 comments
I’m always 29 at heart,” said Liyia Wu, CEO of ShopShops, a livestream shopping app for fashion, beauty and lifestyle products. But now that she’s actually over 40, Wu is searching for her fountain of youth. She’s one of the many time-starved executives navigating the crowded beauty tech marketplace, which did an... I’m always 29 at heart,” said Liyia Wu, CEO of ShopShops, a livestream shopping app...
Art by Clark Miller.
Market Research

The Starlink Exit Plan: How SpaceX’s Satellites Are Bringing Remote Workers to the Wilderness

By Tim Stevens · Mar 11, 2023 7:00am PST · 7 comments
The promise of Starlink is simple: You, city dweller, dream of holing up in a cabin, sailing the high seas or vagabonding across the country in an RV. But you’re still going to need an internet connection. Enter Starlink, the satellite internet provider operated by SpaceX that will beam high-speed internet down to you whether you’re... The promise of Starlink is simple: You, city dweller, dream of holing up in a cabin, sailing the...
Art by Clark Miller.
Market Research

If Teslas Had a Kickstand: Premium Electric Motorcycles Are Finally Ready to Ride

By Tim Stevens · Feb 18, 2023 7:00am PST · 10 comments
I’ve loved motorcycles all my life—ridden them on both road and track for almost 20 years. And I’ve been obsessed with electric bikes since I got my first ride on a pre-production Zero S way back in 2009. Since then, I’ve ridden dozens of electric motorcycles and, while I haven’t loved all of them, I’ve always... I’ve loved motorcycles all my life—ridden them on both road and track for almost 20...
A selection of AI-generated selfies (good ones on the left, duds on the right) of the author Zara Stone.
Market Research

Know Thy Selfie: A Journey Into the Uncanny Valley of AI-Generated Avatars

By Zara Stone · Feb 3, 2023 12:00pm PST · 4 comments
At 7 a.m. on August 22, 2022, Yaron Inger woke up to find his business irrevocably changed. The co-founder and chief technology officer of Lightricks, which develops Facetune and other popular media-editing apps, scrolled through his newsfeed, his eyes flicking from one image to another. While Inger slept, Stable Diffusion, an open-source... At 7 a.m. on August 22, 2022, Yaron Inger woke up to find his business irrevocably changed. The...
Art by Clark Miller.
The Anti-Apple Watches: Silicon Valley’s Other Status Timepieces Are Beautifully Analog
By Tim Stevens · Jan 6, 2023 1:00pm PST · 16 comments
Art by Clark Miller.
Market Research

The Anti-Apple Watches: Silicon Valley’s Other Status Timepieces Are Beautifully Analog

By Tim Stevens · Jan 6, 2023 1:00pm PST · 16 comments
Matt Kixmoeller is a watch guy. He’s owned dozens of timepieces, including Rolexes and Longines. But don’t ask him about smartwatches. “I bought each of the first three or four generations of Apple Watch, wore them for a few weeks and then returned them each time,” he said. “Another digital distraction to steal my... Matt Kixmoeller is a watch guy. He’s owned dozens of timepieces, including Rolexes and...
Art by Clark Miller.
Market Research

‘This Is the Best. I’ve Tried Everything’: Tech Execs on the Ski Gear They Won’t Go Downhill Without

By Annie Goldsmith · Dec 16, 2022 12:00pm PST · 15 comments
For tech’s skiers and snowboarders, it’s the most wonderful time of the year—and also the most decision-packed. “Every year I feel like I have to pick a religion: either Epic or Ikon,” said Aziz Gilani, managing director at Mercury Fund, an early-stage venture capital firm. For Gilani, choosing between the two... For tech’s skiers and snowboarders, it’s the most wonderful time of the...
Art by Clark Miller.
Market Research

‘I Can Take Video Calls Even While Cooking’: The Smart Kitchen Appliances That Tech People Love

By Terri Williams · Dec 9, 2022 1:00pm PST · 3 comments
“We have three kids, two cats and a dog,” said Charles Edge, chief technology officer at Bootstrappers.mn, a venture capital firm in Minneapolis. “It’s a busy household in the morning, with kids and animals screaming for food and needing to be driven to school or daycare.” A wide array of smart kitchen tools is... “We have three kids, two cats and a dog,” said Charles Edge, chief technology officer...
Art by Clark Miller
Market Research

I Wrote This Article With a Quest Pro

By Ryan Broderick · Dec 2, 2022 12:00pm PST · 3 comments
At the end of October, I made my way to a Best Buy in uptown Manhattan, plopped down $1,499.99, plus $133.12 in sales tax (thanks, New York), and picked up a Quest Pro. From the moment I pulled it out of the box, its shiny black high-quality plastic, its contact-charging station, and even its hefty one-and-a-half-pound weight all screamed... At the end of October, I made my way to a Best Buy in uptown Manhattan, plopped down $1,499.99,...
Art by Clark Miller.
‘People Are Shocked at How Much Further They Can Go’: The Suped-Up Electric Wheels Silicon Valley Is Stockpiling
By Annie Goldsmith · Nov 17, 2022 3:38pm PST · 8 comments
Art by Clark Miller.
Market Research

‘People Are Shocked at How Much Further They Can Go’: The Suped-Up Electric Wheels Silicon Valley Is Stockpiling

By Annie Goldsmith · Nov 17, 2022 3:38pm PST · 8 comments
Like fitness trackers and Pelotons, electric-powered bikes, boards and scooters are now a Silicon Valley mainstay—and one per family may no longer suffice. With the marketplace filling with new and highly specialized electric wheels, each serving a specific function, trip length or mood, it’s becoming increasingly common for households to... Like fitness trackers and Pelotons, electric-powered bikes, boards and scooters are now a Silicon...