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We know how busy a student's schedule can be, so to keep you informed on the latest tech news, we decided to summarize the hottest topics with just the right amount of information! We hope you enjoy!
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Terms of the week: IPO(Initial Public Offering), ED-TECH
Product Review: Meetup (7/10)
We all have a passion or hobby that we love to do in our spare time but sometimes lack the social connections to be able to do them. Luckily, this week's product review can help you find or build a community that you are interested in. Meetup is a digital service platform that helps organize groups related to a users personal interests. If you're interested in basketball, you can join a basketball group that plays pickup every weekend. If you're interested in tech, you can join a community that hosts weekly conferences just to talk about tech! If you love hiking, you can join a group of people who are just as passionate about it and go on long journeys together. Today there are about 225,000 communities in 180 countries!
Layout: After creating an account on Meetup, all you do is enter your location to find the closest meetups near you. You can also search for meetups by category, date, location, or suggestions based on your interests. Click on any meetup that interests you to learn more about it. You can find out who attends it, what they do when they were founded, and what they’re all about! To join any Meetup Group, you use your Meetup Homepage and click on the ‘Find a Meetup Group’ link to view groups in your local area that match your interests. A listing shows groups by their title and the number of members. Additionally, if you have any questions for the organizer, you can send them a message via Meetup and address your inquiries. A calendar view is also available which displays Meetup groups nearby you by day and date.
Function: Meetup is completely free for everyone. There are no restrictions to joining – all you have to do is confirm that you're joining, and then show up at the organized time! It’s also so simple to create your own meetup! Simply enter a bit of information about where you are and what you want to do, and then wait to see if others are interested as well. We recommend not choosing the events based on group size, as many small Meetups are good at bringing people with common interests together.
Flaws: Being a service that allows for events to be hosted has caused Meetup to face many concerns from the users. Many of these worries are targeted towards the lack of safety and security protocols set by Meetup. Because you only need an email address to sign up, and the website has no identity verification, anyone could attend a meetup and pose a safety concern to users. Although there are community guidelines and rules that constitute an appropriate meetup, it is still risky to leave the platform so insecure.
Product Hat: One way to improve this flaw is by creating a "neighborhood watch" feature. The feature can require its organizers to assign this duty to 1 or 2 members who will keep a lookout while the event continues in order to make sure everyone is safe and having a good time.
With the world opening back up again, we can expect more meetups to start taking place. We @Berkpress give Meetup a 7/10! We look forward to seeing some of you create your own meetups; and if you can't create one, join one! Tag us on Twitter and we will help promote your Meetup event!
If you would like us to review a certain product, please reach out to us via email.
🔥Hottest🔥 Tech News, Summarized For You!
1.🥕Instacart CEO, Apoorva Mehta, was forced to step down this month after several years of chaotic management and high turnover among executives. As Instacart aims to go public at a valuation of ~$50B, the company went with Fidji Simo, a successful Facebook product executive, to be its new leader.
2. Nikola founder, Trevor Milton, was indicted on 3 fraud counts for lying about “nearly all aspects of the business” to bolster stock and defraud investors into buying Nikola shares through statements about the company's product and technology development. Milton pleaded not guilty. Each criminal count carries a maximum prison term of 20 or 25 years. Many are comparing Nikola's current state with WeWork's debacle!
3. Duolingo ($DUOL), an ED-TECH startup, just went IPO! With a valuation of $6.5B, the stock price opened at $141 per share which crossed the top end of its target range (💲102). The company's flotation comes at a time of increased investor interest in the EdTech space after pandemic restrictions sent students and teachers from the classroom to the web.
🎉🍾Congratulations, Duolingo! Check out their Careers Page.
Product Development Internship @ BaubleBar: BaubleBar is a fashion accessories brand, leveraging real-time data across the entire design process. BaubleBar is looking for a Product Development Intern who will assist in the day-to-day development procedures for both current and new jewelry items. The intern will learn about the entire product development process from initial design to product development and bulk production. If this opportunity sounds interesting, click the link above to apply!
VC Analyst @ Foundry: Foundry is a venture firm that focuses on funding Seed & Series A startups. Foundry is looking for a VC Analyst who will develop networks while evaluating investment opportunities in both venture capital funds and early-stage technology companies. This is a 2-year role at Foundry and will provide successful analysts with a path to operating positions in the company's direct portfolio or an opportunity to migrate into their Partner Fund portfolio. If this opportunity sounds interesting, click the link above to apply!
Software Engineering Intern @ Anduril: Anduril is a defense product company that builds technology for military agencies and border surveillance. The intern will be responsible for the full product lifecycle, including design, implementation, deployment, and maintenance. The intern will be making trade-offs as they work to ensure that the systems are prepared to scale - so being able to effectively communicate these trade-offs with their teammates is a must. If this opportunity sounds interesting, click the link above to apply!
If you're interested in advertising a role, please reach out to us via email.
Omair Khan is the founder of Berkeley Product Press. Our team focuses on helping students learn and grow about Product domain. If you would like to become a writer for Berkeley Product Press please reach out to us!
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