There are tiny storytelling microparticles on everything you own
Hi friends,
This past week we were very VERY super excited to learn that for the first time ever, someone accepted a position they discovered through one of these here 4CJ newsletters. The job is at Bento Box, which we talked about a few weeks ago in our 5th edition. We are completely humbled and hope that everyone remembers they deserve to work at the coolest companies on earth.
Moving on:
A common theme in human history is that weather predictions are bad and people are upset about it. Understory has an idea about how we can change this.
Some background knowledge: meteorology usually relies upon atmospheric analysis. The happenings of tiny particles in the sky (are they close together? far apart?) are extrapolated into predictions about what might occur on Earth’s surface (will it rain? snow?). The idea behind Understory is that we can provide more accurate forecasts with hyperlocal, ground-based data. In retrospect, this seems sorta obvious: we infuse uncertainty into predictions when we try to come up with them from 35,000km in the sky. And $485 billion of the US economy fluctuates with the weather, so there is a real need for better forecasts. Understory does things like help farmers reap better yields and insurance companies prep for disasters. More than this, though, their tech lets people better respond to and understand their environment. For example, they have started helping cities track air quality to make on-the-fly decisions that control pollution levels by adjusting tolls, traffic, and HOV lanes.
They’re hiring entry-level positions (recruiter, engineer, executive assistant) for a few locations in the Midwest and Texas. You don’t have to know anything about the weather.
Aira calls themselves “OnStar for the visually impaired.” They provide vision on demand.
The blind are able to adapt to a vision-first universe when it comes to most habitual tasks, like going to get the mail or feed the dog. But at points it becomes urgent or otherwise enriching to take in visual information. The mailbox key fell out of your pocket; the puppy has hidden your favorite shoes. When you can’t address these moments on your own, it squanders your confidence. With Aira, a customer can request help for any of these tasks through an app. They’ll be connected to a trained agent who can see their environment in real time (via phone camera or smart glasses). An AI will take over for certain tasks; otherwise, the real-life agent provides remote assistance (AI + RA = AIRA). Overall, this is an incredible company: they’ve technologized a big piece of empathy (the ability to see what someone else sees) to help people live more independent lives.
Aira is still looking for a few summer positions (software engineers) as well as a full-time entry product designer. You can also apply to be one of their remote agents.
Checkr uses tech to do background checks. The appeal is that they’re able to tweak the process towards fairness in a few key ways.
For a lot of people, getting background checked is stressful: you don’t see what’s being reported, you don’t know how far back they’re going to go, you don’t know how the past will be conveyed. And how will your potential employer react to what they see? Checkr is trying to fix all of these problems. For people with criminal backgrounds, they try to evaluate infractions within the context of positional requirements (a serious traffic crime is a biggy for an Uber driver but maybe not that relevant to a sales associate). Checkr also investigates only within a standardized time frame, and they let check-ee’s download the report. Plus, they’re developing fancy algorithms to be able to make sophisticated industry-based classifications (like, to avoid turnover in retail or reduce holistic costs in the nonprofit world).
They’re hiring user researchers and entry-level managers in both customer success and sales development. San Francisco.
Things pick up tiny microorganisms wherever they go. Phylagen is tapping into this invisible storytelling biota to secure global supply chains.
Here’s a good example of how this works: a single pair of Vans checkerboard slip-ons passes through an astounding 78 factories across the world before they’re ready to be sold. Phylagen will collect samples of the microbes that call each node in this supply chain home: the fungi on the farm that harvests the cotton, the bacteria in the factory that produces the rubber, etc. They can then swab any finished product with a q-tip, just like a DNA test, to learn what trip around the world the shoes took. If you’re a brand, you use this “Origin Test” to guarantee that your products aren’t being produced in sloppy, unsafe factories (which apparently happens sometimes without anyone knowing?); if you’re a retailer, you check for counterfeits (a real pair will have distinct microbes); if you’re the US government, you track the history of goods to enforce tariffs. This can theoretically be done with any product.
They are hiring for a few advanced sales positions and directorships, as well as an operations gig.
See you next week.
Love,
Your Caring Parents
(Dana & Lea)