AI hearing aids, investments in women’s sports: the question of a trend

On today’s episode of Asking for a Trend, host Josh Lipton breaks down some of the biggest stories and topics of the trading week.

Daymond John, founder of FUBU and Shark Group, and Brandon Sawalich, CEO of Starkey, discuss how Starkey is using AI to revolutionize the hearing aid industry.

Explaining that he uses Starkey hearing aids, John explains: “They are much more than something I use just to enhance hearing, which is probably the most important part. But now I can use them for so much more.” Sawalich explains that Starkey is “redefining hearing aids and removing the stigma of what hearing aids are.” He continues: “It’s not about amplifying the sound. “You have a minicomputer in your ear, where the ear is basically the new wrist, that helps people be the best they can be every day.” The technology can be used for things like listening to music, sending messages and used to translate languages. Sawalich even calls it “your personal assistant.”

Women’s sports have attracted investor attention as WNBA viewership climbs to a record high during the WNBA Finals. Justus Parmar, CEO of Fortuna Investments, explains why the venture capital firm is investing in women’s sports. Parmar explains his view that sport is an emerging area of ​​investment, with women’s sport representing a particularly attractive investment opportunity. “It’s a very unique asset class. So there are the four big men’s clubs. These are, so to speak, the blue-chip stocks in the portfolio. There’s obviously men’s baseball, men’s basketball, men’s football, NHL hockey… When it comes to women’s sports, it’s more of a, I don’t want to say a venture or a growth investment, but you know, some people think that it is underrepresented.”

Finally, Josh Lipton discusses what to watch next week, from Tesla (TSLA) earnings to new real estate data.

This article was written by Melanie Riehl