Michelle Brown is an educator by training, and an entrepreneur by necessity. Having taught in both low-income and high resource schools, Michelle felt empowered to create a tool to help bridge the gap, so that students had access to a stellar education regardless of their socioeconomic status. A couple of years later, CommonLit was born. CommonLit is a free tool that offers reading passages, tracking tools, and customized assistance for students in grades 5-12. In this Firesi

Hameed Bello and Marlon Taylor met at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where they were classmates and fraternity brothers. With a similar “get-it-done” work ethic and itch for entrepreneurism, they co-founded Frntal, an app for users to lease and rent items in a peer-to-peer marketplace. Anything from books, to landscaping equipment, to a parking spot can be rented from Frntal, allowing lessors to earn money on unused items and lessees to save money instead of p

Catch up on current events with these news highlights from last week. BUSINESS From concept art to store shelves: How Lego creates its ‘Star Wars’ toys Have you ever wondered what Lego’s design process is for its products? Star Wars ranks among Lego’s top five licenses, and their products begin development one to two years before their release to retail shelves. Lego product designers share an inside look into the development of Rey’s speeder from Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Catch up on current events with these news highlights from last week. BUSINESS Amid Brick-and-Mortar Travails, a Tipping Point for Amazon in Apparel As brick-and-mortar retail spaces continue to close, Amazon has filed a patent to manufacture custom-made suits, dresses, and shirts on-demand. This follows the growth of e-commerce that now constitutes 20% of total national retail spending and signals a change in consumers’ willingness to purchase apparel online. HEALTH Stalking

Catch up on current events with these news highlights from last week. BUSINESS Stores are closing at an epic pace The latest casualty in the decline of brick-and-mortar retailers is Bebe which plans to close 28 stores and is “exploring strategic alternatives.” Credit Suisse reported this month that “[possibly] more than 8,600 brick-and-mortar stores will close their doors in 2017” which amounts to a loss of 147 million square feet of retail space. HEALTH How one county slashe

Catch up on current events with these news highlights from last week. BUSINESS Inside the Hotel Industry’s Plan to Combat Airbnb Concerned about the rise of Airbnb, the American Hotel and Lodging Association launched two campaigns on the local, state, and federal level against the short-term rental company. First, three senators asked for an investigation into how companies like Airbnb affect soaring housing costs.” Second, “in October, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York signed

Catch up on current events with these news highlights from last week. BUSINESS Duolingo’s Luis Von Ahn on How the Language App Added Africa to the Mix The founder of the smartphone-based language learning app discusses common trends among the 150 million users who use Duolingo. A study conducted by the City University of New York claims that “34 hours on Duolingo is equivalent to a university semester of language classes,” so pull up the free app and start learning languages

Catch up on current events with these news highlights from last week. BUSINESS An era ends for Starbucks and Howard Schultz Next month, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz steps down from the once-flailing coffee shop empire and will continue his advocacy work on social causes. In the weeks proceeding his resignation, read about his storied career making coffee a luxury commodity and steering Starbucks away from financial ruin during the 2008 recession. HEALTH How health care works

Catch up on current events with these news highlights from last week. BUSINESS Investors are putting their dollars into patient experience As healthcare reform faces another iteration, investors are shifting their focus to investments in personalized health and wellness and improving the patient experience. Conversely, electronic health record platforms have received the least amount of investments. HEALTH What Are the Best Snacks Before Bedtime? Isabel Maples of the Academy