🦄 Rihanna's unicorn status

...and eyeballs are the new passports
 

Should've checked in with your eyeballs [Don Mason/The Image Bank via GettyImages]

 
Yesterday's Market Moves
 
S&P 500
4,429 (+0.60%)		Dow Jones
35,064 (+0.78%)		Nasdaq
14,895 (+0.78%)		Bitcoin
$40,287 (+2.64%)
S&P 500
4,429 (+0.60%)		Dow Jones
35,064 (+0.78%)
Nasdaq
14,895 (+0.78%)		Bitcoin
$40,287 (+2.64%)

Hey Snackers,

Bye, Arthur. The longest-running kids cartoon in history is ending after 25 seasons.

Stocks rebounded on news that jobless claims ticked down last week, meaning fewer layoffs.

Diamonds

Rihanna gains billionaire-status thanks to Fenty, as the celeb-preneur biz model thrives

Better have my money… Better yet: my billions. Rihanna was already the richest female musician on Earth, and second only to Oprah as the richest female entertainer. Now, the music icon has another title to put under her umbrella: billionaire.

  • Rihanna is now worth $1.7B, according to Forbes. But the badgal didn't gain unicorn-status because of music. RiRi hasn't released an album since 2016.
  • The real diamonds lie in Fenty Beauty, Ri's cosmetics company. An estimated $1.4B of her fortune comes from the value of Fenty – and her whopping 50% stake.
  • Good time to be Fenty: Beauty companies are thriving as makeup sales bounce back. Shares of L'Oreal and Estee Lauder are at record highs, and smaller brands like Beautycounter are becoming unicorns.

Contour stick in "mocha"... Fenty launched in 2017 as a 50-50 joint venture with French luxury giant LVMH, which owns 75 brands — including Dior, Bulgari, Dom Pérignon, and Sephora. At its debut, Fenty was hailed as groundbreaking for offering 40 inclusive foundation shades, many of which sold out in days.

  • Instant glow-up: By 2018, Fenty generated more than $550M in annual sales, beating out Kylie Cosmetics and Kim Kardashian's KKW Beauty.
  • Shining bright: Fenty has gained popularity on Sephora shelves, and expanded into skincare last year.
THE TAKEAWAY

Celeb-preneurship is thriving.. The old celeb model: stars getting paid to put their name and face behind a brand's product. The new model: stars own the products and their marketing. Instead of promoting other brands, celeb-preneurs leverage their massive followings to push their own – like Rihanna with her 103M Insta followers. That's led to successes: Kim K & Kylie's beauty companies are worth $1B+, Jessica Alba's Honest Co just IPO'd, and Jay-Z's Tidal was snatched by Square.

Pass

As travel revs up, Clear Security is taking its digital ID beyond the airport security line

Don't forget the vax card… In some bars and concert venues, it's becoming as common as a 21+ ID check. Many locations, and all of NYC, are requiring proof of vax status for indoor activities like working out or dining. That's good news for Clear Secure, TSA PreCheck's techier cousin. Clear shares have soared 74% since it IPO'd in June.

  • Clear makes biometric kiosks that scan you through exclusive security lines at 38 US airports and 26 sports and entertainment venues — for $179/year.

Where there's a wait… there's a way. Last year's pandemic shutdowns were hard on Clear. As flights and Ariana Grande concerts were canceled, Clear's revenue plunged 50% from March to April 2020. Then, Clear saw a light at the end of the terminal: Covid tests and vaccines presented a key opportunity to expand beyond IDs for flying. So it got to work:

  • Health Pass: In June last year, Clear launched a product that links Covid health info to biometric identifiers like faces, eyeballs, and fingerprints.
  • Now, Health Pass is also a digital vax card that can be used to enter a growing number of locations. Including: NBA arenas, theaters, offices, restaurants, and casinos.
THE TAKEAWAY

IDs could be next in the contactless revolution… Clear isn't stopping at airport lines — it wants your eyeballs to be your ID at work, at happy hour, and at the doc's office. Just like contactless payments are making wallets and cash obsolete, biometric IDs could make your driver's license obsolete. Companies like IBM and Mastercard are working on their own digital health IDs. The biometric ID market is growing — it's expected to more than double from $20B last year to $44B by 2026.

What else we're Snackin'
  • Fork: The ethereum blockchain just got a major update which could make transaction fees less volatile, and mining less lucrative
  • Green: Under pressure from investors, Exxon is reportedly considering a pledge plan to cut its net carbon emissions to zero by 2050.
  • Boost: Moderna says people who receive its vax will need booster shots in the fall to protect against different variants.
  • Detect: Apple is rolling out new software to identify and report child pornography, as part of a series of privacy changes to protect kids.
  • Miss: Nintendo's sales dropped last quarter as we ventured outside the world of Animal Crossing to Switch into the real world.
  • Reversed: The New York auto show was cancelled on Delta spread concerns — and country star Garth Brooks might end his tour early.

🍪 Thanks for Snacking with us! Want to share the Snacks? Invite your friends to sign up here.

Friday
  • Unemployment rate released
  • Earnings expected from DraftKings, Goodyear, and Norwegian Cruise

Authors of this Snacks own shares of: Apple, Square, and Moderna

ID: 1

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