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How Venture Capital Views the Coronavirus Crisis

How Venture Capital Views the Coronavirus Crisis

February 28, 2020

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Senior reporter Tami Abdollah reports on how individual investors and conferences are dealing with fears of an economic slowdown as the novel coronavirus spreads. Rachel Uranga looks at the space-based boom taking place in Long Beach and Bill Gates has some suggestions about how to get a handle on pandemics such as COVID-19. Is your employer considering taking precautions? We're working on a story. Let us know!

The Coronavirus Economy

"This is extreme, and I know this is extreme." Not every venture capital investor is being as cautious as Tom McInerney, who stopped in-person meetings and pulled his three-year-old out of school for at least two weeks. But as the Dow slips further, many investors are fielding questions about their outlook and next steps. Next week's influential Montgomery Summit is taking precautionary measures, including asking guests who have been to China or other areas of outbreak to use discretion and not attend. Meanwhile, Facebook's F8 software developer conference was cancelled entirely. Read more >>

Space City – Long Beach?

Just five years after the city saw Boeing shut down its massive C-17 plant, Long Beach is bouncing back. Relativity Space, a five-year-old rocket maker, is opening a new 120,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in the city.

The company joins Virgin Orbit, Google-backed SpinLaunch and others that established headquarters in Long Beach. Relativity's pending move is another step in reviving the LBC's reputation as an aerospace hub. Read more >>

Points in Bill Gates' Plan to Combat Coronavirus

"In the past week, COVID-19 has started to behave a lot like the once-in-a-century pathogen we've been worried about. I hope it's not that bad, but we should assume that it will be until we know otherwise."

They may not be the most comforting words from the man whose foundation is working to eliminate viruses around the world, but Bill Gates follows them with some clear ideas about how the global community can respond "more efficiently and effectively when the next epidemic arrives," including:

helping low- and middle-income countries strengthen their primary health care systems
investing in disease surveillance, including a case database that is instantly accessible to the relevant organizations and rules that require countries to share their information
Governments and industry will need to come to an agreement: During a pandemic, vaccines and antivirals shouldn't simply be sold to the highest bidder. They should be available and affordable for people who are at the heart of the outbreak and in greatest need.