The crisis additionally fueled the rise of remote work, which led to folks investing extra of their houses, just as they sought out new ‘workation’ — work-meets-vacation — experiences amid the work-from-anywhere pattern. Against that backdrop, home-sharing startup Pacaso, local companies platform Thumbtack and supply disruptor Shipt reaped sales and buyer acquisition positive aspects. Read how the startups built on that momentum through methods designed for consumers’ post-COVID life — which yielded some of their biggest features thus far — right here. Through its sixth annual Global Problem Solver Challenge, Cisco will be awarding a total of $1 million in grants for businesses that leverage know-how for social influence. The problem calls for early-stage, technology-driven solutions and providers that may promote financial growth and/or profit society. Teams can ship in an software that defines the problem they’re fixing, their proposed answer and its benefits and dangers, along with a 90-second …