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The pandemic has given Americans much to process this week. There are reasons for concern, like the continued spread of more contagious and potentially more deadly coronavirus variants around the country; data from the CDC, which endorsed double-masking today, shows variant cases have so far been identified in 34 states.  

And reasons for hope, like the downward trend in new COVID cases—yesterday marked the first time since Nov. 2 that the US recorded fewer than 100,000 new daily infections for three days in a row—as well as the steadily increasing number of Americans vaccinated against COVID.

Through Tuesday, Feb. 9, 10.3{429fc2506e610357e12b2a5665db82631200a2e00b3a1d8839077d76f18e2e8b} of the population, or 33.8 million people had received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control. … Read more

A friend of mine remarked the other day, wearing a pained expression, that he wished he had bought Dogecoin.

“What? Why?” I asked, struggling to mask my incredulity.

“Because the price has gone up so much. It’s up, like, 1,000{429fc2506e610357e12b2a5665db82631200a2e00b3a1d8839077d76f18e2e8b} recently,” he said. “Elon Musk is endorsing it.” (Dogecoin’s price has surged 1,600{429fc2506e610357e12b2a5665db82631200a2e00b3a1d8839077d76f18e2e8b} since the start of the year, as of the time of this newsletter’s writing.)

“Musk isn’t actually endorsing Dogecoin,” I replied in horror. So the mantle of buzzkill had been thrust upon me. “It’s a meme, like a literal joke. It’s funny.”

It was at that moment I realized some people are not in on the joke. Or, they don’t care that it’s a joke and they just want to join the party and make money? Reluctantly, I began my lecture about the inflationary economics of the Dogecoin money supply. Ten thousand new Dogecoins are … Read more

This is the web version of Term Sheet, a daily newsletter on the biggest deals and dealmakers. Sign up to get it delivered free to your inbox. 

A naive part of me hoped for a slow start to Monday. This was not my day .

Let’s kick off the week with a highly debated topic: the move by some venture capitalists to Florida and Texas.

Founders Fund, the venture capital firm founded in part by Peter Thiel, has rented out space in Miami for a new office.

The firm, which has invested in the likes of Airbnb, signed a one-year lease at a space with 2,073 square feet in the city. Joining the outspoken number of investors frustrated by San Francisco’s government, Founders Fund General Partner Keith Rabois recently announced his move to the city in November and acquired a home in the area.

On Twitter, … Read more

This is an installment of Startup Year One, a special series of interviews with founders about the major lessons they have learned in the immediate aftermath of their businesses’ first year of operation.

Nydia Shipman and Sarah Renahan started the Worthy Company in 2018. As new moms, they were seeking a better eating experience that delivered plant-based nutrition in a portable format and at a reasonable price.

Their solution: the Worthy Bowl, a plant-based, fruit-forward, travel-friendly bowl made with superfood ingredients. And the Chicago-based, B Corp–certified company just finished launching the reformulated flavors last month.

Fortune recently spoke with cofounders Shipman and Renahan to learn more about their insights and predictions for their business and the plant-based food industry after a year in which grocery shopping was completely upended.

The following interview has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.

Fortune: Could … Read more

This is the web version of Term Sheet, a daily newsletter on the biggest deals and dealmakers. Sign up to get it delivered free to your inbox. 

It’s the special purpose acquisition craze meeting the GameStop insanity.

On Thursday, Hindenburg Research, the short-selling firm known for flagging issues with electric car company Nikola last year, released a report targeting Chamath Palihapitiya-backed Clover Health and called it a “broken business.”

The insurance startup agreed to go public via merger with Palihapitiya’s Social Capital Hedosophia III in October. “This is one of the most straightforward investments I’ve ever made,” Palihapitiya said at the time of the announcement.

But on Thursday, Hindenburg Research’s report argued Clover Health was not so straightforward: Among other issues, the short-activist group accused the company of fueling sales using misleading marketing to elderly people and alleged that Clover did not disclose a Department of Justice investigation … Read more