As remote workers return to their buildings, iconic elevator maker Otis grapples with a product everyone’s suddenly terrified of — The first movie to include coronavirus was, appropriately enough, a horror film. Corona, a Canadian film, unfolds like the stuff of an oft-tweeted pandemic nightmare: Seven neighbors are trapped in an elevator — where it’s impossible to socially distance — and one of them has Covid-19.

They had $19 million, a deal with Disney, and dreams of becoming the next Ben & Jerry’s. Then everything fell apart. — The after-school rush had just ended one weekday in the spring of 2015 when the phone rang at the Vanderbilt Avenue location of Ample Hills Creamery, the Brooklyn ice cream brand famous for its whimsical and elaborate flavors. Scooper Jason Smith answered the call, expecting to tell some customer what…

E-commerce founder Nicole Gibbons on micro-aggressions, tokenism, and leading her company through this complicated moment — Nicole Gibbons knew she was in rare company when her direct-to-consumer paint startup Clare raised $2 million from the likes of First Round Capital in 2017. Black female entrepreneurs receive less than 1% of VC funding raised by startups. In an industry that champions quick pivots and failing fast, Gibbons…

Get ready for the commercial real estate apocalypse — In early March, Jeff Haynie, the CEO of Austin-based software company Pinpoint, was gearing up to find new office space. Pinpoint’s $25,000-per-month lease with WeWork for 1,800 square feet would be up in August, and it was time to move on. He was thinking he’d need maybe 10,000 square feet…

A health care startup is now scrambling for funding after turning down a VC investment in February — Coronavirus Diaries From the C-Suite is a new Marker series where leaders share how the pandemic is affecting their businesses. In early February, Jo Schneier received a term sheet for $4 million in Series A funding for his New York City–based health startup, Trusty, which develops Medicare tools for health…

The art of adapting your in-person businesses in the age of shelter-in-place — Coronavirus Diaries From the C-Suite is a new Marker series where leaders share how the pandemic is impacting their businesses. You can’t blow-dry hair remotely or build houses over Zoom. The pandemic has been particularly painful for businesses that require customers and employees to physically be on-site. …

The clock is now ticking for many companies. For this one, it’s got until Mother’s Day. — Coronavirus Diaries From the C-Suite is a new Marker series where leaders share how the pandemic is impacting their businesses. For Christina Stembel, the founder and CEO of Farmgirl Flowers, a 10-year-old bootstrapped company that offers rustic floral bouquets, the clock is ticking. On March 16, in the scramble to…

How Joe De Sena—the CEO of Spartan Race and Tough Mudder—is pivoting his business in the age of quarantine — Coronavirus Diaries From the C-Suite is a new Marker series where leaders share how the pandemic is impacting their businesses. On March 13, Joe De Sena, the founder and CEO of the 10-year-old extreme fitness company Spartan Race, found himself in Sparta, Greece. He was there to become an honorary…

American Giant’s Bayard Winthrop on how the pandemic has upended the apparel manufacturer, from cutting costs to converting factories — Coronavirus Diaries From the C-Suite is a new Marker series where leaders share how the pandemic is impacting their businesses. Eight years ago, when Bayard Winthrop founded American Giant, a San Francisco-based manufacturer of T-shirts, hoodies, and other apparel, he never imagined he would be running the business out of…