Nearly 6 months ago, I posted a thesis on the future of communication. Many things have changed (we now have a vaccine!)—but I continue to be bullish on tools enabling better communication.

The core tenets of the thesis remain true: 

New communication tools have pushed beyond the boundaries of what was possible IRL. 
‍

A great example of this is CoScreen, a tool specifically designed for deep engineering collaboration. CoScreen replaces teams crowded around a computer screen to edit and debug lines of code. 

Mixed media will help enhance communication experiences. 
‍

Lounge uses a combination of audio, visual, and text to accomplish a metaverse like office experience. Lounge users can create contextual spaces and easily get a single view of what is going on with the team. 

Additional thoughts: 
‍

For many, working remotely has become a new norm. We’ve settled into habits around zoom meetings, and become proficient in other remote collaboration tools. With the vaccine rollout, companies are beginning to contemplate a plan to reopen their offices. For many, this will include some sort of hybrid solution where some employees are in-person and others are remote. Hybrid work will undoubtedly pose a new set of communication challenges for teams. It will be critical for tools to be both inclusive and flexible. For hybrid solutions to really work, remote workers must not be at a disadvantage to in-person workers. There are cultural elements to implementing this—managing time zones, documenting decisions, but I believe there is an opportunity for new tools to aid in this transformation as well. 

Please reach out if you are working on something new! Rachel@unusual.vc

For more from Rachel on how to better understand what investors are looking for in consumer businesses