Robinhood balances investment, gambling, and entertainment, European tech IPO outshines Spotify, and the IDEB culture shift

Every week, SmartCompany Plus brings you The Best of Everything, From Everywhere. This week, we’ve brought you a mix covering how gamification and user design made Robinhood almost too good; Europe’s biggest tech export since Spotify; and an optimistic piece that sees the potential for diversity, equity, and inclusion measures to finally see real results.

Want to read a story of how crucial digital investment was for New York restaurants surviving COVID-19? Check out the third link.

Europe’s most successful tech export since Spotify

An obscure software firm from Romania raised US$1.3 billion in its recent IPO on the New York Stock Exchange, valuing the robotic process automation company at US$30 billion. It is indicative of the trend of early-stage venture deals being spread more equally around the world, instead of being dominated by the US.

How Robinhood made trading easy — and maybe too hard to resist

By examining the intersection of good user design and the gamification that makes apps habit-forming, Robinhood has blurred the lines between investing, entertainment, and gambling.

Restaurants fought for Covid survival, with some tech helpers 

With takeaway and online ordering moving to first-choice for most consumers, being online meant more than having an Instagram account.

Five reasons I’m hopeful about diversity, equity, and inclusion in corporate America

Change in organisations is often top-down driven. Chief executives have become more personally committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and are more willing to admit their blind spots.