Verdict lists the top five terms tweeted on CEOs in Q3 2021, based on data from GlobalData’s Technology Influencer Platform.

The top trends are the most mentioned terms or concepts among Twitter discussions of more than 150 technology experts tracked by GlobalData’s Technology Influencer platform during the third quarter (Q3) of 2021.

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1. Startups and Startup Company – 2,457 mentions

Decentralised social networking platform Minds converting 25% of its balance sheet into cryptocurrency, the reasons behind the failure of cryptocurrency start-up KuBitX, and increase in fundraising by start-ups in the Netherlands in 2021 were some of the popular topics discussed in Q3 2021.

Jeremy Allaire, CEO of financial services provider Circle, shared an article on Minds converting 25% of its balance sheet into cryptocurrency. The company invested 5% of its shares in Bitcoin, 10% in Ethereum, and 10% in Circle’s Circle Yield product based on the USD Coin digital stablecoin. The investment is roughly a quarter of the $10m Series B funding raised by the company in June this year. Minds’ investment is part of its plans to enable users to promote their content using cryptocurrencies and receive payment for their content, the article highlighted.

In another tweet, Rebecca Enonchong, CEO of information technology services provider AppsTech, shared an article on the reasons behind the failure of Africa-focused cryptocurrency start-up KuBitX. Firstly, the founders had no technical knowledge about cryptocurrency or blockchain. Secondly, the founders failed to develop a minimal viable product (MVP). AppsTech paid $150,000 to a company based in the US to create an MVP instead of hiring in-house engineers. The start-up could not find enough market makers to maintain the liquidity of its tokens and could not publicise its platform as its funds were exhausted. Furthermore, the founders jumped from one project to another including the development of a crypto exchange and a blockchain payments network. The two projects failed in May this year after the company’s CEO resigned.

Another popular tweet about start-ups was made by Niels Palmers, CEO of the Young Business Awards start-up competition, about $3.67bn in funds raised by start-ups based in the Netherlands in 2021, which is more than those raised in 2019 and 2020 together. The data was revealed by the Dutch Startup Association and non-profit organisation Techleap. Transaction processor Mollie, for example, received $787.6m in funds, while customer support platform MessageBird received $803m. The fintech sector received the highest funding at $1.42bn, followed by business services at $1.3bn. Health and transportation sectors received $591m and $413m, respectively.

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2. Vaccine / Vaccines – 2,373 mentions

Pfizer and BioNTech seeking approval for booster dose of its Covid-19 vaccine, Denmark lifting its vaccination and mask requirements for indoor activities, and Covid-19 vaccine shortage in Taiwan were some of the trending discussions around vaccine in Q3.

Albert Bourla, CEO of biopharmaceutical company Pfizer, shared an article on the company along with biotechnology company BioNTech seeking approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for booster dose of its Covid-19 vaccine COMIRNATY. The two companies submitted a supplemental biologics license application (sBLA) to the FDA for the booster dose to prevent Covid-19 in individuals aged 16 years and above. The application was based on results from a Phase 3 clinical trial that enrolled 306 participants aged between 18 and 55 years. The participants received the booster dose between 4.8 and eight months after they had taken the initial two doses. The study revealed that the booster dose resulted in the production of neutralising antibodies to the wild-type strain in the participants who were free of SARS-CoV-2 infection one month after receiving the dose.

Marc Benioff, CEO of software company Salesforce, shared an article on Denmark lifting its vaccination and mask requirements for indoor activities as the government no longer considered the Covid-19 disease as a serious threat. Denmark’s death rate per million citizens was just 22% of that of the US, and daily deaths dropped below ten. The huge difference between the numbers in Denmark and the US is due to the high trust that the population has in the government, noted the article quoting a survey conducted by researchers Michael Bang Petersen and Alexander Bor, which found that more than 90% of the country’s population trusts their national health authority and public decision-makers. The vaccination rate in the country is 86%, while it remains below 50% in the US where the number of deaths is expected to increase by another 100,000.

Another tweet on vaccines was made by Prasanna Viswanathan, CEO of a digital media company Swarajya, about the Covid-19 vaccine shortage in Taiwan. Taipei’s effort to purchase enough vaccines to inoculate its 23 million population has been impacted due to delays in regional manufacture of AstraZeneca vaccines, pressure from China, and local political turmoil. The government has signed an agreement with Terry Gou, CEO of electronic manufacturer Foxconn, and chip manufacturer TSMC to purchase five million doses of BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine. Japan offered Taiwan 1.24 million doses of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine as a goodwill gesture providing a significant boost to the country’s lagging vaccination campaign. In addition, Taiwan will receive 750,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines from the US, the article highlighted.

3. Social media – 1,961 mentions

Twitter enabling bitcoin tipping for iOS users, the challenges facing online advertising and social media, and NIKE’s social content were some of the popular discussions on social media in the third quarter.

Brian Armstrong, CEO of digital currency wallet and platform Coinbase, shared an article on Twitter enabling bitcoin tipping feature for iOS users through the decentralised payment network Lightning. Users can tip creators using third-party services such as CashApp and make monetisation more accessible in locations where cash is not readily available. Twitter is also planning to roll out non-fungible token (NFT) authentication capability on the platform that will enable users to link their crypto wallets to their accounts to establish ownership of an art piece, the article detailed.

Simon Kemp, CEO of consulting company Kepios, tweeted on the Digital 2021 July Global Statshot Report, which revealed that the number of people using social media increased by more than 13% from July 2020 to June 2021. The report highlighted that more than four billion users across the world are on social media, which is equivalent to 57% of the world’s population. The use of social networking platforms such as Facebook outranks the use of messaging services such as WhatsApp by a little margin, the report added.

In another tweet, Marios Karatzias, CEO of marketing and advertising agency SocialWiz, shared an article on athletic footwear and apparel maker Nike’s social content.  Innovation, engagement, storytelling and impactful messages are some of the ways in which Nike has been able to connect with its audience and users. The company, for example, has been engaging with people using social media platforms through content such as videos on Facebook and promoting audience involvement on Instagram. It also released its own social app known as Nike+ in 2010 to inspire athletes to communicate with each other. Nike’s promotions such as ‘Fuel Your Team’ on social media platforms encouraged people of all backgrounds to participate in athletic missions. The campaigns initiated by the company have immensely contributed to its success, the article added.

4. Entrepreneurs – 1,536 mentions

Entrepreneurship training being provided to Black Americans, small business lending solution Lendio donating money to entrepreneurs, and online platform for freelancers Fiverr launching the Future Collective programme were some of the trending discussions on entrepreneurs in Q3 2021.

Sherrell Dorsey, CEO of an online media The Plug, shared an article on how Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are training the next generation of Black American entrepreneurs. HBCUs accounted for 15% of all bachelor’s degrees earned by Black students in 2015 despite accounting for just 3% of the nation’s four-year colleges. Black entrepreneurship can help in closing the racial wealth gap. Black Americans are turning into entrepreneurs at a lower rate compared to Latino and white counterparts. Entrepreneurship training can play a critical role in providing the necessary skills to Black entrepreneurs and enabling Black-owned businesses to flourish, the article detailed.

Brock Blake, CEO of Lendio, shared an infographic on the company donating $858,000 to entrepreneurs worldwide through a partnership with microfinance company Kiva. The company has also funded more than 40,000 businesses small businesses with $12bn apart from providing approximately 300,00 marketplace loans. In addition, Lendio has hired 1,940 people to help small businesses to thrive.

In another tweet, Micha Kaufman, CEO of Fiverr, shared an article on the company launching its first Future Collective programme for Black entrepreneurs. The programme will help Black entrepreneurs by maximising their growth potential. The company will provide cash, mentoring, and access to a network of services to five Black-owned and run enterprises as part of the programme. Each of the five businesses will receive $24,000, including $18,000 in cash and $6,000 in Fiverr credit, the article detailed.

5. Coronavirus Disease 2019 – 1,369 mentions

Indonesia becoming Asia’s Covid-19 epicentre, and a genome sequencing laboratory set up in Mumbai, India, were some of the discussions around Covid-19 in Q3 2021.

Prasanna Viswanathan, who shared an article on Indonesia becoming Asia’s Covid-19 epicentre in July. The country reported a record 47,899 new infections overtaking India, where new infections fell from 37,154 to 32,906. Indonesia reported 132 cases per million inhabitants, compared to 26 in India. Furthermore, bed occupancy rates surpassed 70% in 12 provinces of the country, while reaching close to 90% in other regions.

In another tweet, Francis deSouza, CEO of biotechnology company Illumina, shared an article on the Indian city of Mumbai opening its first genome lab to tackle Covid-19. The need for a genomics lab became more evident when the Delta variant was first discovered during the peak of the second wave of the pandemic in the country. Early detection of the variant could have led to the imposition of stricter restrictions and curbing of the second wave. The genomics lab will aid in the rapid detection of coronavirus mutations as it can sequence 384 samples at a time and deliver results within two to three days, the article highlighted.