Today In Data: Innovating Out Of A Challenge

There is no shortage of challenges in the world. Some are massive – like the ever-growing cost of medical care in the United States. Others are … less so, like the can of Coke that got trapped in the vending machine on its way out. Others land somewhere in between: the ongoing revolution in retail springs to mind. But for every problem, it seems, some innovator somewhere seems to be working on a digital solution – to make the playing field more level, the world more inclusive and the experience more frictionless. There are no perfect answers, of course – but there are good ones, so long as one doesn’t make the perfect the enemy of the good.

Data:

163 million: The number of women worldwide who have started businesses since 2014.

$63.7 million: The amount Americans pay in out-of-pocket medical costs annually.

61.7 percent: Share of retailers that believe innovation is necessary to create sales.

24.5 percent: Share of consumers who had a medical debt of $1,000 or more and used a payment plan to cover it.

6: The number of SKUs that Vengo vending machines carry.