Germany’s mechanical engineering industry is still struggling against the adversity of the world market. Companies reported an overall decline of 13% year-on-year in September. The VDMA German Engineering Association announced in Frankfurt on Monday that domestic business was up by 1%, while international business was down by 18% on the previous year.

In the more meaningful three-month comparison, mechanical engineers ultimately posted a drop of 1% between July and September. An 8% increase in domestic orders was offset by a decrease of 6% from abroad.

Traditional brick-and-mortar retail stores have many disadvantages when competing against online counterparts. Online stores are always open and are available anywhere, have “endless aisles” and can use digital tools to personalize offers to customer preferences. Nevertheless, physical stores do offer customers a number of significant benefits, including immediacy, personal service, and the ability to offer a truly immersive experience. Recently, however, leading physical stores have discovered that they can also harness the power of powerful digital marketing tools and integrate them directly into the in-store experience.

Sometime after the Irish drug giant Shire acquired San Diego-based Lumena Pharmaceuticals last year, Lumena CEO Mike Grey went back to work on a new startup—but he wouldn’t say too much about what he was working on.

Wearables startups have attracted over $2.2B in funding over the past five years, as noted in our wearables industry funding overview. Corporate investors are taking note, and names like Comcast Ventures and Samsung Ventures are placing significant bets in the space. The semiconductor industry in particular has driven corporate investment in wearables, as we’ll see below.