They came in gowns. They left with a shot at launching a company.

At Georgia Tech’s 2025 commencement ceremony, the surprise wasn’t a celebrity speaker or a viral valedictorian. It was a no-nonsense businessman stepping up to invest in the students, literally. When entrepreneur and keynote speaker Malik Foster took the stage, few expected him to flip the script on what a graduation speech could be.

“I’m not here to just inspire you,” he said. “I’m here to back you. If you’ve got an idea, I’ll cover your startup’s incorporation costs. Go build it.”

Silence. Then a ripple. Then a roar.

In a moment, an entire graduating class became startup-ready. And just like that, the Class of 2025 had something more valuable than a diploma: permission to start building.

The Most Actionable Commencement Speech in Years

Foster, a Georgia Tech alum and fintech founder, didn’t just hand out feel-good mantras. He offered what so many young entrepreneurs crave but rarely get, logistical backing.

Incorporation might seem minor compared to fundraising or scaling, but it’s a real early-stage hurdle. Filing an LLC, covering state fees, setting up legal infrastructure, it all costs money. And most fresh graduates are already staring down student loans, not startup costs.

So when Foster told students he’d personally cover incorporation costs for any graduate with a startup idea, it wasn’t just generous. It was strategic.

He’s betting that one of them will hit.

This isn’t a flashy PR stunt from a VC firm or a polished incubator giveaway. It’s a founder betting on founders, in the room, in real time. It felt radical because it was immediate. Students didn’t need to apply. They didn’t need to prove traction. They just needed a real idea, and the courage to say yes.

When the Cost Barrier Disappears, What Happens Next?

For a generation of college graduates more entrepreneurial than ever, but burdened with debt, stagnant wages, and a volatile job market, Foster’s pledge struck a nerve.

It turns out incorporation costs, ranging from $300 to $1,200 depending on the state and structure, are often one of the first reasons young builders hesitate. Not because they can’t pay eventually, but because starting requires momentum. And this generation is no stranger to friction.

They’ve grown up watching peers monetize YouTube channels, launch Shopify brands, build AI tools in dorm rooms. Yet they’re told to play it safe. This announcement didn’t just remove red tape. It legitimized a mindset: you are the company.

And when someone removes the first financial barrier, it creates a domino effect. It’s easier to pitch, easier to recruit co-founders, easier to ask for mentorship.

Once you’re incorporated, you’re not “aspiring.” You’re in business.

Georgia Tech’s Growing Reputation as a Builder’s Playground

This isn’t the first time Georgia Tech has made waves for nurturing entrepreneurs, but this moment takes its ecosystem to a new level.

Over the past few years, Tech Square has become a proving ground for founders. Programs like CREATE-X and the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) have already launched dozens of startups from the classroom to real-world markets.

But this, this direct pledge, is an accelerant.

Foster’s move echoes a broader shift happening in American universities: a move away from purely academic laurels toward founder-first thinking. As more students choose entrepreneurship over employment, commencement itself is evolving, from a final exam to a launchpad.

Not Just Symbolic: A Shift in Entrepreneurial Capital

This isn’t just a nice gesture. It reflects a change in who gets to start.

Traditionally, capital waits for traction. But pre-seed access, especially for students of color, first-gen graduates, and international students, is nearly nonexistent. Foster’s pledge doesn’t just offer cash. It flips the timeline. Instead of “build first, fund later,” it’s “get legit now, then go build.”

What he’s done is more than cover a fee. He’s democratized day one.

By removing one of the first bureaucratic steps, he’s said: You’re worth the paperwork.

And that has ripple effects far beyond Georgia Tech.

What happens when other institutions see this? When Stanford grads ask for the same backing? When state schools decide to fund their builders, not just boast about them? Foster may have just started a new race, not for jobs, but for first customers.

The Rise of Commencement Capital

This moment might mark the beginning of a broader trend: Commencement Capital, where graduation becomes not just a milestone but a launch event.

We’ve seen billionaire donors pay off student loans or build innovation centers, but few have offered transactional tools that immediately spark entrepreneurial motion. Incorporation costs are small, but the psychological impact is massive.

It tells young people that entrepreneurship isn’t a privilege, it’s a path. And it starts today, not “someday.”

In an age where Gen Z is already ditching 9-to-5s, stacking revenue streams, and building brand-first businesses, this kind of activation isn’t just nice, it’s necessary.

Level Up Insight

Entrepreneurship isn’t about waiting. It’s about starting, and most dreams die before step one. Malik Foster’s bold promise to cover incorporation costs at Georgia Tech doesn’t just empower a class, it sets a precedent. As more institutions begin to realize the power of direct, actionable support, we could see a future where every graduation comes with capital. This isn’t just a win for the students, it’s a call to all universities: stop preaching startup culture and start funding it.

In a quiet corner of Alabama, a startup-minded medical alliance is quietly flipping the script on trauma care. Huntsville, better known for its space heritage, is now emerging as an unexpected epicenter for a new kind of healthcare disruption, one that treats trauma not just as an emotional or psychological condition, but as a biological injury that can be identified, targeted, and healed.

At the heart of this movement is a groundbreaking partnership between trauma researchers, bioengineers, and entrepreneurial clinicians, blending neuroscience with biotech to challenge a deeply entrenched belief: that trauma is invisible, subjective, and largely untreatable. They’re betting on the opposite. And they’re turning that bet into one of the most quietly ambitious trauma interventions the U.S. has seen in years.

The core premise is as revolutionary as it is practical, that trauma, like a sprained ankle or a broken arm, leaves measurable biological traces. Changes in cortisol, inflammation markers, brainwave activity, and nervous system function can all be tracked, decoded, and eventually rebalanced. This isn’t therapy in the traditional sense. It’s trauma treatment as diagnostics plus repair.

Huntsville’s new wave of practitioners are building systems that lean heavily on hardware: wearable tech that reads nervous system strain, brain imaging tools that map real-time neural trauma signatures, and biofeedback platforms designed to reset the body’s stress response. But what makes this more than just a wellness trend is the entrepreneurial model underneath. These aren’t nonprofit research pilots. They’re for-profit ventures, agile, scalable, and deeply focused on data.

Founders behind these tools are building with the mindset of biomedical startups, not just health providers. They want to prove outcomes, file patents, get FDA clearance, and license tech to larger systems. The goal isn’t just healing. It’s creating a new category of care that lives between psychiatry and neurology, and becomes a national export from Huntsville.

In many ways, the movement echoes what Silicon Valley did to wellness. But this time, it’s not meditation apps or mood tracking. It’s about treating PTSD the way you treat a concussion — with real-time scans, objective metrics, and a clinical roadmap. And for the 50 million Americans currently navigating unresolved trauma, that could mean an entirely new healthcare path.

The science is backing them up. Studies from institutions around the country have shown how trauma reshapes the brain, shrinking the hippocampus, altering the amygdala, and throwing the prefrontal cortex off balance. These are not abstract experiences. They are physical imprints. And that’s where the Huntsville model starts: trauma is not just a feeling. It’s a wound.

The big innovation? Local startups are using that idea to build diagnostics that quantify trauma, not just through self-reporting or behavioral observation, but through bio-signals and brainwaves. One approach uses EEGs to scan for trauma-related brainwave patterns. Another links galvanic skin response with emotional triggers to measure how the body “remembers” stress. The data isn’t just for show. It informs personalized repair protocols that use neurostimulation, vagus nerve training, and targeted cognitive rebalancing to speed up recovery.

For entrepreneurs in this space, the opportunity is massive. Mental health tech has already crossed $16 billion in funding globally. But trauma-specific treatment remains a wide-open frontier. Insurance providers are eager for scalable solutions with measurable outcomes. Veterans groups, school systems, and law enforcement agencies are all exploring partnerships for trauma support that goes beyond therapy and into physical re-regulation.

What makes Huntsville unique is its ecosystem, a mix of defense tech, biosciences, and a growing number of ex-military founders who understand trauma not as theory, but as lived experience. These are entrepreneurs building products they wish existed for their comrades, children, or even themselves.

And while Silicon Valley builds for clicks, Huntsville is quietly building for clinical validation. This gives the city an edge. Startups here aren’t optimizing for dopamine loops or engagement metrics. They’re going after FDA-backed solutions that could plug directly into hospital networks, veteran affairs programs, and first responder systems. In short, they’re building not for hype,  but for healthcare infrastructure.

Still, there are hurdles. Trauma’s deeply individual nature means one-size-fits-all solutions won’t cut it. And the ethics of monetizing trauma treatment raise serious questions. But the founders here argue that cost shouldn’t deter innovation. In fact, without scalable solutions, trauma care will remain stuck in elite clinics and underfunded nonprofits. Their pitch is simple: treating trauma as a biological injury makes healing measurable, and therefore, fundable.

Already, whispers from investors are getting louder. Angel networks from Texas and Tennessee are scouting Huntsville’s new neuro-health ventures. A few stealth-mode startups are reportedly nearing Series A rounds. And biofeedback hardware companies from the coasts are eyeing joint ventures to access Huntsville’s unique trauma-informed datasets.

It’s early, but not experimental. The metrics are real. The tools are already being piloted in schools, trauma recovery clinics, and even court diversion programs. And unlike vague mental health platforms that rely on self-reporting and loose engagement metrics, this model is tightly linked to quantitative change: nervous system downregulation, brainwave balance, cortisol normalization. That’s not just mental health. That’s biology.

And biology is the most scalable product there is.

Level Up Insight

Huntsville’s trauma tech movement isn’t just redefining how we treat pain, it’s creating a new category of entrepreneurial healthcare. One that blends deep science, real metrics, and startup agility to tackle one of society’s oldest wounds with the precision of modern medicine. As founders across America hunt for the next breakout sector, this quiet revolution in Alabama might just be the next billion-dollar idea, not because it promises comfort, but because it promises cure.

For years, the skincare industry promised that clean meant foamy, bubbly, and fragrant. But for millions of Americans with sensitive skin, that promise backfired, leaving behind redness, rashes, and long-term irritation. What if the solution wasn’t adding more chemicals, but removing the very thing we all assumed was essential?

That’s the bet a wave of new American skincare founders are making. Their approach is radical in its simplicity: ditch the soap entirely. These entrepreneurs believe that removing harsh surfactants, the core cleansing agents in most soaps, can unlock healthier skin, and maybe even reshape the $160 billion global skincare market.

Let’s dive into the five standout brands leading the soap-free skincare revolution, and the business models behind their breakout success.

1. Nura Skin: The $10M Disruptor Born From Eczema

Founded in 2021 by a former nurse who suffered from chronic eczema, Nura Skin didn’t begin in a lab. It began in a kitchen, mixing colloidal oats and fermented rice water in small batches. Her goal was personal: find something gentle enough for her own hypersensitive skin.

By 2024, Nura Skin had become a $10 million brand with a cult following and a product line that proudly excludes soap, sulfates, and synthetic fragrances. Their signature cleansing milk, made from oil-in-water emulsions, cleanses without disrupting the skin barrier. No foam, no burn, no compromise.

Their growth came not from influencers, but from glowing reviews in online forums and dermatology communities. The company credits its success to word-of-mouth marketing and transparency, refusing venture capital and instead focusing on slow, steady scale.

2. Bare Method: The Tech-Backed Cleanser Startup

Started by two MIT grads with backgrounds in chemical engineering, Bare Method’s soap-free innovation uses bio-compatible cleansing agents designed to mimic the skin’s natural lipid balance. The result? A cleansing bar that looks like soap but acts like a moisturizer in disguise.

Bare Method recently closed a $3.2M seed round and is now partnering with dermatologists to study how their formulations perform against traditional soap-based cleansers in clinical trials. Their goal is to position soap-free as not just a lifestyle choice, but a science-backed standard for those with reactive skin.

They’ve also adopted a direct-to-consumer model with subscription options that include skin health tracking via their mobile app, bringing tech into the clean beauty world in a way that feels deeply personal.

3. Plūma Organics: The Minimalist’s Answer to Over-Cleansing

Plūma’s rise began on TikTok, but it’s their philosophy, not their marketing, that’s gained them a devoted following: “Skin is smart. Let it breathe.”

Their hero product, a soap-free micro-emulsion cleanser, contains fewer than eight ingredients and focuses on preservation of the skin’s natural pH. While other brands chase complexity, Plūma strips skincare down to its essentials. Their minimal branding, eco-friendly packaging, and refillable pouches have attracted Gen Z consumers looking for both skin safety and environmental responsibility.

The brand currently ships to over 20,000 subscribers monthly and recently launched an in-store pilot with a national wellness retailer.

4. DermaFiend: The Dermatologist-Driven Alternative

Created by a board-certified dermatologist in California, DermaFiend was born out of frustration with existing sensitive-skin solutions that were either too weak or too harsh. Their patented “Soap-Free Complex” is a blend of amino acid cleansers and fermented botanicals, specifically formulated for post-treatment skin recovery (think microneedling, laser, or peels).

It’s not just consumers flocking to DermaFiend. Med spas and clinics are adopting it as their post-procedure cleanser of choice. That medical credibility is turning into commercial success, with B2B contracts making up 40% of the brand’s revenue. It’s a different route to market, but one that’s working.

5. Quiet Water Co.: The Boutique Brand Winning at Word-of-Mouth

With zero paid advertising and only one product, Quiet Water Co. might seem like the underdog, but their soap-free gel cleanser has become a low-key favorite in niche skincare circles.

Launched by a mother-daughter duo out of Portland, this brand emphasizes simplicity and ritual. Each product comes with a handwritten note and small-batch batch number, emphasizing craftsmanship over scale. Their customer retention rate is over 80%, unheard of in the skincare world.

They credit their growth to two things: community and trust. Their story reminds us that you don’t need flashy branding to build something meaningful, just something that works, especially when no one else is doing it.

Why Soap-Free Is More Than a Trend

What all these brands have in common isn’t just formulation, it’s philosophy. Each one views sensitive skin not as a niche, but as a neglected majority. They’re rejecting the one-size-fits-all approach of mainstream skincare and instead focusing on personalized, science-backed, barrier-friendly solutions.

They’re also bootstrapping, slow scaling, and putting education before virality. In a world obsessed with TikTok hacks and overnight results, soap-free skincare is choosing to be boring, and it’s working.

And with more Americans reporting sensitive or sensitized skin than ever before (a trend linked to pollution, over-exfoliation, and stress), the timing couldn’t be better.

Level Up Insight:

Sometimes disruption doesn’t mean adding something new, it means taking something away. The founders behind these soap-free skincare brands didn’t reinvent the wheel. They just removed the suds. And in doing so, they tapped into a growing movement of health-conscious, ingredient-aware, and irritation-weary consumers who were tired of being overlooked. In the process, they’ve shown that softness, both in skin and in business, is a strength, not a weakness.

It’s 7:30 PM. Laptop opens. Ring light flickers on. Door shuts quietly behind. And just like that, another American creator goes to work, after work.

This is the new era of entrepreneurship in America, where the day job pays the bills, but the night job builds the dream. From solo podcasters to Notion template sellers, a quiet but explosive shift is underway: the 5-9 hustle is no longer a side story, it’s the main event.

Unlike the traditional startup fantasy of quitting your job and raising capital, this generation is building real brands with zero investors, zero employees, and zero permission. They’re armed with audience-first strategies, automation tools, and clarity of purpose. The grind hasn’t disappeared, it’s just been repackaged with freedom.

The Rise of the After-Hours Entrepreneur

For decades, the American dream centered on climbing a ladder. But Gen Z and Millennials are choosing to build elevators instead. Why wait for a promotion when you can sell a digital product tonight and make more than your monthly bonus?

These aren’t hobbyists. They’re founders, operating with intent, creativity, and a clear exit strategy: ownership. What starts as a passion project on Instagram quickly becomes a coaching funnel, a newsletter, or a full-fledged product ecosystem.

The beauty of the 5-9 hustle? It’s low-risk, high-reward. You don’t need to burn bridges to start. You need consistency, curiosity, and the courage to create publicly.

From Content to Capital

Attention is the new currency. And these creators know how to mint it.

A former teacher sells parenting guides. A runner shares fitness programs. A gamer drops digital collectibles. In every case, content is the top of the funnel, and authenticity is the conversion mechanism.

These aren’t just creators, they’re businesses. They learn analytics. Test offers. Build in public. The line between side hustle and scalable business is getting thinner every night.

And while the 9-5 paycheck pays rent, the 5-9 hustle builds wealth. For many, it’s not about quitting the job, it’s about giving themselves the option to quit.

When Side Hustles Outgrow the 9-5

For some, the goal isn’t to quit the job. It’s to redefine its place in life. The 9, 5 becomes the investor, funding ads, tools, and experiments. The 5, 9 becomes the incubator, where purpose, passion, and ownership collide.

But here’s the twist: what starts as “just a side thing” often gains traction quickly. Within months, creators are making more from their digital product or community than their salary. The shift happens quietly. First, it’s gas money. Then rent. Then it replaces the job.

The creator doesn’t announce their resignation. They simply stop showing up, online, they’ve already arrived.

The Tools Behind the Movement

One reason this revolution is possible: the rise of no-code tools and AI automation. You no longer need a team to build. You need a template and a clear offer.

• Canva replaces a designer.

• ConvertKit replaces a full marketing team.

• Gumroad becomes your e-commerce backend.

• ChatGPT becomes your assistant, strategist, and copywriter, all in one.

With these tools, creators can do in two hours what startups used to take weeks to achieve. It’s not just about working harder, it’s about working sharper.

Why This Is More Than Just a Trend

The 5-9 hustle isn’t a Gen Z gimmick or a post-pandemic phase. It’s a foundational shift in how Americans view income, identity, and opportunity.

Where older generations saw side hustles as backups, today’s creators see them as launchpads. Building something of your own is no longer a rebellion, it’s a rite of passage.

This isn’t hustle culture. It’s ownership culture. And the creators who show up after dark aren’t just chasing dollars, they’re building digital legacies.

Level Up Insight

In 2025, America’s most important businesses aren’t being born in incubators, they’re being born at night, by creators who understand one truth: the future doesn’t belong to the loudest, the richest, or the fastest, it belongs to those who keep building quietly until they can’t be ignored.

The 5-9 hustle isn’t the side show anymore. It’s the main event, and it’s time the world took it seriously.

Scaling a startup is a thrilling but often chaotic journey. The rapid pace of growth, pressure to deliver, and juggling countless priorities can quickly spiral into disarray. Nathalie El Barche Antonios, a seasoned entrepreneur and startup advisor, has seen it all, and she believes there’s a way to scale sustainably without losing control.

Her message to founders is clear: scaling startups doesn’t have to mean chaos. Instead, it’s about building the right systems, culture, and mindset from day one to handle growth gracefully.

The Scaling Struggle

Most startups start small and nimble. But as they grow, complexity grows exponentially. New hires, expanding markets, evolving products, and increasing customer demands create tangled webs of communication and processes. This often results in missed deadlines, burnout, and quality dips.

Nathalie points out that many startups fall into the trap of “growth at all costs,” sacrificing clarity and organization in favor of speed. “It’s like trying to drive a car faster and faster without ever upgrading the engine or brakes,” she says.

Systems Over Hustle

One of Nathalie’s core principles is that systems and processes aren’t bureaucracy, they’re enablers of growth. She encourages startups to invest early in scalable workflows and automation tools that reduce manual tasks and human error.

For example, customer support teams should use ticketing systems that prioritize issues and track response times rather than relying on ad hoc emails or Slack messages. Sales teams need CRM tools that not only capture leads but analyze patterns and forecast pipeline.

Culture Is the Glue

No system can replace a strong culture, says Nathalie. Culture is what keeps teams aligned and motivated during periods of rapid change. She advises founders to foster transparency, psychological safety, and clear communication channels.

“A culture where people feel safe to speak up, ask for help, and challenge ideas creates a self-correcting system,” she explains. This reduces chaos by catching problems early and encouraging collaborative solutions.

Prioritization and Focus

Startups often get pulled in too many directions, new features, new markets, fundraising, hiring, and more. Nathalie stresses the importance of prioritization to prevent overload.

She recommends using frameworks like the Eisenhower Matrix to separate urgent tasks from important ones, ensuring teams focus on what truly drives progress. “Chaos thrives when everything feels urgent. Leaders need to decide what actually matters,” she says.

Leadership Mindset

Scaling without chaos also requires a shift in leadership. Founders must transition from doing everything themselves to empowering others. This means delegating effectively and trusting managers to own parts of the business.

Nathalie emphasizes that leadership is about enabling people, not controlling every detail. “When you trust your team and give them clarity, you create a force multiplier that handles complexity better than any founder could alone.”

Real-World Example

Nathalie shares a story from her own experience working with a SaaS startup that grew from 10 to 100 employees in under two years. Early on, the company ignored process in the rush to hire and ship features.

As a result, internal confusion grew: product teams duplicated work, customer support was overwhelmed, and morale dipped. When Nathalie stepped in, she helped implement simple systems, weekly cross-team syncs, project management tools, and clear role definitions.

Within six months, the startup regained control and accelerated growth without the usual burnout or chaos. The key was building infrastructure alongside scaling headcount and revenue.

The Role of Technology

Technology plays a vital role in scaling efficiently. Nathalie encourages startups to embrace tools that automate routine tasks, track key metrics, and provide data-driven insights.

But she warns against over-reliance on technology as a silver bullet. “Tools are only as good as the processes and people behind them. The right tech amplifies good habits, it doesn’t replace them.”

Scaling for the Long Term

Nathalie stresses that sustainable scaling is a marathon, not a sprint. Quick growth might feel good initially but can create lasting damage if not managed properly.

Her advice? Build with intention, invest in people, and constantly revisit systems and culture. “Chaos is a symptom of mismatch, between ambition and capacity, vision and reality. Fix those, and scaling becomes an exciting, manageable journey.”

Level Up Insight

Scaling a startup without chaos isn’t luck, it’s strategy. By focusing on strong systems, a healthy culture, disciplined prioritization, and empowered leadership, startups can grow fast and smart. As Nathalie El Barche Antonios shows, scaling is less about speed and more about control.

A quiet but powerful land deal is unfolding on the lush island of Kaua‘i, and it could redefine Hawaii’s agricultural future. A tech billionaire is offering to sell nearly 1,000 acres of prime farmland for $39 million. The potential buyer? Not a luxury developer or commercial giant, but the state of Hawaii itself.

This isn’t just a property transaction, it’s a pivotal moment for an island state grappling with generational questions about land, food, and identity. Hawaii, long romanticized as a tropical paradise, has also become a battleground between native stewardship and external ownership. Now, the Agribusiness Development Corporation (ADC), a state agency, is stepping up with a plan that could reclaim not just acreage, but autonomy.

The land, part of the historic Grove Farm estate, holds deep significance. For generations, it sustained sugarcane, diversified agriculture, and local livelihoods. But like much of Hawaii, this farmland has been under threat from luxury developers, foreign buyers, and rising land costs that leave local farmers priced out. This state bid offers a rare alternative, one where the government intervenes not to exploit, but to protect.

At $39,000 per acre, the deal is steep. But in Hawaii’s fractured food economy, it may be a necessary investment. The state currently imports roughly 85% of its food, leaving it vulnerable to global disruptions and supply shocks. Buying this land could mark a turning point: moving from imported dependence to local abundance.

Farmers see the land’s value beyond numbers. “This isn’t just about crops,” one local said. “It’s about feeding our own people. It’s about land security, about passing something down that can’t be outsourced.” In Hawaii, where farming has historically been linked with cultural roots, this deal hits deeper than economics, it speaks to dignity, heritage, and homegrown resilience.

What makes this opportunity even more compelling is the seller’s apparent willingness to prioritize the public good over profit maximization. The billionaire behind the offer isn’t pushing the land into the hands of developers or turning it into a private estate. Instead, there seems to be a quiet alignment: a recognition that this land, this history, this soil, should stay rooted in the hands of those who will nurture it.

And Hawaii is listening.

The ADC has already started evaluating the land’s long-term potential. Early reviews point to its high-quality soil, access to irrigation, and adaptability for a variety of crops, from traditional taro and sweet potatoes to more scalable outputs like tropical fruit and livestock feed. But the true test lies ahead: public feedback, budget approvals, and navigating the state’s typically slow acquisition process.

There’s urgency in the air. Land politics in Hawaii rarely favor patience. Developers move quickly. And when prime land goes up for sale, the window to protect it is fleeting. The fear is simple: delay too long, and the deal disappears. In its place comes another resort, another row of condos, another lost chance to nourish local futures.

What’s at stake isn’t just farmland, it’s a vision.

Hawaii has long struggled with the paradox of being agriculturally rich and food-insecure. The islands produce coffee, macadamia nuts, and sugarcane for export, yet rely on imports for basic staples. Reviving local agriculture isn’t just about growing food; it’s about realigning priorities. Giving young farmers access to land. Reducing dependency. Rebuilding trust between people and place.

On Kaua‘i, community organizations, farming cooperatives, and environmental advocates are coalescing in support. Their message is clear: this land needs to remain in farming, not for nostalgia, but for necessity. The state’s economy may be fueled by tourism, but its future may rest on the soil, literally.

“This isn’t just a land deal,” said one community organizer. “It’s a chance to course-correct. To say: our land is not a commodity. It’s our compass.”

Still, the proposal isn’t without challenges. The state budget is tight. Political consensus is fragile. And competing interests, especially in real estate, are always circling. But for once, momentum appears to favor conservation over commercialization. And that, in Hawaii, is rare.

If this deal is completed, it could set a precedent for how states, not just in Hawaii but across the U.S., can reclaim land for public interest. Not through condemnation, but through commitment. Not as charity, but as strategy.

In a time when billionaire land grabs dominate headlines, this story flips the narrative. A billionaire wants to sell, and the state, on behalf of its people, wants to buy. That reversal isn’t just symbolic. It’s seismic.

And it’s not just Kaua‘i watching. Across the islands, and even beyond, policymakers and land activists are asking: What if this works? What if Hawaii buys the land, supports small farmers, restores ecosystems, and grows its own food? What if a legacy of exploitation turns into a legacy of renewal?

That’s the bet. One worth taking.

Level Up Insight

Hawaii’s opportunity to acquire nearly 1,000 acres of farmland on Kaua‘i isn’t merely a strategic land purchase, it’s a cultural and economic inflection point. In a state haunted by land loss and rising costs, this deal offers something radical: a future rooted in sustainability, sovereignty, and self-reliance. In a world of fleeting investments, this is one Hawaii can’t afford to miss.

Before the world wakes up, Emma Grede is already on her second victory. The British-born entrepreneur and CEO of Skims, the billion-dollar shapewear brand co-founded with Kim Kardashian, doesn’t just lead a company, she runs it like a military operation. And that includes her household.

“I run my house like a military operation,” Grede recently said, with the kind of no-nonsense tone that makes it clear she’s not exaggerating. She’s not trying to sound dramatic, just disciplined. In a world of messy hustle and aesthetic chaos, Grede’s rise is proof that precision still wins.

What does it actually look like when a billion-dollar brand is being built by someone who plans her day to the minute? It looks like early alarms, structured parenting, tightly managed meetings, and a relentless rhythm that’s anything but chaotic. Her personal life isn’t a reaction to her business, it’s a reflection of it. Clean. Efficient. Effective.

The 5:30 A.M. Rule: Discipline Before Sunrise

Emma Grede doesn’t hit snooze. She wakes up at 5:30 a.m. every single day. And it’s not for a wellness flex. It’s because, according to her, this is the only time the day truly belongs to her. Before the Slack messages, before the meetings, before the brand demands her leadership, she wins back a slice of stillness. That discipline gives her clarity. That clarity powers strategy.

It’s not about fitting into a mold of “morning routine success,” but about owning her energy before it gets fragmented. When she hits her desk, she’s not waking up. She’s already activated.

From Home to HQ: Systems, Not Chaos

Grede’s home, like her boardroom, is a place of structure. School runs? Timed. Meals? Prepped. Kids? Briefed. There’s no guessing game on what happens when. It’s all pre-programmed like a mission briefing. And she likes it that way.

She doesn’t believe in winging it. That’s for people who don’t have a billion-dollar valuation on the line. Every decision, from how her kids’ uniforms are handled to how investor calls are sequenced, flows from one core value: operational clarity.

That’s not cold. It’s freeing. When decisions are pre-made, energy is saved for what matters. That’s the game Grede is really playing.

The Skims Formula: Creative + Combat-Ready

What makes Grede different from the cliché “girlboss” founder archetype is her duality. She’s not just creative, she’s combat-ready. Skims isn’t just a brand with cultural clout; it’s a logistics beast. Selling stretchable shapewear at mass scale takes brutal attention to detail: inventory, sizing, restocks, customer service, celebrity collaborations, every piece needs to lock into place.

And Grede doesn’t just float on top of that structure, she built it.

Her meetings aren’t loose brainstorms. They’re laser sessions. Her team isn’t just talented, they’re trained. She expects rigor, not randomness. The reason Skims can drop a collection, sell out in minutes, and then restock without imploding? That’s Emma. That’s the system.

Family Is Not a Side Project — It’s a Parallel Operation

Grede’s “military mindset” doesn’t stop at the company door. It extends into how she parents. But not in a boot-camp way, in a proactive one. Her kids know what’s coming. The schedule is predictable. Expectations are set early. And above all, she’s present, not frazzled.

This is the opposite of hustle-parenting, where success is built at the cost of family. Grede doesn’t believe in trade-offs. She believes in systems that allow for both. The same clarity she demands from her team, she builds into her home life. That’s how she scales both roles: CEO and mom.

She doesn’t collapse under the weight of it all. She just runs it like an operation.

No Time for Chaos: Why Structure Is a Feminist Power Move

Let’s talk about what Grede is actually modeling here, not just a CEO routine, but a woman who’s using structure as a form of power.

In a world that expects women to either nurture or dominate, Grede does both, strategically. She doesn’t leave things to chance. She doesn’t glamorize burnout. She doesn’t pretend to “do it all” through chaos. She engineers her life like a mission: with targets, timelines, and tactical flexibility.

This isn’t hustle culture. This is high-performance feminism.

Grede’s discipline isn’t a reaction to pressure. It’s a rejection of mess. It’s her way of taking full ownership of the outcomes in both her company and her household.

And it’s working.

From London Streets to L.A. Power Moves

Emma Grede grew up in East London, and she didn’t come from luxury. That makes her rise even more precise. Her hunger wasn’t born in boardrooms, it was born in survival, ambition, and a deep belief that if she created structure, she could rewrite her reality.

Fast-forward to today, and she’s not just building Skims. She’s shaping a new kind of archetype: the operationally obsessed, emotionally grounded founder who scales empires and doesn’t lose her soul.

Grede is clear: her daily routine isn’t about being robotic. It’s about being ready.

Level Up Insight

Emma Grede’s secret isn’t luck, celebrity access, or chaos. It’s operations. She doesn’t live by vibes, she lives by mission. In a world drunk on spontaneity, Grede proves that structured living is still the sharpest tool in the success toolbox. She doesn’t chase balance. She builds systems that make balance inevitable.

The dynamic world of digital protection has seen a significant boost recently, as a burgeoning data security startup, Theom, successfully closed a substantial funding round. This pivotal investment, amounting to $20 million in a Series A round, underscores the escalating importance of robust data safeguards in today’s increasingly interconnected digital landscape.

The backing from industry giants like Snowflake and Databricks not only injects crucial capital but also provides a powerful validation of the startup’s innovative approach to protecting sensitive information, signaling a strong vote of confidence from established players in the data ecosystem. This infusion of funds is set to accelerate the development and deployment of advanced security solutions, addressing the ever-evolving complexities of data breaches and cyber threats that businesses face globally.

In an era where data is often described as the new oil, its security has become paramount. Organizations across every sector are grappling with the immense challenge of safeguarding vast quantities of sensitive information, ranging from personal customer details to proprietary corporate strategies. The recent funding secured by Theom reflects this urgent need. The investment was not merely a financial transaction but a strategic endorsement from entities deeply embedded within the data infrastructure.

This kind of collaborative backing highlights a growing trend where established technology leaders are actively investing in next-generation security solutions, recognizing that their own ecosystems thrive only when data integrity and privacy are uncompromised. The funding is poised to propel Theom into a new phase of growth, enabling it to scale operations, expand its research and development capabilities, and ultimately deliver more sophisticated tools to combat sophisticated cyber adversaries.

Theom’s success in attracting such significant investment can be attributed to its unique proposition in a crowded market. Unlike traditional security models that often rely on perimeter defenses or reactive measures, Theom’s approach centers on a more intrinsic understanding of data itself. Its platform aims to identify, classify, and protect data at its core, irrespective of where it resides – be it in cloud environments, on-premise servers, or distributed databases.

This granular level of control and visibility is increasingly critical as enterprises embrace multi-cloud strategies and remote workforces, blurring the traditional boundaries of network security. The startup’s innovative use of advanced analytics and behavioral insights to detect anomalies and prevent unauthorized data access sets it apart, offering a proactive defense mechanism rather than merely responding to breaches after they occur.

The implications of this funding extend beyond just Theom’s immediate growth. It signals a broader market recognition that data security needs a paradigm shift. With data proliferation continuing unabated, and regulatory pressures for data privacy becoming stricter globally, businesses are urgently seeking solutions that offer comprehensive protection without hindering agility or innovation.

The traditional approach of relying on firewalls and basic access controls is proving insufficient against sophisticated cyber threats. The investment into a company like Theom suggests a collective move towards more intelligent, data-centric security frameworks that can adapt to dynamic IT environments and emerging threat vectors. This strategic alignment between the startup and its investors points towards a future where data protection is not an afterthought but an integrated, foundational layer of all digital operations.

The capital infusion will primarily be directed towards scaling Theom’s engineering and product development teams, accelerating the rollout of new features, and expanding its market reach. There is a clear emphasis on enhancing the platform’s capabilities to integrate seamlessly with diverse data environments and provide a unified security posture across an organization’s entire data footprint.

This involves investing in talent that can further refine artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms that underpin Theom’s predictive analytics and threat detection mechanisms. Furthermore, a portion of the funds will likely be allocated to strengthening customer support and success initiatives, ensuring that deployed solutions are effectively utilized and continually optimized for maximum security efficacy. The goal is to build a robust and user-friendly platform that simplifies complex data security challenges for enterprises of all sizes.

The increasing frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks have made robust data security a non-negotiable aspect of business continuity. From ransomware assaults to insider threats, the risks are manifold and constantly evolving. This recent funding highlights the industry’s commitment to fostering innovation that can keep pace with these challenges. It reflects a growing understanding that a piecemeal approach to security is no longer viable; instead, a holistic, data-centric strategy is essential.

Startups like Theom are at the forefront of this evolution, developing technologies that not only protect data but also provide actionable intelligence, allowing organizations to anticipate and neutralize threats before they materialize. The success of such ventures is crucial for maintaining trust in the digital economy and ensuring the integrity of critical information assets worldwide.

Level Up Insight:

The substantial investment in data security startups like Theom signals a critical turning point: data protection is no longer just an IT function, but a fundamental business imperative. For professionals and entrepreneurs, this means a growing demand for expertise in advanced security frameworks, particularly those focusing on proactive, data-centric defense.

The future belongs to those who understand that true innovation hinges on unwavering data integrity, making robust security a cornerstone of every successful venture.

For most people chasing virality, that million-view video feels like the mountaintop. But for today’s most successful digital creators, that spike in attention is just the first checkpoint. What really matters is what comes next, how you turn all those eyes into income, and fleeting attention into a full-fledged business.

That’s where the next-gen creators are changing the game. One viral moment used to mean a short spotlight and maybe a few brand deals. Now, it can be the ignition switch for a profitable, scalable digital empire. These aren’t just influencers; they’re operators, product developers, and community builders. They know that visibility means little without a strategy to capitalize on it.

Take one example, a creator who began by posting short videos that made a dry skill entertaining. No studio budget. No major partnerships. Just knowledge packaged with personality. She didn’t wait for someone to tap her for sponsorship. She launched her own product. The results? Multiple six-figure days and a business that now spans a full digital course catalog. And she’s not alone.

A growing wave of creators is ditching brand dependency to launch their own products and services. Whether it’s a bite-sized podcast run by pre-teens or high-ticket courses by YouTubers-turned-entrepreneurs, one thing is clear: going viral is now just step one.

1. Virality = Proof of Product-Market Fit

Viral moments aren’t just vanity metrics, they’re signals. Signals that an audience is hungry for something you’re offering, even if it wasn’t packaged as a product yet.

The smartest creators are treating viral clips like rapid-fire A/B tests. Post ten videos. Watch what spikes. Then build around what works. It’s product-market fit, discovered publicly and iteratively.

In one such case, a creator’s sixth video took off. Within a few days, her follower count hit six figures. She could’ve paused and celebrated. Instead, she asked: What’s my next move?

That one viral video became the seed for her first product, a digital course. Not an affiliate deal. Not merch. A product that turned casual viewers into customers.

2. Stop Waiting for Sponsorships, Sell Something You Own

Brand deals are fickle. Audiences are forever, if you earn their trust. Creators today are skipping the middleman. They’re creating courses, templates, coaching packages, and digital tools that align with what their audience already wants.

One creator went from filming in her living room to launching an online course that replaced her corporate salary in just two months. The best part? She didn’t start perfect. She started with purpose.

Another group of young podcasters took the reverse route, long-form first, then clipped their content into short-form highlights. Over just three episodes, they sliced 170+ pieces of content and saw tens of millions of views across platforms. From podcast mic to viral snippet, they figured out how to milk one idea for maximum reach, and revenue.

3. Build A Funnel That Works In Your Sleep

What separates creators with audiences from creators with income? One word: funnels.

A strong content funnel moves strangers into superfans. It starts with free content on social. That drives to a lead magnet, often a free tool, resource, or newsletter. Then comes the conversion piece: a webinar, a product drop, a live class. The process looks casual from the outside, but behind the scenes it’s strategic and repeatable.

One creator built a funnel so simple it sounds too easy, free TikToks, email opt-in, a live Zoom class, and then a digital course. But it worked. Six-figure launch days became normal. And because the funnel was value-packed from the start, the audience didn’t just buy once, they came back.

4. Scale With Systems, Not Just Views

Growth isn’t just about going viral more often. It’s about building infrastructure behind the attention. That means expanding from one product to many. That means hiring a team, or automating enough that you don’t need one. That means understanding your audience well enough to keep solving their problems, over and over again.

One creator scaled from a solo course to a 10-product digital academy. Another used AI-powered tools to generate hundreds of clips from a few podcast episodes. The tech stack matters. The team matters. But the system matters most.

You can’t scale chaos. You can only scale structure.

5. Steal the Playbook from Proven Creators

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Some of the most profitable creator businesses today follow nearly identical blueprints. Content drives community. Community drives sales. Sales drive reinvestment into better content and better products. It loops.

One creator who left his full-time medical career built a newsletter, a YouTube presence, and a premium course. The course alone brought in over a quarter million dollars in its first run. His free content? Still his best sales driver. His monetization? All anchored in products he owns.

That’s the model.

6. For Small Creators, Here’s the Blueprint

You don’t need millions of views to make money. You don’t even need a product today. But if you want to turn content into income, you need a direction.

• Start by showing up: Consistency beats polish. One video a day beats one perfect video a month.

• Repurpose like a machine: Turn podcasts into TikToks. Turn YouTube videos into carousels. One piece of content should live ten lives.

• Build an email list: Social media is borrowed land. Own your audience.

• Launch simple: A PDF checklist, a one-hour workshop, or a 3-video mini course can be enough to start.

• Think long-term: Monetize with intention. Courses, coaching, templates, whatever fits your niche.

The game has changed. Today, creators don’t need permission to build real businesses. They just need a plan. Virality is just step one. Execution is what builds empires.

Level Up Insight:

In today’s digital world, attention is the new currency, but only if you learn how to invest it. Viral moments are great for visibility. But it’s systems, ownership, and smart product design that lead to real wealth. Creators who treat their audience like customers, and their content like assets, are the ones who don’t just go viral. They go pro.

In a city famous for pastel sunsets, Art Deco icons, and cultural mashups, something deeper is taking root, Miami’s design identity is entering a new chapter. It’s no longer just about visual spectacle or high-rise showmanship. The future belongs to spaces that tell stories. That feel personal. That connect. And in the heart of this quiet revolution stands a boutique design studio that’s rewriting the rules, not by going bigger, but by going deeper.

The studio’s origin wasn’t born from glitzy investor decks or oversized branding. It began with a simple idea: design should feel. Every material, every shadow, every line on a blueprint must move with meaning. And that belief has snowballed into one of the most exciting entrepreneurial stories shaping Miami’s luxury scene. Where others chase trends, this team crafts narratives. Where others follow aesthetics, they build emotion.

Miami has long been a magnet for the extravagant, from oceanfront penthouses to avant-garde hotels. But what this studio understood early is that true luxury in 2025 doesn’t scream. It whispers. Their approach to residential design is rooted in restraint. Projects tucked inside exclusive enclaves like Brickell and Key Biscayne aren’t about maximalism, they’re sanctuaries of modern stillness. Think natural light, tactile textures, and muted palettes that feel more like a gentle conversation than a loud announcement.

This isn’t just smart design, it’s strategic entrepreneurship. At a time when real estate developers and hospitality giants are scrambling to differentiate, the studio positions itself not as a vendor but as a creative partner. That shift in mindset, working from intention, not just instruction, has made them indispensable to a new wave of clients who crave more than just style. They want soul.

What’s even more compelling is how the studio has moved beyond private homes into cultural translation. Their recent work designing a flagship for a century-old European culinary brand wasn’t just about interiors. It was about time travel. They managed to distill generations of heritage into a space that feels both rooted and contemporary, a rare feat in retail where trends expire by the quarter. This blend of emotional branding and immersive space-making is turning heads in global design circles, and it signals something bigger: the rise of empathy-led entrepreneurship.

It’s a philosophy that’s gaining traction far beyond Florida. With projects now underway across the U.S., the studio is proving that its process is exportable. But it’s not scale for scale’s sake. Their team remains deliberately small, favoring high-touch collaboration over production-line speed. There are no ego-driven creative directors here, just a tight-knit group of thinkers, builders, and storytellers obsessed with getting the details right.

And that’s where the real lesson lies for creative entrepreneurs. In a landscape addicted to speed and scale, this studio’s rise is a masterclass in intentional growth. By focusing on depth over width, on relationships over reach, they’ve built something that’s not just profitable, but personal. Their success isn’t defined by how many square feet they touch, but by how deeply they touch the people who experience them.

Of course, none of this is easy. The design world, like any creative industry, is saturated. What separates enduring brands from the forgettable is clarity. This studio doesn’t market through aggressive sales funnels or viral gimmicks. Their work speaks. Their spaces circulate word-of-mouth like prized secrets. In an era where algorithms dominate, they’ve built something refreshingly analog, reputation.

The rise of this Miami studio mirrors a broader trend we’re seeing across the entrepreneurial landscape in America: a pivot from surface to substance. Whether it’s solopreneurs building micro-agencies or makers crafting limited-run product lines, the new wave of success stories all share one trait, purposeful design thinking. It’s not just about what you create, but why and for whom.

Miami is a city always in motion. But in this flurry of change, there’s a rare opportunity to shape identity. To not just design buildings, but to define what the city feels like tomorrow. And that’s exactly what this studio is doing, quietly, confidently, beautifully.

They’re not just riding the wave of Miami’s creative renaissance. They’re designing it.

LEVEL UP INSIGHT
In a world obsessed with viral visuals and “bigger, faster, now,” true design entrepreneurs are carving a new lane, one defined by emotion, craft, and cultural intelligence. The firms shaping the next decade of space-making aren’t following trends. They’re creating resonance. That’s where the future of design, and business, is headed.