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In this episode of the Capital Raiser Show, Richard C. Wilson interviews John Manes, Chairman of StoreSuite LLC and a self-storage entrepreneur who has helped build over $170M in storage assets and created companies worth more than $300M—including two successful exits totaling $200M+. John shares the real story behind building and scaling a self-storage platform, from raising capital for his very first deal to assembling a portfolio that attracted major buyers. Along the way, he reveals how authenticity, relationships, and being in the right investor rooms helped him grow faster than traditional operators. In this conversation, you'll learn: How John raised $900K for his first storage deal and turned it into a $1.8M exit Why network proximity and relationships are critical for raising capital and scaling deals The strategy behind building and exiting $100M+ real estate platforms Lessons learned from costly mistakes with lenders, brokers, and deals How to stand out with investors in a crowded market Why transparency with investors matters more during tough cycles than easy markets John also discusses the mindset required to scale from small deals to large portfolios, how he approached major exits, and the operational systems needed to run a vertically integrated self-storage company. If you're raising capital, investing in real estate, or building a scalable investment platform, this episode offers a practical look at what it takes to grow, exit, and rebuild successfully in the self-storage industry.
Josh Block is an entrepreneur, leadership speaker, and author of People Matter at Work. He is the founder of Cube Mobile Imaging, a company providing mobile MRI and CT imaging services across the United States to help expand access to healthcare.Before founding Cube Mobile Imaging, Josh served as President of Block Imaging, where he helped grow the company from roughly 50 employees to more than 400 worldwide and scale revenue to over $200 million. His leadership philosophy centers around the belief that strong workplace cultures drive both human fulfillment and business performance.In this episode, Josh shares how people-first leadership transforms organizations, why culture cannot simply be “maintained,” and the frameworks leaders can use to build high-trust teams that actually perform.We also discuss the key leadership decisions behind Block Imaging's massive growth, the “Three T's” framework for building healthy organizations, and why the future of leadership depends on authenticity, trust, and empowering others.If you lead a team, run a company, or want to build a culture where people truly thrive, this conversation is packed with practical insights.⸻Topics Covered• How Josh Block helped scale Block Imaging to over $200M in revenue• Why workplace culture is the biggest driver of long-term performance• The leadership philosophy behind People Matter at Work• Moving from a “Me-Cycle” to a “We-Cycle” inside organizations• The “Three T's” leadership framework: Together, Thoughtful, Transparent• Why great leaders eventually give away the baton• How Cube Mobile Imaging is expanding access to healthcare• Practical steps leaders can take to build trust and engagement⸻About Josh BlockJosh Block is an American entrepreneur, author, and leadership speaker focused on helping organizations build people-centered cultures.He is the founder of Cube Mobile Imaging, a company delivering mobile MRI and CT imaging services across the United States. Previously, he served as President of Block Imaging, where he helped grow the company from roughly 50 employees to more than 400 globally.Josh frequently speaks and coaches leaders on culture, leadership identity, and building organizations where both people and performance thrive.He lives in Lansing, Michigan with his wife Lacey and their children.⸻Connect with Josh BlockWebsite:https://peoplematteratwork.com/Cube Mobile Imaging:https://cubemobileimaging.com/LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshblock1/Book:People Matter at Work
Juan Ignacio Garcia Braschi is a partner at L40, a boutique SaaS M&A advisory firm with offices in Madrid, Lisbon, and Miami. After two decades in banking, private equity, and operating roles, including serving as CFO of ride-hailing company Cabify, he now helps SaaS founders sell companies typically valued between $20M and $200M. L40 works primarily with B2B SaaS companies doing $5M–$50M ARR, most of them bootstrapped or lightly funded, including companies in Europe and Latin America. Juan explains how today's buyers evaluate SaaS companies, why Rule-of-40 performance still matters even with AI, and how growth rate, retention, and profitability determine valuation ranges of roughly 4–8x ARR. Key Takeaways Growth Drives Valuation: Growth rate correlates most strongly with SaaS multiples. Companies growing 50% command much higher valuations than those growing 20%. Rule Of 40 Still Matters: Buyers increasingly expect SaaS companies to combine strong growth with some profitability. Financial Buyers Dominant: Private-equity-backed platforms acquiring add-ons are the most active buyers for $50M–$100M SaaS companies today. Sell During Momentum: Smaller companies growing 20–40% annually can be an ideal window for acquisition before growth naturally slows. Quote from Juan Ignacio Garcia Braschi, Managing Director and Partner at L40 "If you think that you're going to sell your SaaS company, you should think of that two years ahead of when you want to sell. So don't wait until you're burned out. "Keep in mind that you will have to make a profit at some point to sell to serious financial buyers. So when your company is growing at decent 20, 30, 40% year over year rates, that's probably the sweet spot for selling. "Significant funds have been raised in the past 24 months and that has to be deployed. Traditional private equity firms are more more interested in tech. These days you see more and more traditional private equity firms going into tech and that's increasing competition and driving multiples up." Links Juan Ignacio Garcia Braschi on LinkedIn L40 on LinkedIn L40 website Podcast Sponsor – Lighter Capital This podcast is sponsored by Lighter Capital. In the last 15 years, Lighter Capital has helped over 600 software and SaaS founders secure simple, non-dilutive financing to grow a little faster—without giving up any precious equity or board seats to investors. Simple debt funding from Lighter Capital can range from $50K to $10 million, with straightforward terms, no personal guarantees or covenants, and up to a 4-year payback period. Go to LighterCapital.com to apply and get a quick pre-qualification. Then talk with their experienced team to create a practical funding plan to achieve your goals. The Practical Founders Podcast Tune into the Practical Founders Podcast for weekly in-depth interviews with founders who have built valuable software companies without big funding. Subscribe to the Practical Founders Podcast using your favorite podcast app or view on our YouTube channel. Get the weekly Practical Founders newsletter and podcast updates at practicalfounders.com. Practical Founders CEO Peer Groups Be part of a committed and confidential group of practical founders creating valuable software companies without big VC funding. A Practical Founders Peer Group is a committed and confidential group of founders/CEOs who want to help you succeed on your terms. Each Practical Founders Peer Group is personally curated and moderated by Greg Head.
March 11, 2026: Your daily rundown of health and wellness news, in under 5 minutes. Today's top stories: Bank of America data shows Gen Z gym memberships up 9% while binge drinking among 21-34 year-olds falls 10% over past decade Mintel reports consumers shifting to science-backed skincare with "clinically proven" claims up 45% and biohacking interest rising 35% year-over-year Universal Health Services acquires Talkspace for $835M, gaining access to 6,000 clinicians and 200M+ covered lives to build full behavioral health stack Today's episode is brought to you by AIIR — a modern communications and experiential agency for health, wellness, fitness, and performance brands. From earned media to events and creator-led campaigns, AIIR helps companies sharpen their story, earn attention, and build trust that compounds. Visit https://aiir.agency to learn more. More from Fitt: Fitt Insider breaks down the convergence of fitness, wellness, and healthcare — and what it means for business, culture, and capital. Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe Work with our recruiting firm → https://talent.fitt.co/ Follow us on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/fittinsider/ Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider Reach out → insider@fitt.co
The Jets signed Gino Smith. Again. The Raiders spent $200 million and nobody can name who they got. Dak's wedding blew up at a joint bachelor party. And somehow Malik Willis might be the best rushing QB in football. We're breaking down every major move from the first 48 hours of free agency — the winners, the losers, and whatever the Jets are doing. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 — Intro 1:42 — Gino Smith back to the Jets (worst move ever?) 3:48 — Tom Brady convinced someone to want Gino 4:15 — Malik Willis to the Dolphins — is he legit? 6:14 — Willis might be the best rushing QB in the NFL 6:38 — Tua to the Falcons — two lefties, one locker room 8:21 — Does the first round draft pick even matter? 11:10 — Free agency losers: Colts & Ravens overpaid 12:01 — Alec Pierce got HOW much? 13:18 — Max Crosby to Baltimore — too steep? 14:12 — Raiders spent $200M in 48 hours 16:13 — Do first round picks actually hit? 18:02 — Joe Burrow playing blackjack with Jessica Alba 19:03 — Kenneth Walker to the Chiefs 20:02 — The drunk GM negotiation clip 21:06 — Travis Kelce should've retired 21:19 — Mike Evans leaves Tampa for the 49ers 24:09 — DJ Moore to the Bills — good or bad? 25:11 — Lions sign Pacheco, Pats get Romeo Doubs 26:06 — Seahawks Super Bowl brain drain 27:44 — Dak Prescott's wedding called off 30:10 — Joint bachelor parties are the worst idea ever 31:35 — Fantasy relevant moves recap 32:08 — Where does Kyler Murray land? 34:24 — Wrap up + how to reach us
Todd Meleney is the co-founder and CEO of while on earth, a performance footwear and apparel brand whose other co-founders include NFL superstar Christian McCaffrey and CrossFit athletes Brooke Wells and Mat Fraser. Todd is a visionary entrepreneur who believes time is our most valuable currency, and he's passionate about helping people reach their full potential through performance and wellness.Before launching while on earth™, Todd was the award-winning CMO and first employee at NOBULL, where he oversaw marketing, content, and revenue from pre-launch to $200M+ in annual sales. He's known for building a cult following and orchestrating some of the largest and most highly anticipated product launches in the athletic space.In this episode, Todd talks about his philosophy behind while on earth and how he's scaling the brand as an influential leader in athletic performance wear and wellness; lessons from growing NOBULL from the ground up and building an engaged community; collaborating with elite athletes like Christian McCaffrey and launching authentic brand partnerships that actually move the needle; his insights on marketing, product launches, and entrepreneurship in the performance wellness space.Support the show
Host Grant Mona breaks down a weekend of dominance for the Blue and Gold and a massive roster overhaul for the Rams. From a gritty rivalry win at Pauley Pavilion to a defensive transformation in Thousand Oaks, we've got you covered. Segment One: UCLA Sweeps the Season Series The UCLA Bruins finished the regular season on a high note, taking down USC 74–68 in front of a sold-out home crowd. Grant reacts to the postgame audio from a fiery Mick Cronin, who praises his team's toughness and the development of Trent Perry and Eric Freeny during their first Big Ten campaign. We also hear from the players on the pride of keeping the "Victory Bell" (metaphorically) in Westwood and how this momentum carries them into the conference tournament as a dangerous sleeper pick. Segment Two: The "KC Rams" Transformation The NFL legal tampering period opened today, and Les Snead has officially turned the Rams' secondary into a reunion for the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl defense. Grant provides a "State of the Rams" address following two massive moves: the record-breaking extension for Trent McDuffie and today's free-agent signing of Jaylen Watson. Grant breaks down: The KC Connection: How the Rams paired McDuffie (who signed a historic 4-year, $124M extension on Sunday) with his former teammate Jaylen Watson, who agreed to a 3-year, $51M deal today. Snead's Philosophy: We revisit Les Snead's comments on adding "All-Pros" and using free agency so the team isn't "desperate in the draft." Grant analyzes how spending over $200M on the secondary (including re-signing Kam Curl) signals an all-in push for Matthew Stafford's MVP window. Draft Outlook: With the No. 29 pick traded away for McDuffie, Grant looks at how the Rams will pivot with the No. 13 overall pick and their remaining mid-round assets. Produced by: Grant Mona Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
NIO drops Q4 2025 earnings tomorrow. Potentially the first quarterly profit in eleven years.Tonight — four stories from today that, when you put them together, tell you exactly where this company stands heading into tomorrow.WHAT WE COVER:— CATL posts 42% profit growth and $10.4B net income: what it means for the broader EV ecosystem and NIO specifically— NIO's smart driving crosses 200M kilometers in a single month for the first time — up 81.5% after the NWM world model update— Users spending 50%+ of drive time on NIO's autonomous system up 210% month over month: behavioral change, not just a feature bump— Lamborghini abandons pure EV — and why the ET9 selling out at $112K is the real answer to that story— CYVN Holdings: the Abu Dhabi sovereign fund invested in both NIO and McLaren — and what that thread could mean long term— China's highway charging infrastructure crosses 98% coverage: the range anxiety argument is officially over— Full earnings setup and what to watch when numbers drop tomorrowEarnings reaction drops tomorrow morning.Courtside Financial. Hosted by Obi.NIO, NIO earnings, NIO Q4 2025, NIO first profit, NIO smart driving,NIO NWM, NIO ET9, CATL earnings, CYVN Holdings, McLaren EV,Lamborghini EV, Chinese EV stocks, EV investing 2026, NIO analysis,Courtside Financial, EV podcast, NIO March 2026, China EV infrastructure
The world is losing its minds over the fallout between Anthropic, the US Department of Defense, and OpenAI. However, if you're only looking at this as a debate over who is morally superior, which team is “right,” or which AI company is "winning," you are missing the many leadership lesson playing out right in front of us.However, it's worth noting that headlines can be deceiving. The reality is a much more sobering masterclass in corporate identity, contract realities, and the danger of assuming "boilerplate" terms will protect you when the stakes get high. While the media focuses on the geopolitical drama of a $200 million military contract and vindictive "supply chain risk" labels, the real crisis is what happens when vague or assumed commitments collide with extreme real-world pressure.This week, I'm digging into the Anthropic ultimatum, breaking down exactly what happened, from the initial DOD contract and the dispute over lethal force to the government's retaliatory overreach and Sam Altman's opportunistic swoop. I promise it's not a political debate; it's a business reality check. I explain why Anthropic's shock at the military acting like the military was profoundly naive, why weaponizing a national security label over a contract dispute is a terrifying precedent for enterprise leaders, and why OpenAI's linguistic gymnastics might win the deal but could ultimately cost them their identity.My goal is to move you out of "Spectator Mode" to "Strategic Preparation" by exposing the exact vulnerabilities threatening your own organization's boundaries. The "Low Tide" Trap (Defining Redlines): We love to "stay open" and avoid drawing hard ethical or practical lines. I break down why having no absolute "nos" isn't flexibility—it's a liability. You cannot wait for a crisis to decide what you stand for; you have to build your boundaries before the water rushes in. The "Boilerplate" Illusion (Peacetime vs. Wartime): We casually rubber-stamp terms and conditions, assuming everyone will just bend the rules. I share a personal story of how vague agreements landed me in a legal battle, and why you must interrogate and adjust your contracts and partnerships now, during peacetime, before they hit the fan. The Catastrophizing Emergency (Integrity as Survival): Holding your line is terrifying, and we often assume it will be the end of the world. I explain why you will absolutely recover from a lost deal or a broken contract, but you will never recover from compromising your entire identity. When you refuse to stand for something, you end up standing for nothing.By the end, I hope you see this massive tech fallout not just as another news cycle, but as a mandate for clarity. You cannot simply wait for your boundaries to be tested by a client, vendor, or partner; you have to define and fortify the redlines that will sustain your business when the pressure is on.⸻If this conversation helps you think more clearly about the future we're building, make sure to like, share, and subscribe. You can also support the show by buying me a coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/christopherlindAnd if your organization is wrestling with how to lead responsibly in the AI era, balancing performance, technology, and people, that's the work I do every day through my consulting and coaching. Learn more at https://christopherlind.co⸻Chapters00:00 – The Hook: Beyond the Headlines of the Anthropic Fallout02:15 – Declassifying the Deal: Anthropic, the DoD, and OpenAI08:30 – The "Lind" Perspective: Naïveté, Overreach, and the Altman Maneuver17:45 – Action 1: The "Low Tide" Trap (Audit Your Redlines)21:50 – Action 2: The Boilerplate Illusion (Peacetime vs. Wartime Contracts)26:45 – Action 3: Stop Catastrophizing (Stand Your Firmest Ground)33:10 – The "Now What": An Alternate Reality of Mutual Respect#Anthropic #OpenAI #DoD #Leadership #FutureOfWork #BusinessStrategy #ChristopherLind #FutureFocused #EthicsInAI #CorporateValues
Ryan was a successful lawyer with a massive problem. He couldn't find a task management tool that worked for his firm, so he built one himself. He thought he'd solved the problem, but for 8 agonizing months, he couldn't sell a single subscription.In this episode, Ryan breaks down the gritty reality of bootstrapping Filevine into a $3B legal tech startup doing over $200M in revenue. He shares how a random Instagram ad campaign ended his sales drought, how he fought off a Tiger Global-backed competitor built on Salesforce, and how he's completely rewriting his company's architecture to win the AI legal tech war against the likes of Harvey and Legora.Why You Should ListenHow 8 months of zero sales almost broke him.Why building customizability into your core product is the ultimate defense.How to recruit top engineers when you have zero funding.Why SMBs often have "beer money but champagne tastes."How to pivot from SaaS to AI.Keywordsstartup podcast, startup podcast for founders, legaltech, product market fit, bootstrapping, B2B SaaS, enterprise sales, AI startup, founder story, finding pmf00:00:00 Intro00:07:20 Recruiting an Amazon Engineer with No Funding00:11:52 The First Conference and the "Terrible" MVP00:15:23 The Dark Months: Zero Sales from Cold Calling00:19:28 The GTM that Saved the Company00:27:36 Why In-Person Events Beat Cold Calling00:36:19 Moving Upmarket to Avoid Demanding SMBs00:37:32 Beating a $50M Salesforce-Backed Competitor00:46:45 Rewriting Filevine for the AI EraSend me a message to let me know what you think!
Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski | True Crime News & Commentary
For 25 years, the Cascio family was Michael Jackson's shield. They testified at his 2005 trial. Frank Cascio wrote a book defending him. They went on national television saying Jackson never harmed anyone.Now all five Cascio siblings are suing, alleging Jackson drugged, raped, and sexually trafficked them since childhood. The estate says it's a $200 million extortion scheme.Former prosecutor Eric Faddis joins Hidden Killers to break down the most complicated credibility question in recent entertainment law: what happens when your most loyal defenders become your accusers—after decades of sworn statements saying nothing happened?The legal terrain is brutal. The Cascios already signed a settlement in 2019—reportedly $690,000 per sibling per year for five years—with confidentiality, non-disparagement, and arbitration clauses. They collected on it. Now they want it voided, claiming duress and lack of proper legal counsel.A hearing determines whether this goes to public court or private arbitration. The estate wants it sealed. The Cascio attorneys say arbitration is being weaponized to silence abuse victims.Eric Faddis breaks down what it takes to void a settlement you've already cashed, how 25 years of defense testimony affects credibility, what the federal sex trafficking statute actually requires, and whether alleged threats to "expand the circle of knowledge" right before a $600 million Sony deal constitutes extortion—or just aggressive negotiation.The Cascios claim they were "deprogrammed" by watching Leaving Neverland in 2019. The estate says the timing proves opportunism.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#MichaelJackson #CascioLawsuit #FrankCascio #MichaelJacksonEstate #MJLawsuit #LeavingNeverland #SexTrafficking #Arbitration #EricFaddis #HiddenKillers
Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery explore combining Paramount+ and HBO Max into a 200M subscriber streaming giant. The panel debates whether the merger can challenge Netflix, what happens to CNN, and why the old cable news model may be dying.
A new federal lawsuit filed this week accuses Michael Jackson's estate of child trafficking. The plaintiffs: four members of the Cascio family, siblings Jackson called his "second family" for over twenty-five years.According to court documents, Edward, Dominic, Marie-Nicole, and Aldo Cascio allege Jackson abused them beginning when some were as young as seven years old. They claim he groomed and isolated each child during trips around the world—including the Dangerous Tour, HIStory Tour, and visits to Neverland Ranch.The allegations are explosive. But so is the family's history of defending Jackson.Frank Cascio wrote a 2011 book declaring Jackson's innocence. The family appeared on Oprah in 2010 saying Jackson was never inappropriate. As recently as 2018, Frank was trying to turn his book into a TV series celebrating his friendship with Jackson.The estate calls this extortion. Attorney Marty Singer says the Cascios already received a settlement worth over three million dollars—then allegedly demanded two hundred thirteen million more.The Cascios say they were coerced into signing that settlement without lawyers while still processing trauma from watching "Leaving Neverland."A fifth sibling, Eddie, is pursuing separate claims in arbitration. He's also connected to the fake tracks scandal—songs he sold to the estate that Jackson's own family says weren't Michael's voice.Their attorney is Mark Geragos, who defended Jackson in 2003 and called him innocent. Now he's arguing the opposite.A hearing is set for March 5th. Michael Jackson was acquitted in 2005 and denied all allegations. His estate continues to deny them.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#MichaelJackson #CascioFamily #BreakingNews #JacksonEstate #ChildTraffickingLawsuit #LeavingNeverland #FrankCascio #TrueCrimeToday #MarkGeragos #MichaelJackson2026
Every startup hits the same ceiling: your founder customers love you, but they won't get you to $200M. So how do you move upmarket to enterprise without losing the community that built you? Harmony Anderson, VP of Growth & Marketing at Superhuman, gets into the real mechanics of it: The 70/30 resource split between enterprise and community Why she's hiring a "startup evangelist" to hold down their founder base Why they didn't need a rebrand to start winning enterprise deals What she learned studying how Canva pulled off the same shift Plus, Harmony's vision for where AI-native productivity is actually headed and why the line between your personal and professional tools is about to disappear. If you enjoyed this clip, be sure to check out the full episode on Marketing Trends: The Secret To Scaling From $20 Million to $200 Million ARR (Extremely Fast) ----Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski | True Crime News & Commentary
How does someone defend their alleged abuser for twenty-five years—then suddenly file a two hundred million dollar lawsuit?The Cascio family just accused Michael Jackson's estate of child trafficking. But these siblings spent decades swearing Jackson was innocent. Frank Cascio wrote a book. They went on Oprah. They attacked Wade Robson on social media before "Leaving Neverland" aired.Now they claim Jackson abused all five of them beginning when some were as young as seven years old.The Jackson estate calls it a shakedown. But trauma experts say this pattern is textbook grooming psychology. Victims become so enmeshed with their abusers that they genuinely don't recognize abuse as abuse. They internalize their abuser's worldview. They protect them. They attack anyone who threatens the relationship.Wade Robson testified under oath that Jackson never touched him—then filed an abuse lawsuit in 2013. James Safechuck defended Jackson in 1993—then alleged hundreds of abuse instances in 2014. Both say they didn't recognize what happened until therapy years later.The Cascios claim watching "Leaving Neverland" in 2019 finally broke the spell—and they discovered all five siblings had allegedly been abused.Is that plausible? It's exactly what experts describe. Is the timing also convenient for a massive payout? Absolutely.Michael Jackson was acquitted in 2005 and denied all allegations. His estate continues to deny them. The courts will decide whether this is justice or opportunism.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#MichaelJackson #GroomingPsychology #CascioFamily #LeavingNeverland #WadeRobson #JamesSafechuck #TraumaPsychology #JacksonEstate #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers
Luke Zaientz is an Operating Partner at Rally Ventures and CEO of OTTO SPORT AI, an AI-powered platform simplifying youth sports management for athletes, families, coaches, and admins. Previously, he founded, served as COO, and CEO of Reigning Champs, a student-athlete recruiting platform that grew from inception to over $200M in annual revenue before being acquired by IMG Academy. With a B.S. in Economics & Transportation from Northeastern University and a Master's in Engineering Logistics from MIT, Luke has deep expertise in strategy, scaling, and operations, focusing on tech solutions for sports and education. Based in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, his work emphasizes removing friction in youth sports through tools like club management, tournament ticketing, and athlete recruitment, fostering connections and insights to help young athletes thrive. ParentShift course 30% off with the code TRIBE. Link below: ParentShift (English): https://www.hernanchousa.com/courses/parentshift?ref=c23daa Entrena Tu Legado (Spanish): https://www.hernanchousa.com/courses/entrenatulegado?ref=c23daa Connect with Luke on LinkedIn: Luke Zaientz OTTO SPORT AI Links: Website: https://www.ottosport.ai/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ottosportai/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ottosportai/ You can explore more of Hernan's work on his website, https://www.hernanchousa.com/.
After years of laughing along, the highest-earning woman in media finally gets sick of her loudmouth co-star’s antics and walks away. But what’s really fuelling the drama - and why are their bosses secretly delighted? Read more about this story at theaustralian.com.au and see the video by subscribing to our YouTube channel. This episode of The Front is presented by Claire Harvey, produced by Kristen Amiet and edited by Tiffany Dimmack. Our team includes Lia Tsamoglou, Joshua Burton and Jasper Leak, who also composed our music. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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The Mayor has given up. He supports taxpayer contributions to the renovation of Grand Casino Arena. Ray of Hope. Bill introduced to end the housing stabilization program, which had been rife with fraud. We sample a new great lakes foghorn. Johnny Heidt with guitar news. Heard On The Show:Minnesota US Attorney Daniel Rosen among officials appearing for contempt hearingMinnesota Wild, St. Paul mayor plan to upgrade Grand Casino Arena complex includes $200M state requestIsrael steps up airstrikes in Tehran, as Iran widens its response across the regionSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
What if the biggest bottleneck in your commerce strategy isn't the strategy itself, but the time it takes your team to actually perform the actions to execute it?Agility requires not just having the right insights, but also the operational capacity to act on them at the speed the market demands.Today, we're going to talk about a critical bottleneck many brands face: the delay between data-driven insight and real-world execution. Commerce teams are often drowning in data but struggle with the manual, time-consuming work of implementing changes, whether it's updating product pages or optimizing media spend. This has led to a major shift, where brands are looking beyond traditional agency models and toward a new paradigm of 'agentic AI'—using automated agents to handle execution, freeing up human experts to focus on what they do best: strategy.We are here at eTail Palm Springs, and to help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Himanshu Jain, Co-Founder and Head of Product, and Bill Schneider, VP Product Marketing at CommerceIQ. About Bill Schneider and Himanshu Jain Himanshu Jain is the Cofounder and Head of Product at CommerceIQ, a Series D agentic AI company based in the Bay Area. CommerceIQ is a leader in retail technology, having raised $200M from SoftBank and Insights Partners, and serving 10 of the top 12 CPG brands globally. He builds vertical AI and autonomous agent platforms that help the world's largest consumer brands win across ecommerce and omnichannel retail. Over the past decade, he has repeatedly taken AI products from zero to product–market fit, scaling them into multi-million-dollar businesses across retail media, pricing, supply chain, and digital shelf. With deep roots in machine learning, SaaS and enterprise strategy, he operates at the intersection of advanced AI systems and measurable commercial impact. Himanshu Jain is the Cofounder and Head of Product at CommerceIQ, a Series D agentic AI company based in the Bay Area. CommerceIQ is a leader in retail technology, having raised $200M from SoftBank and Insights Partners, and serving 10 of the top 12 CPG brands globally. He builds vertical AI and autonomous agent platforms that help the world's largest consumer brands win across ecommerce and omnichannel retail. Over the past decade, he has repeatedly taken AI products from zero to product–market fit, scaling them into multi-million-dollar businesses across retail media, pricing, supply chain, and digital shelf. With deep roots in machine learning, SaaS and enterprise strategy, he operates at the intersection of advanced AI systems and measurable commercial impact. Bill Schneider and Himanshu Jain on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-schneider-b32a6a/ Resources CommerceIQ: www.commerceiq.ai The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703 Drive your customers to new horizons at the premier retail event of the year for Retail and Brand marketers. Learn more at CRMC 2026, June 1-3. https://aglbrnd.co/r/d15ec37a537c0d74 Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company
Our 235th episode with a summary and discussion of last week's big AI news!Recorded on 02/27/2026Hosted by Andrey Kurenkov and Jeremie HarrisFeel free to email us your questions and feedback at andreyvkurenkov@gmail.com and/or hello@gladstone.aiRead out our text newsletter and comment on the podcast at https://lastweekin.ai/In this episode:Model and tool updates highlight Anthropic's Sonnet 4.6 (1M context; strong ARC-AGI-2 results), Google's Gemini 3.1 Pro (major ARC-AGI-2 jump and multimodal demos), xAI's Grok 4.2 beta (multi-agent debate), plus Anthropic's Claude Code “Remote Control” and Perplexity's multi-agent “Computer” coordinator.Compute and business moves include Meta's reported up-to-$100B AMD chip deal with warrant/equity incentives, MatX raising $500M to build specialized transformer chips shipping in 2027, World Labs raising $1B for world-model/3D environment tech, and a new startup raising $100M to simulate/predict human behavior.Infrastructure and geopolitics cover Stargate data-center delays amid OpenAI/Oracle/SoftBank control disputes and cash concerns, and China's plan to scale 7nm/5nm wafer output despite yield and tooling constraints.Research and safety/policy discuss optimizer gains from masked updates, “deep thinking tokens” as a reasoning-effort signal, LLM attractor-state behaviors in bot-to-bot chats, mechanistic interpretability of counting/line-wrapping, methods to map task difficulty to human time horizons, plus Anthropic–Pentagon contract tensions, Anthropic's report on distillation attacks (DeepSeek/Moonshot/Minimax), and OpenAI's report on disrupting malicious use.A thank you to our current sponsors:Box - visit Box.com/AI to learn moreODSC AI - go to odsc.ai/east and use promo code LWAI for an additional 15% off your pass to ODSC AI East 2026.Factor - head to factormeals.com/lwai50off and use code lwai50off to get 50 percent off and free breakfast for a yearTimestamps:(00:00:10) Intro / Banter(00:01:52) News PreviewTools & Apps(00:03:20) Anthropic releases Sonnet 4.6 | TechCrunch(00:11:24) Google Rolls Out Latest AI Model, Gemini 3.1 Pro - CNET(00:14:54) Elon Musk says Grok 4.20 public beta is now available: Capabilities of AI chatbot offered by xAI - The Times of India(00:18:06) Anthropic just released a mobile version of Claude Code called Remote Control | VentureBeat(00:21:01) Perplexity announces "Computer," an AI agent that assigns work to other AI agents - Ars TechnicaApplications & Business(00:23:40) Meta strikes up to $100B AMD chip deal as it chases 'personal superintelligence' | TechCrunch(00:27:05) Nvidia challenger AI chip startup MatX raised $500M | TechCrunch(00:31:00) World Labs lands $1B, with $200M from Autodesk, to bring world models into 3D workflows | TechCrunch(00:33:07) Simile Raises $100 Million for AI Aiming to Predict Human Behavior(00:33:52) Stargate AI data centers for OpenAI reportedly delayed by squabbles between partners — sources say OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank disagreed on who would have ultimate control of the planned data centers(00:36:43) China to increase leading-edge chip output by 5x in two years, report claims — aims to lift 7nm and 5nm production to 100,000 wafers per month, targeting half a million monthly by 2030Research & Advancements(00:40:33) On Surprising Effectiveness of Masking Updates in Adaptive Optimizers(00:48:03) Think Deep, Not Just Long: Measuring LLM Reasoning Effort via Deep-Thinking Tokens(00:54:52) models have some pretty funny attractor states(01:01:41) When Models Manipulate Manifolds: The Geometry of a Counting Task(01:05:16) BRIDGE: Predicting Human Task Completion Time From Model Performance(01:12:00) NESSiE: The Necessary Safety Benchmark -- Identifying Errors that should not Exist(01:13:15) The least understood driver of AI progress(01:21:45) The Persona Selection Model: Why AI Assistants might Behave like HumansPolicy & Safety(01:25:04) Anthropic CEO Amodei says Pentagon's threats 'do not change our position' on AI(01:33:04) Musk's xAI, Pentagon reach deal to use Grok in classified systems(01:34:17) Detecting and preventing distillation attacks(01:38:36) OpenAI details expanding efforts to disrupt malicious use of AI in new report - SiliconANGLESee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Episode Summary: The "SaaS is dead" narrative is generating real confusion for enterprise buyers trying to make procurement decisions right now. In this solo episode, Maribel Lopez breaks down the two legitimate arguments driving the disruption narrative — AI coding tools and agentic AI — separates what's real from what's overstated, and gives enterprise technology leaders the two questions that actually matter for evaluating their SaaS stack in an AI-first world.What You'll Learn:Why AI coding tools like Claude Code and Codex are not a SaaS replacement strategy — and what they should be used for insteadWhere agentic AI creates genuine revenue model pressure for SaaS vendors, and which vendors are already respondingThe specific conditions that would have to be true for SaaS to decline significantly — and which are not yet metHow to evaluate your SaaS vendors' agentic AI readiness beyond roadmap promisesWhy the liability and compliance math still heavily favors established SaaS platforms for most enterprise use casesKey Takeaways:Rebuilding mature systems of record with AI coding tools is not a competitive advantage — it's a distraction from building software that reflects your actual differentiationThe per-seat revenue model is under real pressure, but vendors moving on agentic capabilities are finding new revenue: Salesforce is generating $540M ARR from AgentForce; Intercom crossed $200M from its AI-first pivotCommodity SaaS with no data moat or compliance depth faces the hardest disruption; platforms with systems of record have a path forwardThe right test for any SaaS vendor right now: what can they show you working in production — not a roadmap, not a demoCompanies and Examples Referenced:Salesforce / AgentForce: $540M ARR from agentic capabilitiesIntercom: $200M ARR from AI-first product pivotWorkday: Certified connector ecosystem as an example of integration moats that can't be replicated quicklySAP: Proactive procurement optimization as an example of SaaS becoming more valuable, not lessResources:Read the full article: SaaS Isn't Dead. But Its Revenue Model Is Under Pressure — Lopez ResearchReferenced: Cathay Capital on agentic AI and B2B softwareConnect with Maribel on LinkedInSubscribe to AI with Maribel Lopez on your podcast channel of choice — links at lopezresearch.com.SEO Keywords: enterprise AI adoption, SaaS revenue model, agentic AI enterprise, AI agents B2B software, enterprise software evaluation, AI coding tools enterprise, SaaS disruption, enterprise AI strategy
OpenAI just raised $110 billion — the largest funding round in Silicon Valley history. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is threatening to blacklist Anthropic over AI safety limits. This is the biggest week in AI news — here's everything you need to know.In this episode of The AI Report Podcast, we break down the 5 biggest AI stories from the week of February 23–27, 2026:
AI Chat: ChatGPT & AI News, Artificial Intelligence, OpenAI, Machine Learning
In this episode, we explore the high-stakes confrontation between Anthropic and the US Department of Defense, detailing Anthropic's red lines for AI usage and the Pentagon's subsequent blacklisting. We also discuss how OpenAI, led by Sam Altman, stepped in to secure a canceled Department of Defense contract from Anthropic, raising questions about AI ethics, government control, and the future of AI in national security.Chapters00:00 Introduction to the Conflict01:51 Anthropic's Red Lines03:41 Pentagon's Stance and Risks04:55 Anthropic Blacklisted, OpenAI Steps In07:44 Deployment Differences and Public Reaction08:58 Strategic Implications and Future Outlook LinksGet the top 40+ AI Models for $8.99 at AI Box: https://aibox.aiAI Chat YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@JaedenSchaferJoin my AI Hustle Community: https://www.skool.com/aihustle
In this episode, we explore the high-stakes confrontation between Anthropic and the US Department of Defense, detailing Anthropic's red lines for AI usage and the Pentagon's subsequent blacklisting. We also discuss how OpenAI, led by Sam Altman, stepped in to secure a canceled Department of Defense contract from Anthropic, raising questions about AI ethics, government control, and the future of AI in national security.Chapters00:00 Introduction to the Conflict01:51 Anthropic's Red Lines03:41 Pentagon's Stance and Risks04:55 Anthropic Blacklisted, OpenAI Steps In07:44 Deployment Differences and Public Reaction08:58 Strategic Implications and Future Outlook LinksGet the top 40+ AI Models for $8.99 at AI Box: https://aibox.aiAI Chat YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@JaedenSchaferJoin my AI Hustle Community: https://www.skool.com/aihustle See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this episode, we explore the high-stakes confrontation between Anthropic and the US Department of Defense, detailing Anthropic's red lines for AI usage and the Pentagon's subsequent blacklisting. We also discuss how OpenAI, led by Sam Altman, stepped in to secure a canceled Department of Defense contract from Anthropic, raising questions about AI ethics, government control, and the future of AI in national security.Chapters00:00 Introduction to the Conflict01:51 Anthropic's Red Lines03:41 Pentagon's Stance and Risks04:55 Anthropic Blacklisted, OpenAI Steps In07:44 Deployment Differences and Public Reaction08:58 Strategic Implications and Future Outlook LinksGet the top 40+ AI Models for $8.99 at AI Box: https://aibox.aiAI Chat YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@JaedenSchaferJoin my AI Hustle Community: https://www.skool.com/aihustle See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this episode of Take 10 with Craig, International Screenwriters' Association founder Craig James addresses the question many writers are asking: What is the state of the film industry right now and should I still be writing? After the strikes and industry slowdowns, it's easy to feel discouraged. But Craig believes this may actually be the best time to focus on your craft. He breaks down: - Why industry "peaks and valleys" are normal - How the 90s independent film surge may be returning - Why studios are reconsidering the $200M blockbuster model - How streaming platforms create new opportunities for authentic voices - How making one independent film can transform your writing career Most importantly, Craig emphasizes that your perspective is uniquely yours. No one has walked your path. No one can write your story the way you can. And in a shifting marketplace hungry for fresh voices, intimate and personal storytelling may matter more than ever. Instead of waiting for the industry to change, this is the time to: - Write the story that means something to you - Stop chasing trends you can't control - Focus on your authentic voice - Build your body of work Because even if the market fluctuates, storytelling isn't going away. Audiences still crave meaningful stories, whether in theaters,, or at home with a bucket of popcorn. And sometimes, writing the script that fulfills your own heart is the most important step forward.
ChatGPT: OpenAI, Sam Altman, AI, Joe Rogan, Artificial Intelligence, Practical AI
In this episode, we explore the high-stakes confrontation between Anthropic and the US Department of Defense, detailing Anthropic's red lines for AI usage and the Pentagon's subsequent blacklisting. We also discuss how OpenAI, led by Sam Altman, stepped in to secure a canceled Department of Defense contract from Anthropic, raising questions about AI ethics, government control, and the future of AI in national security.Chapters00:00 Introduction to the Conflict01:51 Anthropic's Red Lines03:41 Pentagon's Stance and Risks04:55 Anthropic Blacklisted, OpenAI Steps In07:44 Deployment Differences and Public Reaction08:58 Strategic Implications and Future Outlook LinksGet the top 40+ AI Models for $8.99 at AI Box: https://aibox.aiAI Chat YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@JaedenSchaferJoin my AI Hustle Community: https://www.skool.com/aihustle
ChatGPT: News on Open AI, MidJourney, NVIDIA, Anthropic, Open Source LLMs, Machine Learning
In this episode, we explore the high-stakes confrontation between Anthropic and the US Department of Defense, detailing Anthropic's red lines for AI usage and the Pentagon's subsequent blacklisting. We also discuss how OpenAI, led by Sam Altman, stepped in to secure a canceled Department of Defense contract from Anthropic, raising questions about AI ethics, government control, and the future of AI in national security.Chapters00:00 Introduction to the Conflict01:51 Anthropic's Red Lines03:41 Pentagon's Stance and Risks04:55 Anthropic Blacklisted, OpenAI Steps In07:44 Deployment Differences and Public Reaction08:58 Strategic Implications and Future Outlook LinksGet the top 40+ AI Models for $8.99 at AI Box: https://aibox.aiAI Chat YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@JaedenSchaferJoin my AI Hustle Community: https://www.skool.com/aihustle See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Evénements Vidéo du webinar The energetic challenges of fault-tolerant quantum computers, avec Olivier Ezratty et Yasser Omar de PQI et Quantum Green Computinghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnfffiJYuvk Conférence Quantique à Ecole NavaleL'école navale organisait sa Journée des Sciences Navales dans ses locaux à Lanvéoc au sud de la rade de Brest. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Vigilant_(S618) La France dans les EmiratsVisite à Abu Dhabi, dans le cadre de journées France-Emirats. https://sorbonne.ae/fr/national-strategies-and-international-cooperation-in-the-quantum-domainhttps://www.linkedin.com/posts/barbaresco_france-uae-quantum-collaboration-national-activity-7424442854778867712-sfDo/ Chaire de Pascale Senellart au Collège de Francehttps://www.college-de-france.fr/fr/agenda/cours/technologies-quantiques-emergentes/processeurs-quantiques-photoniqueshttps://www.college-de-france.fr/fr/agenda/cours/technologies-quantiques-emergentes/processeurs-quantiques-bases-atomeshttps://www.college-de-france.fr/fr/agenda/seminaire/technologies-quantiques-emergentes/assembler-la-matiere-quantique-atome-par-atomehttps://www.college-de-france.fr/fr/agenda/cours/technologies-quantiques-emergentes/vibrations-et-technologies-quantiqueshttps://www.college-de-france.fr/fr/agenda/seminaire/technologies-quantiques-emergentes/how-does-quantum-object-gravitate La chaire se conclura par un colloque du 16 avril d'une journée sur la photonique quantique.https://www.college-de-france.fr/fr/agenda/colloque/technologies-quantiques-base-de-lumiere Séminaire MEDEF LyonOrganisé à Lyon par MEDEF Lyon-Rhône et le Hub Quantique du CEA. A venirConférence de Daniel Esteve à Bordeaux le 2 marshttps://www.sfphysique.fr/evenement/prix-nobel-de-physique-2025-aux-debuts-du-domaine-des-circuits-electriques-quantiques-supraconducteurs/Evénement Devoxx en avril 2026 avec Fanny, Olivier, Sébastien Marie de Matmut et Alice&Bob. https://www.devoxx.fr/Conférence développeurs Nvidia le 16 mars 2026. https://www.nvidia.com/gtc/sessions/quantum-computing/ Nuit du quantique organisée à la Cité des Sciences le 30 mars à la Cité des Sciences le 31 mars à 18h. https://www.sfphysique.fr/evenement/nuit-du-quantique-a-paris/ France Quobly et SealsqLa période de discussion exclusive entre les deux sociétés s'est achevée mi-février.https ://www-sealsq-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.sealsq.com/investors/news-releases/sealsq-strengthens-its-quantum-made-in-usa-strategy-with-an-additional-strategic-investment-in-eeroq Et partenariat avec Entropica Labs à Singapour.https://quobly.io/news/quobly-and-entropica-labs-sign-strategic-mou-in-singapore-to-advance-fault-tolerant-quantum-computing/ PasqalIls annoncent une levée de fonds en cours de 200M€. Et aussi l'installation d'un QPU analogique en Italie à Cineca.https://thequantuminsider.com/2026/02/19/pasqal-in-talks-to-raise-e200m-at-unicorn-valuation-bloomberg-reports/https://thequantuminsider.com/2026/02/17/pasqal-neutral-atom-qpu-italy/ Scaleways et AQTL'opérateur de cloud du groupe Iliad propose l'accès à un QPU de 12 qubits de l'Autrichien Alpine Quantum Technologies via Qiskit. https://thequantuminsider.com/2026/02/19/aqt-and-scaleway-launch-european-quantum-cloud-access/https://www.scaleway.com/en/docs/quantum-computing/how-to/use-aqt-qpus/ Chaire quantique à Clermont-FerrandL'lSIMA de Clermont-Ferrand, sous la houlette de Philippe Lacomme que nous avions évoqué lors du précédent podcast, lance une chaire sur l'informatique quantique avec l'aide de CGI, Bull et Michelin. La chaire a vocation a faire le lien entre la pédagogie et la recherche. Elle est soutenue par deux laboratoires, le LIMOS et le LPCA et par l'lSIMA Clermont-Ferrand.https://www.linkedin.com/posts/philippe-lacomme-616a2b130_accueil-chaire-quantique-activity-7429178723154894848-2zAnA quantum feasibility preserving modeling for the min cut problem by Ali Abbassi, Yann Dujardin, Eric Gourdin, Philippe Lacomme, and Caroline Prodhon, arXiv, February 2026 Vidéo de Sabine Hossenfelder« The Quantum Computer Dream is Falling Apart ». https://youtu.be/N-9muK0mv5w Quantonation finit sa levée de fonds
In this episode, we explore the high-stakes confrontation between Anthropic and the US Department of Defense, detailing Anthropic's red lines for AI usage and the Pentagon's subsequent blacklisting. We also discuss how OpenAI, led by Sam Altman, stepped in to secure a canceled Department of Defense contract from Anthropic, raising questions about AI ethics, government control, and the future of AI in national security.Chapters00:00 Introduction to the Conflict01:51 Anthropic's Red Lines03:41 Pentagon's Stance and Risks04:55 Anthropic Blacklisted, OpenAI Steps In07:44 Deployment Differences and Public Reaction08:58 Strategic Implications and Future Outlook LinksGet the top 40+ AI Models for $8.99 at AI Box: https://aibox.aiAI Chat YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@JaedenSchaferJoin my AI Hustle Community: https://www.skool.com/aihustle See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this episode, we explore the high-stakes confrontation between Anthropic and the US Department of Defense, detailing Anthropic's red lines for AI usage and the Pentagon's subsequent blacklisting. We also discuss how OpenAI, led by Sam Altman, stepped in to secure a canceled Department of Defense contract from Anthropic, raising questions about AI ethics, government control, and the future of AI in national security.Chapters00:00 Introduction to the Conflict01:51 Anthropic's Red Lines03:41 Pentagon's Stance and Risks04:55 Anthropic Blacklisted, OpenAI Steps In07:44 Deployment Differences and Public Reaction08:58 Strategic Implications and Future Outlook LinksGet the top 40+ AI Models for $8.99 at AI Box: https://aibox.aiAI Chat YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@JaedenSchaferJoin my AI Hustle Community: https://www.skool.com/aihustle
In this episode, we explore the high-stakes confrontation between Anthropic and the US Department of Defense, detailing Anthropic's red lines for AI usage and the Pentagon's subsequent blacklisting. We also discuss how OpenAI, led by Sam Altman, stepped in to secure a canceled Department of Defense contract from Anthropic, raising questions about AI ethics, government control, and the future of AI in national security.Chapters00:00 Introduction to the Conflict01:51 Anthropic's Red Lines03:41 Pentagon's Stance and Risks04:55 Anthropic Blacklisted, OpenAI Steps In07:44 Deployment Differences and Public Reaction08:58 Strategic Implications and Future Outlook LinksGet the top 40+ AI Models for $8.99 at AI Box: https://aibox.aiAI Chat YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@JaedenSchaferJoin my AI Hustle Community: https://www.skool.com/aihustle See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Anthropic gives the government the middle finger.
Nano Banana 2 is Google's best image model yet and it just dropped. It's cheaper, it's smarter, and it removed an Adidas logo from a banana in a tracksuit on the first try. But we have notes. The Door Brothers and Logan Paul made a 15-minute AI movie with Seedance 2.0 that looks like a direct-to-video action film…KIND OF. Meanwhile Seedance 2.0 is now live in CapCut, Anthropic is in a standoff with the Secretary of War over a $200M defense contract, and a sketchy music site called Sonato is generating perfect James Brown and Nirvana tracks from text prompts. Using that, Kevin vibe coded a custom AI Spotify mash-up that looks like an iPod. During the show. While apologizing. Plus we built a whole new AI For Humans website from scratch with Claude Code, the stock market crashed because of an AI memo, and Deep Seek V4 might drop any minute now. Totally normal week. KEVIN OWES US ALL AN APOLOGY AND HE KNOWS IT. #ai #ainews #openai Come to our Discord: https://discord.gg/muD2TYgC8f Join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/AIForHumansShow AI For Humans Newsletter: https://aiforhumans.beehiiv.com/ Follow us for more on X @AIForHumansShow Join our TikTok @aiforhumansshow To book us for speaking, please visit our website: https://www.aiforhumans.show/ // Show Links // Nano Banana 2 Launch https://x.com/GoogleDeepMind/status/2027051577899380991?s=20 https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/technology/ai/nano-banana-2/ Nano Banana 2 Window App: https://x.com/sundarpichai/status/2027057726170509724?s=20 Complex Imagery: https://x.com/emollick/status/2027051701258109306?s=20 Precise Editing of Adidas Tracksuit: https://gemini.google.com/share/4d9ab1243d40 Failed at my Periodic Table test: https: //x.com/gavinpurcell/status/2027058092824027238?s=20 Dor Brothers / Logan Paul 15 Minute Movie https://x.com/thedorbrothers/status/2026733954942775433?s=20 Creator of Entourage Responds LOL https://x.com/mrdougellin/status/2026801159282057666?s=20 Seedance 2.0 Updates Now In CapCut? https://x.com/charliebcurran/status/2026713011805946301?s=20 Lil' Hot Dog Video I Made In CapCut https://x.com/gavinpurcell/status/2026751216139542733?s=20 Weights Leaked? Likely Fake https://x.com/taker_of_whizz/status/2026749425851253095?s=20 Tom Cruise/Brad Pitt Creator Second Video: https://x.com/RuairiRobinson/status/2026164263547793787?s=20 My Chicken Run 90 Min Example: https://x.com/gavinpurcell/status/2025260426519609557?s=20 Energym by AI Candy https://www.aicandy.be/giorgio-1 Citrini Piece Tanks Stock Market (Claude Code) https://www.citriniresearch.com/p/2028gic https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/25/business/citrini-ai-stock-market.html?unlocked_article_code=1.PFA.WBh9.KPcM171X5cU2&smid=url-share Anthropic Use Growing Much Faster Than OpenAI or Gemini https://x.com/deedydas/status/2027057965862432843?s=20 New Claude Co-Work Plugins For Many Disciplines https://x.com/claudeai/status/2026305186671608315?s=20 Remote Control For Claude Code / Cowork https://x.com/noahzweben/status/2026371260805271615?s=20 Scheduled Tasks in Cowork https://x.com/claudeai/status/2026720870631354429?s=20 Fighting Vs The Pentagon Re AI Safety In War*** https://www.axios.com/2026/02/24/anthropic-pentagon-claude-hegseth-dario Theo Replicates & OpenSources Frame IO https://x.com/theo/status/2026794317197849001?s=20 Sonauto: AI Music With WAY Too Many Actual Voices https://sonauto.a Theoretically Media on Sonauto: https://youtu.be/fK886jyF9Hw?si=DMbV4vikeD6y_jeP DeepSeek v4 Trained on Blackwell Chips https://x.com/niubi/status/2026111153617727843?s=20 New AI For Humans Website! https://www.aiforhumans.show/
Brian Keenan leads international strategy and AI consultancy for WE Communications, a ~$200M integrated marketing firm. Brian counsels senior leaders from companies such as Adobe, HEINEKEN and Amazon to succeed in an AI-enabled future. Latest interest areas including AI search, agentic commerce, synthetic audiences, and autonomous workflows. He is a regular presenter at industry conferences such as ICCO, PRCA, WARC, and Mumbrella across EMEA & APAC. He brings a global and grounded mindset to his work from living in four countries and raising three children.
(GRAND RAPIDS, MI.) – Thursday February 12th, The Right Place, Inc. announced the launch of its new three-year strategic plan. The Right Place's mission is to drive sustainable economic growth and shared prosperity for all in the Greater Grand Rapids Region. This plan carries the organization's mission forward with clarity, purpose, and momentum. Developed in partnership with over 550 community stakeholders, the plan outlines a strategic framework and a three-year roadmap to advance a bold vision: positioning Greater Grand Rapids as the most resilient, productive, and equitable regional economy in the nation. Progress toward the plan's goals will be achieved through continued commitment to the organization's core pillars: People, Place, and Prosperity. Initiatives include: Expanding employer engagement with K-12, higher ed institutions, and workforce development organizations; positioning the region as a premier destination for talent; and serving as a central resource to build robust talent pipelines. Supporting the creation and activation of build-ready sites; driving investment into vibrant public spaces; collaborating and supporting municipal partners; and working with the Gerald R. Ford International Airport to expand and increase nonstop service. Supporting existing businesses with outreach and programming to ensure growth in our region; conducting extensive and proactive business attraction campaigns focusing on key industries; and supporting manufacturers in diversification, adopting new tech, and expanding expertise. MBN: TRP 2628 Key MetricsThe Right Place will measure the plan's impact via the following metrics: 4,500 jobs retained and created by the end of 2028 $30 per hour average wage by the end of 2028* $700M in capital investment by the end of 2028 $200M in community development investment by the end of 2028 100 industry education partnerships by the end of 2028 MBN: 2023 Plan-ResultsThe Right Place completed its 2023-2025 Strategic Plan at the end of last year and surpassed its key metrics: 4,153 new and retained jobs on a goal of 4,000 $844.2M in new capital investment on a goal of $550M $487.2M in community development investment on a goal of $100M $30.90 average wage on a goal of $26.50* MBN: The Right Place Randy Thelen“Greater Grand Rapids has moved up a weight class,” said Randy Thelen, President and CEO of The Right Place (left). “We are now competing with larger, more established regions across the country. That speaks to how far we've come—but it also challenges us to think and act bigger than ever before. This strategic plan was shaped by hundreds of community leaders, partners, and stakeholders. It reflects a shared understanding that our future will be built together. We've made tremendous progress, but there is more work ahead if we want to lead at the next level.” View The Right Place's 2026-2026 Strategic Plan here.
How do you grow faster while creating fewer opportunities? Alex Kusters explains how Impact Networking redefined its ICP, built a formulaic targeting model, and embraced signal-based selling to drive 114% growth in net-new logos. A masterclass in modern RevOps, mid-market positioning, and building systems people actually want to use.
A viral report claims 2028 is the year AI destroys the global economy. Are we sleepwalking into a crisis nobody can stop?In this episode of Bricks, Bucks & Bytes, Owen, Patric, Martin and Dustin rip apart a fictional financial report from Citrini Research that has taken the internet by storm. Chapter by chapter, they debate whether AI will trigger an unstoppable economic death spiral or whether the doomsayers are missing the bigger picture entirely. The conversation then shifts to what is actually happening right now in construction, with fresh market intelligence from Procore and a deep dive into Autodesk's massive $200 million bet on a company called World Labs.Topics discussed:The "Intelligence Displacement Spiral" and why every company doing the smart thing could collectively wreck the economyWhy Patric believes a robot tax is the only way to keep society stable in an AI-driven worldProcore's latest data showing construction is splitting into two completely different economiesThe 400,000 worker shortage and 41% of the US construction workforce heading for retirement by 2031What Dustin learned running a Sales Kickoff and why buying software based on features is a mistakeAutodesk's $200 million investment in World Labs and why Patrick calls the term "world model" offensiveWhether vibe coders could ever vibe code a vibe coder (and what the answer tells us about AI's real limits)"If you truly want to live with AI, you need to start shifting from salary tax to robot tax. Then you actually have an ability to redistribute income and keep society stable." — PatricWatch the full episode on Youtube & Spotify.Chapters00:00 Intro01:30 The AI Crisis of 2028 07:26 The Intelligence Displacement Spiral 13:28 The Future of Software Development 19:31 The Impact of AI on Consumer Behavior 26:36 Skepticism Towards AI-Driven Services 34:08 The Fragility of the Mortgage Market 41:06 AI in Construction: Use Cases and Challenges 48:25 The Importance of Vision in Sales Leadership 53:37 Trimble's Acquisition Strategy and Market Positioning
What does “smart money” actually mean in beverage — especially in one of the most capital-intensive categories in CPG?In this sponsored episode, we sit down with Karen Xiang, Investment Lead at Btomorrow Ventures, the corporate venture arm backed by British American Tobacco. And we go deep into how corporate venture capital is evolving — and what it really means for founders building functional and full-size beverage brands today.Btomorrow Ventures (BTV) is not a traditional VC fund. With a £150M first fund and a newly launched £200M second fund, BTV is investing across “better brands” and “better habits” — with a particular focus in the U.S. on full-size functional beverages and functional snacks. But capital is only part of the story.Karen explains how BTV's new in-house growth platform is designed to unlock operating leverage — connecting portfolio brands to distribution pilots, commercialization support, data analytics, and internal expertise inside a global FMCG infrastructure.For founders, this episode is an insightful discussion about:• What corporate venture capital (CVC) actually is — and how it differs from traditional VC• What to ask before taking strategic capital• Why beverage remains a difficult category for many VCs — and what that means for your cap table• How to think about partnering with strategics without becoming “the last fry on the truck”Karen also offers a thoughtful framework for avoiding trend-chasing in drinks. In a world of protein pivots and format fads, she argues that fundamentals — consumer clarity, occasion ownership, distribution sequencing — still win over time.For investors, we explore how BTV thinks about co-investing rather than competing — and why having a strategic partner on the cap table can accelerate growth across the entire syndicate.If you're a founder navigating functional beverage, a co-investor evaluating corporate capital, or an operator thinking about long-term category shifts, this episode offers a rare inside look at how one of the industry's more nuanced CVC models is building in the U.S.As always, we focus on the mechanics of growth — not just the headline numbers, but how brands actually scale.Listen in for a grounded, strategic conversation about capital, distribution, and the future of value-add investing in drinks.For the latest updates, follow us:Business of Drinks:Business of Drinks website (sign up for our newsletter!)Business of Drinks YouTubeBusiness of Drinks LinkedInInstagram @bizofdrinksErica Duecy, co-host: Erica Duecy is founder and co-host of Business of Drinks and one of the drinks industry's most accomplished digital and content strategists. She runs the consultancy and advisory arm of Business of Drinks and has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies.Erica Duecy LinkedInInstagram @ericaduecyScott Rosenbaum, co-host: Scott Rosenbaum is co-host of Business of Drinks and a veteran strategist and analyst with deep experience building drinks portfolios. Most recently, he was the Portfolio Development Director at Distill Ventures. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of T. Edward Wines & Spirits, a New York-based importer and distributor.Scott Rosenbaum LinkedInCaroline Lamb, contributor: Caroline is a producer and on-air contributor at Business of Drinks and a key account sales and marketing specialist at AHD Vintners, a Michigan-based importer and distributor.Caroline Lamb LinkedInInstagram @borkalineIf you enjoyed today's conversation, follow Business of Drinks wherever you're listening, and don't forget to rate and review us. Your support helps us reach new listeners passionate about the drinks industry. Thank you!
There was a time when Gabe Johansen's life revolved around partying, late nights, and a lack of direction - a path that was quickly heading somewhere dangerous. Today, based out of Salem, he controls over $200 million in real estate assets. In this episode, we sit down with Gabe to unpack the full transformation: the turning point that forced him to reevaluate everything, how he rebuilt his identity from the ground up, and the first deals that set him on a completely different trajectory. We break down how he scaled from smaller investments to institutional-level assets, the partnerships and systems required to operate at that level, and the mindset shift that separates people who dabble in real estate from those who build real wealth. This episode is about transformation — about choosing to create a new version of yourself when it matters most. And throughout the conversation, Gabe shares tactful, real-world insight into how he strategically scaled his multifamily portfolio to over $200M. Book your call with Neo Home Loanshttps://www.neoentrepreneurhomeloans.com/wealthjuice/ Book your mentorship discovery call with Cory RESOURCES
2.23.26 - Ryan Krull - St. Louis Magazine – STL County HQ move ; Mayor Spencer vows to spend $200M in COVID money by year's end by
KiwiRail has said it will manage some rail assets in other parts of the country under a state of significant decline.
In music right now, the winners aren't just the artists with the biggest audiences, they're the teams that control the infrastructure. First, I sit down with Mag Rodriguez, CEO and co-founder of EVEN, to break down how Even became a key part of J. Cole's The Fall Off rollout, from exclusive drops and direct-to-fan sales to tour presales and fan community features designed to keep people coming back. Then, I'm joined by Lior Tibon, CEO and co-founder of Duetti, to unpack the financial plumbing behind catalog deals: how Duetti raised $200M, why equity and debt get used differently, and how data, underwriting, and marketing operations power the rights-acquisition machine. CHAPTERS: 04:27 Why J. Cole Uses EVEN 10:16 EVEN-UMG Deal, Explained 16:49 Clearing the Rumors 32:30 Duetti's Equity vs. Debt Stack 33:34 What a typical Duetti deal looks like 38:38 Catalog Marketing Playbook SPONSORSChartmetric: Listen in for our Stat of the Week Linktree: Share music, sell merch, and connect with fans on one simple link. Linktree is the #1 link in bio tool that musicians and artists use to connect fans to everything they do. TRAPITAL Where technology shapes culture. New episodes and memos every week. Sign up here for free.
From sandblasting pipe yards at 17 to advising on $10-200M M&A transactions, Dr. Greg Waller shares proven strategies for maximizing business exit value, managing buyer expectations, and why the best time to prepare for sale is 3 years before you're ready. In this episode of the DealQuest Podcast, host Corey Kupfer sits down with Dr. Greg Waller, who advises clients on complex business valuation and buy-side and sell-side M&A transactions. Greg is the managing partner of Cornerstone Valuation and a partner and managing director of Transact Capital, leading a 20-person team focused on the lower middle to middle market. Given his academic and entrepreneurial background, he jokingly refers to himself as the Blue Collar Scholar. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: In this episode, you'll discover why professional buyers and owner-operators require completely different M&A processes, how to set realistic expectations about the gap between business value and market price, and why starting exit preparation 3 years in advance dramatically impacts final sale outcomes. Greg explains how private equity-backed platforms are blurring the traditional lines between financial and strategic buyers, what makes labor-intensive businesses particularly attractive in the current market, and the cultural complexities that emerge in international transactions. You'll also learn why the most successful exits often begin as casual conversations years before any actual sale decision. GREG'S JOURNEY: Greg's path to M&A advisory started in Youngstown, Ohio at age 17. He walked into a pipe yard with a 4-inch piece of pipe, half sandblasted and coated, half rusty. He showed the crew his before-and-after demo and landed a contract to blast the entire yard over 18 months. That first deal led to years painting elevated structural steel, bridges, water tanks, and radio transmission towers. The industry changed when EPA regulations around lead-based paint removal came in. Working on a bridge one day, a coworker with cracked hands from years of painting looked at Greg and said, "Look at my hands, look at my face. What are you doing? You're a smart boy, why don't you go back to school?" That conversation took the rest of the season to sink in, but Greg eventually left the painting business and pursued his MBA at Ohio University. Faculty members encouraged him to pursue a PhD. His initial reaction was "Are you crazy? Why would I ever want to do a PhD?" But they convinced him, and he earned his PhD in finance at Purdue University. During his 20 years in academics at Ohio University and Virginia Commonwealth University (until May 2025), Greg maintained entrepreneurial ventures including valuation work as an expert witness, real estate development, buying his father's distribution company, and building a restaurant operating group. THE BLUE COLLAR SCHOLAR: Greg's unique combination of blue-collar operations experience and academic expertise gives him a perspective most M&A advisors lack. As he puts it, "I'm as comfortable talking to the janitor as I am to a board of directors, and just being able to put yourself in those shoes and having done it really gives you a different perspective." Having been under the hood of companies across virtually every industry through ownership and valuation work, he can get into the head of sellers in ways that matter when emotions run high and expectations need managing. KEY INSIGHTS: The M&A market divides into two buyer pools requiring vastly different processes. Professional buyers (private equity and strategics) respond to structured competitive auction processes with rigorous due diligence. Owner-operators typically engage through market-making platforms where price leads the conversation. Understanding which buyer type you're targeting shapes everything about your approach. Value and price represent fundamentally different concepts. Greg uses GameStop as his example: price went through the roof despite no fundamental change to the company, then crashed. Setting realistic expectations upfront with clients about valuation ranges prevents painful surprises when market realities emerge. The critical question: "If this thing ends up pricing at the lower end of the range, are we still good to go?" The consultative approach produces the best outcomes. Greg's most successful deals were "3 or 5 years in the making" where he identified value drivers early, helped clients clean up their operations, and positioned them properly before market entry. The best time to start thinking about hitting the market is 3 years ago. Private equity-backed platforms now dominate middle-market transactions, acting like strategics by bolting on competitors but bringing institutional capital discipline. This hybrid model has made the traditional financial versus strategic buyer distinction increasingly blurry. Labor-intensive businesses with skilled workforces are commanding premium multiples as immigration policies create labor challenges. Service providers to infrastructure industries and staffing companies are particularly hot. With massive private equity dry powder and 2024's weak M&A activity, the ingredients point toward a robust 2026 market. Perfect for business owners planning exits in the next 3-5 years, entrepreneurs considering M&A advisory relationships, and anyone interested in understanding how blue-collar operations experience combined with academic expertise creates differentiated advisory value. FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE: https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/gregwaller FOR MORE ON GREG WALLER:https://www.linkedin.com/in/h-gregory-waller-7193bb60/https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573615328301 FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/ https://www.coreykupfer.com/ Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast. Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today! Episode Highlights with Timestamps [00:12:39] - Introduction: Greg Waller's credentials and Blue Collar Scholar background [00:16:32] - First deal at 17: Landing the pipe yard sandblasting contract [00:20:04] - The bridge painter who told him to go back to school and career transformation [00:29:05] - How blue-collar and academic backgrounds create unique M&A advisory perspective [00:30:48] - Two buyer pools: Professional buyers versus owner-operators and their different processes [00:35:57] - Value versus price conversation and the GameStop example [00:47:05] - "The best time to start thinking about hitting the market is 3 years ago" [00:48:21] - Why the line between financial and strategic buyers is increasingly blurry [00:50:15] - International deal complexities and cultural differences [00:54:19] - Market outlook for 2026: Labor challenges driving premium multiples [00:57:40] - What freedom means: Clean conscience and ability to chart your own destiny Guest Bio Dr. Greg Waller advises clients on complex business valuation and buy-side and sell-side M&A transactions. He is the managing partner of Cornerstone Valuation and a partner and managing director of Transact Capital, leading a 20-person team focused on the lower middle to middle market ($10-200M enterprise value range). His key industry verticals include human resource companies, staffing, industrials and infrastructure, healthcare, technology, and consumer products. Greg holds a PhD in finance from Purdue University and, until May 2025, was a tenured professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he taught courses and published research on corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance. He previously taught at Ohio University. Greg is the son of a blue-collar entrepreneur and owned and operated an industrial painting company specializing in elevated structural steel infrastructure before pursuing his academic career. He has also been a partner in a real estate development firm and restaurant operating group, and now owns his family's industrial painting equipment distribution company. Given his academic and entrepreneurial background, he jokingly refers to himself as the Blue Collar Scholar. Host Bio Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker with more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast. Show Description Do you want your business to grow faster? The DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer reveals how successful entrepreneurs and business leaders use strategic deals to accelerate growth. From large mergers and acquisitions to capital raising, joint ventures, strategic alliances, real estate deals, and more, this show discusses the full spectrum of deal-driven growth strategies. Get the confidence to pursue deals that will help your company scale faster. Related Episodes Episode 350 - Tom Dillon: Understanding Business Valuation and Exit Planning Realities Episode 325 - Kelly Finnell: Using ESOPs in Ownership Succession Planning Episode 330 - Pete Mohr: Building Enterprise Value and Exit Readiness Episode 339 - Solocast 74: Equitizing Key Employees and Succession Planning Strategies Follow DealQuest Podcast: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/ Website: https://www.coreykupfer.com/ Follow Greg Waller:https://www.linkedin.com/in/h-gregory-waller-7193bb60/https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573615328301 Keywords/TagsM&A advisory, business valuation, exit planning, sell-side advisory, lower middle market, professional buyers, strategic buyers, private equity, business sale preparation, enterprise value, Blue Collar Scholar, deal structuring, owner-operators, business exit strategy, middle market M&A, exit readiness, business succession planning, international M&A, cross-border transactions, 2026 market outlook
Hotels aren't valued like houses—and that changes everything.Rich sits down with Sujay Mehta, who owns and controls nearly $200M in hotel real estate, to break down how he scaled from zero into branded and boutique hotels across multiple markets. This isn't theory—it's operator-level strategy.The conversation covers the real difference between boutique and branded hotels, how franchise fees actually work, and why increasing net income—not comps—is the key to forcing appreciation. Sujay also explains how small levers like pet fees, amenity fees, revenue management, and operational control can create millions in added value.They dive into why many hotel owners are aging out, how Airbnb regulation is shifting demand back to hotels, and why self-operating gives serious investors a competitive edge.This episode is a practical blueprint for anyone looking to understand how hotels really scale—and where the next wave of opportunity is forming.
Ashley Brock is the founder and CEO of Paid Ads Academy, a leading cross-platform advertising training program that helps entrepreneurs keep ads in-house and scale sustainably. With over a decade of experience managing more than $200M in ad spend for brands like Dollar Tree, Revlon, and Thumbtack, Ashley has built a seven-figure company and recently crossed the eight-figure mark in total sales. In this episode, she breaks down what's actually working in paid advertising today—and how business owners can take back control of their growth. On this episode we talk about: Why omnichannel advertising (Google, Meta, Spotify, and more) is outperforming single-platform strategies How to think about ads as “making known” — and why visibility is non-negotiable for business growth The real difference between creative messaging and media buying (and where to start if you're new) Why Ashley believes manual ad control still beats fully automated AI setups How to build winning ad creatives without burning out on volume Top 3 Takeaways Don't put all your eggs in one platform—combining Google intent traffic with social retargeting creates powerful familiarity and higher conversions. Strong messaging comes first: clear credibility, opportunity, and personality can outperform even imperfect targeting. Running ads without real expertise is costly—learning from someone who's mastered the craft can compress years of trial and error into months. Notable Quotes “Advertising is simply the process of making known—your business can't grow if people don't know you exist.” “Data makes decisions, and decisions make dollars.” “People are in indecision mode instead of precision mode—and precision is what creates growth.” Connect with Ashley Brock: Instagram: https://instagram.com/adswithashley Other: Paid Ads Academy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Twenty Minute VC: Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch
AGENDA: 03:43 Anthropic Predicts $149B in ARR in 2029 09:27 Will FDEs Become More or Less Powerful 26:17 Harvey Raises $200M at an $11BN Valuation 42:45 Is Customer Support a Terrible or Terrific Investment Category 56:14 Anthropic's Superbowl Ad: Who Won and Who Lost 01:11:30 Do CEOs Have to Work Harder Today Than Ever
Britney Spears needs money & sells her catalog, Nancy Guthrie perp caught on cam, Cardi B BBL Stink, Wacky Winter Olympics, Meghan Markle manhandles help, and Bad Bunny fallout. The Detroit Tigers have signed Justin Verlander to a one-year deal. Kate Upton is back, baby! There is a major break in the Nancy Guthrie case as the Nest camera footage is released. Hoda Kotb is taking full advantage of the situation. Olympics Coverage: A French Ice Dancer at the Olympics has stolen our hearts. Backstreet's Back ALRIGHT! Sturla Holm Lægreid cheated on his girlfriend and told the world on live TV. Jake Paul's wife, Jutta Leerdam, won Olympics Gold and Jake cried. Trudy clogged the toilet. Her house hates her. Super Bowl Leftovers: Cardi B and Stefon Diggs broke up during the Super Bowl. Cardi B is threatening to sue TMZ. She claims her BBL isn't stinky. 50 Cent is on the troll, as usual. Some people would have preferred Cardi over Lady Gaga during halftime. Kalshi & Polymarket have a conundrum on their hands. Bad Bunny may have used some bad words during the Halftime Show. Bill Burr LOVED the Halftime Show. Lewis Hamilton and Kim Kardashian made their relationship ‘hard launch' at the Super Bowl. Comerica Park has new premium club seats. Britney Spears has sold her catalog for $200M because she needs the cash. Marc Anthony has broke his silence on the Beckham family drama. Nikki Minaj appeared on the Katie Miller podcast. Mike Epps is really sorry for making a joke about her and Donald Trump. Melinda French Gates was riddled with STD's and not everyone is on her side. Our YouTube channel was blasted by Melinda-supporters, however. Bonnie Blue is out for another world record and Drew is being a prude about it. Meghan Markle manhandled her help. Dan Wootton is a superstar in the Markleverse. WATP released an emergency episode covering the break up of Gregg ‘Opie' Hughes and his latest co-host, Ron the Waiter. Detroit Tigers pitcher Reese Olson is OUT for the year. Merch can still be purchased. Click here to see what we have to offer for a limited time. If you'd like to help support the show… consider subscribing to our YouTube Channel, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (Drew Lane, Marc Fellhauer, Trudi Daniels, Jim Bentley and BranDon)
Britney Spears just secured a reported $200 million for her music catalog and somehow we're still arguing about who has the better investment strategy — her or Justin Bieber. In this episode of The Rizzuto Show, we break down pop star bank accounts like we're certified financial advisors (we are not), debate whose catalog is actually worth more, and pitch the revolutionary idea of putting $200 million into a CD and just vibing off the interest forever.Then we hit you with a study that claims your average commute is worth over $8,000 a year. That's right — the time you spend sitting in traffic listening to this comedy podcast technically has a dollar amount. So congratulations, your daily entertainment comes with emotional support and questionable financial implications. We do the math, question our life choices, and decide that at least you're spending those 222 hours a year with a funny podcast that doesn't charge admission.But the crown jewel of today's chaos? A fresh round of Gay Bar or Steakhouse — the most deceptively impossible game in morning talk show history. Establishments like “The Blazing Saddle,” “Wolf Lodge,” and “Silverado” have us second-guessing geography, masculinity, and common sense. Lifelines are used. Friendships are tested. Logic is abandoned. Somehow we end with a winner, but not before Moon spirals about Portland and we collectively admit this is the hardest 50/50 shot in radio.We also dive into some serious local news out of St. Louis, including a disturbing Starbucks drive-thru shooting and a substitute teacher situation in St. Charles that proves reality continues to outdo satire. Because nothing balances celebrity news and daily humor quite like real-world chaos.If you're here for pop culture commentary, entertainment gossip, weird news stories, sarcastic humor, and a daily comedy show that doesn't take itself too seriously — welcome home. This comedy podcast is your daily reminder that the world is ridiculous and at least we can laugh at it together.New episodes drop every weekday because apparently we enjoy the chaos.Follow The Rizzuto Show → linktr.ee/rizzshow for more from your favorite daily comedy show.Connect with The Rizzuto Show Comedy Podcast online → 1057thepoint.com/RizzShow.Hear The Rizz Show daily on the radio at 105.7 The Point | Hubbard Radio in St. Louis, MO.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.