Figma Hits $68B, Kim Sells Face Wraps, and You Can Pay With Your Palm

🚀 What’s New in Business & Entrepreneurship

Figma Hits $68B Valuation — After Escaping Adobe’s Grasp
After the FTC blocked Adobe’s $20B acquisition of Figma, the design startup went public and smashed expectations. Figma debuted with a $19.3B valuation and soared to $68B by market close.
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Palms Are the New Password
Biometric startup Handwave raised $4.2M to expand its palm-reading payment tech. Your unique hand lines and veins become your ID — think payments, check-ins, even age gates. Creepy or genius?
Details here

Reddit Rockets +17% After Earnings Surprise
While markets tumbled, Reddit defied the trend with better-than-expected earnings. It's proof that meme stocks still have real muscle.

AI Rivalry: Anthropic Kicks OpenAI Off Its Platform
Claude’s creator Anthropic revoked OpenAI’s API access for allegedly using it to compare performance ahead of GPT-5. OpenAI calls it “standard practice.” Anthropic says: not anymore.
Source

Par 3 Golf Goes Prime Time
Grass League, a nighttime par 3 team golf league (yes, you read that right), raised $2.75M to become the "F1 of golf" — complete with LED-lit fairways.

Tesla Loses Autopilot Lawsuit — Must Pay $243M
A jury ruled Tesla’s self-driving tech was partly responsible for a fatal 2019 crash. This is the first big legal blow to Musk’s AI driving dream.

AI Investment Boom Still Hot: OpenAI Raises $8.3B
Despite the rivalry, OpenAI continues to rake in capital, on its way to a $40B mega round. Still think this AI thing’s a fad?

Google Pays Man for Street View Butt Pic
A man accidentally photographed nude by Google’s Street View got $12,500. That’s one expensive moon.

👩‍💼 Female Founders News

Kim K’s Skims Enters Skincare (Sort Of)
Skims launched the Seamless Sculpt Face Wrap, a $48 sculpting garment using collagen yarns for jaw and chin support. The launch follows Skims’ acquisition of Skkn by Kim from Coty in March 2025 — and its shutdown in June — paving the way for a Skims beauty line planned for 2026.
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Jenny McCuiston Built a $2B Swim Empire - in Strip Malls
What started as one swim school turned into nearly 200 franchises, all in unconventional locations. The secret? Warm water, bright colors, and saying “no” to cold, boring pools.
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📚 A How-To Guide

How to Franchise Like a Billion-Dollar Brand

Want to scale like Goldfish Swim School? Here's your guide to creating a franchise that wins hearts — and market share.

1. Find the Gap
   Goldfish found demand in kids' swim lessons — you need to find a similar "boring but big" space. Think pet care, wellness, logistics, or education.

2. Create a Signature Experience
   It’s not just what you offer, it’s how it feels. Goldfish used tropical design, warm pools, and a 92°F deck temp. Your vibe is your edge.

3. Start with One Killer Location
   Nail your first spot. Test pricing. Collect testimonials. Prove your playbook works before scaling.

4. Build a Franchise Toolkit
   From SOPs and branding to real estate strategy and tech stack — make it plug-and-play for new operators.

5. Keep Your Culture Close
   Goldfish kept leadership in the family. Whether you do the same or not, design your culture like it's part of the product.

6. Make Decisions Like an Operator
   Goldfish added flexible makeup policies after becoming parents themselves. Always think like your customer or franchisee.

7. Scale What’s Sticky
   Community. Convenience. Design. Identify your non-negotiables and replicate them relentlessly.

💌 From the Editor’s Desk

This week, tech said: “Let’s get weird.”

Figma turned rejection into a $68B glow-up. A swim school scaled into a franchise empire — in strip malls. You can now check out with your palm. And Kim Kardashian? She dropped a collagen face wrap — yes, a face wrap — and it sold out.

None of these wins follow the old-school playbook. But that’s the point.

Whether you’re building in public, franchising your passion, or daring to look ridiculous first — the ones who break convention are the ones rewriting the rules.

You don’t need permission. Just vision.

With you,
Keren
Founder, WE – Women Entrepreneurship