Kris Jenner, Hailey Bieber, Sara Blakely & Sheryl Sandberg Just Backed This Startup

🚀 What’s New in Business & Entrepreneurship

Which MBA Powers the Most VC-Backed Founders?
PitchBook’s new 2025 ranking confirms: Harvard still leads, with 1,906 MBA founders who launched 1,757 companies raising $84.6B. Stanford comes in 2nd with 1,196 founders (raising $115.1B) and Wharton is 3rd with 1,153 founders raising $45.5B.
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Ben & Jerry’s Losing Jerry
Co-founder Jerry Greenfield quit after 47 years, blasting Unilever for silencing the brand’s activist voice. The ice cream icon says the independence is gone. Read more

Groq Valued at $7B to Take on Nvidia
The AI chip startup raised $750M and doubled its valuation. With a $400B market projected by 2030, Groq is grabbing a piece of the pie. Read more

Meta’s New $499 Oakley Glasses for Athletes
Think sunglasses meet AI: cameras, speakers, voice control, fitness integration, and sun/wind/dust protection. Meta’s Oakley Vanguard is here. Read more

Tesla’s Doors Under Fire (Literally)
Reports reveal 140+ incidents of passengers trapped in Tesla cars due to door handle design — including crash fires. A redesign may combine manual + electric. Read more

ChatGPT’s #1 use case revealed
An OpenAI study found 80% of users turn to ChatGPT for practical guidance, writing help, or information — not coding or companionship.
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America’s Jerky Obsession
Chomps sells 2M meat sticks a day but still can’t meet demand. High-protein snacking is the new gold rush.
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👩‍💼 Female Founders News

Bill Gates’s Daughter Raises $8M for Phia
Phoebe Gates, alongside former roommate and co-founder Sophia Kianni, just secured $8M for their AI shopping startup Phia. Backers include Hailey Bieber, Kris Jenner, Sara Blakely, and Sheryl Sandberg — basically the ultimate girlboss investor squad.
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Gen Alpha Founder Launches Skincare at 13
Move over lemonade stands — 13-year-old Coco just debuted Yes Day, a skincare line featuring cleansers and lip masks, with backing from the same formulator behind Hailey Bieber’s Rhode. Gen Alpha isn’t waiting to grow up to build beauty empires.
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Gen Z Is Fundraising Friendship
A 25-year-old Harvard grad just raised $14M for Clyx, an app designed to fight the loneliness epidemic. The pitch: making plans with friends should be as seamless as ordering Uber Eats.
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📚 A How-To Guide: Turning Trends Into Traction for Your Startup

This week’s stories highlight three mega-trends: MBAs still shaping founder networks, celebrity-backed funding rounds, and Gen Z/Alpha redefining markets. Here’s how you can apply these signals to your own journey:

1. Use Your Network Like an MBA — Without the Debt

• You don’t need Harvard or Wharton to tap into high-value networks.

• Start by creating your own micro-network: 5–10 ambitious peers who commit to monthly meetups, sharing intros, and holding each other accountable.

• Treat it like your “personal MBA cohort” — except it’s free, curated, and designed around your goals.

2. Fundraise Beyond Traditional Investors

• Notice how Phoebe Gates pulled in Hailey Bieber and Kris Jenner, or how Coco leveraged Rhode’s formulator? Credibility attracts capital.

• Ask: Who in your orbit (mentors, alumni, even influencers) could provide social proof that makes investors take notice?

• Build an advisory squad early — sometimes their name on your deck is worth more than the capital itself.

3. Gen Z & Alpha’s Secret Weapon: Solve Social Pains

• Clyx is tackling loneliness. Yes Day is selling skincare to kids who want brands by them, for them.

• The lesson: Don’t chase hype, chase human pain points — loneliness, self-expression, confidence, belonging.

• Ask yourself: What “everyday pain” could your startup solve that no one else is addressing yet?

4. From Inspiration → Execution

• Pick one insight from this week’s news and apply it in the next 7 days.

• Example: Draft your first “celebrity/influencer pitch email” for advisory support. Or organize your first personal MBA dinner with 3 founders in your city.

• Tiny actions compound into massive leverage.

💌 From the Editor’s Desk

This week’s stories are proof that entrepreneurship has no age, no limits, and no one-size-fits-all playbook. A 13-year-old is dropping skincare lines, Gen Z is raising millions to fight loneliness, and Phoebe Gates is pulling in the most iconic investor lineup we’ve seen in a while. At the same time, chip startups are taking on Nvidia, Tesla is rethinking its doors, and Harvard MBAs still hold the crown for VC-backed founders.

What’s the thread? Leverage. Whether it’s a last name, a network, a cultural pain point, or just spotting where others aren’t looking — the winners are those who turn leverage into traction.

So here’s my invitation to you: don’t wait for the perfect timing, degree, or co-sign. Ask yourself this week — what do I already have that I can leverage harder?

With you in the bold,
Keren
Founder, WE – Women Entrepreneurship