New week, new you, party people. If you want to see true Team USA fans, look no further than rapper Flavor Flav and Seven Seven Six founder Alexis Ohanian. After track and field athlete Veronica Fraley said that although she was about to compete in the Games in the discus event, she was also worried that she wouldn’t make rent this month (crazy!). Flav and Ohanian jumped into action, immediately Venmoing her enough to cover the costs and allowing her to put all her focus on repping her country. Wins all around.

In other news… Silicon Valley looks to optimize baby-making, fandom powers some niche streamers, and Tom Cruise will close out the Olympics by jumping out of a plane.

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• YouTube – The 4:30 Movie

• X (Twitter) – Batman: Caped Crusader

• Google – Olympics gymnastics

• Reddit – Trap

• TikTok – “Wildest Dreams” - Taylor Swift 

• Spotify – “That’s How I’m Feeling” - Jack White 

.TECHNOLOGY.

Silicon Valley tries to disrupt reproduction

The Future. A crop of new fertility tech startups in Silicon Valley are launching innovations in baby development. While the startups are mostly focused on making bringing a child into the world a more flexible and less stressful process, the capabilities could eventually evolve to a point where parents can pick and choose what qualities they want to augment in their future children… potentially making “geno babies” the new “nepo babies.”

Lab brood
Are designer babies about to take over the world? Investors are pumping around $400 million per year into the reproduction industry to see if it’s possible.

A few that have recently birthed:

• Orchid offers customers a whole-genome report of embryos to screen for a variety of potential issues, including diabetes and Alzheimer’s. It’s also rumored that CEO Noor Siddiqui says the system can measure IQ.

• Gameto is working on countering reproductive aging in women to assist in procedures like IVF and egg-freezing. It’s also looking for a way to reverse menopause.

• Legacy has attracted Justin Bieber and The Weeknd as investors for DNA-testing sperm for a host of male fertility issues. It also freezes sperm to be used later on.

• Conception is looking to crack the code on “in vitro gametogenesis,” which would allow human eggs to be created in a lab using only stem cells.

What’s behind the immense interest? For many wealthy investors, the startups act as fertile ground for their own (and the tech-professional class’) kid-bearing ambitions, many of whom have put off starting a family to build their careers.

Additionally, there’s growing concern over falling fertility rates in the developed world — partly by personal choice, partly by a rise in fertility issues. That concern is quickly turning into cash.

38.7% of you voted No in Friday’s poll: Do you exude main character energy?

“Whenever I’ve joined an organization, be it a platoon in the Army or a production room in a tire factory, there are always those who come into a team who are ‘heard’ when they speak. I’ve tried to identify what those have that makes others listen, and the answer is elusive. [...] I have somewhat of a leading personality and have been close to what I am describing but never really ‘that one.’ So, yes, I do exude some main character energy, but there are people out there who ‘just have it.’ They are rare. I have to work at it.”

“Of course! Doesn’t everyone? Ask them.”

“We’re all players on life’s stage, taking different parts along our journey.”

.A WORD FROM OUR FRIENDS AT MOTLEY FOOL.

Smart money, smart machines

Dubbed “the rocket fuel of AI” by Wired, this innovation is causing a stir on Wall Street.

With projections hitting $17 trillion — that’s 9 Amazons — the potential is huge.

But here’s the deal: sharp investors who are ahead of the game have the opportunity to invest in a company poised for domination.

Thanks to The Motley Fool, you can access the full story in this exclusive report.

Unlock the secrets of tomorrow’s tech revolution today.

Media, Music, & Entertainment

• Tom Cruise is reportedly set to skydive to the Hollywood Sign during the closing ceremony of the Olympics as part of the handoff from Paris to the next host city, Los Angeles. [Read More]

• A federal judge has thrown out the $4.7 billion payout verdict against the NFL that was to be awarded to subscribers of Sunday Ticket. [Read More]

• Fangoria, the iconic horror magazine, is getting back into movie production after striking a deal with Through the Lens Entertainment. [Read More]

Fashion & E-Commerce

• Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said that anti-theft measures at drug stores and other retailers have sent customers straight into the hands of the ecommerce giant. [Read More]

• The London Stock Exchange said that it hasn’t lowered its governance standards to win over SHEIN’s planned IPO. [Read More]

• Kobe Bryant’s personal locker at the former Staples Center sold for $2.9 million at Sotheby’s, making it the most-ever paid for a sports locker. [Read More]

Tech, Web3, & AI

• Intel’s stock fell 30% on Friday, the most since 1982, after reporting weak guidance and a 15% workforce reduction. [Read More]

• Google pulled its “Dear Sydney” Gemini AI ad from rotation during the Olympics after viewer backlash. [Read More]

• Singer Akon has been given a final notice by the country of Senegal to start building his promised Wakanda-like Akon City, or it will take back 90% of the land it set aside for him. [Read More]

Creator Economy

• The Justice Department and FTC have sued TikTok for violating children’s privacy laws by allowing kids to make accounts and share content with adults. [Read More]

• Twitch reportedly lost 10% of its market share last quarter to rivals YouTube and Kick. [Read More]

• Snap’s stock fell 20% after the company’s forecasted revenue growth was set to slow down this quarter. [Read More]

.ENTERTAINMENT.

Fandom-powered streamers find success in niches

The Future. They may not have tens of millions of subscribers, but several new fandom-focused streamers make that up by having deeply passionate user bases. If enough of these streamers pop up, especially ones driven by digital creators, it’s possible that a new type of streaming bundle could be created to take these platforms to the next level… potentially bringing back the concept of the multi-channel network.

Fanscribers
Niche streamers are all about the quality of subscribers.

• Dropout — born out of the 2000s internet-comedy giant CollegeHumor — saw its viewership grow 600% over the past three years, with hours watched hitting eight million in April. An upcoming live taping of one of its shows sold out Madison Square Garden.

• Nebula, a creator-owned streaming service, saw its users triple over the past year, is profitable, and only has a single-digit churn rate. It recently struck deals with Morning Brew and Spotify and opened a film studio.

• Beacon — created by the super popular Dungeons & Dragons-playing YouTubers Critical Role — has seen “overwhelming” engagement for a service that mixes streaming, podcasts, Discord chats, and merch.

Now, individual creators are even getting in on the action — including Watcher Entertainment, The Try Guys, and Sidemen — believing that owning their fanbase could insulate them from the changing whims of YouTube algorithms.

With most of the platforms priced under $6 per month, maybe the streaming wars are not necessarily over… they’re just getting smaller.

.A WORD FROM OUR FRIENDS AT AUGIE STUDIO.

If you’re a business on TikTok struggling to create content, listen up

TikTok just launched its dynamic new App Center, and Augie Studio is one of the first apps to join. This all-in-one video-editing studio features an intuitive platform that enables anyone, regardless of experience, to create compelling content quickly and easily. Video creation has never been more accessible!

What this means for brands and businesses:

• Streamline production. Utilize AI-enhanced script-writing, inline recording, and automated storyboarding for effortless video creation.

• Access quality content. Gain over 100 million pre-licensed assets from Getty Images.

• Compete effectively. Leverage Augie’s affordability and TikTok’s ad ecosystem to create impactful ads without breaking the bank.

Find Augie in the TikTok App Center. Or, get started now at my.augie.studio and use the code FUTUREPARTY for one month of premium on us.

Create with Augie Studio today.

• Read: Forbes profiles filmmaker Ava DuVernay and how she raised $38 million from high-profile philanthropists and social justice-focused organizations to make Origin… and how she’s set to mimic the model herself.

• Listen: Horror maestro Mike Flanagan has launched a new podcast, Directors Commentary, in which Flanagan and a guest filmmaker watch one of their movies and provide live commentary. The first episode’s guests: Radio Silence and their 2019 hit, Ready or Not.

• Watch: Vox explores whether AI may soon make it possible for humans to speak with animals after researchers uncovered that African savannah elephants have unique names for each other.

Take our money, now.

LATEST PODCAST EPISODE

Today, on an extra special bonus episode of Future Forecast, our hosts Boye and Chris sit down with Andrew Kenward, the President and COO of Almost Friday Media. Andrew was an agent at WME in the digital media department at WME before being brought into the Almost Friday universe in 2021. We chat with him about his career, his goals for the brand moving forward, and what it's like working in media today.