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Tag: innovation

  • How AI Is Turning Hugh School Students Into Entrepreneurs | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    This is the third installment in the “1,000 Days of AI” series. I’ve had a front-row seat to K-12 education’s transformation — working with school systems worldwide as an AI education consultant to develop school district AI strategies and watching something remarkable unfold. The change didn’t come from curriculum committees or federal mandates, but from students who, as always, refused to wait for permission.

    While educators debated whether ChatGPT constituted cheating, 17-year-old high schooler Zach Yadegari built an AI app generating $1.12 million in monthly revenue. He began coding at age seven, initially creating a gaming website to bypass his elementary school’s firewalls. By 16, he’d already sold his first company for $100,000.

    Related: How AI Is Transforming Education Forever — and What It Means for the Next Generation of Thinkers

    The stark reality: AI has already changed everything

    Within 1,000 days, ChatGPT has fundamentally challenged traditional K-12 education. According to ACT research, 70% of high school students used AI tools in 2023-24, up from 58% the previous year. Pew Research confirms ChatGPT usage for schoolwork doubled from 2023 to 2024. But these statistics miss the real story: Students aren’t just using AI to complete assignments — they’re using it to build businesses, forcing schools to rapidly develop AI policies that balance innovation with responsible AI use in education.

    The traditional model assumed knowledge was scarce and teachers were gatekeepers. AI shattered both assumptions overnight. Every student now has access to infinite tutoring, instant expertise and tools that turn ideas into products in hours, not years. The question isn’t whether students should learn entrepreneurship — they already are.

    From high school hallways to revenue streams

    The most successful young entrepreneurs started as intrapreneurs within the school system itself. High school students across the country are transforming their AI skills into real businesses. Students nationwide are selling AI-generated study guides to classmates for $50-$500 monthly.

    The irony isn’t lost on me: What adults call cheating, these students call market research. What teachers label shortcuts, investors recognize as minimum viable products. In my work helping districts with developing AI policy for schools, I’ve seen how these entrepreneurial students actually exemplify AI education best practices — they’re solving real problems with real tools.

    The intrapreneurs inside our schools

    Not all innovation happens outside school walls. Student intrapreneurs are creating AI tutoring programs for struggling peers, building attendance apps for their schools and developing mental health chatbots for counselors. They see school problems as product opportunities, transforming education while living it.

    Teachers are becoming intrapreneurs, too. Forward-thinking educators use AI to create personalized learning paths, automate grading to spend more time with students and build tools that spread district-wide. These educator-intrapreneurs bridge institutional requirements and student innovation, creating space for experimentation within existing structures while contributing to AI curriculum development for K-12.

    Related: Why We Shouldn’t Fear AI in Education (and How to Use It Effectively)

    The federal framework meets grassroots reality

    In April 2025, President Trump signed “Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth,” establishing the White House Task Force on AI Education. The executive order creates the Presidential AI Challenge to “encourage and highlight student and educator achievements in AI” across multiple age categories. This isn’t just another science fair — it’s federal recognition that K-12 students are already AI practitioners, validating the school district AI strategies that forward-thinking administrators have been developing.

    Crucially, the Presidential AI Challenge calls for students to “use AI to address community challenges,” validating what student entrepreneurs have been doing all along. The framework emphasizes that AI education must “spark curiosity and creativity,” but students aren’t preparing to participate — they’re already leading. This federal backing provides the cover innovative schools need to transform detention into incubation and homework into hackathons, establishing new AI education best practices along the way.

    3 practical steps for schools right now

    1. Implement “innovation hours” aligned with the Presidential AI Challenge:

    Dedicate weekly time for students to work on AI projects addressing real community problems. Let students form ventures, not just groups. Let them pursue customers, not just grades. Schools implementing this now will have students ready when the Presidential AI Challenge launches. This approach to AI curriculum development for K-12 turns theory into practice.

    2. Transform detention into incubation:

    Every student “caught” using AI creatively should be redirected, not punished. Create an “AI Innovation Council” where rule-benders become rule-makers. Have them develop your school’s AI policy and teach AI literacy to younger students. The White House Task Force calls for student-educator collaboration — make your “problem students” your problem solvers. This is responsible AI use in education at its best.

    3. Create intrapreneurship pathways:

    Establish formal recognition for students improving school operations through AI. Give course credit for building tools the school actually uses. Partner with local businesses for real-world projects. Every pizza shop and dental office needs AI help. Your students can provide it while earning money and credits. These pathways should be central to any school district AI strategy.

    The next 1,000 days: Bigger challenges, bigger opportunities

    The first 1,000 days proved that students could use AI. The next 1,000 days will prove they can lead with it. As AI becomes more powerful, the gap between students with access and support versus those without will widen exponentially. A student with ChatGPT, supportive teachers and entrepreneurial parents will build companies. A student with restricted access and punitive policies will fall behind — not by years, but by generations.

    The mental health implications are staggering. When 14-year-olds can build million-dollar businesses, what happens to those who can’t? When AI can do homework in seconds, how do we measure learning? These aren’t distant philosophical questions; they’re immediate challenges requiring thoughtful approaches to developing AI policy for schools.

    The next 1,000 days will see AI-native students enter the workforce. I can’t wait to see how they reshape entire industries. The concept of “entry-level” will dissolve when teenagers arrive with more AI experience than senior executives.

    Related: What The UAE’s AI Education Revolution Could Mean for the Future of Classroom Activities: Insights from a Young Entrepreneur

    The entrepreneurial imperative

    Schools that thrive won’t be those with the best AI policies or detection tools. They’ll be those cultivating intrapreneurs — students and teachers who transform systems from within. Every student who builds a tool to help classmates is an intrapreneur. Every teacher experimenting with AI to improve outcomes is an intrapreneur. Every administrator creating space for innovation enables intrapreneurship.

    After 1,000 days of ChatGPT in K-12 education, one truth emerges: Students who embraced AI as a tool for creation rather than completion are building the future economy. They’re intrapreneurs transforming schools from within and entrepreneurs building alternatives from without.

    The next 1,000 days will be exponentially more complex. AI will become more powerful, accessible and essential. Students who start building now will have compounded advantages. For educators, parents and policymakers seeking guidance from an AI keynote speaker for education or looking to establish AI education best practices, the path forward is clear: Embrace intrapreneurship, enable entrepreneurship, and expect transformation. The federal government has provided the framework through the Presidential AI Challenge. Now it’s time for local action.

    The kids aren’t just alright — they’re already ahead. The question for the next 1,000 days isn’t whether students will use AI to transform education and the economy. They will. The question is whether we’ll help them build something better or watch them build around us.

    Coming next in the “1,000 Days of AI” series: Legal’s AI transformation — where precedent meets algorithms, and why your next lawyer might be an AI that passed the bar exam on its first try.

    Alex Goryachev

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  • AI video tech fast-tracks humanoid robot training

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    One of the biggest hurdles in developing humanoid robots is the sheer amount of training data required. Teaching machines to act like humans demands massive video datasets. Collecting that data is expensive, time-consuming and difficult to scale. This challenge has slowed progress toward making robots useful in everyday environments such as homes, hospitals and offices.

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    CHINA LAUNCHES CENTER TO TRAIN 100-PLUS HUMANOID ROBOTS SIMULTANEOUSLY

    Vidar says its training methods use video to program robots in 20 minutes. (Vidar)

    Vidar by ShengShu transforms humanoid robot training

    ShengShu Technology has introduced Vidar, short for Video Diffusion for Action Reasoning. Instead of relying solely on endless hours of physical-world data, Vidar generates synthetic training environments from just a small amount of real video. By blending real data with AI-generated video, Vidar makes training more efficient, scalable and affordable.

    A slide with information about how Vidar works

    Vidar uses video to train robots to perform real-world tasks. (Vidar)

    How Vidar uses AI video to speed up robot training

    Vidar works by decoupling perception from control. First, it uses ShengShu’s Vidu video model to learn from both real and synthetic videos. Then, a task-agnostic system called AnyPos translates that knowledge into motor commands for robots. This modular setup allows for faster training and easier deployment across different types of robots.

    Unlike traditional methods that require robots to physically interact with the world to learn, Vidar can simulate complex, lifelike scenarios virtually. Remarkably, it only needs about 20 minutes of training data, between 1/80 and 1/1200 of what leading models require. That efficiency makes it possible to scale robot training to levels never seen before.

    CHINESE TECH FIRM SHARES ROBOT TRAINING SECRETS WITH THE WORLD

    A slide with information on how Vidar works in real world applications

    Vidar’s real-world replay and deployment with video model. (Vidar)

    Real-world applications of Vidar in humanoid robots

    Vidar is more than just a research tool. Its design means robots can adapt quickly to new tasks and environments. That could unlock real-world applications in eldercare, home assistance, healthcare and smart manufacturing. By bridging the gap between simulation and reality, Vidar is positioning humanoid robots as practical helpers rather than futuristic concepts.

    HUMANOID ROBOT PERFORMS MEDICAL PROCEDURES VIA REMOTE CONTROL

    A slide showing Vidar tests

    Results of AnyPos-ATARA with video replay to accomplish various manipulation tasks. (Vidar)

    What this means for you

    For consumers, Vidar brings the idea of household or workplace robot helpers closer to reality. Instead of waiting decades for robots to mature, scalable training could speed up deployment in everyday settings. This could mean robots assisting you with chores, supporting eldercare or even helping in medical environments sooner than expected.

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    Kurt’s key takeaways

    Vidar is a milestone in the race toward practical humanoid robots. By blending limited real data with generative video, ShengShu has created a smarter and faster way to train physical AI. The approach tackles cost, efficiency and scalability all at once, three factors that have long held robotics back.

    Would you welcome a humanoid robot in your home if it could help with daily tasks, or does the idea still feel too futuristic? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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    Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

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  • Will autonomous trucks replace drivers by 2027?

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    Self-driving trucks are moving closer to reality. PlusAI released its first half 2025 performance results, showing how far the company has come toward its goal of launching factory-built autonomous trucks in 2027.

    The numbers are clear. Safety case readiness reached 86 percent, with a goal of 100 percent by launch. Autonomous miles percentage climbed to 98 percent. Remote assistance free trips rose to 76 percent, with a target of more than 90 percent.

    These metrics may sound technical, but they show that PlusAI is moving steadily toward putting driverless freight trucks on the road within two years.

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    159-YEAR-OLD COMPANY EMBRACES DRIVERLESS TRUCKS

    PlusAI reports that its driverless trucks could be ready to hit the road within the next two years. (PlusAI)

    Why PlusAI’s 2025 results matter for autonomous trucks

    Even if you never step into a truck, these results affect your daily life. Every product you buy travels by truck at some point, whether it’s groceries, clothing or furniture. The way those trucks operate influences cost, availability and safety on the road.

    The trucking industry faces three major challenges. There are not enough long-haul drivers to meet demand. Costs continue to rise due to labor shortages, tariffs and fuel prices. And safety is a concern because human drivers can get tired or distracted.

    Autonomous trucks could help address each of these issues. PlusAI’s vehicles are already hauling freight on Texas highways today, and they are also undergoing road testing in Sweden. The company has already logged more than five million autonomous miles across the United States, Europe and Asia. That real-world experience fuels the AI system with the data it needs to improve.

    LUCID JOINS TESLA AND GM WITH HANDS-FREE HIGHWAY DRIVING

    A graph showing data for self driving truck readiness

    The PlusAI Safety Case Framework. Data shows that self-driving trucks will roll out by 2027. (PlusAI)

    How PlusAI plans to launch autonomous trucks by 2027

    PlusAI has created a roadmap that sets it apart. Instead of retrofitting trucks with autonomous systems, it is working with major manufacturers like TRATON GROUP, Hyundai and IVECO to integrate the technology at the factory. This approach makes scaling production faster and ensures consistency.

    The initial launch is planned for the Texas Triangle, a major freight corridor connecting Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin. From there, PlusAI plans to expand into other U.S. routes and eventually Europe.

    The company has also committed to publishing regular performance updates as it transitions to a public company. By sharing measurable results, PlusAI builds trust with regulators, the public, and businesses that may one day rely on its trucks to move goods.

    “We have a clear roadmap to the commercial launch of SuperDrive,” said David Liu, CEO and co-founder of PlusAI. “By publicly sharing these performance metrics, we are showing our commitment to safety and scalability while bringing partners, customers, and regulators along on this journey.“

    What’s next for PlusAI and driverless freight trucks?

    PlusAI still has milestones to meet. Safety readiness must rise from 86 percent to 100 percent. Remote Assistance Free Trips must surpass 90 percent. These are ambitious goals, but the progress so far suggests the company can achieve them.

    Fleet trials are scheduled to begin later this year, and PlusAI continues testing in both the United States and internationally. Each step adds to the case that driverless trucks will be ready for commercial launch in 2027.

    AI-POWERED SELF-DRIVING SOFTWARE IS DISRUPTING THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY

    American trucking industry

    A drone view shows a transport truck entering the United States from Canada, at a Canada-U.S. border crossing in Blaine, Washington, April 2, 2025. (REUTERS/David Ryder)

    What this means for you

    As a shopper, autonomous trucks could mean faster and more affordable deliveries. As a driver, you may soon share highways with self-driving freight haulers. As a business owner, this technology could reduce logistics costs and ease the impact of driver shortages.

    The bigger picture is that autonomous trucks are moving from testing to real use. They are no longer limited to pilot projects. You may see them alongside you on the road sooner than expected.

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    Kurt’s key takeaways

    Transportation is changing quickly. Just as ride-sharing apps transformed how people travel within cities, autonomous trucks may soon reshape how goods move across the country. The difference is that this shift is approaching within just a few years. The progress PlusAI reports today offers a glimpse of that future. If the company continues on this track, driverless trucks could become a normal part of daily life by the end of the decade.

    Would you feel comfortable seeing an 18-wheeler drive itself on the highway next to your car? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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    Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com.  All rights reserved.  

    Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

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  • Here’s Where Prince St. Pizza Is Opening Next | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Lawrence Longo is certain about one thing: America needs a great national pizza brand.

    Not just a chain that cranks out slices, but a name that stands for quality, heritage and the kind of flavor people will travel for. “Our goal is to be that premium slice shop in America,” he tells Restaurant Influencers host Shawn Walchef.

    That mission is at the heart of his work growing Prince St. Pizza from a single shop into a brand with locations across the country.

    The story started on a block in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood, where the original Prince St. Pizza has been drawing crowds for years. Its pepperoni square slice is an icon: crispy-edged, overflowing with curl and dripping with flavor.

    Longo was a fan before he was a partner. “I used to go in as a customer,” he says. “I loved the pizza; I loved the energy in the shop. I could feel how much it meant to people.”

    Related: He Went from Tech CEO to Dishwasher. Now, He’s Behind 320 Restaurants and $750 Million in Assets.

    That connection turned into conversations. Longo got to know the owners, learning not just about the recipes but about the pride and history behind them. “We started talking about what it could be,” he recalls. “I told them, ‘This isn’t just a slice shop. This is a brand that could mean something in every city.’”

    Eventually, that dialogue became a partnership, grounded in a shared commitment to keep the product and culture intact. Now the expansion is real. This interview took place inside a new Prince St. Pizza in Las Vegas, just steps from the Strip.

    The crowd here is a mix of locals and visitors, but the slice in their hands tastes just like it would in SoHo. “That’s the goal,” Longo says. “No matter where you are, when you bite into it, it should feel like you’re in New York.”

    The Las Vegas shop is just one of several new locations, each chosen carefully. “We don’t just go anywhere,” he explains. “We look for cities where Prince St. can fit in and still stand out. And then we build the right team to protect what makes it special.”

    For Longo, it is not simply about growing bigger. It is about creating a national pizza brand without losing the soul of the original.

    Related: His Sushi Burger Got 50 Million Views — and Launched an Entire Business

    The next great American pizza brand

    Prince St. Pizza’s footprint is getting bigger, and the momentum is real. New locations are opening in markets like Miami and Dallas. Each one matches the quality and culture of the original SoHo shop. Celebrity customers have become part of the story. Usher. Adam Sandler. Dave Portnoy. They aren’t there for photo ops. They come in because they like the pizza.

    “They try, and they come back, and they like the brand,” Longo says. Being in cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago means crossing paths with people who live for good food, whether they are famous or not.

    Growth also brings noise. “The bigger you get, the more haters you get,” Longo says. “You can’t listen to the noise. You want to listen to everybody, but you gotta just keep your head down, worry about yourself, do the best job you can and focus on your customers.”

    Related: Von Miller Learned About Chicken Farming in a College Class – And It Became the Inspiration for a Business That Counts Patrick Mahomes as an Investor

    That mindset is what allows Longo to keep expanding without losing the flavor and culture that made Prince St. Pizza a destination in the first place.

    Every new store is another chance to prove that a premium slice shop can scale nationally without losing what made it special.

    “Every time you open a new restaurant, you learn something new about your brand,” Longo says, “and we’re only getting better.”

    It’s the same goal he set from the start — to take Prince St. Pizza from a single shop in New York to a true national brand. And for Longo, the recipe for getting there is simple: protect the product, protect the culture and keep serving slices worth traveling for.

    Related: This Restaurant CEO Created His Own National Holiday (and Turned It Into a Business Strategy)

    About Restaurant Influencers

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    Shawn P. Walchef

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  • Solar companies deploy sheep across farms in growing green energy trend

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    Forget roaring lawnmowers and fuel-guzzling tractors. Today’s solar companies are turning to flocks of sheep to trim grass and control weeds under solar panels. These eco-friendly grazers easily navigate narrow panel rows, cutting maintenance costs and carbon emissions at the same time. In fact, using sheep instead of gas-powered mowing crews can reduce upkeep expenses by up to 20 percent.

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    WHY AI IS CAUSING SUMMER ELECTRICITY BILLS TO SOAR

    Why solar grazing with sheep cuts costs and emissions

    Sheep fit neatly between solar arrays, reaching into nooks that mechanical gear can’t. They chew rain or shine. And since sheep run on grass, not gas, their grazing helps reduce carbon emissions. Using these natural lawnmowers better aligns with solar’s green mission goals. Developers like SB Energy in Texas now rely on herds of around 3,000 sheep to cover thousands of acres, benefiting both their bottom line and the planet.

    WHY YOU SHOULD THINK TWICE BEFORE JOINING A POWER SAVER PROGRAM

    Sheep graze near solar panels in Haskell, Texas, Dec. 2, 2024.  (REUTERS/Annie Rice)

    How agrivoltaics turns sheep and solar panels into profits

    This isn’t your average landscaping story. There’s even a fancy word for it: agrivolatics, or the practice of combining solar energy production with agriculture.
Farmers who jump on board aren’t just maintaining the lawn; they’re opening up multiple revenue streams. First, ranchers can lease land to solar companies, sign grazing contracts, while still earning from traditional farm products like wool and lamb.

    Chad Raines is a rancher from Texas. He decided to trade in cotton farming for sheep grazing on solar land. That move has paid off. Last year, he brought in around $300,000. If he had stuck with cotton, he estimates he would’ve lost about $200,000 instead. That’s a huge swing, and it’s a real-world example of how solar grazing is helping revive a sheep industry that had been stuck in neutral for decades.

    How sheep improve soil health and boost biodiversity at solar farms

    Letting sheep do the mowing isn’t just about saving time or money. It actually helps the land. As they move through the fields, sheep naturally break down plant material, aerate the soil and leave behind fertilizing manure. This leads to healthier dirt and better carbon capture.

    Companies like Lightsource BP are already seeing those benefits. They manage over 14,000 sheep across solar farms that produce more than 3 gigawatts of power. These sites aren’t just power generators, they’re also habitats. Flowers that support bees and butterflies are planted among the panels, creating ideal conditions for pollinators. Some farms have even started producing honey thanks to the thriving bee population. 

    GOOGLE TURNS CO2 INTO BATTERY POWER FOR CLEAN ENERGY

    Sheep grazing near Texas solar panels

    Sheep grazing cuts operations and maintenance costs for solar operators. (REUTERS/Annie Rice)

    Major solar farms scale up sheep grazing across thousands of acres

    This isn’t just happening on a small scale. Enel North America recently signed one of the biggest solar grazing deals in the country. They’re deploying over 6,000 sheep across eight large solar farms, covering more than 10,000 acres.

    At some of those sites, the amount of organic matter in the soil has more than doubled. For solar operators, this approach just makes sense. It cuts operations and maintenance costs, strengthens environmental credibility and builds better relationships with nearby communities.

    Investors are paying attention, too. In just two years, the number of solar grazing projects has skyrocketed, especially in places backed by heavy hitters like DE Shaw and Berkshire Hathaway.

    Texas solar panel zone allows sheep to graze

    Chad Raines opens the gate to a solar panel zone in Haskell, Texas, Dec. 2, 2024. This solar farm has six different solar panel zones on 1,800 acres of land.  (REUTERS/Annie Rice)

    What solar grazing means for you

    If you care about clean energy, sustainable farming or smart land use, solar grazing is worth watching. It shows how innovation doesn’t always require high-tech gadgets; sometimes, it just takes some sheep. For farmers and ranchers, this model opens the door to new income by partnering with solar companies. If you own land or work in agriculture, grazing contracts could provide a steady stream of revenue without giving up traditional operations.

    For everyone else, this trend offers hope that renewable energy can coexist with rural livelihoods, boost biodiversity and fight climate change, all at once. As solar farms expand across the country, expect to see more flocks doing the work of machines, quietly transforming how we power the planet.

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    Kurt’s key takeaways

    Sheep-powered solar farms are transforming the way we manage clean energy sites. By replacing gas-powered machines with grazing animals, solar companies are cutting costs, reducing emissions and creating new income opportunities for farmers. This approach blends sustainability with practicality. It supports healthier soil, boosts biodiversity and strengthens rural economies, all while helping solar farms operate more efficiently. With growing investment and proven results, solar grazing is emerging as a smart, scalable solution. And as the industry evolves, don’t be surprised if the quiet hum of panels comes with the occasional baaa.

    What other ways could we find to tie together the future of clean energy with sustainable and natural solutions like farm animals? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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    Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

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  • How Generative AI Is Completely Reshaping Education | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    This is the second installment in the “1,000 Days of AI” series. As an AI keynote speaker and strategic advisor on AI university strategy, I’ve seen firsthand how generative AI is transforming education — and why aligning with the future of learning is now a leadership imperative.

    I’m starting with education, not because it was the most disrupted, but because it was the first to show us what disruption actually looks like in real time.

    Why start here?

    Education is upstream to everything. Every future engineer, policymaker, manager and founder is shaped by what happens in a classroom, a lecture hall or a late-night interaction with a search engine. When generative AI arrived, education didn’t have the luxury to wait. It was forced to adapt on the fly.

    ChatGPT didn’t quietly enter higher education. It detonated. Assignments unraveled. Grading frameworks collapsed. Students accessed polished answers in seconds. Faculty were blindsided. Institutional responses were reactive, inconsistent and exposed deep fractures in how learning was being defined and delivered.

    The idea that education meant memorization and regurgitation cracked almost overnight.

    Related: How AI Is Transforming Education Forever — and What It Means for the Next Generation of Thinkers

    AI in education didn’t break higher ed — It exposed the disconnect

    Long before AI, colleges were already straining under somewhat outdated models — rigid lectures, static syllabi, compliance-heavy assessments and a widening chasm between classroom instruction and workforce reality. Students were evolving faster than the systems designed to serve them.

    Generative AI made that gap impossible to ignore. Within months of its release, a majority of students admitted to using ChatGPT or similar tools for coursework. Meanwhile, most college presidents acknowledged they had no formal AI policy in place. The dissonance was loud, and it created not just urgency, but opportunity.

    In the past year, I’ve partnered with some of the largest education systems in the world to help develop their AI strategies. We co-developed governance frameworks, launched executive working groups, crafted responsible use guidelines and trained thousands of faculty across campuses. The goal wasn’t just to respond; it was to lead.

    At the same time, I’ve worked with community colleges — the frontline of workforce development. These institutions feel disruption first and move fastest. I’ve helped their leaders connect generative AI to student outcomes, integrate tools into classroom experimentation and align innovation with workforce readiness and equity.

    Whether it’s a flagship university or a high-impact college, the principle is the same: Strategy must align with people, culture and mission. The institutions making the biggest strides aren’t the ones with perfect AI plans. They’re the ones willing to move while others wait. This momentum is powered by intrapreneurship on the inside, and increasingly, by student-driven entrepreneurship on the outside.

    Students are becoming entrepreneurs

    Students aren’t waiting for permission; they’re reinventing how learning works. They adapt quickly, embrace emerging technologies and experiment boldly. Some might call it cheating. I’d call it testing the system.

    Today’s students no longer see education as a linear path to a degree. They see it as a launchpad for ideas.

    They’re using not just ChatGPT, but a full arsenal of AI tools — Perplexity, Gemini, Claude and more — to write business plans, generate branding, build MVPs and pressure-test real-world ideas. In fact, some aren’t just using tools; they’re creating their own. They’re not waiting to be taught. They’re teaching themselves how to build, launch and iterate.

    And yes, some of it is used for shortcuts. For cutting corners. For getting around assignments. Academic integrity is a real issue and one that institutions must address. But it’s also a signal that the system itself needs to evolve. These students are not just bypassing rules — they’re stress-testing the relevance of education as it exists today. And this is where intrapreneurs inside the system become critical to bridging the gap.

    Related: Why We Shouldn’t Fear AI in Education (and How to Use It Effectively)

    Intrapreneurs are moving institutions forward

    We all know that innovation rarely happens in the corner offices. The most powerful change isn’t coming from executive memos. It’s coming from the ground up.

    I’ve seen faculty members redesign assessments to include AI. Academic advisors build GPT-powered chatbots for student support. Department chairs test automated grading workflows while central IT is still writing policy. These are intrapreneurs — internal innovators leading with agility.

    My work has always been to help them scale and to get out of their way. Real transformation happens when governance, incentives and innovation align — and when execution is taken seriously.

    What institutions are doing that works

    Here are five moves I’ve seen deliver the greatest impact across leadership, faculty and students alike.

    1. Accept that change is inevitable: Ignoring, shaming or regulating innovation won’t stop it. Institutions must choose to engage with change, not resist it.

    2. Acknowledge that learning is now co-created: In many cases, students are more fluent in new tools than faculty. It may feel awkward — but that discomfort is the birthplace of co-creation and collaborative innovation.

    3. Support intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship: Encourage faculty and staff to experiment internally while also supporting students who are launching startups or prototyping ideas using AI.

    Institutions that move now are defining the next decade of learning. That doesn’t mean ignoring issues of academic integrity or the risks of cognitive offloading — we don’t know what we don’t know. But that uncertainty should inform us, not paralyze us.

    The institutions that will thrive in the next 1,000 days aren’t those with the most tech. They’re the ones that create space to adapt, listen and lead from every level — through both intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship.

    Related: How AI, Funding Cuts and Shifting Skills Are Redefining Education — and What It Means for the Future of Work

    Leadership is no longer a title; it’s a posture. Every instructor redesigning a course, every student experimenting with AI, every staffer who builds a better workflow is shaping the future of education.

    According to the World Economic Forum, over 40% of core job skills will shift in the next five years. That’s not a prediction — it’s a mandate.

    The only way forward is to build systems that learn as fast as the people in them. Presidents and provosts can provide vision, but it’s intrapreneurs who will make it real. Transformation won’t be dictated from above. It will be powered from within.

    AI is not the end. It’s the beginning of a new way of learning and a new kind of leadership.

    Coming next in the “1,000 Days of AI” series: Higher education wasn’t ready for AI, but students forced the conversation. K-12 is even more essential because critical thinking, ethical reasoning and digital fluency must begin long before college.

    Alex Goryachev

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  • What Leaders Can Learn From the First 1,000 Days of ChatGPT | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    This September marks 1,000 days since ChatGPT entered public consciousness. In that short time, the world has undergone a seismic shift. AI, once a buzzword, has become a foundational force — reshaping workflows, boardroom agendas and entire industries. No organization or country, large or small, was immune. Generative AI, alongside Claude, Gemini and open-source models, hasn’t merely added features. It has reset the pace of innovation, widened performance gaps and exposed how few institutions were equipped to turn experiments into execution.

    Across verticals — from education and enterprise to pharma and public sector — one insight has proven consistent: The organizations that thrive with AI don’t start with tools. They start with people.

    Since the release of ChatGPT, I’ve worked with hundreds of organizations worldwide as an AI keynote speaker, transformation advisor and strategic consultant. My work has included delivering keynotes, facilitating AI innovation workshops and guiding C-suite leaders across industries through the turbulence of AI adoption. From global corporations and top universities to national governments and biotech pioneers, the same patterns — and the same roadblocks — have emerged.

    This article opens the “1,000 Days of AI” series: a practical, cross-vertical exploration of what AI has already changed, what lies ahead and what leaders must do now to build alignment, trust and momentum in the age of intelligent systems.

    Related: The World Is Splitting Between Those Who Use ChatGPT to Get Better, Smarter, Richer — and Everyone Else

    This isn’t an IT project

    Many organizations began their AI journey by outsourcing it to IT. Generative tools like ChatGPT were handed to CIOs. Roadmaps were requested. Pilots were announced. Platforms were compared. Meanwhile, momentum stalled.

    In contrast, the most adaptive organizations began by engaging employees. They looked at workflows, not tech stacks. They asked: Where does friction live, and who understands it best? Then they launched internal sprints to solve meaningful problems. Not everything scaled, but what did revealed where the real opportunity lies.

    AI is not a dashboard or chatbot. It is a system-level catalyst. It touches every department — legal, HR, finance, operations, marketing. It raises questions about ethics, accountability and the future of work. It requires organizations to stop thinking in silos and start working across them.

    The most effective transformation doesn’t come from strategy decks; it comes from people trusted to rethink their daily work. When organizations create space for this kind of thinking, momentum follows.

    The intrapreneur era has arrived

    Some of the most impactful applications of AI in the last 1,000 days didn’t come from senior leadership or external consultants. They came from within. Employees who noticed inefficiencies, tested generative tools and found a better way forward. These internal changemakers — intrapreneurs — are rebuilding their organizations from the inside out.

    During the strategy sessions I’ve led, it’s often the customer support agent who builds an AI-powered knowledge base, the compliance analyst who uses large language models to automate documentation or the professor who reinvents grading. These aren’t isolated moments; they’re the new standard of innovation.

    The most agile organizations surface these efforts early, reward the behavior and scale what works. They don’t wait for formal initiatives. They build cultures where permission is replaced by participation. And they move quickly — not recklessly, but with confidence.

    Related: How Corporate ‘Intrapreneurs’ Can Harness the Power of AI to Transform Their Businesses and Supercharge Their Careers

    AI is a multiplier of culture

    AI doesn’t transform culture — it reflects it. An organization grounded in rigidity and control will experience more of the same. One built on curiosity, collaboration and transparency will scale faster, learn faster and lead the market.

    The highest-performing organizations start with a clear principle: alignment precedes acceleration. They ask employees what slows them down and then act on the answers. They replace static org charts with cross-functional teams. They move from policies to prototypes.

    Governance isn’t an afterthought — it’s embedded in the process. Legal, HR and compliance are not blockers. They’re design partners. Together, they build systems that are ethical, inclusive and scalable from day one.

    AI is not just a toolset. It’s a leadership challenge. The organizations that rise to meet it build trust and transformation in parallel.

    What’s working now

    After delivering hundreds of AI keynotes and partnering with organizations across the globe, a new set of success principles has emerged:

    • Start with employees. Those closest to the work understand the friction and how to fix it.

    • Distribute capability. Don’t limit training to tech teams. The best ideas often come from HR, legal and finance.

    • Run AI sprints like business design. These aren’t software pilots. They’re rapid experiments in new ways of working.

    • Make governance collaborative. Build ethical and compliance guardrails with — not after — the business.

    • Scale internal wins. Share success stories. Build intrapreneur networks. Turn momentum into muscle.

    These practices aren’t aspirational. They’re already creating measurable outcomes for organizations willing to lead the change.

    Related: 2025 AI Innovation Insights — Lessons Learned From Over 127 Global Speaking Sessions

    The next 1,000 days demand boldness

    The experimentation phase is over. The next 1,000 days require depth, speed and alignment. Pilots must become platforms. Strategy must move beyond decks and into daily action.

    The real divide is no longer between AI adopters and skeptics. It’s between those who integrate AI into culture and decision-making — and those who simply deploy tools without changing the system around them.

    What defines leadership in this next wave isn’t technology. It’s the ability to build trust in AI, connect siloed teams and redesign work at scale. The future of work is already arriving. The organizations that act now will shape it.

    Those who move with courage and clarity will thrive. Others will find themselves part of someone else’s success story.

    Coming next in the “1,000 Days of AI” series: How AI is transforming education — and what schools, faculty and students must do now to stay ahead.

    This September marks 1,000 days since ChatGPT entered public consciousness. In that short time, the world has undergone a seismic shift. AI, once a buzzword, has become a foundational force — reshaping workflows, boardroom agendas and entire industries. No organization or country, large or small, was immune. Generative AI, alongside Claude, Gemini and open-source models, hasn’t merely added features. It has reset the pace of innovation, widened performance gaps and exposed how few institutions were equipped to turn experiments into execution.

    Across verticals — from education and enterprise to pharma and public sector — one insight has proven consistent: The organizations that thrive with AI don’t start with tools. They start with people.

    Since the release of ChatGPT, I’ve worked with hundreds of organizations worldwide as an AI keynote speaker, transformation advisor and strategic consultant. My work has included delivering keynotes, facilitating AI innovation workshops and guiding C-suite leaders across industries through the turbulence of AI adoption. From global corporations and top universities to national governments and biotech pioneers, the same patterns — and the same roadblocks — have emerged.

    The rest of this article is locked.

    Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.

    Alex Goryachev

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  • AI Clones Are No Longer Science Fiction — They’re Real | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    In a quiet conference room, a startup founder’s digital doppelgänger delivers a pitch to investors, answering questions with the founder’s voice and expertise, even as the real founder is elsewhere.

    This scenario is no longer science fiction. A wave of AI personas, “digital twins” and self-replicating agents is emerging, allowing individuals to outsource aspects of themselves to AI. From celebrity coaches to tech icons, these AI-powered avatars promise to scale human presence and productivity in unprecedented ways. Yet they also raise profound questions about identity, authenticity and the very nature of work in a post-human era.

    The rise of personal AI personas and digital twins

    The concept of a “digital twin” originated in industry, a virtual replica of a physical system for simulation and optimization. Now, it’s being reimagined on a personal level. AI digital twins are dynamic, evolving AI models that replicate a person’s knowledge and grow it over time. Instead of static data, these twins use custom AI models to mirror an individual’s unique perspectives, expertise and even communication style. The goal is a “living, breathing representation” of one’s thought processes.

    Crucially, personal AI personas aren’t just parroting facts. They aim to capture how you think and speak. A true digital twin can replicate an individual’s unique perspectives, experiences and knowledge base, assisting with recall, generating insights and even communicating in your own voice.

    Related: Digital Twins Are the Future — Here Are 5 Ways to Keep Them Secure While Manufacturing Innovation

    Tools enabling “self-replication”

    A growing ecosystem of platforms and tools is making AI self-cloning accessible:

    • Personal.ai: Offers a personal language model trained on your content, effectively becoming your memory and voice in digital form. It emphasises privacy and user control, positioning the AI twin as a secure asset that continuously learns and updates with you.
    • Lindy: A no-code AI agent builder that acts like a personal or business assistant. Lindy allows users to create custom AI “assistants” that integrate with email, calendars, CRM and more.
    • OpenAI’s Custom GPTs: OpenAI’s ChatGPT now lets users build custom GPTs, essentially personal chatbots turned to a specific persona or knowledge base. With a ChatGPT Plus account, you can create a bespoke AI and share it in a GOT marketplace.
    • ElevenLabs and Synthesia: Provide ultra-realistic voice and video cloning, enabling AI personas to speak and appear as their human counterparts. Reid Hoffman used these tools to create a deepfake avatar of himself for an AI interview experiment.

    Early adopters: From gurus to CEOs

    This once-futuristic concept is now a reality embraces by high-profile leaders:

    • Tony Robbins launched “Tony’s AI Twin,” an interactive coach built by Steno.ai using ElevanLabs voice cloning. It delivers advice drawn from his decades of work is accessible 24/7.
    • Deepak Chopra unveiled DigitalDeepak.ai, an AI trained on his teachings to offer guidance on spirituality and well-being.
    • Reid Hoffman created “Reid AI,” a custom GPT trained on 20 years of this thinking, and used a digital avatar to appear in interviews and explore the ethical limits of this tech.
    • Fan-made projects like “Ask Naval” offer an AI version of Naval Ravikant, trained unofficially on his tweets, interviews and writings.

    The allure: Outsourcing and scaling the self

    Why are leaders drawn to AI personas? The allure is clear. AI twins offer the promise of infinite reach, an ability to engage thousands simultaneously, attend multiple meetings or provide mentorship across time zones. They create an entirely new monetization model, where personal knowledge and brand become a scalable product. Robbins’ team, for instance, notes that his AI twin has opened a new revenue stream with no additional time investment. Productivity gains are significant, as digital twins take over routine tasks, freeing founders to focus on creative or high-value work. Additionally, trained AI twins can serve as cognitive memory tools, surfacing forgotten insights, maintaining brand consistency and supporting rapid decision-making.

    Zoom CEO Eric Yuan has even suggested that AI digital twins could eventually be so effective that they reduce the workweek to three days. For visionary leaders, AI personas are not just tools; they’re multipliers of influence, knowledge and time.

    Risks and ethical questions

    As a lawyer, I always ask: What are the risks, and what are the ethics behind the product? This frontier is not without peril:

    • Authenticity: Audiences may struggle to trust whether communication comes from the person or their AI. Transparency and fidelity are key.
    • Misinformation: AI personas must be tightly governed to avoid reputational or legal risk.
    • Privacy: Ownership of one’s digital likeness is a complex, emerging legal issue.
    • Human skill erosion: Over-reliance on AI might dull the very cognitive and interpersonal skills that define great leaders.

    Related: Why Every Entrepreneur Must Prioritize Ethical AI — Now

    The post-human edge

    Founders are no longer just building products; they’re becoming platforms. The real edge lies in knowing what to scale and what to keep human. An AI persona might extend your influence, but it’s your irreplaceable presence, empathy and judgment that remain your ultimate value.

    In a world where anyone can clone their voice and replicate their insights, the differentiator is not your scalability, but your discernment. The future belongs to those who know when to outsource — and when to show up.

    Founders and businesses are entering a post-human business era. Let’s build it wisely.

    In a quiet conference room, a startup founder’s digital doppelgänger delivers a pitch to investors, answering questions with the founder’s voice and expertise, even as the real founder is elsewhere.

    This scenario is no longer science fiction. A wave of AI personas, “digital twins” and self-replicating agents is emerging, allowing individuals to outsource aspects of themselves to AI. From celebrity coaches to tech icons, these AI-powered avatars promise to scale human presence and productivity in unprecedented ways. Yet they also raise profound questions about identity, authenticity and the very nature of work in a post-human era.

    The rise of personal AI personas and digital twins

    The rest of this article is locked.

    Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.

    Rejna Alaaldin

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  • Closer or Colder? How AI Shapes Your Customer Relationships | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    I’m not going to lie, the latest generation of AI, especially large language models and agentic AI, is nothing short of impressive. At Human Cloud, we used tools like Claude and Windsurf to accomplish in 5 minutes what had previously taken us 5 years.

    On the surface, it’s a story of overnight magic. But dig deeper and you’ll find that the real magic wasn’t the AI itself; it was the five years of groundwork that came before. We spent that time using spreadsheets, Canva graphics, CRM automations and hacky off-the-shelf tools to create the right sales and delivery motion, and validate our customers’ needs.

    Only then did the AI become a true accelerator, as we used Claude, Windsurf and AWS to create the Human Cloud Platform in less than 5 minutes.

    This brings up a crucial point. AI can easily be a distraction, prioritizing hype and buzz over real revenue and profitability. Why? Because the fundamental principle of business remains unchanged: every breakthrough starts with a deep understanding of what your customers need.

    Before you invest another dollar in AI, ask yourself one question: Is this technology making us closer to our customers, or pulling us further away?

    Here are five steps to ensure AI helps you get closer.

    1. Manually implement before automating

    “Do things that don’t scale” is a famous startup moniker brought up by Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator, in his essay in 2013. As a 4x founder myself, this ethos has always run true.

    In the case of AI, in every scenario, ask yourself if there is a manual alternative. If there is, try that first, then automate based on customer demand.

    Related: LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman: To Scale, Do Things That Don’t Scale

    2: Capture enough manual feedback

    Step 1 is only half the story. The other half is ensuring you have enough of the right type of feedback to automate what really works. My strongest recommendation is to capture feedback that’s closest to customers actually paying, engaging and sharing.

    I learned this the hard way in a former startup. We spent 3 months listening and iterating on prototypes based on feedback. We were maniacal in the level of detail we captured, from the user experience to the design. Then we launched, and less than 5% of these users actually paid. Instead, we shouldn’t have listened to what they said, but instead prioritized what they did.

    If you want a book to help you capture the right type of feedback, check out The Mom Test.

    Related: How the ‘Mom Test’ Can Help You Cut Through B.S. and Find Important Answers

    3: Make AI accessible for everyone, not just AI experts

    Rather than investing in an AI team or hiring AI experts, give everyone an opportunity to apply AI across their team and their work.

    Preston Mossman, Senior Director of AI Consulting for Galaxy Square, told me, “learning to use AI is a muscle you have to build. A lot of people self-select out because they can’t use AI today to help them, but the first step is to accelerate their comfort and understanding in a way that feels valuable to them.”

    When asking Preston about ways companies have helped their leaders get comfortable with it, he brought up investing in AI-related tools for interested individuals.

    In his words, “if your mechanic told you about a $50 wrench that could get your job done just as well for half the cost, you would buy it for them or find a new mechanic (with the $50 wrench).”

    Leaders not using AI in 5 years will be like leaders not using a computer today.

    Related: Why Your AI Strategy Will Fail Without the Right Talent in Place

    4: Hire independent experts first

    Telling someone to use AI with no support is like telling someone to jump out of a plane without a parachute.

    Obviously, hiring AI experts as full-time employees would be expensive and out of reach for most of us. Likewise, AI trainings take time, might be expensive, and rarely has direct applicability from training to application.

    But a shortcut is hiring individuals who already use AI, as 65% of independent experts were already using AI as far back as 2024, and 95% of independent experts stated that AI makes them more competitive.

    This brings up step 4: to hire flexible talent first, with flexible talent defined as independent, freelance, and fractional experts.

    The data is clear that flexible talent upskills faster than full-time employees and is ahead of the curve in AI adoption and effectiveness. It’s not just AI, Deloitte research shows that the independent workforce upskills faster than their full-time peers.

    There are also four massive benefits of flexible talent compared to full-time. You can control cost. You have a quicker time to effectiveness. You learn by seeing their expertise. And the most important benefit is that this is the future workforce.

    To get started, look for a flexible talent platform that is specialized in your region, industry, and the application you need AI for. There are over 800 of these specialized solutions.

    Related: Solopreneurship and Freelancing Is Here to Stay — Are You Ready?

    5: Scale like the cloud

    We take for granted how transformational cloud computing has been for us entrepreneurs. Without getting too geeky, what it really did was enable us to scale in line with customer demand rather than taking big bets because of large fixed costs.

    Apply this same mindset to AI.

    Do you think your AI idea is the next big breakthrough that will transform your company, your industry, and the world? That’s great. Now go through steps 1-4 before you bet the farm.

    I’m not going to lie, the latest generation of AI, especially large language models and agentic AI, is nothing short of impressive. At Human Cloud, we used tools like Claude and Windsurf to accomplish in 5 minutes what had previously taken us 5 years.

    On the surface, it’s a story of overnight magic. But dig deeper and you’ll find that the real magic wasn’t the AI itself; it was the five years of groundwork that came before. We spent that time using spreadsheets, Canva graphics, CRM automations and hacky off-the-shelf tools to create the right sales and delivery motion, and validate our customers’ needs.

    Only then did the AI become a true accelerator, as we used Claude, Windsurf and AWS to create the Human Cloud Platform in less than 5 minutes.

    The rest of this article is locked.

    Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.

    Matthew Mottola

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  • How One Man Conquered the World’s Toughest Peaks — and Built a Brand Every Founder Should Study | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    After conquering the world’s 14 toughest peaks in record time, Nepali-born Nims Purja rose as a bold voice for the often-overlooked Sherpa guides. In the process, he became the first true celebrity mountaineer of the social media era — and one of the most debated figures in the global climbing scene.

    His path wasn’t paved with venture funding or viral hacks — it was carved out with ice axes, discipline and a refusal to accept the limits others set. Purja is not just a climber; he’s an entrepreneur of his own brand, built atop grit, story and bold vision. His journey offers timeless insights for anyone aiming to build a global presence and leave a legacy.

    Dare to dream bigger

    By climbing all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks in just six months and six days — a feat that previously took others nearly a decade — he didn’t compete within the old standards; he created a new one entirely. For entrepreneurs, the lesson is clear: Don’t aim to improve marginally on what’s been done — dare to redefine the game itself.

    Apply the 10x framework: Instead of asking “How can we improve by 10%?” challenge yourself to ask “How can we deliver 10x the value?” A local restaurant shouldn’t just aim to be “better.” They should ask: “How can we create an experience so unique that customers travel 30 minutes just to eat here?” Take 30 minutes this week to list your current business goals, then rewrite each one using 10x thinking.

    When you operate with bold vision, relentless execution and unapologetic ambition, you don’t just enter the market — you reshape it. Purja’s example teaches founders that category leadership doesn’t come from incrementalism; it comes from delivering results so extraordinary that they spark a global conversation.

    Related: Dream Big: 3 Ways to Fight Off Doubt and Build the Business You’ve Always Wanted

    Own your narrative

    Purja’s rise to global prominence wasn’t just about his physical feats — it was also about how masterfully he told his story. Through his book Beyond Possible, the Netflix documentary 14 Peaks and a consistent, personal presence on Instagram, Purja controlled the narrative of his journey, spotlighting not just his own achievements but also celebrating his team, clients and fellow Nepali climbers.

    Master the three-channel system: Choose one primary social platform where you’ll post daily, add one long-form medium (blog, newsletter or LinkedIn articles) for weekly deep-dives, and secure one multimedia opportunity monthly (podcast, video or speaking engagement). Use the 70-30 rule: 70% behind-the-scenes process content, 30% final results.

    Importantly, when faced with allegations of misconduct in 2024, Purja used his platforms to respond directly, transparently and on his own terms.

    Prepare your crisis playbook now: When facing criticism, respond within 24 hours using this framework: Listen to the concerns (take 24 hours to process), acknowledge any valid points, respond with facts and your next steps, then follow through publicly. The lesson for entrepreneurs is powerful: In today’s digital age, owning your narrative means owning your audience, your brand and your resilience.

    Transfer skills across domains

    One of the most underrated superpowers in entrepreneurship is the ability to transfer skills across domains. Purja’s background in the British Gurkhas and the U.K.’s elite Special Boat Service wasn’t just a footnote in his story; it was the foundation. The discipline, decision-making under pressure, team cohesion and mental fortitude he developed in the military directly fueled his success in extreme mountaineering.

    Complete a skills audit: Take two hours this month to map your previous experiences. Create three columns: your past career or major experience, the specific skills you developed and how each could differentiate your current business. Focus on skills your competitors likely don’t have — these become your unfair advantage. A former teacher launching a business might leverage lesson planning abilities for customer onboarding, while an ex-military professional could apply tactical decision-making frameworks to client strategy sessions.

    Entrepreneurs often overlook the value of their past experiences — whether it’s a former career in a different industry, a side hobby or even personal challenges — but it’s often these very experiences that spark breakthrough ideas or create a unique edge. That unusual blend of backgrounds becomes your unfair advantage. Innovation doesn’t always require inventing something new; sometimes, it’s about repurposing what you already know in a way the world hasn’t seen before. The key is to recognize the transferable gold in your own journey and have the courage to apply it boldly in new arenas.

    Related: How My Old Job Secretly Prepared Me to Build a Thriving Business

    Monetize with meaning

    Books, talks, gear, coaching — these aren’t just revenue streams; they’re powerful brand extensions that reinforce your story and values. Purja turned his mountaineering journey into a multifaceted brand by writing a bestselling book (Beyond Possible), starring in a Netflix documentary, launching branded gear and offering high-end expeditions and coaching experiences. Each extension aligns with his core narrative of resilience, pushing limits and elevating others — strengthening his personal brand and expanding his reach.

    Build the four-stream model: Structure your revenue as 60% core service, 20% educational content (courses, books, workshops), 15% physical products or branded items and 5% high-value consulting or group programs. Start by perfecting your core offering and documenting your process. Then, in month two, create your first educational product — an eBook, video series or workshop. Month three, launch one branded physical item. By month six, add a premium consulting or mastermind component.

    Small businesses can apply this same approach, even on a modest scale. A local fitness studio could publish an eBook on home workouts, host online wellness webinars, sell branded apparel and offer one-on-one coaching for clients looking to build sustainable fitness habits. A bakery might launch a recipe blog, host virtual baking classes, sell branded tools like aprons or spatulas and speak at local events about entrepreneurship or sustainability.

    The key is to create extensions that tell your story in different formats — whether it’s education, merchandise or experiences — so your audience engages with your brand on multiple levels. When done thoughtfully, these extensions don’t just generate income — they deepen loyalty and turn your business into a lifestyle.

    Root in purpose

    Purja’s rise wasn’t just about personal glory — it was about collective recognition. From the start, he made it clear that his mission wasn’t only to break records but to uplift the often-uncredited heroes of Himalayan climbing: the Sherpas and Nepali guides who have long risked their lives on the world’s highest peaks like Everest without global recognition. By intentionally sharing the spotlight, forming all-Nepali climbing teams and using his media platforms to name and celebrate others, Purja shifted the narrative from individual achievement to collective pride.

    Apply the 20% rule: Dedicate one-fifth of your content and platform to highlighting others in your ecosystem. Create a monthly rotation: Week 1, feature a team member; Week 2, spotlight a supplier or partner; Week 3, showcase a customer success story; Week 4, amplify someone in your industry who deserves recognition. Track engagement rates on these posts versus self-promotional content — you’ll often find that generous content performs better.

    For entrepreneurs, this is a powerful lesson: Your platform is not just a megaphone for your success — it’s a tool for impact. Whether it’s amplifying the voices of overlooked teammates, underrepresented communities in your industry or emerging talent in your field, using your influence to lift others builds long-term credibility, loyalty and brand depth. In a world that values authenticity and purpose, advocacy isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s also a strategic move that differentiates you as a leader with vision and heart.

    Related: How Defining Your Purpose Can Help Attract the Right Clients, Build Culture and Drive Success

    Becoming a global superstar isn’t just about talent — it’s about vision

    Purja’s rise reminds us that superstardom doesn’t come from chasing fame — it comes from chasing the extraordinary and bringing others with you. Whether you’re building a startup, a personal brand or a social movement, the path to global recognition is paved with authenticity, audacity and advocacy.

    Your 90-day implementation plan: Start with one framework this month — perhaps the skills audit or three-channel narrative system. Master it over 30 days, measuring your progress weekly. Month two, add the four-stream revenue approach or 20% advocacy strategy. By month three, integrate 10x thinking into your biggest business challenge. Each framework builds upon the others, creating a comprehensive approach to authentic growth.

    The question isn’t whether you can reach the summit — it’s whether you’re ready to believe the summit isn’t high enough.

    Liliana Pertenava

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  • Why Solving Problems for Customers Isn’t Enough Anymore | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Every era of innovation is shaped by the assumptions it inherits — and those it dares to challenge. Today, a profound transformation is underway. It’s not just technological or economic; it is philosophical. We are moving from a world of institutional dependency to one of personal responsibility, and this shift is not abstract — it is architectural. It redefines markets, recasts the role of government, and perhaps most significantly, reshapes the landscape of entrepreneurship.

    At the center of this change is a simple but powerful idea: When people know, they are responsible. The democratization of information, powered by real-time data, AI-driven personalization and platform accessibility, is rewriting the logic of service, value and ownership. The entrepreneurial question is no longer, “What can we do for people?” but, “How can we equip people to do more for themselves?”

    Related: 3 Business Models That Will Shape the Future of Entrepreneurship in 2025 and Beyond

    From intermediaries to enablers

    Entrepreneurs have historically built businesses around solving problems on behalf of others. This often required serving as intermediaries: interpreting complexity, managing risk and navigating institutions. Insurance companies pooled risks that people couldn’t calculate. Financial advisors made sense of markets that most couldn’t access. Schools and training institutions curated learning for people who lacked the means to direct it themselves.

    That model made sense — in a world where information was scarce, and institutions were necessary proxies for knowledge.

    Today, individuals have direct access to tools that allow them to manage health metrics, compare investment options, acquire in-demand skills and even simulate career outcomes. Platforms like wearable health tech, robo-advisors, skill-based microcredentials and AI tutors mean people no longer require a professional class to tell them what is best. They can see it — and often predict it — for themselves.

    The businesses that merely stand between the individual and their decision are now obsolete. The businesses that thrive will be those that build systems of empowerment — platforms that provide clarity, customization and capability.

    The new architecture of value

    In this new environment, value is not in provisioning; it is in enabling autonomy. Entrepreneurs must now ask: How do we help individuals unlock and apply their own potential?

    Consider healthcare. Traditional insurance operates on the premise that people must be protected from risks they can’t predict. But as personalized health data becomes ubiquitous, people can now monitor, manage and reduce their own risk. The value chain shifts from claims management to wellness optimization. The opportunity? Build ventures that help people interpret their health data, make daily behavioral choices and invest in long-term vitality. It’s no longer about coverage — it’s about capability.

    Or look at retirement planning. Where institutions once prescribed investment strategies, today’s individual can model their financial future in real time. Startups are emerging not to sell products, but to build dashboards of decision-making — offering tailored insights, adaptive risk modeling and lifestyle-based financial strategies. It’s not about controlling assets; it’s about translating knowledge into confident action.

    The same transformation is visible in education. Institutions designed to certify are giving way to systems that verify. Competency-based portfolios, credentialing ecosystems and industry-aligned learning platforms are making degrees optional and demonstrable ability the currency of success. Entrepreneurs here aren’t building new schools — they’re building knowledge markets.

    Related: How to Keep Up With Customer Expectations

    Entrepreneurship in the age of awareness

    This is a new age of entrepreneurship, one where success is not about scale alone, but about aligning with the informed individual’s journey. It demands a shift in mindset from ownership to stewardship.

    Startups in this era must reflect three core design principles:

    1. Empowerment over dependency: The most valuable businesses will not do things for people — they will build tools that allow people to do them for themselves. Think: platforms that help users self-diagnose, self-educate or self-direct their economic strategy.

    2. Personalization over prescription: Generic offerings will fade. What succeeds now are systems that adapt: financial plans tuned to personal goals, wellness programs that respond to biometric feedback, education pathways shaped by live career data.

    3. Transparency over authority: The informed individual does not tolerate gatekeeping. Businesses must offer clarity, not control. Whether in pricing, outcomes or decision logic, transparency builds the trust required for responsibility to flourish.

    These principles aren’t trends — they are structural requirements. They arise because the individual now sits at the center of the value chain. And that individual is not passive. They are informed, engaged and increasingly aware that they are the product, the platform and the producer of outcomes.

    The collapse and creation of value chains

    As this shift accelerates, entire industries will be restructured. Wherever value was created by managing people’s ignorance, that value will collapse. Legacy insurance models, credential-based hiring systems and one-size-fits-all service providers are under existential pressure.

    But with every collapse comes creation. As individuals become responsible for their own outcomes, they will seek trusted systems, smart tools and tailored insights. They will invest in products that respect their intelligence, reflect their uniqueness and respond to their goals.

    The next wave of unicorns will not be service providers — they will be agency platforms. They won’t just deliver — they will activate.

    A new kind of entrepreneurial ethic

    This is more than strategy. It’s a new entrepreneurial ethic. It is grounded in a respect for the individual not as a target market, but as a fully capable actor. It sees people not as consumers of systems, but as participants in outcomes.

    Entrepreneurship, then, becomes a civic act. It helps rebuild the social contract — not by promising care, but by equipping individuals to care for themselves and their communities. The goal is no longer centralized service. It is distributed capability.

    Related: How to Use AI to Increase Business and Make Customers Happy

    Build for the informed individual

    The real revolution is not in technology. It’s in structure. Technology simply enables what is now structurally necessary: individual ownership of wellness, finance, education and life itself.

    Entrepreneurs who understand this will stop building for passive users and start building for informed owners. They will not design systems of support; they will design systems of self-determination.

    Because in this new world, when people know, they are responsible. And the businesses that thrive will be those that help them own that responsibility — with clarity, confidence and capability.

    Every era of innovation is shaped by the assumptions it inherits — and those it dares to challenge. Today, a profound transformation is underway. It’s not just technological or economic; it is philosophical. We are moving from a world of institutional dependency to one of personal responsibility, and this shift is not abstract — it is architectural. It redefines markets, recasts the role of government, and perhaps most significantly, reshapes the landscape of entrepreneurship.

    At the center of this change is a simple but powerful idea: When people know, they are responsible. The democratization of information, powered by real-time data, AI-driven personalization and platform accessibility, is rewriting the logic of service, value and ownership. The entrepreneurial question is no longer, “What can we do for people?” but, “How can we equip people to do more for themselves?”

    Related: 3 Business Models That Will Shape the Future of Entrepreneurship in 2025 and Beyond

    The rest of this article is locked.

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    Majeed Javdani

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  • Google Pixel 10 event brings new phones, smartwatch, earbuds and AI

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    Google kicked off its Made by Google event last week with blockbuster energy. Jimmy Fallon played host, bringing humor and star presence. Steph Curry highlighted how the Pixel 10 empowers creators and athletes to capture and share their stories. Lando Norris, fresh from the F1 circuit, showed off how Pixel’s speed and AI enhancements fit into fast-paced lives. And the Jonas Brothers premiered a music video filmed entirely on the new Pixel 10 Pro, proving the phone’s camera is ready for professional-grade production.

    From the first moment, Google made it clear: this was no ordinary reveal. The Pixel 10 family, including the Pixel 10, Pro, Pro XL, and Pro Fold, faced the spotlight alongside the Pixel Watch 4, Pixel Buds 2a, and Pixelsnap accessories, all powered by the next-gen Tensor G5 chip and Gemini Nano AI.

    Transitioning from star-studded entertainment to deep tech, Google showcased AI-driven upgrades, from Magic Cue anticipating your needs to Pro Res Zoom up to 100x, satellite emergency support on the Pixel Watch 4, and active noise cancellation with hands-free AI on the Buds 2a-all wrapped in smarter, more seamless hardware.

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    With entertainment and innovation sharing the stage, the event set the tone for Google’s most ambitious hardware lineup yet.

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    Host Jimmy Fallon holds Pixel 10 Pro Fold mobile phone during the “Made by Google” event, which introduced the latest additions to Google’s Pixel portfolio of devices, in Brooklyn, New York, Aug. 20, 2025. (Reuters/Brendan McDermid)

    Pixel 10 Series: Smarter design, displays, and cameras

    Google’s Pixel 10 lineup is the heart of this year’s Made by Google event. With the Tensor G5 chip, brighter displays, and new AI-powered camera tools, the series delivers meaningful upgrades for everyday users. Here’s what each model brings and why it matters.

    A man holds a blue Google Pixel 10 smartphone up to his ear.

    A man talking on a Google Pixel 10. (Google)

    Pixel 10: Affordable power with better photography

    The Pixel 10 brings big improvements without the Pro price tag. It features a 6.3-inch OLED Actua display that’s brighter than ever, making outdoor use easy. Google also added better bass in the speakers, so movies, music, and calls sound richer.

    The headline feature is the first 5x telephoto lens on a base Pixel, complete with 10x optical-quality zoom and up to 20x Super Res Zoom. For anyone who loves capturing moments from a distance, kids’ soccer games, concerts, or city skylines, this is a huge advancement forward.

    Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL: AI cameras for creators

    The Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL models push Pixel photography even further. They introduce Pro Res Zoom up to 100x, powered by generative AI on the Tensor G5 chip. That means close-up shots with detail you’d normally need a DSLR to capture.

    Both the Pro (6.3-inch) and Pro XL (6.8-inch) feature Google’s brightest Super Actua displays, larger batteries, and up to 16 GB of RAM for faster performance. These phones are made for power users who want the very best in cameras, speed, and AI tools.

    Pixel 10 Pro Fold: Durability meets flexibility

    A Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold displays the time 9:30.

    A Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold display is shown. (Google)

    The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is Google’s most durable foldable yet, designed for people who want a phone that doubles as a tablet. With an upgraded gearless hinge, IP68 water and dust resistance, and a larger battery, it’s built to last years of folding and unfolding.

    It’s perfect for multitasking, splitting the screen for video calls and apps, or for streaming and gaming on the bigger display. For anyone curious about foldables but worried about durability, this is Google’s most confident answer yet.

    The Pixel 10, Pro, Pro XL, and Pro Fold all run on the brand-new Tensor G5 chip, which Google calls its most significant upgrade to date. The chip is made by TSMC using a 3nm process, delivering faster, more efficient on-device AI performance with Gemini Nano at its core. Across the entire lineup, Google made thoughtful design upgrades. The iconic camera bar has been refined, the bodies use more recycled materials, and the colors are elegant and modern. Choices include Indigo, Frost, and Lemongrass on Pixel 10, and Moonstone, Jade, Obsidian, and Porcelain on the Pro models.

    FOLDABLE PHONES ARE IMPRESSIVE TECHNOLOGICAL MARVELS BUT COME WITH SERIOUS COMPROMISES

    Pricing and availability

    Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, and Pixel 10 Pro XL are all available for preorder today, starting at $799, $999, and $1199. Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL owners will also get a full year of Google AI Pro. Pixel 10 Pro Fold is available for pre-order today and hits shelves on Oct. 9.

    If you’re not ready to upgrade to the latest model, you can often find great discounts on earlier Pixels around launch season. Check out the Top Android phones of 2025 for deals on previous Android phones by visiting Cyberguy.com/TopAndroidPhones 

    Pixel Buds 2a: Smarter sound at a friendly price

    A woman smiles and looks upward as she wears Google's Pixel Buds 2a.

    A woman wears Pixel Buds 2a. (Google)

    Google introduced the Pixel Buds 2a as the newest member of the Pixel Buds family. They deliver premium features like Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and hands-free AI help, all at an affordable $129. With a fresh design, better sound, and smarter connectivity, these buds bring everyday value to anyone who wants high performance without breaking the bank.

    Lightweight design with a comfortable fit

    Pixel Buds 2a are smaller and lighter than the earlier A-series, making them comfortable enough to wear all day. Inspired by the Pixel Buds Pro 2, they include a twist-to-adjust stabilizer and four different eartips so you can find the perfect fit. With an IP54 sweat and water resistance rating, you don’t have to worry about rain or workouts. The buds also come in two stylish colors, iris and hazel, designed to complement other Pixel devices.

    Clearer, smarter audio powered by Tensor A1

    At the heart of Pixel Buds 2a is the Tensor A1 chip, built specifically for audio. This brings Active Noise Cancellation with Silent Seal 1.5, a first for Google’s A-series. A custom speaker driver and new high-frequency chamber enhance music and podcast quality. Wind-blocking mesh covers and Google AI improve call clarity, so your voice sounds crisp on the other end.

    Battery life also gets a boost. You’ll enjoy 7 hours on a single charge with ANC on, and up to 20 hours with the charging case. With ANC off, you get nearly double the listening time compared to the first-generation A-series. For the first time, the case itself includes a replaceable battery, making the buds more durable and sustainable.

    AI Help without reaching for your phone

    Pixel Buds 2a work as more than headphones; they’re also your AI companion. With Gemini built in, you can get quick answers, check messages, or even ask for coffee shop recommendations on the go. Just say “Hey Google” or customize the press-and-hold gesture for instant help.

    Easy pairing and smart connectivity

    Pairing with a Pixel phone is seamless, but the buds also support Multipoint, letting you switch between devices without hassle. Fast Pair makes setup quick, and the Find Hub app ensures you never lose them. You can see the exact location on a map or make them ring when nearby.

    Pricing and availability

    At just $129, Pixel Buds 2a deliver features once reserved for premium earbuds. They’re available for preorder now and will hit shelves at the Google Store and retail partners on Oct. 9.

    Pixel Watch 4: Smarter design, AI health, and satellite safety

    A Google Pixel Watch 4 shows the time 10:15.

    A Pixel Watch 4 is seen with a pink wristband and display. (Google)

    The Pixel Watch 4 is Google’s biggest smartwatch upgrade yet. It keeps the iconic round look but introduces a domed Actua 360 display that’s brighter, larger, and easier to see, even in direct sunlight. The screen is 50% brighter, the bezels are smaller, and everything feels more fluid thanks to new animations and stronger haptics. Simply put, it looks better and feels more responsive on your wrist.

    Longer battery, faster charging

    Battery life has always been a concern for smartwatches. Google addressed it with a 25% boost. The 41mm model now lasts up to 30 hours, while the 45mm model stretches to 40 hours. With Battery Saver mode, you can extend usage to two or even three days. Plus, the new Quick Charge Dock takes you from 0 to 50% in just 15 minutes, making it easier to power up before you head out.

    Satellite communications for emergencies

    One of the most groundbreaking features is standalone satellite connectivity. Pixel Watch 4 LTE is the first smartwatch that can dial emergency services even when you’re off the grid. Whether you’re hiking, camping, or driving in remote areas, the watch can connect to geo-stationary satellites and get help when you need it most. That’s peace of mind you can actually wear.

    Advanced health and fitness tracking

    Health remains a core focus. Pixel Watch 4 adds more accurate sleep tracking, enhanced skin temperature sensing, and dual-frequency GPS for precise route logging in tough environments. Cyclists will love the new real-time bike stats, while fitness fans get 50+ exercise modes, including pickleball and basketball. Even if you forget to start a workout, the watch’s AI now auto-detects and logs your activity.

    Your AI health coach, 24/7

    With Gemini AI built in, the Pixel Watch 4 goes beyond tracking; it coaches. A new personal AI health coach gives proactive fitness and sleep advice tailored to your goals. It’s like having a trainer and wellness guide on your wrist, available anytime. A preview of this feature arrives in October through the Fitbit app, opening the door to personalized, AI-driven health support.

    WWDC 2025: IOS 26, LIQUID GLASS DESIGN AND APPLE’S AI SHORTFALL

    Seamless smart features

    The Pixel Watch 4 isn’t just about health. With Gemini on your wrist, you can get answers or complete tasks hands-free. Raise your wrist to talk, respond to messages with smart replies, or control your day without pulling out your phone. It’s designed for those busy, in-between moments, when your hands are full but you still need help.

    Pricing and availability

    The Pixel Watch 4 is available for preorder now. It launches Oct. 9 with pricing starting at $349 for Wi-Fi and $449 for LTE in the 41mm size, and $399 for Wi-Fi and $499 for LTE in the 45mm size. Google is also offering a wide range of new watch bands, letting you personalize your style to match your Pixel phone or your look.

    Pixelsnap and Qi2 Charging: Magnetic power made simple

    Google's Pixelsnap Charger, Pixelsnap Ring Stand and the Pixel Flex 67W Dual USB-C fast charger are seen against a white background.

    A Pixelsnap Charger, Pixelsnap Ring Stand and the Pixel Flex 67W Dual USB-C fast charger are showcased. (Google)

    The Pixel 10 series is the first major Android lineup to fully embrace Qi2 magnetic charging. Think of it as Google’s answer to MagSafe, only it works with a wider range of devices. Qi2 improves on the old Qi standard by adding magnets, so your phone snaps perfectly into place every time. No more fiddling with alignment, charging is instant and reliable.

    This upgrade matters because it unlocks a full ecosystem of Pixelsnap accessories, built to make charging and everyday use easier. And since Qi2 is a universal standard, you’re not limited to Google’s products; you can also use MagSafe accessories with your Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold.

    Pixelsnap Charger and Stand

    The Pixelsnap Charger comes as a simple puck or bundled with a sleek stand. It charges the Pixel 10 Pro XL at up to 25W and other Qi2-certified devices at 15W. The stand looks elegant on a desk or nightstand, and the puck detaches for charging on the go. If you own a Pixel 10 Pro Fold, the stand even supports charging while unfolded, letting you stream, video call, or display widgets on the big screen as your phone powers up.

    Pixelsnap Ring Stand

    Need hands-free viewing? The Pixelsnap Ring Stand snaps onto the back of your phone for propping it up. It rotates smoothly thanks to a microfiber liner, making it easy to find the perfect angle for movies or video calls. Slim enough to slip into a pocket or purse, it adds function without adding bulk.

    Pixelsnap Cases

    Google designed its new Pixel 10 cases to be Pixelsnap-ready. That means you can attach chargers or accessories without ever removing the case. Available in colors like Moonstone, Jade, Obsidian, Porcelain, Indigo, Frost, and Lemongrass, they not only protect your phone but also match the refreshed Pixel 10 design.

    Pixel Flex 67W Dual Port USB-C Fast Charger

    If you prefer wired charging, Google also introduced the Pixel Flex Dual Port 67W charger. It’s the fastest dual-port charger yet for Pixel phones. Thanks to a custom algorithm, it prioritizes charging your Pixel first while still powering a second device. Compact with foldable prongs, it’s designed to travel as easily as you do.

    Pricing and availability

    All Pixelsnap products and the Pixel 10 series are available for preorder now, with retail availability starting August 28.

    AI Features: Magic Cue, Camera Coach, and more

    Google's Tensor G5 chip.

    An image of the Tensor G5 chip is seen. (Google)

    Google made it clear at the 2025 Made by Google event that AI is now at the heart of the Pixel experience. With the Tensor G5 chip and Gemini Nano, Pixel 10 phones deliver more than speed-they anticipate what you need and help you get it done.

    Magic Cue: Smarter help across your apps

    The new Magic Cue acts like a personal assistant inside your phone. It proactively pulls information you need at just the right time. For example, if you’re on the phone with an airline, it can instantly display your flight details from Gmail. When you’re in a group chat, it can surface photos or addresses without making you dig. And because all of this happens on-device, your personal data stays private.

    Camera Coach: AI that makes you a better photographer

    Pixel cameras are known for their quality, but Camera Coach takes it further. Using Gemini AI, it gives real-time tips to improve your photos. It might suggest a different angle, a tighter frame, or a better composition. For beginners, it’s a helpful teacher. For experienced photographers, it’s like having a second set of creative eyes right in your pocket.

    Best Take and Pro Res Zoom: Smarter shots every time

    Features like Best Take automatically select the sharpest face from a series of photos, making group shots easier than ever. Meanwhile, Pro Res Zoom, exclusive to Pixel 10 Pro models, uses a generative AI imaging model to deliver astonishing detail up to 100x zoom. It’s not just cropping in, it’s rebuilding and refining the image to look crisp.

    Everyday AI that saves you time

    Beyond photography, Google packed the Pixel 10 with over 20 generative AI tools that work directly on the device. They help with editing, writing, and even composing replies in your favorite apps. The goal is simple: make the phone feel less like a tool and more like a helpful companion that adapts to your needs.

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    Kurt’s key takeaways

    Google just staged one of its most memorable launches yet. With Fallon, Curry, Norris, and the Jonas Brothers front and center, the event blended entertainment and innovation. That energy carried through to the devices, which brought Google’s boldest AI, camera, and ecosystem upgrades so far. Each product offered clear value. The Tensor G5 chip and Gemini Nano AI make everything faster and more efficient. The Pixel 10 phones push photography and performance further than before. Meanwhile, the Pixel Watch 4 adds health coaching and even satellite emergency support. The Pixel Buds 2a also pack premium sound and smart features at a budget price. In addition, Pixelsnap accessories make charging simple and stylish. Finally, Google’s promise of seven years of updates sets this lineup apart. Combined with thoughtful design and proactive AI, these devices feel built to last.

    Will Google’s AI-first approach convince you to upgrade, or are you waiting to see what Apple and Samsung do next? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com/Contact

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    Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com.  All rights reserved.  

    Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

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  • He Went From Dishwasher to $750 Million in Assets | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    On his first day in the restaurant business, Andrew K. Smith was the dishwasher.

    Not the investor. Not the strategist. Not the guy fixing tech stacks or analyzing labor margins. Just the guy at the sink, scrubbing trays, rinsing off sheet pans.

    It wasn’t exactly what he had pictured when he told his wife he was ready for a new challenge.

    Today, Smith is the managing partner and co-founder of Savory Fund, a restaurant investment firm known for helping brands scale nationally. But before the boardrooms and portfolios, he started where few investors do: behind the dish pit.

    Rewind a year. His wife had launched a bakery, a fast-casual dessert concept that opened in the middle of the 2008 financial crash. Smith, still deep in his tech CEO role, didn’t exactly love the idea. “In my mind, I’m like, that’s the worst idea,” he now admits. “But you know what I responded? I was like, ‘I think it’s a great idea. Of course. And we should absolutely do that.’”

    It wasn’t sarcasm. It was marriage. And, as he puts it, “because of that, I just celebrated my 26th anniversary.”

    Related: His Sushi Burger Got 50 Million Views — and Launched an Entire Business

    Fast-forward a year, and his company was stable. The bakery was bustling. And Smith was ready to do something new. Something less theoretical. Something real. He called his wife and said, “I think I want to come join you in the restaurant business.”

    Her reply? “Perfect. My dishwasher just called out.”

    So that’s how Smith, a guy who had sold companies, raised millions and built tech startups, walked away from the boardroom and stepped straight into the dish pit.

    No business cards. No title. Just soap, steam and a head-first dive into restaurant life. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was the beginning. And eventually, it led to the creation of Savory Fund.

    Related: Von Miller Learned About Chicken Farming in a College Class – And It Became the Inspiration for a Business That Counts Patrick Mahomes as an Investor

    How storytelling became a growth strategy

    If your restaurant doesn’t have a story, it doesn’t have a brand. That’s Smith’s philosophy, and it’s baked into everything Savory Fund does. Before the systems, funding and growth playbook, there’s the story. Who are you? Why do you exist? And why should anyone care?

    “Storytelling is what galvanizes your consumer with your brand,” Smith says. “If you can’t explain your purpose, it’s a pretty hollow business.”

    At Savory, storytelling isn’t fluff. It’s foundational. It shapes how a brand communicates, hires, markets, scales and builds culture. From social media presence to internal training, it’s the thread that holds everything together.

    Related: This Restaurant CEO Created His Own National Holiday (and Turned It Into a Business Strategy)

    But make no mistake. Savory is more than a storytelling shop. It’s a serious growth engine.

    The firm combines more than $750 million in assets under management with a proven operational playbook developed over 16 years in the restaurant industry. Savory partners with high-potential, profitable, emerging restaurant brands and gives them more than capital. It provides hands-on support with operations, real estate, marketing, systems and training.

    Savory’s team of more than 85 people contributes directly to all aspects of growth. The goal is not just expansion, but sustainable replication. Founder involvement is a must. The early success of a restaurant often hinges on instincts and insights that only the founder can explain. Savory helps translate that into scalable systems without losing what made the brand matter in the first place.

    It’s a deeply personal mission for Smith. His wife, Shauna K. Smith, serves as CEO of Savory Fund and leads the charge on brand support and development. Together, they’ve built a company that doesn’t just invest in restaurants. It invests in the people who make them work.

    Family has always been central to that approach.

    When his sons were younger, Smith brought them into his world — taking calls on the way to football practice, asking what they noticed and learned. It wasn’t a balancing act between work and life. It was an intentional blend, designed to make both more meaningful.

    That mindset carries into how Savory works with founders. Business should be personal. And the best brands don’t just serve food. They serve a purpose.

    Related: They Opened a Restaurant During the Pandemic — But Locals Showed Up, and Celebrities Followed. Now, It’s Thriving.

    About Restaurant Influencers

    Restaurant Influencers is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point-of-sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience.

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    Shawn P. Walchef

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  • Her Business Helps Women Earn in a $6.3B Industry: ‘Rewarding’ | Entrepreneur

    Moniqueca Sims, owner of SSG Appliance Academy, got her first glimpse into the appliance repair industry while dating a man who worked in the space. “He worked all the time, seven days a week,” Sims recalls, “so I used to go out with him just to spend time with him. I saw how easy it was for him to repair those appliances, and he was repairing them quickly.”

    Image Credit: Courtesy of SSG Appliance Academy. Moniqueca Sims.

    Sims believes in “working smarter, not harder” and had the idea to hire technicians to help the man she was dating with repair calls. She did, but when he didn’t slow down, she ended up with her own appliance repair company.

    However, in running that business, Sims lost a significant amount of money purchasing parts. Many people she hired didn’t actually know how to repair appliances — and would just switch out part after part in search of a fit.

    Related: After Experiencing the ‘Lack of Diversity’ in Tech, This Software Engineer Started a Business That’s Changing Lives: ‘People Are Waking Up’

    So Sims took matters into her own hands again. She enrolled in an online course to learn about appliance repair and started handling jobs herself, even taking her kids along sometimes.

    “When you fix something, it boosts you up, every time you do it.”

    Still, Sims knew there had to be a better way to train and hire technicians for business growth, so once more she set out to make it happen: She founded SSG Appliance Academy, which provides hands-on training courses on the fundamentals to have a career in the appliance repair industry, in Atlanta in 2019.

    “ I saw how appliance repair was the gift that keeps on giving,” Sims says. “When you go out, when you fix something, it boosts you up, every time you do it. It’s not a grunt job. It’s a feel-good job.”

    When Sims went out on jobs with her daughter, she found that many of the clients were stay-at-home moms who breathed a sigh of relief when they realized they wouldn’t be alone with a male worker. Knowing that, and seeing firsthand what a confidence booster appliance repair could be, Sims committed to bringing more women into the industry.

    The total appliance repair industry revenue reached an estimated $6.3 billion in 2023, yet women make up less than 3% of home appliance repairers, according to data from ConsumerAffairs.

    Related: Raised By an Immigrant Single Mom, She Experienced ‘Culture Shock’ Working at Goldman Sachs. Here’s What She Wants You to Know About ‘Black Capitalism.’

    Sims decided to partner with shelters to grow SSG Appliance Academy and offer a viable career path to the women there. Although there was a lot of interest, the shelters didn’t have the funding to back it. So Sims got approved for grants through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).

    The funding helps low-income, under- or unemployed women and men complete SSG Appliance Academy’s program and “turn their life around,” Sims says.

    SSG Appliance Academy’s classes typically enroll eight to 10 students. The most recent course had three women in it. In the past, Sims often had to attend events and convince women to come to the class; now, word-of-mouth is helping them find it themselves, she says.

    “ You constantly have to prove yourself [as a woman] in this industry.”

    Sims looks forward to seeing even more women take advantage of SSG Appliance Academy, despite the challenges that can come with being a woman in the space.

    “ You constantly have to prove yourself [as a woman] in this industry, and not just to the customers,” Sims says. “You have to prove yourself to everybody that works in the industry.”

    Sims is also excited to see more people across the board jump into the appliance repair industry, noting that learning a trade can help people make more money than they might through earning a four-year college degree.

    “Appliance repair can really help change people’s lives,” the founder says.

    Related: This Black Founder Stayed True to His Triple ‘Win’ Strategy to Build a $1 Billion Business

    “You want to learn your craft from the inside out.”

    To other women interested in starting their own careers or businesses in the appliance repair industry, Sims has some straightforward but essential advice: Enroll in a program that can help you learn all you need to know about the trade.

    “You want to learn your craft from the inside out,” Sims says. “A lot of technicians in the field now learn on the job, so they become part-changers because they don’t learn how to diagnose and troubleshoot the appliances properly. So my advice would definitely be to take a class. It doesn’t have to be my school — any school.”

    Related: I Interviewed 5 Entrepreneurs Generating Up to $20 Million in Revenue a Year — And They All Have the Same Regret About Starting Their Business

    Sims notes that there will be plenty of obstacles along the way, but she encourages anyone interested in learning appliance repair to stay the course — because “it’s a very rewarding career and business.”

    This article is part of our ongoing Women Entrepreneur® series highlighting the stories, challenges and triumphs of running a business as a woman.

    Moniqueca Sims, owner of SSG Appliance Academy, got her first glimpse into the appliance repair industry while dating a man who worked in the space. “He worked all the time, seven days a week,” Sims recalls, “so I used to go out with him just to spend time with him. I saw how easy it was for him to repair those appliances, and he was repairing them quickly.”

    Image Credit: Courtesy of SSG Appliance Academy. Moniqueca Sims.

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    Amanda Breen

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  • The ‘Boring’ Side of AI That Could Make You a Fortune | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Most people building with AI are chasing the same thing: viral chatbots, cool demos or the next trending wrapper. But I think the real money — the serious, unicorn-level money — is somewhere else entirely.

    It’s in the stuff nobody wants to touch. Tedious, time-wasting, must-do tasks. The things you hate doing, but have to. That’s where the next wave of AI companies will emerge.

    Painful > pretty

    AI that makes you laugh is fun. AI that gets your taxes filed, your Visa sorted or your documents organized? That’s life-changing.

    When I moved to the UK on a Global Talent visa, I couldn’t find a single tool to track my absence days — something crucial for maintaining legal status. So I built it myself. Not to show off. Just to solve a problem I was quietly freaking out about.

    That’s the kind of “boring” problem most people overlook. But if it causes stress, repetition or fear — it’s valuable.

    There’s more money in fixing one painful workflow than chasing 100 likes on a fancy AI-generated avatar.

    Related: Don’t Be Afraid to Embrace Boring Ideas

    The more annoying it is, the bigger the opportunity

    Scheduling medical appointments. Submitting invoices. Picking wines from a 40-page restaurant list. These aren’t sexy problems. But they’re everywhere, and no one enjoys dealing with them.

    I’ve built apps that take care of those exact scenarios. Some were simple side projects, but they solved problems that people repeatedly run into. That’s the magic formula.

    In a piece I wrote earlier — 7 AI-Based Business Ideas That Could Make You Rich — I pointed out that the most profitable ideas are often hiding in plain sight. This is another example of that.

    No team? No problem.

    The tools available now are ridiculous. With GPT-4o, Supabase, Vercel and Claude, I’ve launched entire products in a week — solo.

    No designers. No backend engineers. Just a painful idea, an AI stack and a few cups of coffee.

    I’m not the only one. I’ve seen one-person shops build apps that manage apartment leases, prep legal docs and even coach you through IVF. They’re quiet tools with unflashy interfaces, but they’re deeply useful.

    If you’re a founder today, your MVP doesn’t need to be impressive — it just needs to make someone’s headache disappear.

    Build for Tuesday, not for tech Twitter

    Some of the smartest founders I know aren’t even trying to go viral. They’re building for Tuesdays — for that one problem that hits at 4:00 p.m. when you’re stuck in a bureaucratic loop and need someone (or something) to handle it for you.

    And here’s the kicker: The more boring the problem, the less competition you’ll have. AI founders are still chasing novelty. That’s your advantage.

    This article on overlooked metaverse jobs made a similar point: There’s a fortune in places people ignore.

    Boring doesn’t mean small

    If you told someone a decade ago that accounting automation or AI-powered scheduling tools would be billion-dollar companies, they’d probably laugh.

    Now those tools run quietly in the background of almost every business.

    The lesson: Don’t build for applause. Build for relief. If your product makes someone breathe easier, saves them time or reduces stress — they’ll pay for it.

    Even if they never tweet about it.

    Related: Why Unglamorous Entrepreneurial Opportunities Can Be Lucrative

    Boring tools can still build billion-dollar companies

    If you need proof, look at Expensify. It started by solving one thing: making expense reports less painful. It’s not exciting, not revolutionary — just useful. Nobody dreams about scanning receipts, but millions of people have to do it.

    Now Expensify processes billions in transactions. All because it made one annoying task easier.

    Same story with Calendly, which killed the back-and-forth of scheduling. DocuSign, which removed the pain of printing and scanning contracts. UiPath, which built a massive business by automating office tasks.

    None of these were flashy, but they fixed something people deal with every day. That’s what makes them work.

    If you’re building with AI, forget the hype. Look for the problems people quietly suffer through. The ones they never talk about publicly, but deal with constantly. That’s where the best ideas live.

    Boring isn’t a weakness. Boring is a business model.

    You don’t need a revolutionary idea. You just need to make one annoying thing go away.

    If you can do that, it won’t matter how it looks. It will sell.

    Most people building with AI are chasing the same thing: viral chatbots, cool demos or the next trending wrapper. But I think the real money — the serious, unicorn-level money — is somewhere else entirely.

    It’s in the stuff nobody wants to touch. Tedious, time-wasting, must-do tasks. The things you hate doing, but have to. That’s where the next wave of AI companies will emerge.

    Painful > pretty

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    Ashot Gabrelyanov

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  • How This Startup Plans to End Restaurants’ Most Wasteful Habit | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Life is full of minor inconveniences. Most people see them as annoyances, but entrepreneurs see opportunities. Small frustrations can spark ideas that lead to big solutions, and many of the best companies are built by solving problems others overlook.

    That’s exactly what Dylan Wolff has done with his water conservation startup, CNSRV.

    A cooler way to thaw

    Wolff, a Southern California native, was introduced to the issue that now dominates his life through a bartending friend.

    “He told me the restaurant wasn’t serving drinking water to customers unless they asked for it — a policy to conserve water. But in the back of the house, in the kitchen, they were running the faucet for 10 hours a day to defrost frozen food. That’s over 4,000 gallons of water straight down the drain.”

    This isn’t an isolated issue. Every year, billions of gallons of water are wasted in the U.S. food industry during the defrosting process. One turkey breast can take 5 hours of running water. It seems like small potatoes, but when you multiply that across every restaurant in America, the environmental cost is staggering.

    After this epiphany, Wolff immersed himself in the wondrous world of food defrosting. He found that restaurants use three main methods: refrigerating the food, microwaving it or running it under cold water.

    The fridge method takes days to defrost, creating an “inventory nightmare”, and we all know that microwaved food isn’t quite the same. That leaves the cold water method, which would be perfect if not for the thousands of gallons wasted each day.

    “I spoke with as many people in commercial kitchens as I could, and kept hearing the same thing,” Wolff says. “It’s just the nature of the business.”

    Undeterred, Wolff turned words into action, meeting with health departments to fully understand the code and reverse-engineer a solution. Working with his partner, Brett Abrams and Tim Nugent, head of R&D, he developed an early prototype that uses a proprietary defrosting method combining water agitation and precise temperature control.

    That prototype would become the DC: 02, a defrosting machine that cuts thawing time in half using 98% less water than traditional methods, and improves food quality, all while saving thousands in utility expenses.

    Related: I Interviewed 5 Entrepreneurs Generating Up to $20 Million in Revenue a Year — And They All Have the Same Regret About Starting Their Business

    Efficiency meets affordability

    When Wolff started, there were hardly any players in the defrosting industry, and none with a completely portable technology.

    “There are alternatives, but they’re $35,000 blast chillers that need a dedicated 220 outlet and a lot of kitchen space,” Wolff says. “We’ve built something that uses the space they’re already defrosting in, plugs into a standard 120 outlet, uses little power, and completely optimizes the process.”

    For customers who don’t care about water savings, Wolff jokes that he can “Trojan horse” it in.

    “They’ll care about the improved quality and saving time,” he says.

    They’ll also care about new rebate programs from municipalities in Southern California ($800 per unit) and Tampa, Florida ($1,000 per unit).

    “The Metropolitan Water District has a program that provides grants to innovations in the water conservation space,” Wolff explains. “I received that grant, along with the third-party validation of our technology that came with it.”

    For consumers, that means when you buy a DC:02, you’ll get a check back from the Metropolitan Water District. Wolff envisions this resonating with smaller restaurants and grocers, who benefit personally from the savings while contributing to the larger cause of water conservation.

    Related: 7 Water-Saving Strategies for Your Business

    Though passionate about the environment, Wolff has no formal training in sustainability or water conservation. What he does have is a background in product development, management, and an entrepreneurial drive. He bootstrapped CNSRV through its early stages, raising capital from friends and family before catching the attention of venture group Burnt Island Ventures, which provided the funding to take the next step.

    “I always knew I wanted to do something entrepreneurial,” Wolff says. “I just needed that spark—the problem to solve. This was a serendipitous intersection of my strengths in business and my passion for sustainability. Finding this solution is exactly where I want to focus my time and energy.”

    Life is full of minor inconveniences. Most people see them as annoyances, but entrepreneurs see opportunities. Small frustrations can spark ideas that lead to big solutions, and many of the best companies are built by solving problems others overlook.

    That’s exactly what Dylan Wolff has done with his water conservation startup, CNSRV.

    A cooler way to thaw

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    Leo Zevin

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  • Co-founders of Stakt on Starting a Side Hustle Earning $10M in 2025 | Entrepreneur

    This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features New York City-based friends and co-founders Millie Blumka, 31, and Taylor Borenstein, 31. The pair started a side hustle in 2021 called Stakt, an adaptable workout accessories brand.

    Blumka was a director of brand partnerships at Showfields and Borenstein was a product implementation manager at Bloomberg when they invested about $50,000 of their personal savings into the business. The co-founders have since grown it from a two-person operation to a lucrative business on track for $10 million in revenue in 2025 as it scales across Amazon, DTC and B2B.

    Read exactly how they did it, here.

    Image Credit: Courtesy of Stakt. Taylor Borenstein, left, and Millie Blumka, right.

    Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

    When did you start your side hustle, and where did you find the inspiration for it?
    Blumka and Borenstein: We had the idea for Stakt back in 2020 when home workouts became the norm and our old yoga mats just weren’t cutting it. We needed more support and versatility for the variety of workouts we were doing like sculpt and pilates, and we couldn’t find a mat that could keep up. We found inspiration through our own personal need and noticing many trainers we looked up to were rolling their mat in half to get extra support…we knew there had to be a better way.

    Related: This Couple’s ‘Scrappy’ Side Hustle Sold Out in 1 Weekend — It Hit $1 Million in 3 Years and Now Makes Millions Annually: ‘Lean But Powerful’

    What were some of the first steps you took to get your side hustle off the ground? How much money/investment did it take to launch?
    Blumka and Borenstein:     Neither of us had started a business before, let alone created a product, so the first step was a lot of networking. We spoke with friends of friends to try to understand how you even go about creating a product. We also did a lot of surveying to understand if this was an “us” problem or if other people were struggling with this, too. We each invested $25,000 of our own savings to get the business off the ground and have invested profits ever since.

    Image Credit: Courtesy of Stakt

    If you could go back in your business journey and change one process or approach, what would it be, and how do you wish you’d done it differently?
    Blumka:     If I could go back, I’d probably establish our lanes much earlier. In the beginning, we both tried to touch everything and be hands on for every aspect of the business. Once we defined who owned what, things became so much smoother. Having those roles in place earlier would have saved us a lot of time.

    Borenstein: I probably would have hired customer service support sooner, as we spent a lot of our time on customer experience when we could have spent it building the business.

    Related: These Friends Started a Side Hustle in Their Kitchens. Sales Spiked to $130,000 in 3 Days — Then 7 Figures: ‘Revenue Has Grown Consistently.’

    When it comes to this specific business, what is something you’ve found particularly challenging and/or surprising that people who get into this type of work should be prepared for, but likely aren’t?
    Borenstein:     Before starting a consumer brand, I had always thought, How hard could it be if you have a good product? It turns out the product is just the first step: Growing a business takes a ton of discipline, hard work, networking and efforts across all verticals to really make it successful.

    Image Credit: Courtesy of Stakt

    Can you recall a specific instance when something went very wrong — how did you fix it?
    Blumka:     We once had an entire container of inventory arrive damaged, and we didn’t feel comfortable selling it. Instead, we donated the mats to local organizations and used them for community events. It left us out of stock for a while, so we leaned on pre-orders and reframed the challenge as a marketing opportunity.

    How long did it take you to see consistent monthly revenue? How much did the side hustle earn?
    Blumka:     We didn’t pay ourselves until we decided it was time to make Stakt our full-time jobs instead of just a side hustle.

    Borenstein: It took about a year before things leveled out and we saw consistent monthly revenue. For the first year, there were good months, great months and bad months — eventually it became more consistent and easier to predict.

    Related: At 24, She Immigrated to the U.S. and Worked at Walmart. Then She Turned Savings Into a ‘Magic’ Side Hustle Surpassing $1 Million This Year.

    What does growth and revenue look like now?
    Blumka and Borenstein:     We are on track to do $10 million in revenue this year — doubling what we did in 2024.

    Image Credit: Courtesy of Stakt

    What do you enjoy most about running your business?
    Blumka:     The combination of creativity and community. I love taking an idea and turning it into something people genuinely connect with. That said, the real reward is seeing our products out in the wild, with people actually using and loving them. Building community around movement and wellness has been the most fulfilling part. Plus, doing it alongside my best friend is the biggest bonus.

    Borenstein: At some point, this truly stopped feeling like work. Stakt is an extension of me and my family, and every day I get to work with my best friend and my husband (whom we hired last year). I love that I can make my own schedule, my hard work is rewarded with the growth of my own business, I meet awesome people, and I get the opportunity to design new products and see them come to life.

    “Chaos is part of the journey.”

    Based on your journey so far, what’s your best advice for aspiring founders?
    Blumka:     There will never be a perfect time, perfect product or perfect plan, but you have to start somewhere. There will always be a reason to wait, but the real progress starts once you launch. This is when you can adapt, learn and grow.

    Borenstein: Everyone will have advice, but trust your gut — there’s no single playbook. And remember, no one has it all figured out; the chaos is part of the journey.

    Want to read more stories like this? Subscribe to Money Makers, our free newsletter packed with creative side hustle ideas and successful strategies. Sign up here.

    This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features New York City-based friends and co-founders Millie Blumka, 31, and Taylor Borenstein, 31. The pair started a side hustle in 2021 called Stakt, an adaptable workout accessories brand.

    Blumka was a director of brand partnerships at Showfields and Borenstein was a product implementation manager at Bloomberg when they invested about $50,000 of their personal savings into the business. The co-founders have since grown it from a two-person operation to a lucrative business on track for $10 million in revenue in 2025 as it scales across Amazon, DTC and B2B.

    Read exactly how they did it, here.

    The rest of this article is locked.

    Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.

    Amanda Breen

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  • How a Software Engineer’s Business Impacts Education | Entrepreneur

    As Brandon Bailey, founder and CEO of TutorD, built his career in software engineering, he came face-to-face with the “lack of diversity and inclusion” in tech — and he wanted to do something about it.

    Image Credit: Courtesy of TutorD. Brandon Bailey.

    Bailey worked at a consultancy in Chicago at the time, and as co-lead for one of the firm’s employee resource groups, he partnered with a couple of community-based organizations. One partnership was with a middle school in Bronzeville.

    The school was located about 15 minutes from Bailey’s home, but the students “had a totally different lived experience,” the founder recalls. Many of the kids had never been on an escalator or inside a skyscraper despite living just minutes from downtown.

    Related: Technology Opens the Door for Entrepreneurs to Achieve the Triple Bottom Line

    The program helped the students have those experiences and access internships and other opportunities. “That gave me this drive and passion for the educational experience and helping facilitate it,” Bailey says. “It changed my life. I know it changed [their lives].”

    But Bailey wanted to figure out how to reach even more people. He landed a job at an edtech startup in Los Angeles, California, and began to think about how he could bring together education, engineering and entrepreneurship.

    When considering the platform or tool that could accomplish that, Bailey noted one significant obstacle: There was an issue of connectivity for students who didn’t have access to computers in their homes. However, most students did have cellphones, so Bailey decided to meet the students where they were and build for those.

    Related: How DEI and Sustainability Can Grow Your Triple Bottom Line

    “We wanted to lead with providing value to the community first and gaining trust and buy-in.”

    Bailey officially founded TutorD, an edtech platform for teachers and tutors to enable distance learning, and TutorD Scholars, a nonprofit that teaches “urban youth in-demand 22nd century skills,” in 2019.

    “We wanted to lead with providing value to the community first and gaining trust and buy-in into what we were doing,” Bailey says. “So that’s why we led with the nonprofit TutorD Scholars first, while building out the software platform.”

    Teaching made it easier to figure out the specific tools students would need on the platform and how to tailor lessons to their unique learning styles.

    Related: This Black Founder Stayed True to His Triple ‘Win’ Strategy to Build a $1 Billion Business

     ”We’re teaching [the students] in different ways,” Bailey says, “so using visual, auditory, reading and kinesthetic. [It’s] a very intentional approach.”

    Entrepreneur sat down with Bailey to learn more about how he’s grown TutorD into a successful business — and the role that Intuit’s IDEAS accelerator program has played.

    Intuit’s IDEAS accelerator program provides founders access to capital and the company’s AI-powered platform, service and experts, plus business coaching from the National Urban League and executive coaching from Zella Life to support their business and professional growth.

    Related: Over Half of Small Businesses Are Struggling to Grow, Intuit Survey Shows — But These 5 Solutions Can Help

    Learning the accounting fundamentals was a game changer

    Through the IDEAS program, Bailey got valuable exposure to the basic accounting fundamentals, like cash flow and profit and loss statements, that make or break a business.

    “That wasn’t something I had a lot of support with growing up, looking back at it,” Bailey says. “In our household, [and] it is common across Black and brown households, we didn’t have that training around finances.”

    Receiving that technical training helped Bailey and the TutorD team develop a clearer sense of where the business was headed and how its costs and sales projections would shape that trajectory, the founder notes.

    Related: Why Accounting Skills Are Indispensable for Entrepreneurs

    Streamlining the business’s messaging was also key

    TutorD used Intuit’s MailChimp, an email and marketing automation platform for growing businesses, to streamline its communications.

    Not only did the platform make it easier for people to get in touch with TutorD, but it also helped cultivate a sense of presence — making the business seem bigger than it was, Bailey says.

     ”We’re a team of five right now, and we’re dealing with other companies that are 200, 500 people strong,” Bailey explains. “And they have $20 million backed by different investors. [MailChimp] helped us appear bigger than we are to compete in the market and with other edtech companies.”

    Related: How to Streamline Your Company’s Internal Messaging and Communication

    Leaning on mentors helped during tough times

    The business coach that Bailey connected with through Zella Life also became an integral part of TutorD’s journey.

    Having a support system in place was invaluable as Bailey juggled the challenges of growing a business with major life events, he says.

    “My father passed away, and my baby came, and I had an injury, all in a three-month span,” Bailey says. “My coach had also lost his mother around that time, so we [had a] really deep connection, and he was able to help.”

    Related: How to Evolve From Manager to Mentor and Create a Lasting Impact in Your Organization

    Bailey says that the IDEAS program put TutorD in the position to scale — and gave him and his team the confidence to talk to people about their journey.

    Advice for young entrepreneurs

    Bailey encourages other young, aspiring entrepreneurs to never stop learning, seek out opportunities where there’s a need and ability to create value, connect with other founders who can serve as mentors, and leverage the community to help lay the foundation for business success.

    He’s also excited to see people embracing the “triple bottom line,” which tracks a business’s financial, social and environmental performance — and suggests anyone considering the leap to founder do the same.

    “ People are waking up to [the fact that] it’s not just about making money and some infinitely growing, making-money approach to entrepreneurship and capitalism in general, but really looking at it with a triple bottom line approach, generating sustainable profit or revenue for yourself, your family, business and shareholders, but also making an impact in the community,” Bailey says.

    Join top CEOs, founders and operators at the Level Up conference to unlock strategies for scaling your business, boosting revenue and building sustainable success.

    Amanda Breen

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  • Why AI Isn’t Truly Intelligent — and How We Can Change That | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Let’s be honest: Most of what we call artificial intelligence today is really just pattern-matching on autopilot. It looks impressive until you scratch the surface. These systems can generate essays, compose code and simulate conversation, but at their core, they’re predictive tools trained on scraped, stale content. They do not understand context, intent or consequence.

    It’s no wonder then that in this boom of AI use, we’re still seeing basic errors, issues and fundamental flaws that lead many to question whether the technology really has any benefit outside its novelty.

    These large language models (LLMs) aren’t broken; they’re built on the wrong foundation. If we want AI to do more than autocomplete our thoughts, we must rethink the data it learns from.

    Related: Despite How the Media Portrays It, AI Is Not Really Intelligent. Here’s Why.

    The illusion of intelligence

    Today’s LLMs are usually trained on Reddit threads, Wikipedia dumps and internet content. It’s like teaching a student with outdated, error-filled textbooks. These models mimic intelligence, but they cannot reason anywhere near human level. They cannot make decisions like a person would in high-pressure environments.

    Forget the slick marketing around this AI boom; it’s all designed to keep valuations inflated and add another zero to the next funding round. We’ve already seen the real consequences, the ones that don’t get the glossy PR treatment. Medical bots hallucinate symptoms. Financial models bake in bias. Self-driving cars misread stop signs. These aren’t hypothetical risks. They’re real-world failures born from weak, misaligned training data.

    And the problems go beyond technical errors — they cut to the heart of ownership. From the New York Times to Getty Images, companies are suing AI firms for using their work without consent. The claims are climbing into the trillions, with some calling them business-ending lawsuits for companies like Anthropic. These legal battles are not just about copyright. They expose the structural rot in how today’s AI is built. Relying on old, unlicensed or biased content to train future-facing systems is a short-term solution to a long-term problem. It locks us into brittle models that collapse under real-world conditions.

    A lesson from a failed experiment

    Last year, Claude ran a project called “Project Vend,” in which its model was put in charge of running a small automated store. The idea was simple: Stock the fridge, handle customer chats and turn a profit. Instead, the model gave away freebies, hallucinated payment methods and tanked the entire business in weeks.

    The failure wasn’t in the code. It was during training. The system had been trained to be helpful, not to understand the nuances of running a business. It didn’t know how to weigh margins or resist manipulation. It was smart enough to speak like a business owner, but not to think like one.

    What would have made the difference? Training data that reflected real-world judgment. Examples of people making decisions when stakes were high. That’s the kind of data that teaches models to reason, not just mimic.

    But here’s the good news: There’s a better way forward.

    Related: AI Won’t Replace Us Until It Becomes Much More Like Us

    The future depends on frontier data

    If today’s models are fueled by static snapshots of the past, the future of AI data will look further ahead. It will capture the moments when people are weighing options, adapting to new information and making decisions in complex, high-stakes situations. This means not just recording what someone said, but understanding how they arrived at that point, what tradeoffs they considered and why they chose one path over another.

    This type of data is gathered in real time from environments like hospitals, trading floors and engineering teams. It is sourced from active workflows rather than scraped from blogs — and it is contributed willingly rather than taken without consent. This is what is known as frontier data, the kind of information that captures reasoning, not just output. It gives AI the ability to learn, adapt and improve, rather than simply guess.

    Why this matters for business

    The AI market may be heading toward trillions in value, but many enterprise deployments are already revealing a hidden weakness. Models that perform well in benchmarks often fail in real operational settings. When even small improvements in accuracy can determine whether a system is useful or dangerous, businesses cannot afford to ignore the quality of their inputs.

    There is also growing pressure from regulators and the public to ensure AI systems are ethical, inclusive and accountable. The EU’s AI Act, taking effect in August 2025, enforces strict transparency, copyright protection and risk assessments, with heavy fines for breaches. Training models on unlicensed or biased data is not just a legal risk. It is a reputational one. It erodes trust before a product ever ships.

    Investing in better data and better methods for gathering it is no longer a luxury. It’s a requirement for any company building intelligent systems that need to function reliably at scale.

    Related: Emerging Ethical Concerns In the Age of Artificial Intelligence

    A path forward

    Fixing AI starts with fixing its inputs. Relying on the internet’s past output will not help machines reason through present-day complexities. Building better systems will require collaboration between developers, enterprises and individuals to source data that is not just accurate but also ethical as well.

    Frontier data offers a foundation for real intelligence. It gives machines the chance to learn from how people actually solve problems, not just how they talk about them. With this kind of input, AI can begin to reason, adapt and make decisions that hold up in the real world.

    If intelligence is the goal, then it is time to stop recycling digital exhaust and start treating data like the critical infrastructure it is.

    Let’s be honest: Most of what we call artificial intelligence today is really just pattern-matching on autopilot. It looks impressive until you scratch the surface. These systems can generate essays, compose code and simulate conversation, but at their core, they’re predictive tools trained on scraped, stale content. They do not understand context, intent or consequence.

    It’s no wonder then that in this boom of AI use, we’re still seeing basic errors, issues and fundamental flaws that lead many to question whether the technology really has any benefit outside its novelty.

    These large language models (LLMs) aren’t broken; they’re built on the wrong foundation. If we want AI to do more than autocomplete our thoughts, we must rethink the data it learns from.

    The rest of this article is locked.

    Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.

    Johanna Cabildo

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  • Brain implant turns thoughts into digital commands

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    A new brain implant now lets people control Apple devices, such as iPads, iPhones and the Vision Pro, using only their thoughts. Synchron, an endovascular brain-computer interface (BCI) company based in New York, demonstrated the first wireless BCI that works with Apple’s official protocol.

    Ten patients have received the implant: six in the U.S. and four in Australia. With this technology, users living with severe paralysis can navigate apps, send messages and operate devices hands-free. This breakthrough greatly expands independence, as it enables patients to manage their environment, stream shows and control smart home devices, all using only their minds.

    Synchron’s advancement in BCI technology marks a significant step for assistive devices and hints at how we may interact with computers in the future. The device’s hands-free, voice-free operation offers a powerful new level of accessibility and autonomy for people with disabilities.

    NONINVASIVE BRAIN TECH AND AI MOVES ROBOTIC HAND WITH THOUGHT

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    ALS patient Mark Jackson demonstrates Synchron’s brain-computer interface (BCI) working with an iPad. (Synchron)

    A first for brain-tech and Apple

    Synchron is the first company to connect a brain implant directly to Apple devices using Apple’s official BCI Human Interface Device (HID) protocol. This means no custom hacks or workarounds. The system simply connects over Bluetooth, just like a keyboard or a mouse, and works with iPhones, iPads, and even the Apple Vision Pro. In a powerful video shared by Synchron, ALS patient Mark Jackson demonstrates the tech in action. After losing the use of his hands, he’s now able to navigate his iPad entirely with thought. That includes opening apps, composing messages, and staying connected with the people he loves-all without moving a muscle.

    Behind the scenes, Synchron’s system uses artificial intelligence to decode brain signals and turn them into real-time digital commands. Machine learning models interpret motor intent, such as thinking about tapping your finger, and translate that into actions on the iPad. This AI-powered decoding helps the system feel smooth and responsive as users learn to control it with focus alone.

    Synchron, an endovascular brain-computer interface (BCI) company based in New York, demonstrated the first wireless BCI that works with Apple's official protocol.

    Synchron’s brain-computer interface is seen up close. (Synchron)

    The game-changing signal strength meter

    One surprising new feature is the built-in signal strength meter. This visual cue shows patients how strong their brain signal is in real time. A blue box appears over an icon or app and fills up based on how clearly the system reads the user’s intent. It may sound simple, but this is a huge deal. It helps users like Mark fine-tune their mental focus, adjust their posture, and improve their interaction without outside help. It’s like seeing your brain in action and learning to drive it better. “When I lost the use of my hands, I thought I had lost my independence,” Mark says in the video. “Now, with my iPad, I can message my loved ones, read the news, and stay connected with the world, just by thinking.”

    NEW BRAIN THERAPY ALLOWS PARALYZED PATIENTS TO WALK AGAIN: ‘I FEEL MY LEGS’
     

    A man with ALS uses Synchron's brain-computer interface to operate an iPad.

    Mark Jackson operates Synchron’s brain-computer interface, which functions using Apple’s official protocol. (Synchron)

    What sets Synchron apart

    BCIs like Synchron’s Stentrode and Elon Musk’s Neuralink have connected to devices before, but never like this. Previous setups required custom software or physical adapters. Now, thanks to Apple’s new BCI HID protocol, brain-computer interfaces can plug right into the Apple ecosystem like any other accessory. That official integration opens the door to more features, better performance, and fewer setup hurdles. Synchron’s COO, Kurt Haggstrom, calls it a “game changer” for both patients and the entire BCI industry.

    What this means for you

    This tech isn’t just for people with paralysis, at least, not forever. Today, it’s a medical tool undergoing trials. Tomorrow, it could become a consumer product you buy at your local Apple Store. With Apple embracing BCI as a legitimate input method, everything from your phone to your smart home could one day be controllable by thought. That opens the door for more accessibility, more customization, and completely new ways of interacting with technology.

    PARALYZED MAN SPEAKS AND SINGS WITH AI BRAIN-COMPUTER INTERFACE

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    Kurt’s key takeaways

    Synchron’s Apple demo marks a new era in brain-computer interaction. It turns thoughts into action using mainstream tech you probably already own. While it’s still in its early stages, the direction is clear: BCI is moving out of the lab and into real life, and Apple is helping lead the charge.

    Would you trust your brain to control your devices? Or is this one step too far? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com/Contact

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    Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

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