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An interview with beauty influencer Meeta Vengapally, founder and CEO of Garnysh

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First of all, how is business these days?

I’m happy to share that we’ve just successfully completed proof of concept in a crowded market. There are products in the fitness and nutrition space that track data related to exercise, food, and health. Unfortunately, for a lot of athletes these numbers don’t add up to improved performance. This is why we created Garnysh technology. Our algorithm uses machine learning and a mapping process that allows users to set fitness and nutrition goals, track them in real time, and chart their progress toward those goals.

Athletes can track their food intake in terms of macros (calories, protein, carbs, and fats). We then take the extra step of offering a selection of coordinated, unique meal plans on the Garnysh platform, prepped and delivered by local suppliers. Local interest in our product is rapidly growing, as is our database of chefs, so I guess you could say that things are generally going really well.

What led you to start your own business?

While I was in grad school, I gave birth to two children. Afterwards, I struggled to get back in shape and lose the extra weight I’d gained, without using fad diets or weight-loss gimmicks. Then I discovered CrossFit and everything changed. I committed myself to it wholeheartedly, and while I was able to meet my fitness goals, it required an intense effort to track everything on pen and paper. The idea for Garnysh was born out of my sheer frustration and disappointment with the available tools.

What sources did you use for startup capital?

I started the company with personal funds. Fortunately, we were able to gain initial traction pretty quickly and establish a positive cash flow, which we immediately reinvested in the company.

What do you think is your greatest business strength?

My greatest business strength is refusing to take no for an answer. This is followed closely by doing whatever it takes to reach my goals (probably as a result of my CrossFit training).

What do you enjoy most about owning your own business?

Owning my own business is like doing a series of tough CrossFit workouts. Each stage is like a brand new workout where I’m not quite sure what I’m in for when I start, and while I’m in it, I feel like I might even die, but in the end, I know that I’ll survive it. I love tackling the challenge of defining our strategy and building the tools we need to achieve our goals. It’s probably this creative side of problem solving that I enjoy the most.

What’s your least favorite part of running a business?

The worst part of running a business is not being able to shut my mind off. No matter what I do, my gears are turning, 24/7. Not only that, I always have to stay connected and be online. Getting my husband and my kids to be OK with the fact that this is my normal can be quite challenging at times.

What do you think are important entrepreneurial skills to have?

If you’re going to make it as an entrepreneur, you have to be tough and resilient. I’m no stranger to this—don’t forget, I had two kids while I was in grad school, and I didn’t let that deter me from my goal of getting my degree. Obstacles are going to come up. Bad things will happen. It’s just a natural part of life. You have to keep positive and focus on finding a solution to every problem that comes up. No matter how boxed in you feel, there’s always a move you can make.

And I guess that brings me to the other important skill, which is creative problem solving. You might think there’s only one solution to a problem, but, in fact, there are always multiple possible moves. You have to be willing to take risks and try new things, especially when it would be more comfortable to choose a safe route. You might fail, but you might also be wildly successful. The thing is, you’ll never know unless you try.

What are some challenges you’ve faced in business and how did you overcome them?

I’ve had men come on to me, when I thought we were engaged in good faith business negotiations. That’s been disappointing, and thank goodness I was never in any serious danger. But I didn’t let those situations deter me from finding male mentors and advisors who had my best interests at heart. In fact, I learned that while there are some people out there who are only interested in what they can get from me, there are plenty who are prepared to offer true support. I suppose I’ve become better at sorting out the right people to bring into my circle from the ones who have no place there.

What do you wish you’d known before you started out?

Well, of course it would have been great to have a crystal ball and be able to predict and prevent all of my future problems. But, seriously, it would have been good to know beforehand that there would be naysayers, doubters, and people who generally do not believe in my vision. And that things would still be OK. As an entrepreneur, you go through this period in which you’re looking to a lot of other people for advice and support. Because honestly, having a startup is like having a baby. I have to tend to it all hours of the day and night; I can’t leave it unattended or unsupervised. The good thing is that I’ve learned how to trust my judgment and bring in quality people to help me co-parent. It’s been a steep learning curve, but now that I’m where I am, I feel very accomplished.

What is the smartest move you have made with your business so far?

The smartest move I’ve made so far has been to figure out what people will be helpful for the growth and success of my business and what people are mere time wasters. As a woman business leader in the male-dominated fitness industry, it’s been particularly sweet to feel like my hustle is paying off. The work never ends, and I don’t feel like I can ever let down my guard, but it feels great to know that I have what it takes to close a deal. Having that skill in this environment has felt like my superpower.

What inspires the way you conduct business?

I have to say, the two things that have inspired me the most are getting my masters in psychology and having two kids. My psychological training primed my fundamental understanding of the human mind and human behavior, while having kids has helped me master the skills of negotiation and closing deals (I kid you not, children are sharks when it comes to hard bargaining). As a result, I view business as an opportunity for relationship building, connecting both with my team and our customers beyond the basic level to something more substantial and meaningful.

How do you find new customers? What do you do to make sure they become return customers?

We started sourcing customers by partnering with local gyms. This quickly turned into referrals, which we used to develop deeper connections. The circle of the fitness community is pretty cohesive—I know this by having been a part of it from the inside. Having an intimate understanding of the needs of people who train has been a great resource when it comes to building a strong community. Being able to respond to feedback to give people what they need has been an important factor in building loyalty. The rest flows from there.

What’s your management style with employees?

I like to hire people who possess skills and abilities that I don’t have, and then nourish and support their efforts to feed back into the overall success of our project. I like to see everyone succeed, so I do my best to facilitate their accomplishments rather than micromanage them. What fun is that, anyway? It’s so much better when everyone feels the satisfaction of doing good work, knowing that they’ve earned it through their own efforts. I like to make that possible.

What are some other companies or entrepreneurs you admire, and why?

I really admire Mark Cuban. He’s a self-made man who’s become super successful, and he’s been a great mentor to plenty of other up-and-coming business leaders. I appreciate his straight-up style, and the fact that he’s been through the entire business journey from the ground level on up. He’s a pretty wise man.

I also admire Katie Rodan and Kathy Fields, founders of the San Francisco-based women’s skin care company Rodan + Fields. While their multi-level marketing model isn’t unique, the fact that the company is owned and run by women, and has built a mostly female salesforce, is quite impressive. Their products are high quality, and they have been hugely successful, having launched in Canada in 2015 and in Australia in 2017. I love to see women at the helm of successful businesses!

What new initiatives are you working on?

On the product side, we are fine-tuning our soon-to-launch app that has been under beta testing. It will allow users to track their fitness and nutrition goals and behaviors in real time. On the business side, in addition to our problem-solving capabilities, we are focusing on building a community that will create more opportunities for fitness experts.

What advice would you give to someone hoping to start a business similar to yours?

When you launch your business, get your product out into the marketplace as quickly as you can. You don’t have to spend a ton of money to get started. In fact, small steps early on will help you learn quickly.

Feedback is a gift. Always be interested in critical feedback, as that’s what will actually shape your product and your business.

You will encounter failures, criticism, and many distractions, but if you want to be successful, you have to be resilient, persistent, and focused on your long-term goals. It’s your vision—nobody can take it away from you unless you let them!

Hannah Barwell is the most renowned for his short stories. She writes stories as well as news related to the technology. She wrote number of books in her five years career. And out of those books she sold around 25 books. She has more experience in online marketing and news writing. Recently she is onboard with Apsters Media as a freelance writer.

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Mining waste is converted by a startup into vital metals for the US

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A metal transition lies at the core of the energy transition. Compared to their gas-powered counterparts, wind farms, solar panels, and electric cars require a lot more copper, zinc, and nickel. Additionally, they need additional rare earth elements—exotic metals with special qualities—which are necessary for the magnets used in devices like EV motors and wind turbines.

China now controls the majority of rare earth element processing, purifying around 60% of the world’s supply. The Biden administration has stated that the scenario presents challenges to national and economic security, as demand for these minerals is expected to soar.

In the United States and many other countries, large amounts of rare earth metals are currently sitting untapped. The problem is that they are combined with a ton of hazardous mining waste.

Phoenix Tailings is expanding a method for extracting elements from mining waste, such as nickel and rare earth metals. After collecting oxidized metal with water and recyclable solvents, the company heats a mixture of molten salt and applies electricity to the metal.

Co-founded by MIT alums, the business claims that its pilot production plant in Woburn, Massachusetts, is the only location in the world that produces rare earth metals without emitting carbon dioxide or hazardous byproducts. Phoenix Tailings now uses renewable energy contracts to offset the electricity used in the process.

By 2026, the company anticipates producing over 3,000 tons of the metals, which would have accounted for almost 7% of all U.S. output in the previous year.

Phoenix Tailings is now increasing the range of metals it can manufacture and moving forward with plans to construct a second manufacturing plant with help from the Department of Energy.

According to the founding team, which consists of Nick Myers, Anthony Balladon, and MIT graduates Tomás Villalón ’14 and Michelle Chao ’14, the work has global and geopolitical ramifications.

“Being able to make your own materials domestically means that you’re not at the behest of a foreign monopoly,” Villalón explains. “We’re focused on creating critical materials for the next generation of technologies. More broadly, we want to get these materials in ways that are sustainable in the long term.”

Addressing a worldwide issue

After enrolling in Course 3.091 (Introduction to Solid-State Chemistry) during his first year at MIT, Villalón developed an interest in chemistry and materials science. He had the opportunity to work at Boston Metal, another MIT startup that decarbonizes steel production on a large scale using an electrochemical technique, during his senior year. Villalón, a materials science and engineering major, began considering developing more environmentally friendly metallurgical techniques as a result of the event.

But Villalón didn’t take action until he happened to meet Myers at a Bible study in 2018.

When the subject of electricity came up, “We were discussing some of the major problems in the world when we came to the topic of electrification,” Villalón remembers. It turned into a debate about how the United States obtains its materials and how we ought to consider electrifying their manufacturing. After ten years of working there, I eventually thought, “Let’s go do something about it.” Nick concurred, but I assumed he was merely trying to boost his self-esteem. Then, in July, he called me at random and said, ‘I’ve got [$7,000]. When do we start?’”

The founders began testing novel methods for making rare earth metals after Villalón brought in Chao, a former MIT classmate and fellow materials science and engineering major, and Myers brought in Balladon, a former coworker.

According to Villalón, “We went back to the base principles, the thermodynamics I learned with MIT professors Antoine Allanore and Donald Sadoway, and understanding the kinetics of reactions,”  “Classes like Course 3.022 (Microstructural Evolution in Materials) and 3.07 (Introduction to Ceramics) were also really useful. I touched on every aspect I studied at MIT.”

The founders also participated in the U.S. National Science Foundation’s I-Corps program and were mentored by MIT’s Venture Mentoring Service (VMS). Sadoway advised the business.

The inventors constructed a prototype reactor in Villalón’s backyard after creating a preliminary version of their system design and purchasing an experimental amount of red sludge, a mining waste. In the end, the founders had a modest amount of product, but they had to quickly borrow the scientific tools necessary to identify it. It turned out to be pure iron and a trace amount of rare earth concentrate.

Today, Phoenix Tailings warms its combination to about 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit at its refinery in Woburn, where it incorporates mining waste that is rich in rare earth metals. Pure metal gathers on an electrode when an electric current is applied to the mixture. There is not much garbage left over after the operation.

Because rare earths require extremely high purities in comparison to metals manufactured traditionally, Villalón says, “the key for all of this isn’t just the chemistry, but how everything is linked together.” “As a result, you have to be thinking about the purity of your material the entire way through.”

Rare earths, nickel, magnesium, and other elements

When using renewable energy sources to generate power, Villalón claims the process is 100% carbon free, creates no harmful byproducts, and is cost-effective when compared to traditional manufacturing methods.

Neodymium and dysprosium, two rare earth elements crucial to magnets, are now produced for clients at the Woburn site. Consumers are utilizing the materials for defense applications, electric vehicles, and wind turbines.

Additionally, the business has been awarded two grants totaling over $2 million under the U.S. Department of Energy’s ARPA-E program. Its 2023 award funds the creation of a technology that employs carbonization and recycled carbon dioxide to extract nickel and magnesium from mining waste. Magnesium and nickel are both essential components for clean energy devices like batteries.

The company will use the most recent funding to modify its method so that it can generate iron from mining waste without emitting any harmful byproducts or emissions. Phoenix Tailings claims that it has an abundance of material to work with and that their technique is suitable with a broad range of ore types and waste materials: About 1.8 billion tons of garbage are produced annually in the United States as a result of the mining and processing of mineral ores.

Villalón says, “We want to take our knowledge from processing the rare earth metals and slowly move it into other segments,”  Here, “We simply have to refine some of these materials here. There’s no way we can’t. So, what does that look like from a regulatory perspective? How do we create approaches that are economical and environmentally compliant not just now, but 30 years from now?”

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Austal, a startup, has Raised $43 Million to Build a Massive sailing cargo trimaran

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Austal will use the €40 million ($43 million) fundraising round that VELA, a French firm that was founded in November 2022, has completed to construct the largest sailing cargo trimaran in the world. The company’s goal is to offer a sustainable cargo service for goods including pharmaceuticals, industrial parts, medical equipment, and cosmetics that are transported across the Atlantic.

11th Hour Racing, Crédit Mutuel Impact, and BPI—the French Public Investment Bank—led the funding round. The corporation claims that the Franco-American partners are as committed to promoting more sustainable transportation as it is. They think the Trimaran design will also provide a quick fix, particularly for businesses who don’t want to keep their inventory “on the water” for transit.

With the help of Austal’s distinctive design and technology from offshore racing, VELA anticipates being able to operate entirely under sail and give a transit time of fewer than 15 days from loading to crossing the ocean and unloading. They argue that the same service takes at least 20 days for huge containerships. In addition, the trimaran’s cargo holds will be kept at a regulated temperature to guarantee “the safety and integrity of high-value-added transported goods.”

A vessel with dimensions of 220 feet (67 meters), an air draft of 200 feet (61 meters), and a width of 82 feet (25 meters) is required by the design. The aluminum hull will be constructed with Austal’s industry expertise. Carbon will be used for the masts.

In addition to two hydro-generators, the ship will include more than 3,230 square feet of solar panels. 51 shipping containers’ worth of cargo will fit inside it.

Austal, which is renowned for its proficiency in multihull and aluminum constructions, was chosen by VELA following an international tender in which over thirty shipyards took part, according to VELA, with assistance from BRS Shipbrokers. Austal’s experience will be advantageous to the first VELA Trimaran, which will also use the sailing systems of the offshore racing team MerConcept.

Austal Philippines will build the ship in Balamban, Cebu, and it is expected to be delivered in the second half of 2026. Furthermore, according to VELA, 30 percent of the construction will be completed by French firms, including rigging, sails, and hydro-generators, thereby enhancing the quality and expertise of the country’s sailing sector. The ship will have a French registration.

“Austal is excited to partner with VELA on this groundbreaking project. Our expertise in multihull design and aluminum shipbuilding, combined with VELA’s innovative vision, will create a revolutionary sailing cargo trimaran,” stated Paddy Gregg, CEO of Austal. “This vessel will set new speed, reliability, and sustainability standards for transatlantic shipping.”

The company claims that the funds from the latest round will enable VELA to formally begin construction of its first vessel. Additionally, they intend to use the funding to bolster their operations and sales teams in the US and France.

VELA intends to run between the east coast of the United States and the Atlantic coast of France. They anticipate starting operations in the second half of 2026, joining the increasing number of cargo ships powered by sail that French companies are launching for the Atlantic. At least four more ships are expected to be in operation by 2027 or 2028, according to VELA. Reaching one departure each week and increasing departure frequency are the objectives.

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Startup Talks of a $9 billion valuation are confusing AI search

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Perplexity AI Inc., an artificial intelligence startup developing a search engine to take on Google, is in early talks with investors to raise capital at a $9 billion valuation, according to a source familiar with the situation.

The insider, who wished to remain anonymous while discussing personal matters, stated that the corporation is looking to raise over $500 million in the investment round.

The company may increase its prior valuation of $3 billion from a capital round earlier this year, which includes the money the company would raise. It’s very early in the talks, so things might change or the conversation could break down. The business refused to comment.

The recent surge in Perplexity’s valuation is indicative of the keen interest of venture capitalists in supporting AI startups. As late as April of this year, the business had a $1 billion valuation. Large sums have also been raised by its competitors and colleagues, such as OpenAI, which earlier this month closed a $6.6 billion financing round at a valuation of $157 billion.

The source claimed that Perplexity’s most recent finance discussions happened as a result of investors reaching out to the business, not because the startup was looking to acquire further funds.

Apart from the commercial and free versions of its search tool, Perplexity provides various other services. It recently unveiled additional tools for searches connected to finance, such as stock prices and firm earnings data, and released a platform that enables businesses to search internal information in addition to the internet.

In addition, the business has started a number of revenue-sharing agreements with large publishers, while being accused of plagiarism by certain news organizations.

Among the company’s investors are Nvidia Corp. and Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com Inc. and a partner of SoftBank Group Corp.

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