Hey bb! 🏙️ Cue Sinatra's New York, New York because we're taking you from the Met Gala to the tennis court 🎾, ft. Aspire to Her community. 

In other news… Rivian IPO pulling up 🚘, more Amazon at your door with buy now, pay later Affirm partnership 📦, and an NFT ape as your Amex black card 🙊.

Raducanu’s US Open win inspires a generation

Emma Raducanu, the 18-year-old tennis star, made history on Saturday night with her 2021 US Open victory against fellow teen Leylah Fernandez 🎾. No sets dropped throughout her US Open run of 10 matches and having scored 6-4, 6-3 in the final, Raducanu brought home Britain’s first women’s Grand Slam singles championship in 44 years - and as a qualifier! 🏆

Netting $2.5 million USD in prize money, this teen is about to make much more from sponsorship deals 💰. The Chairman of InterTalent Group, Jonathan Shalit, predicts that “Raducanu will earn well over $100 million in the next calendar year.” 🚀

On the other side of the court however is Simon Chadwick, global professor of the Eurasian Sport Industry at Emlyon Business School in France, who stated, “A tennis star has to sustain high levels of success over a period of years to earn this kind of sum [of $100M]. And the task is often harder for female players who are commonly paid less than their male counterparts.”

No matter the “reality” in pay gaps, Raducanu has captured the imagination of the world and proved that, even at 18, women’s potential to win cannot be limited. So with that, we will all continue to serve 💪.

Quick News Bites

NFT to the sea with BAYC?? a.k.a. Bored Ape Yacht Club ⛵

Bored Ape Yacht Club, an NFT series which launched in April, includes 10,000 apes with a punk vibe, dressed in trucker hats, stud earrings, and mischievous grins 🙊. At launch, apes were sold for ~$186 a pop but now the cheapest ape costs more than $80,000, 🙉 and several have sold for more than $300,000 each 🙈.

“Your ape is your Amex black card” said one of the BAYC co-founders, who goes by the pseudonym of Gargamel. As the projects' real selling point is supposed to be some combination of great art and access to a great community, 🎨 the BAYC founders tried to make the process of getting an ape as easy as possible for initial buyers, and they styled their series as offering membership to a literal “club.” Talking about clubs and community… 😉⏬

Tesla make way, Rivian IPO'ing through 🚘

Cue “Fire Burning” by Sean Kingston cuz Rivian, a 12-year-old electric vehicle manufacturer, is just as old and is planning an IPO🔥. Backed by Amazon, Rivian is seeking a valuation as high as $80 billion, and its trucks aren't even on the road yet. We sense a Tesla threat… 😳

Rivian's first vehicle, a $73,000 pickup, is expected to start shipping this September, and a second model, a $75,500 seven-seat SUV, is set to release in 2022 🛻. So where do we sit? Well, President Joe Biden recently issued an executive order that called for electric vehicles (EVs) to account for half of all new auto sales in the US by 2030 🌱.

So we riding shotgun? 🤠 Not quite, maybe middle row as a shortage of semiconductors has caused delays and production halts across the auto industry 🔧. Plus, there aren't many charging stations available across the US - public infrastructure for EVs will need to catch up to speed with Europe and China 👟. 

Affirm x Amazon 🤝

Partner up but then, break it up. Wait, wdym? 🥺 Affirm shares soar ~47% after an Amazon partnership that lets consumers buy expensive things in installments 💎 Ahh, gotcha! 😅 This is Amazon's first partnership with a buy now, pay later (BNPL) player, though the company does offer installment options on some items already - customers can break up purchases of $50 or more 💸.

Amazon's entry into the BNPL space comes as demand for the space continues its flame ❤️‍🔥 particularly among the younger gen turning to BNPL platforms instead of traditional credit cards with high-interest rates 💳. Think Square x Afterpay after Square had purchased Afterpay for $29 billion, or Apple's looming plans of its own installment partnership with Goldman Sachs. Your cart may be waiting for you 🛒…

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