👋 Good morning. It’s a new day — hope you’re morningmaxxing. Did we use that right? “Maxxing” is Dictionary.com’s 2026 Word of the Year. Short for maximizing, -maxxing can be tacked onto just about any word to “convey you’re doing something to the fullest or optimizing as much as possible." Looking for someone to blame for all this? Point the finger at Gen Z and Gen Alpha who drove the term to popularity. Now back to Zoommaxxing.
NEWS FLASH
📈 Hear that? It’s the rumblings of what could be the largest IPO ever. Anthropic filed for an IPO yesterday, planning to list on the Nasdaq with the ticker symbol ANT. The company claimed in the filing that its revenue hit $16.3B in the first half of the year, a 14x year-over-year increase. Anthropic could be looking to raise $100B at a $2T valuation — enough to dethrone Elon Musk’s SpaceX as the world’s largest IPO.
☀️ Where the sun don't shine: In what sounds like a Mr. Burns scheme, startup Reflect Orbital wants to launch massive mirrors into low orbit to redirect sunlight toward specific locations on Earth. The company aims to sell nighttime sunlight for everything from solar energy to rescue missions. The demonstration satellite, Eärendil-1 (we see you, Tolkien nerds), is targeted for launch this year, carrying an 18x18-meter reflector, though questions remain about who gets a say in where they're shining that thing.
🌯 Big Burrito down on the farm: The next time you splurge on guac, know your money is going to a good cause. Chipotle's venture fund, Cultivate Next, is investing in biotech startup IMIO (Infinite Microbes, Infinite Opportunities), which uses freeze-dried microorganisms to break down farm crop waste. A mix of fungi, bacteria, and yeast decomposes corn husks and other crop residue, improving soil health, yields, and farmers' profitability. No promises that your next bowl will be cheaper, though.
MORE NEWS TO KNOW
- Going buy-buy?: Microsoft is offering buyouts to ~60k employees as the company trims costs and shapes its workforce in the AI era. Microsoft offered buyouts to retirement-age employees in July, and 30%+ of eligible employees accepted.
- Think happy thoughts: NeuroDoctrine demonstrated a headband that uses brain activity to control flying drones on the battlefield. The technology was initially developed to help the founder's mother manage multiple sclerosis and help wounded soldiers control prosthetics.
- An easier pill to swallow: Parcel Health has sold 1m+ of its Tully Tubes, recyclable, mostly paper pill bottles. They use 40%-71% less plastic than conventional pill bottles while still blocking moisture and light and working with most pharmacy automation systems.
- SpongeBob would be proud: Portuguese startup AgroGrINTech is converting pineapple waste into bromelain, an enzyme for industrial fish food. Its pilot plant processes about 120 tons of pineapple byproducts, turning the leftovers into pineapple flour.
LEVEL UP
Your CRM should already know
Most CRMs are just expensive filing cabinets. You log the call. You research the lead. You write the follow-up. You move the deal. Rinse, repeat, burn out.
HubSpot Smart CRM is designed to handle the busywork before you even open your laptop.
What runs quietly in the background:
- Calls: Logged and summarized the moment they end.
- Leads: Researched with a first outreach drafted, automatically.
- Deals: Next steps flagged before you have to ask.
- Workflows: Repetitive tasks automated — no code required.
It's not the CRM you have to manage. It's the one that may just manage itself.
THE BIG IDEA
%20copy%206.png?width=600&height=293&name=Daily%20Templates%20-%202026%20Refresh%20(2)%20copy%206.png)
Meat-eaters are keeping fake meat alive
Ever stared down the plant-based meat aisle and wondered who’s actually buying this stuff?
Turns out, the call is coming from inside the house. Meat-eaters are keeping these brands alive, and chances are you’re one of them.
Plant-based meat and seafood sales were down 10% in 2025, according to the Good Food Institute. But the people buying these items probably aren't who you expect: 96% of households that bought plant-based meat also bought animal-based meat.
Plant-based meats aren't necessarily an ethics issue; rather, people are looking for a healthier option. So, why not aim for a crucial lunch staple?
Prime Roots did.
The company makes koji-based cold cuts — turkey, ham, roast beef, and salami sliced just like any other meat at the deli counter.
"From day one we have been focused on meat-eaters and flexitarians, which are the vast majority of the population," co-founder and CEO Kimberlie Le told The Hustle.
How it started
Le and co-founder Joshua Nixon started the concept at UC Berkeley’s Alternative Meats Lab using fungi to transform the way humans eat protein, making it better for both health and the environment.
"We are targeting some of the worst categories in terms of health, such as deli meats that are full of Class 1 carcinogens known to cause cancer and that are heavily processed conventionally," Le said.
When the company started around 2018, Prime Roots promised to be different from the junky foods — to be preservative-free, non-GMO, and top-nine allergen-free, among other things.
“At our core, we make products that taste great and that are actually better for you,” Le said. “We make it easy for consumers to try Prime Roots and incorporate it into their everyday routines.”
How it's going
One of the challenges for the plant-based meat industry has been an oversaturation of products. Le cites soy, gluten, fillers, and ultra-processed ingredients as deterrents for consumers of mass-produced plant-based meats.
While the market faces oversaturation and a dip in sales, Prime Roots says it's growing:
- Sales have nearly doubled annually since the products launched, per the company.
- It expects to be in more than 1k retail outlets by year's end.
- In fall 2026, it launched a packaged line, Safe Slice, at Sprouts.
"We are not leaving the deli. That is where we started and the core of what we do and are best known for," Le said.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Don’t overcomplicate it: Here’s how a first-time app builder grew his creation into a $50k-per-month business.
NEWSWORTHY NUMBER
%20copy%208-1.png?width=600&height=93&name=Noteworthy%20Number%20template%20(55)%20copy%208-1.png)
Number of Americans tuning into “The Joe Rogan Experience” per week as of this year’s second quarter, per The Wall Street Journal, up from 6.6m at the start of 2020.
Spotify recently re-signed Rogan to another multi-year deal — one that allegedly pays $250m — to keep the show after it’s spent six straight years as America’s most-listened-to podcast.
It’s an “I told you so” moment for Spotify, which first paid over $100m to lure Rogan in 2020, before most people even knew what a “podcast exclusive” was.
AROUND THE WEB
📅 On this day: In 1904, the New York City subway system opened, soon becoming America’s largest underground train network.
👀 Groovy: Play tricks on your eyeballs.
👻 Game: You’re the giant inflatable tube man outside a business.
🧑🎨 That’s fun: Paint with words.
🐶 Aww: What big ears you have!
SHOWER THOUGHT
Synthesizer music used to make us think of the future but now it makes us think of the past. SOURCE
Today's email was brought to you by Ben Berkley, Bill Meincke, and Danny Jensen.
Editing by: Sara "Gym class hero" Friedman.
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.
Working on something big?
We've got a whole library of business-building resources for you.
Subscribe to HubSpot Media's other newsletters
Grow your business: Starter Story
Stay up-to-date on AI: Mindstream
How to use top AI tools: Futurepedia
Expert insights: Marketing Against the Grain
Sell better: The Science of Scaling