Where we're going we DO need roads

PAI Partners trades $1.4B for legendary board game Settlers of Catan

Asmodee, the French board game barons and makers of the cult-classic game Settlers of Catan, just sold to private equity company PAI Partners for $1.4B -- that’s a lot of sheep.

The company, worth just $167m in 2013, has soared in value thanks to the continuing Catan craze.

Catan’s creator traveled one long road to success

Before Klaus Teuber designed the board game that The Washington Post would call “the board game of our time,” he was just a 2nd-generation dental technician with a dream.

But the 1995 release of Settlers -- a game that takes only minutes to learn, where players trade resources like sheep, bricks, and ore to build settlements -- was so successful that Teuber ditched fillings in 1999 to focus full time on game development.

Settlers isn’t a game, it’s a lifestyle...

Catan pioneered a renewed love of board games in America that ranged from Silicon Valley to college campuses.

Settlers of Catan has sold more than 22m copies in more than 30 languages, and Teuber has crafted dozens of spinoffs that range from Game of Thrones Catan to Star Trek Catan.

Die-hard Settler fans have also found increasingly creative ways to expand the Catan universe -- creating everything from Catan wine goblets to a Catan movie (still in production).

Catan has changed hands more than a pile of ore

The runaway success of Teuber’s masterpiece also inspired many different partners to trade some resources for a piece of Catan’s empire.

Teuber’s personal company, Catan GmbH, licenses the game to different publishers (just like an author of a book). Today, Settlers is distributed by 12 different publishers in different markets.

The English market, one of the largest, was managed by a company called Mayfair until 2016, when it was bought by Asmodee. Now, PAI is swiping Asmodee -- and all its Settlements -- after its value increased 8.4x in 5 years thanks to Catan’s popularity.

Kit-fil-a: Everyone’s favorite fast food chicken establishment is getting in on meal kits

Chick-Fil-A is joining the meal kit rotisserie, where it will take on the likes of Blue Apron and Hello Fresh.

Known for its antibiotic-free poultry, the company is the first major US fast food chain to bring its own line of fresh n’ ready meals to the table.

And not to worry, Chick-fil-A will offer healthier options than their usual 2 spicy chicken sandies with extra Chick-fil-A sauce and a medium waffle fry.

But, spoiler alert: There will be chicken

According to CNBC, Chick-Fil-A will sell its “Mealtime Kits” at 150 restaurants in and around its Atlanta headquarters beginning Aug. 27.

The kit will offer 5 different off-menu recipes (all with pre-measured ingredients) and can be ordered through the Chick-fil-A One app.

We’re talking Bubba Gump but with chicken: chicken parm, chicken enchiladas, dijon chicken, pan roasted chicken, chicken flatbread…

Chick-fil-A is spreading its wings at a volatile time

The meal kit sector is moving like a chicken with its head cut off, and many competitors now sell their meals online and through grocery chains to supplement their subscriptions services.

Blue Apron partnered with Costco to test kits in 15 locations, Albertsons acquired Plated, and Kroger recently followed suit, buying Home Chef for $200m.

Acquisitions and financial difficulties have brought the number of major US meal kit providers to just a dozen players… and now, one extra large bucket of chicken.

Now That’s What I Call Music just released its 100th volume

Whether it was purchased to hide “Bad Touch” by Bloodhound Gang from your parents, or to get you going crazy, crazy, crazy just thinking about KC and JoJo in the ’90s, each volume of Now That’s What I Call Music! has served as a sonic time capsule of the world’s hottest songs for decades…

And now they’re celebrating their 100th release

First released in the UK in 1983, the mixtape began as a partnership between record labels EMI and Virgin records.

After the success of “Top of the Pops,” a compilational cover album of the day’s popular hits, the labels decided to give fans the real song and dance. So they brought their respective catalogues together and made an album with all the best hits of the year.

35 years later, NOW! Is a bonafide music industry superstar

According to Quartz, 98 of the previous 99 UK releases spent time as the country’s number-one album, and the compilation series has expanded to more than 2 dozen countries.

And, despite digital’s strong hold on, well, everything, Now albums continue to sell. According to the BBC, the series has sold over 120m records, including 3.2m in 2017.

NTWICM’s most-featured artist? Katy Perry with 20 appearances.

Volta raises $35m to expand its ad-powered electric vehicle charging network

Volta, the startup that offers electric vehicle owners free power by turning car-charging ports into mini-billboards, just raised $35m to expand its network of ad-supported charging stations.

Volta currently operates 1k charging stations in 10 cities and hopes to double that number by the end of the year.

It’s an electric future, but who’s going to pay for it?

According to some estimates, the number of electric vehicles on the road may reach 220m by 2030 -- opening up a huge market opportunity for charging stations.

Many automakers agree the future will involve electric vehicle (EV) chargers, but they don’t agree on who will pay to build ’em -- carmakers (like Tesla), utility companies, or private third parties.

But if Tesla’s chargers are free and utilities’ are discounted, how will third parties make money without charging for a charge? According to Volta, the answer is easy: billboards.

Supporting electric vehicles with ad revenue

Unlike other EV companies that sell charges for a fee, Volta offers free charges by using its charging stations as outdoor advertisements, betting that customers will seek out free power and businesses will pay for advertising and engagement.

Luckily for Volta, billboards are very “in” this year. Outdoor advertising is the only type of offline advertising that is currently growing, meaning advertisers are willing to shell out money for outdoor ads.

Meanwhile, competing EV-charging companies -- like Blink, which is considerably larger than Volta with 4k+ stations -- ask their customers to pay for their power.

This 27-year-old Harvard grad quit a $200k job to sell… boots

Three years later, his company is raking in tens of millions in revenue.

While working at a private equity firm in New York City, Texas-native Paul Hedrick had an epiphany: The boots he loved were thinning his wallet -- big time.

Immediately, Paul recognized a gap in the market. There was no high-quality, direct-to-consumer boot brand serving customers like him -- folks who valued comfort and quality over retail glam.

And with that, Tecovas was born.

These boots were made for walking everything

Tecovas crafts ultra-soft, 100% calfskin boots designed specifically for first-time boot wearers -- they’re cut like a taller Chelsea boot, but with a timeless western flair, perfect to dress up or down.

Oh, and they’re a fraction of the price of other handcrafted boots.

Tecovas delivers directly to you, booting the middlemen and markups. Meaning you get premium, handmade boots at a price that will keep your toes tapping -- boots start at $225.

And because they’re authentic cowboy boots, you can stride with confidence through puddles and whatever else life throws at your feet.

Browse the full lineup of Tecovas boots, belts, and bags.

Life with SoFi

This month, we partnered with SoFi to imagine a world in which your lender actually wants you to succeed. It's crazy we know, but that's life with SoFi.

SoFi Lending Corp. is licensed by the Department of Business Oversight under the California Financing Law, license number 6054612. NMLS #1121636. Terms, conditions, and state restrictions apply; see SoFi.com/eligibility for more information. 375 Healdsburg Ave., Suite 280, Healdsburg, CA 95448