The Student Who Built a Streetwear Brand Before Graduation
Davonte' Walls launched Privilege Closet LLC at 20, blending street style with high fashion from his dorm at Savannah State University. Now a 2026 Black Ambition Fundable Founders Learning Lab selectee, he is building a brand that moves like confidence.
This week
The most important act of a founder this decade will not be building. It will be deciding what not to build. Restraint is the unwritten chapter of every great company — and the next four years will reward it more than any cycle in memory.
The feed
A16z AI Academy: VCs Shape Future AI Talent Pipeline
Andreessen Horowitz's new AI Academy directly intervenes in talent development, challenging traditional education to fast-track engineers and founders for the rapidly evolving AI industry.
Anthropic Founders' Philanthropy Pledge: An IPO Reality Check
Anthropic's founders pledged 75% equity to charity, but their unique 'future equity stakes' funding model and IPO realities now complicate fulfilling this ambitious philanthropic commitment.
Anthropic IPO Filing: What It Means for AI Startups *A New AI Benchmark*
Anthropic's reported IPO filing, targeting over $30 billion, sets a new benchmark for generative AI, providing founders crucial insights into market appetite and public exits.
Gothic Meets Glam: Why Crosses, Fonts and Sparkle Are Back in Women's Fashion Back in Women's Fashion
Gothic prints, bold lettering and shiny details are meeting in one outfit again. Here is where the trend comes from and how to wear it.
US Execs Quit SAF Startup Over Undisclosed Russian Funding A Founder's Transparency Lesson
The resignation of US energy executives from SAF startup Aviation Carbon over undisclosed Russian funding highlights the critical need for founders to vet investors thoroughly.
Founders desk
Plate 01Cover · Issue 47Davonte' Walls
Marketing student at Savannah State University turned streetwear founder — building Privilege Closet LLC, a Georgia-based brand where street style meets high fashion and confidence is the whole point.
Plate 02Anurag Kulkarni
Founder and Managing Director of SA Digital Films Pvt. Ltd. — an electrical engineer turned music producer, filmmaker, and strategic communication entrepreneur whose two-decade journey spans enterprises including Forbes Marshall, KEC International and PepsiCo, and Government of India initiatives across Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, and ODOP.
Plate 03Logan Sullivan
Logan Sullivan started Junk Punks at 17. Today it runs company-owned and franchise markets across Florida and Wisconsin.
Plate 04Anastasiia Shumilo
Anastasiia Shumilo is a Ukrainian-born technology founder who started over in Canada and built her career in technology from the ground up. She founded Shumi Technologies, an international B2B softwar
By desk
Read with the people who build the next decade.
Wednesdays at 7am Pacific. One letter, four minutes, and the five stories that actually mattered — chosen by the desk, not by an algorithm.
- ✓ The week's five most important reads, briefly
- ✓ One short interview, often unpublished elsewhere
- ✓ A memo from the editor — three minutes, one idea
- ✓ No ads, no roundups, no growth tactics