104 matches, a ramen founder in Target, and Bumble's $1.3B deal - Oct 19

104. That is every match of the 2030 World Cup, and Netflix will have all of them in Spain and Andorra. One match per matchday will be free, and Spain's games, both semi-finals and the final will also go to free-to-air TV. Big sports rights are moving to streaming, and that opens room for anyone building content, data and fan products around the games. Sources: https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-secures-exclusive-rights-in-spain-and-andorra-to-the-fifa-world-cup-2030-tm and https://www.sportspro.com/analysis/broadcast-ott/netflix-2030-world-cup-tv-rights-spain-fifa-explainer/ My take: the biggest matches are leaving pay TV. When the audience moves, the money and the startups follow.

Jon Lam, Ramen Bae (San Francisco). His protein ramen is now in "most Target stores across the U.S.", about 10 months after the company launched it in December 2025. The company says it is bootstrapped (self-funded), has served more than 400,000 customers and expects about 2,500 stores by the end of 2026. When your online customers keep asking where to find you, a big retailer listens, and you may not need investors to get there. Sources: https://www.nosh.com/pr/2026/10/14/ramen-bae-launches-protein-ramen-and-ramen-toppings-in-target-stores-nationwide and https://www.target.com/p/-/A-1011165326 My take: customers who ask for you in stores beat any pitch deck. Retail pulled him in; he did not have to push.

A windbreaker made from wood made TIME's Best Inventions 2026. German brand Armedangels makes it from 100% Tencel Lyocell, a fibre made from wood pulp, and says it has no membrane, no synthetic fibres and no "forever chemicals" (PFAS). It is water-repellent, not waterproof, and costs $298 in the US. A mid-sized brand earned global attention by solving one problem in one product. Sources: https://time.com/collection/best-inventions/2026/armedangels-windbreaker/ and https://fashionunited.com/news/fashion/time-includes-armedangels-windbreaker-in-its-list-of-best-inventions-of-2026/2026101675222 My take: one hard problem solved well beats a big catalogue. Small brands win by going deep, not wide.

Taste Radio, "How Sweet Loren's Built a $100M Brand Without Venture Capital" (38:46). Founder Loren Castle explains how she grew a refrigerated cookie-dough brand by staying lean and profitable, rather than raising from venture capital (investors who buy part of a young company hoping it grows fast). Start at 0:20, where the interview begins. Source: https://www.tasteradio.com/episodes/how-sweet-lorens-built-a-100m-brand-without-venture-capital My take: growing lean and profitable is a choice, not a consolation prize. Worth your 38 minutes.

Half of Domino's was once traded for a Volkswagen Beetle. In 1960 brothers Tom and James Monaghan bought a pizza shop in Ypsilanti, Michigan. In 1961 James swapped his half of the business to Tom for the car. Last week, Domino's reported 22,706 stores worldwide. A small share of your company today can be worth far more than anything you trade it for. Sources: https://biz.dominos.com/stories/60th-birthday and https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001286681/000128668126000039/dpz-ex99_1.htm My take: before you trade equity for something quick, picture what the company could become. James traded half of Domino's for a car.

Sublicensing: when someone who bought rights passes part of them on to someone else. Netflix bought all 104 World Cup matches in Spain; Spain's games and the final will also reach free-to-air TV through a sublicensing agreement with Netflix. Organic growth: growth from the business you already have, leaving out currency swings and companies bought or sold. LVMH's nine-month revenue fell 2% as reported but grew 2% organically. Licensing: paying to use someone else's characters, name or story on your products. Fine'ry's new line tied to the book series A Court of Thorns and Roses "was made in partnership with IMG Licensing". Sources: https://www.sportspro.com/analysis/broadcast-ott/netflix-2030-world-cup-tv-rights-spain-fifa-explainer/ and https://www.lvmh.com/en/publications/continued-growth-in-the-third-quarter-of-2026 and https://www.modernretail.co/marketing/acotar-is-the-latest-franchise-that-brands-are-clamoring-to-collaborate-with/ My take: small words, big mechanics. Sublicensing and licensing are how ideas turn into revenue without new factories.

Padel clubs are popping up across the US, run by local owners. Padel is a racket sport that mixes tennis and squash, played on small walled courts. In one week: a 23,000 sq ft club in Jacksonville, Washington, D.C.'s first purpose-built padel facility (opening spring 2027), and four public courts in Newtown, Ohio. It is an early, local market for space, courts, coaching, leagues and kit, and you do not need to be a big brand to start. Sources: https://jaxtoday.org/2026/10/13/padel-club-jacksonville/ and https://hoodline.com/2026/10/dc-lands-its-first-padel-club-as-bridge-district-adds-courts-in-southeast/ and https://hoodline.com/2026/10/newtown-s-new-glass-walled-padel-courts-open-across-from-little-miami-trail/ My take: early markets reward operators, not brands. A good room, good coaches and a league can be the whole business at the start.

Lobster Vodka, by Bold Coast Spirits (Portland, Maine). Co-founders Jay Lombard and Stuart Littlefield say they flavour it with leftover shells from Luke's Lobster. The first batch is just 600 bottles, pre-order only, at $29.99. A partner's waste became a premium product, tested in a tiny run before making more. (Alcohol: adults of legal drinking age only.) Day 22 of 100. Still building FOUNDERS out loud. This newsletter gets a little sharper every week. Source: https://www.bevnet.com/pr/2026/10/15/bold-coast-spirits-launches-limitedrelease-lobster-culinary-vodka My take: someone else's waste can be your premium product. Test small, 600 bottles small, before you scale.

Just Women's Sports bought sports-tech startup Victra and launched an app. Founder Haley Rosen's media company used Victra's technology for live scores, stats and alerts, and added two new channels, Just Women's Hoops and Just Women's Football. The price was not disclosed. Media companies often buy a small, focused tech team instead of building the product themselves, so a sharp product can be your exit. Sources: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/10/13/just-womens-sports-acquires-victra-sports-launches-app-and-sport-specific-channels/ and https://finance.yahoo.com/media-advertising/articles/just-womens-sports-acquires-victra-175000257.html My take: buying a small team can beat building for years. If your product is sharp, a bigger player may be your exit.

The take-private. A buyer offers to buy every public share, usually above the market price; when the deal closes, the shares stop trading and the company is privately owned again. Last week Bumble agreed to be acquired for $6.05 a share in cash, about $1.3 billion, roughly 138% above its 9 October closing price. The deal is agreed, not closed yet. It listed in 2021 at a valuation of about $14 billion. Going public is not the finish line. Sources: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001830043/000095010326015480/dp254907_ex9901.htm and https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/13/bumble-agrees-to-a-1-3b-acquisition-deal-as-online-dating-faces-a-reset/ My take: public markets are a tool, not a trophy. Bumble listed at $14 billion and has agreed to sell for $1.3 billion. Price is what someone agrees to pay, not what you were once worth.