Taylor Swift And Tomorrow's Female-Founded Unicorns. Plus: Buying A Forest Could Hedge Against Inflation
F illing in for Maggie this week—hi! I'm Erin Spencer Sairam, senior contributor and 50 Over 50 reporter, and I'm excited to be in your inbox today. Let's jump right in.
The week began with a billionaire-sized pop culture mic drop. After a string of social media posts sent Swifties into a speculating frenzy, the pop star officially announced her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl . The news comes hot on the heels of Swift leveraging her $1.6 billion fortune to purchase the rights to the master recordings of her first six albums.
Speaking of billionaires, this week, Forbes released its Next Billion-Dollar Startups 2025 list. First launched in 2015 and produced in partnership with TrueBridge Capital, the list spotlights rapidly growing venture-backed startups with the potential to become unicorns. Currently, just 13% of the world's billionaires are women, but this year's Next Billion-Dollar Startups list includes several women to keep an eye on. Among them is Loyal founder Celine Halioua, who has raised $135 million from top investors to develop canine longevity pills. As Amy Feldman notes, Halioua is currently in conversations with the FDA and has cleared several early hurdles. Senior dog owners, like myself, will be watching closely to see if the startup gets the green light to hit the market.
Cheers! Erin Spencer Sairam Exclusive Forbes Profile: Want To Hedge Against Inflation? Buy A Forest
Angela Davis, president of Campbell Global in Portland, Oregon, gets help from 75 foresters overseeing 1.4 million acres of timberland. PEDRO OLIVEIRA FOR FORBES
Angela Davis is managing billions, not in stocks or crypto—but in trees. Timberland, one of the oldest investments on earth, is quietly emerging as a must-have in modern portfolios. Between its biological yield, carbon credit potential and ability to grow when the stock market doesn't, it's one of the most interesting asset classes you've probably never considered. Davis, current president and incoming CEO of Campbell Global, currently oversees 1.4 million acres across the U.S., Australia and New Zealand. Managing her $10 billion timber empire is hands-on work (think bug monitoring, fire suppression and even bear deterrence strategies across a 45-year tree cycle), but it's a long-term bet wealthy investors and institutions are increasingly buying into.
Umpire Jen Pawol makes a call during the game between the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on August 10, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.Jen Pawol became the first woman to umpire a regular-season MLB game, marking a historic milestone for baseball. But breaking the barrier is just the start. Pawol will likely face intense scrutiny during her first years in the MLB.
The collective net worth of President Donald Trump's Cabinet is the highest ever, even without including the president. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon shares the top spot with Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, each with a net worth of $3.3 billion.
Mariana Beatriz Zobel de Ayala, featured in Forbes' Philippines' 50 Richest list for 2025, is the eighth-generation heir steering Ayala Corp. into a new era. Her reinvestment strategy includes modernizing malls, launching tech hubs and doubling portfolio hotel rooms to future-proof the country's oldest conglomerate.
Jean Smart, a Forbes 50 Over 50 listee, sat down with ForbesWomen editor Maggie McGrath and 30/50 Summit vice chair Huma Abedin to discuss her decades-long career on the screen. Smart is once again up for an Emmy for her role as Deborah Vance on the hit show Hacks , and is making waves on Broadway in her one-woman play Call Me Izzy .
Forbes is searching for the next class of 30 Under 30—and nominations for the U.S. and Canada close in less than a month. Are you next? Or do you know someone creating the next Instagram, Stripe or Spotify? Nominate them (or yourself) here.
The Checklist
1. Think twice before you scrub your social media accounts. Between the Trump Administration declaring private accounts a red flag for foreign students and prospective employers using AI to find fake applicants, the old rules of polishing and making your accounts private are becoming obsolete. Here's what you should do instead.
2. Own the (virtual) room. Remote work has unlocked new levels of flexibility, but it also comes with the challenge of being seen. When you're not physically present in the office, your contributions can sometimes fly under the radar. According to a study by Live Data Technologies, people who work from home are promoted 31% less often than their in-office counterparts and are 35% more likely to be laid off. Make sure you stand out with these five tips.
3. Think of your energy as a luxury item. On Wednesday, Taylor Swift joined Travis and Jason Kelce on their podcast New Heights to discuss the singer's upcoming album. During the episode, Swift offered these words of advice for blocking out unwanted noise and setting boundaries in an era of constant connectivity: 'You should think of your energy as if it's expensive, as if it's a luxury item. Not everyone can afford it.' QUIZ
For five consecutive mornings next week, early risers will be treated to the sight of a 'planet parade' in the eastern sky—the last big gathering of planets until 2028. In addition to the moon, which planets will be visible to the naked eye?
A. Mercury
B. Venus
C. Jupiter
D. All of the above
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