Latest news with #TheNorth
Forbes
29-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Designer Rebecca Minkoff Goes From Fashion To The Food World
It's well-known in entrepreneurial circles that women-founded and led companies receive less funding compared to their male counterparts, and a new food-focused accelerator called SeedHer seeks to make a dent in that statistic. SeedHer emerges out of the Female Founder Collective, a women's entrepreneur group co-founded in 2018 by fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff and serial entrepreneur and angel investor Ali Wyatt. Female Founders Collective has approximately 25,000 total members, including its exclusive dues-paying members. As the collective has grown, it's also worked to formalize and professionalize its offers even further, said Wyatt. Approximately two years ago, the Female Founder Collective started to curate around more specific industries with six cohorts a year to allow founders a better chance to network and bring in partnerships and resources that would appeal to different cohorts. This is in addition to its existing consulting marketplace platform, The North, where founders can contact advisors directly. But its latest venture with SeedHeris, geared towards food and beverage founders. SeedHer originated from a few facts, including the lack of funding for female-led businesses, the low margins for food startups that deter entrepreneurship and growth, and the fact that women are the 'chief nourishment officers' in their households, said Wyatt. Female-founded companies secured $38.8 billion in venture funding in 2024, marking a 27% increase from the previous year. However, this rise came amid a 13.1% drop in deal count, while all-male-founded companies experienced a higher 33.2% growth in deal value with a smaller 7% decline in deal count, according to Pitchbook's 2024 US All In: Female Founders in the VC Ecosystem report. 'What tends to happen, and we don't see this with their male counterparts, is they don't have a relationship at Walmart [or similar] that keeps them on the shelves,' said Wyatt. 'We want founders to have the phone-a-friend concept where they can call their [expert] friend and ask them questions at these pivotal points along the way that will get them out of trouble and allow them to keep growing.' SeedHer features a 12-week course includes eight 'masterclasses' and community meetings with mentors in partnership with Kellanova's Pure Organic brand. Kellanova was formerly known as Kellogg's. There will also be coursework for founders that can be integrated into business practices, like re-examining existing margins and changing the unit economics. The idea is that it's not incremental work or skills they're gaining, but instead substantial enough to help them with immediacy. SeedHer applications opened on May 29 and applicants should have a minimum $500,000 in annual revenue, and applications will be judged by the FFC and Kellanova Pure Organic teams. Approximately 15 startups will be chosen. The program culminates with a Demo Day in November. On the Demo Day, the panel of experts will provide insights and feedback to founders. 'While FFC built a movement around collective support, SeedHer is a next step in providing select female founders in food and beverage with more direct resources, mentorship, and funding pathways to help them grow their businesses,' she said in an email. 'At the end of the SeedHer accelerator, we want founders to leave with practical insights, strategic direction, and stronger industry connections to help them scale.' The creation of SeedHer comes at a time of change for the snacking industry. Consumers have been interested in healthier options for some time, ranging from high-protein options currently in vogue to less processed products. Health officials have raised the U.S. population's awareness over ultra-processed foods and potential negative health consequences, while petroleum-based synthetic food dyes as received federal scrutiny. FFC and Kellanova Pure Organic came together to work on SeedHer after Minkoff crossed paths with Leslie Serro, vp of sweet snacking at Kellanova and connected on the topic of entrepreunialism. Kellanova did invest an undisclosed sum as a premier sponsor to SeedHer, but is not providing grants to participants, said Serro. Serro said she plans to bring in Kellanova leaders to speak with and mentor SeedHer participants, including marketing, financing and retail. She said the major painpoints identified include entering retail, managing supply chain and scaling up the business. 'As we go through different stages of our life, we see different things,' she said. 'The Female Founder Collective, and these entrepreneurs see things differently, are pushing boundaries, and are looking for new solutions.'
The National
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Dutch filmmakers make movie set on two of Scotland's greatest trails
The film – called The North – has been created by the team at Tuesday Studio and follows a pair of old friends as they tackle the West Highland Way and Cape Wrath Trail, which in total cover well over 300 miles. The two routes link up, with the West Highland Way going from Milngavie to Fort William, and the unmarked Cape Wrath Trail going from Fort William up to Cape Wrath – the most north westerly point of Scotland. The Tuesday Studio team filmed back in August last year after director Bart Schrijver hiked most of the route before getting injured in the previous April. READ MORE: Film set during Highland Clearances wows at Cannes Film Festival The fictional story follows the two friends who have not seen each other for a decade as they attempt to reconnect through nature, but challenges crop up along the way which test their friendship and force them to confront hard truths from their past. Speaking exclusively to The National, Schrijver said visiting Scotland had always been an ambition after producing Tuesday Studio's first film in Norway. He said he loved how close to nature the crew and actors were able to get and how the constantly changing conditions and scenery had a huge impact on the film and story. 'Going to Scotland was always a dream,' he said. 'I didn't know anything about the Highlands but I've always thought it would be a nice place to go. One of the magical things for me is you can put your tent almost anywhere. 'The freedom to roam makes it so you can enjoy nature in such a beautiful way where you can just set up your tent in the middle of nowhere and really experience what it's like to be by yourself. 'It's beautiful and what I liked about it was when I was there in April it was such a different trail to when I was there in August. The weather, the surroundings, the colours, are so different in every season and that's very magical.' While Schrijver wrote a script for the film, he said the unpredictability of being out in nature meant they did not always stick to the plan, giving the film a unique authenticity. (Image: Katie Taylor) 'One of the beautiful things about filming this way is we start at the beginning of the trail, that's also the beginning of the film, and we film the whole film chronologically while we go through the landscape. 'That means a lot of stuff changes. If you read the script now and watch the film, a lot of things have changed because during filming the characters grow and we come across locations that are beautiful and we decide to film a scene there, so instead of trying to have a script and execute it exactly as it is, because in nature that's impossible, we incorporate it in the film which I hope it gives it authenticity. 'When the actors are tired, we just walked up a mountain, they're actually tired!' The six-person crew – two actors, one sound recordist, a camera operator, a documentarian and Schrijver – hiked the whole way with backpack weights of up to 33kg, with no fancy hotels or catering services on route, just tents and the elements. The experience brought the team together in ways they hadn't experienced before, Schrijver said. READ MORE: Skerryvore mark 20 years with Floors Castle gig and new music for global fans 'It was so interesting to have this microcosm of people that you have to live with,' he said. 'You are sleeping in tents and you are so dependent on each other. The way you get closer to each other [is amazing]. There was one night that there was so much wind that we almost got blown off the mountain, and one of the tents broke, and one of the actors didn't sleep at all. Those days are the worst but afterwards when we talk about it we can't help but laugh.' Bart Harder (right) and Carles Pulido (left) in The North (Image: Tuesday Studio) Founded in 2021, Tuesday Studio has a central goal of creating independent cinema about nature and the team are pursuing a more unusual way of funding their filming. Instead of going down the classical route of striking a deal with a distributor and getting it into cinemas, the team work with branded partners who can make use of the extensive footage the crew capture to promote their company. As co-founder Arnold Janssen explains: 'We create content for them on the trail, and with that money we can pay for our film. But we get paid nothing. We only focus on getting the film out there. 'If this goes well, we can show independent filmmakers they don't need to be dependent on streamers or film funds if they say no, there is another way. It will be hard, but you can do it.' Tuesday Studio films are now being sold worldwide via the company's website. People will be able to buy The North when it is released on Saturday, May 31, right here.
CNN
10-04-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Justin Rose holds lead after thrilling first round of the Masters
The 89th playing of the Masters got off to a blazing start at Augusta National Golf Club on Thursday, with Englishman Justin Rose ending the day atop of the leaderboard. The first major of the year got started with a ceremonial tee shot from Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson. After that, 95 players began the quest for the iconic green jacket. The 44-year-old Rose put himself in strong position to win his second career major, after posting a career-low 7-under 65 opening round, his fifth time leading the tournament after the first round. Rose, who sits three shots ahead of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Ludvig Åberg, and Corey Conners, had previous success in Augusta, finishing in second in 2015 and 2017. Despite never winning the prized tournament, Rose's confidence has never wavered in his ability to one day get there. 'I feel like I've played well enough to win this tournament,' Rose said after the round. 'I just feel like I don't have the jacket to prove it. … I've obviously played, I've played a lot of good rounds of golf here. Got a lot of crystal, which is obviously always nice. 'But yeah, you know, ultimately, you want to be last man standing on Sunday, and I was a shot shy – I guess Sergio and I in 2017, that was a real 50/50. That could have gone any which way down the stretch. A little bit of Lady Luck here and there is always the difference here at times. 'But I've had my luck on occasion and been a champion. But you've got to be playing the golf to keep creating those opportunities, and obviously the only way to do that is to get your name on the leaderboard. I definitely don't shy away from it.' Scheffler, a two-time Masters champion, came into the tournament the betting favorite and he certainly looked the part. The 28-year-old Scheffler coasted to a bogey-free 68 to sit within striking distance of the lead ahead Friday's second round. Scheffler, who will be hoping to join an exclusive club by winning a third Masters title and has the chance to be the first player to defend his green jacket since Tiger Woods in 2002, said he felt 'pretty good' about his four-under par score. 'I had a feeling the golf course was going to get pretty firm,' Scheffler said. 'The areas to hit your irons out here are pretty small and they get even smaller when the greens are firm, so there's definitely some challenge to the golf course today, and I'm sure that'll continue as the week goes on.' Rose will tee off at 8:52 a.m. ET while Scheffler get going at 1:23 p.m. ET. World No. 2 Rory McIlroy quickly went from looking like a true contender for his maiden green jacket to possibly missing the cut. Through the first 14 holes, the 35-year-old blazed out to a 4-under par, bogey-free round. That was until the last couple holes. McIlroy, who has won twice this season on the PGA Tour including at The Players Championship, took a pair of double bogeys late and settled for a 72 which saw him fall from second place down to 27th on the leaderboard. The Northern Irishman declined to speak to reporters following the round. In his pursuit for a career grand slam, McIlroy will look to rebound on Friday with a 9:58 a.m. ET tee time. It was a nightmare round for two youngsters - American Nick Dunlap and highly-rated Spanish amateur Jose Luis Ballester. The 21-year-old Dunlap, playing in his second career Masters, shot a historic opening round 18-over 90 to find himself in last place on the leaderboard. Dunlap, a two-time winner of the PGA Tour, became the first player under 38 years old to fail to break 90 at the Masters. It's the worst score at the Masters since Ben Crenshaw's 91 back in 2015. Dunlap did not speak to reporters after the round. Life comes at your fast, especially when you are young. For the 21-year-old, Arizona State University senior Ballester, it came at the expense of stuff beyond his actual play. PGA TOUR U No. 4 🤝 World No. 1An opportunity of a lifetime for @SunDevilMGolf senior Jose Luis Ballester @TheMasters. Last year's US Amateur winner Ballester, who played alongside Scheffler and Justin Thomas on Thursday, admitted to going to the bathroom at Rae's Creek at Augusta National. Ballester said he forgot there were bathrooms near the 13th hole tee box and relieved himself in the creek much to the delight of spectators. 'Didn't really know where to go, and since (Justin Thomas) had an issue on the green, I'm like, I'm just going to sneak here in the river and probably people would not see me that much, and then they clapped for me,' Ballester said. 'Probably one of the claps that I really got today real loud, so that was kind of funny.' Ballester added that he had no regrets. 'They saw me. It was not embarrassing at all for me. If I had to do it again, I would do it again,' Ballester said. Dunlap will tee off at 12:50 p.m. ET while Ballester is at 1:23 p.m. ET.
