Butter Yellow Is The Color Of The Summer

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Time for my favorite part of the week, ICYMI!!!

ICYMI ⋆˚✿˖°

BONJOURNO from my favorite place in Italy—Tuscany.

I knew I was falling deeply in love with Lucky #3 here last year in a little seaside town called Porto Ercole, so it felt full circle to return for our second year in a row to witness another beautiful love: watching Nudestix’s very own princess, Taylor Frankel, marry the love of her life, Adam Cohen.

I love weddings, but especially the kind where you can feel the couple is doing it for the marriage, not just the wedding. Every detail of Taylor’s day felt so her, like that clip I put out that went viral about what a wedding should really be about and what it’s turned into thanks to the creator economy in the latest podcast episode.

I’ve only been here four days and have already eaten my weight in gluten-free pasta and gelato and I’m not mad about it. I kind of forgot how good the gluten-free food is in Italy (very counterintuitive). That said, this leg of the trip has been all about balance. We’ve been doing a much better job of taking care of ourselves: sleeping 8–10 hours a night, steering clear of the midday sun (11–5pm is a no-go), squeezing in hotel room workouts with my favorite program, and playing lots of tennis. A little indulgence, a little wellness, la dolce vita, done right.

PS. if you’re like one of the 10 HSR angels who have messaged me about honeymoon tips and are torn between Greece and Italy…don’t hate me for it, but I’m firmly team Italy.

Returns are killing your margins—and Frate is flipping the script. Built exclusively for Shopify brands, Frate transforms returns from a cost center into a growth driver. With instant and one-click exchanges, AI-powered fraud detection, and peer-to-peer returns, they’re making returns not just easier—but profitable. Trusted by brands like Caraway and Monos, one client even cut refunds by 21%, saving $900K. If you’re scaling a brand, this is your sign to take returns seriously. Frate is offering Hot Smart Rich readers exclusive perks and white glove service, just tell them we sent you.

Last week on Hot Smart Rich, I reshared Natalie Holloway’s episode after spending time with her in the Hamptons the week before! She shared so many amazing lessons for founders in their early building phases, plus how she juggled being a mom to three kids, all under four!!!

This week my friend Aishwarya Iyer, founder of Brightland, is on Hot Smart Rich! She talks about how her business has exploded and found success by emulating Ralph Lauren. But maybe more importantly, she talks for the first time about the drama that got her and her brand in the NY Times and about her untraditional journey to motherhood and how it’s changed everything. Make sure you’re subscribed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube so you don’t miss it!

♡ ICYMI, there has been a lot of controversy the last few weeks surrounding Waterboy’s influencer x community brand trip to Tulum after their new social media manager was criticized for blurring the lines between personal vlogging and brand messaging. This past week the founder, Mike Xhaxho, posted a 7 minute response video that I loved. I think the whole thing was kind of genius. Waterboy has managed to gain real traction against giants like Liquid IV and buzzy newcomers like LMNT—all on a fraction of the budget by knowing exactly who they are and speaking directly to their people: Gen Z. The same people who idolize Alix Earle and her high-gloss chaos, Waterboy’s meme-heavy TikTok strategy isn’t just noise—it’s culture.

♡ Even celebrity-fueled brands are jumping on this new marketing trend. Calling your top customers. I first spotted it on Prime Bites Protein Treats, whose video went viral. and just days later, BelliWelli—known for its Walmart parodies and celebrity prank content—followed suit on TikTok. Turns out, a phone call to your top customer still hits different, even in 2025.

♡ VC’s are crazy about sperm. Sperm racing, sperm freezing, sperm mobility, sperm longevity, investors can’t get enough, which means we’re especially thrilled about our latest HSR Ventures investment which also focuses on male fertility. And we’re not alone: Bloomberg just reported that the global male infertility market is now worth $4 billion annually.

♡ Once your sperm checks out, brace yourself. The old idea? First kid = expensive. Next few = relatively cheap. The reality? Modern capitalism broke that ^. Childcare, housing, healthcare, extracurriculars, it all scales up, not down. So yes, your sperm might be viable. Your bank account? Maybe not so much.

♡ It’s a game of cat and mouse with VC’s and Fashion Tech startups. After ignoring Fashion Tech for years, with the rise of ai, Silicon Valley is hot on the next gen of startups that are changing how products are made, sold and shared. As with most things, they prefer founders with tech chops, but I’m confident Kristine Locker is still the next Melanie Perkins.

♡ After winning Coachella with a branded car experience, Kosas isn’t reinventing the wheel to win summer. They just launched an exclusive Kosas pink duffy boat stocked with comfy glam, gifts and of course their iconic dreambeam sunscreen for rides from Newport Beach. Aside from loving this, I just think it’s so great to see brands win without reinventing the wheel.

♡ Can you raise money for your startup if it isn’t aAInative? Of course, but it is becoming a whole lot harder. According to new data from PitchBook, AI startups pulled in a staggering 53% of all global VC funding in the first half of 2025. In the U.S., that figure jumps to 64%. Translation? If you’re not building with AI baked in, raising capital just got a lot harder.

♡ Want to raise money as a creator? Megan Lightcap from Slow Ventures outlines exactly what they’re looking for when they invest millions into a creator.

♡ It’s never been a better time to build a media brand (as pretty much everyone is trying to do in some shape or another) because there was an acquisition made last week from Mr. Moritz who made billions off of Google and Paypal who is now betting on news after acquiring Charter, a newsletter with only 100K subscribers.

♡ the brands, people, places, things that have captured my attention ♡

♡ Women’s Health & Beauty ♡

♡ Media, Entertainment & Creator ♡

♡ E-Commerce, Retail & Social ♡

♡ Tech, Business, & Investing ♡

In a summer dominated by gingham, fisherman-core, and Olympic-level padle mania, a new cultural obsession has quietly slipped back into the zeitgeist: tennis. But it’s not just a sport. It’s a marketing strategy.

From Zara’s new “Tennis Club” collection to Louis Vuitton’s Wimbledon-themed launches, tennis-core has officially entered its luxury brand era, and marketers are taking notes.

This isn’t your country club’s tennis tournament. In 2025, brands aren’t just running ad campaigns, they’re creating full-blown clubhouses. It’s experiential marketing that invites you to belong before you even buy.

Brands like Lululemon, Refy, Louis Vuitton, Zara, and Garnier have all recently launched tennis-themed content, collections, and club-style events. Many timed their drops to align with Wimbledon, capitalizing on the cultural moment.