A World We Dare to Imagine (Part 3/3)

Magia Motor Company Pitch
Just the other day I was sitting in one of the worst traffic jams I have ever been stuck in. You know, one of those post-Trump-election protest jams. I almost left my car there and walked home. But then I got to thinking. Where are all these people around me going? I am a young college kid, I don't really have anything to do right now. But what about all these people who are leaving work and going home to their wives and children? What about them?

The average Angelino spends about 60 hours a week stuck in traffic. And I'm not talking about value added travel time in your car. These are 60 hours a week in plain stopped jam-packed traffic. Think about it. That is more than the average working week. So instead of 52 weeks in a year, you just really have 51 because you spent one just stopped in your car.

But Magia Motors is changing that. Magia is on the frontier of cutting edge hover-car technology. This technology is the combination of a Maglev train and a VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft that allows you to hover over the surface of the earth while controlling your car. It will make traffic obsolete and inexistent. Not only will we have made sci-fi movies a reality, but we plan on taking it into mass production. Using electricity powered batteries and ultra-lightweight materials we estimate this car can be manufactured at the cost equivalent to a luxury midsize sedan.

Not only is investing in Magia investing in the future of the automobile industry, but investing in Magia is also investing in changing the world. Tons of greenhouse gases are emitted from the hours of stopped traffic. Not only will Magia eliminate the traffic, but not emit any gases since it will be powered by our ultra efficient electric engine.

Join us in changing the landscape of this market as we know it and do it while changing the world for better.

A World We Dare to Imagine (Part 1/3)

Marty McFly and Dr. Brown saw plenty of things when they went Back to the Future into 2015. Most of which have now come out of the movie's sense of fiction and into reality. We've seen Nike's self lacing tennis shoes, hundreds of people rolling around on hoverboards, holograms, and drones. However, there was one part of the movie that has yet to become a reality. The one thing that can truly make the world a better place. Exponentially better. Although McFly and Brown rode around in a pimped out Delorean, that car has nothing on the flying cars.

Imagine a world where traffic is obsolete and you can get from point A to point B without having to go on Google Maps, Waze, Apple Maps, or any of the hundreds of variates. What would make the world a better place is making self-driving electricity-powered flying cars. With the development of technology such as remote sensing imagery, radar, and LIDAR, self-driving cars are now a reality. Electricity-powered cars are nothing new. Now we just need to get the flying part down. Magnets? Atom fission? Hydrogen powered lift engines? There are several ways to make this happen. Let's make it happen.

The Blue Sweater (Chapter 9 - 14)

The Blue Sweater (Ch. 9 - 14)

In the second half of the book, Jacqueline Novogratz expands on her story of her experiences in Africa. While spending time in Tanzania, Novogratz is jumped and robbed of most of what she owned while she was there. The significance of this is not the scarring experience that she went through while there, but instead her story of overcoming fear and her unconditional drive to help others. Novogratz returns to Africa after a hiatus to help her friends in Rwanda who suffered in the massive genocide. This was one of the experience that leads Novogratz to start the Acumen Fund. With this fund, she had the opportunity to expand her reach to invest in million dollar companies that had the mission of helping the local community to revamp the area.

Reading The Blue Sweater brought many thoughts to my mind that I had never explored. Coming from a country that suffers from many issues related to social inequality, I see many of the points that Novogratz touches upon. But the problem is more than just the distribution of money and resources as the book relates. Tackling the problem requires innovative ideas and people that are commited to investing in creative solutions. The Acumen Fund is an example that should be followed on social investing and hopefully inspires others to follow.

The Blue Sweater (Chapters 1-8)

The Blue Sweater (Ch. 1-8)

The most interesting part of the book so far to me is when Jacqueline Novogratz tells the story of her visit to Rio de Janeiro. As a Brazilian myself I used to see things similar to what she was talking about every single day. Not only in Brazil, but in most parts of the world, helping others out is many times seen as taboo as Novogratz tells us. Helping those who are less fortunate than yourself sometimes confuses people because many believe that selfishness is simply part of the human condition. Ultimately, that is what Novogratz challenges in the book.

The experience that the author tells us about her experience in Africa and noticing that she wanted to make a difference. However, as she tells us, making a difference wasn't simply about throwing money at the problem to see it hopefully solve itself. Novogratz knew that to make a lasting difference she needed to change the system.

What I like about Novogratz's strategy is that she teaches the woman how to solve the problem and run their businesses and programs. With her own experience, she teaches them, which not only empowers them, but works towards a sustainable solution. The author then tells us that she loves doing this and thinks she is making a meaningful and lasting impact on this community. She also wants to take this to a more global level and does so.

Rangers Revamped

As a kid born in the 90's, there are so many iconic shows that are hallmarks of my childhood. Spongebob, Powerpuff Girls, Johnny Bravo. And of course, Power Rangers. I was absolutely obsessed with the Power Rangers. In fact, it was my lifelong goal to become one. The classic version featured a somewhat anime style of film. Now the show is being brought to life with a complete Hollywood makeover. 

I don't know if I should be happy or sad to see this show that I loved so much turned into a high quality film. Much like other classic cartoons turned blockbuster movies, such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, these movies are targeting the people who used to watch these shows as children. The classic cartoons just have a magic to them that cannot be put on screen when you have high quality computer graphics. If you have watched the old Star Wars movies and the new ones, you know what I'm talking about. 

With that being said, I'll be the first to buy a ticket to see this movie. Who doesn't like superhero movies?

Expert Article

Billion-Dollar Bloodbath

A deep-dive into the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship

In a dimly lit room, people sit staring to the bright cage in the middle. Inside, the opponents are chirping at each other from opposite corners. The audience yells and is putting down bets on which one of these animals they think is going to win. You’re probably asking yourself, is this article really about cockfighting? Almost. 

Cage fighting has long been seen as a platform for savagery and deathly matches. No one ever thought this could become a billion-dollar industry that now competes with major league sports in the United States. The Ultimate Fighting Championship, or UFC, has come a long way from the all-out, no rules, barbaric fighting establishment it once was. Today, it is indisputably the largest promotion for professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighting. But since its turbulent inception, the UFC has fended off its fair share of adversity to reach the top of the MMA kingdom.

Humble Beginnings

As with any business, the UFC has always been about making money. It needs capital to survive and can only be sustained if it sells. But the originator of the idea had a deeper purpose as well. Rorion Gracie, largely considered a pioneer of MMA, had the idea to globalize the sport and make it well known. And with the financial backing of several financial partners, the UFC was born (Segal).

Unfortunately, neither of the founders were able to see their dreams come to fruition. The organization never took off under Gracie and his partners. The strategy was doomed from the start. They built a “reputation for unchecked aggression” (Segal) and were condemned for it. The sport would never be popular when marketed as an “everything goes” or “fight to the death” event. The UFC was at the brink of irrelevance. They were losing money quickly and had no strategies for growth. In fighting terms, you could say Gracie and his partners were about to tap out.

Enter Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta. The brothers grew up in Las Vegas in a family known for their casino chain, Station Casinos. Growing up in the fight capital of the world, both were instilled with a love for boxing at a young age. The avid investors wanted to enter the fighting business and saw the UFC as the perfect opportunity. They bought the company for pennies on the dollar at a sum of $2 million. It would be a challenge to grow this company after the very tarnished reputation it had already built. The brothers created Zuffa, a company to run the UFC. Zuffa, the Italian word for “fight,” was quite fitting coming from a classic Italian family and also for the struggles they would face ahead.

Early Struggles

Much like the initial version of the organization, the UFC was not successful out of the gates. The first issue was the branding the organization had created before the sale. The three letters by which the promotion was known were synonymous to a dangerous style of fighting with no rules. Imagine Fight Club and a bloodied up Brad Pitt in a fight to the death. This was not the image that the Fertitta’s wanted their company associated with. The company underwent an immense amount of re-branding and re-structuring efforts in order to align itself with an image more similar to what American major league sports boast; a regulated, televised, and star-studded competition.

In the first couple of years, the Fertitta’s lost nearly $10 million a year (Merced). Not enough people were tuning in to watch the fights. Then there was the broadcasting fiasco that the Fertitta’s remember to this day. The Pay-Per-View event was running long and they had not bought enough broadcasting time in order to finish the event. Fans watching on TV were stopped in their tracks when the the event cut out in the middle of the main event. The UFC rebounded by starting The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). TUF is a competition that recruits top mixed martial artists from across the globe to compete for a contract with the promotion. The competition was an instant success with fans globally.

It wasn’t all uphill from there however. The UFC was also on the tail-end from much scrutiny due to health concerns of their fighters. Much like boxing and football – both contact heavy sports – head trauma was a concern. Being such a new sport, the true effects of MMA and its activities in the UFC are yet to be fully documented. Nevertheless, UFC president Dana White claims “this thing is safe,” adding that “there’s never been a death or serious injury in the 20-year history of UFC” (Wall Street Journal).

The Boom

After the UFC turned their performance around they have seen a fast rise in popularity. It is now the fastest growing sport in the world and has built a hardcore fan base. The promotion estimates that 30 to 40 million people tune in to watch their biggest pay-per-view events. For reference, that blows away the audience for any of the 2015 N.B.A. finals (Segal). A lot of the success of the company can be attributed to superstars that they have created. Connor McGregor and Ronda Rousey – two of the most popular in the UFC – have become household names across the globe. These two have seen a meteoric rise in fame and draw an immense amount of attention to the company. Even those who are not fans of combat sports now want to tune in to watch their fights.

Recently, the UFC was acquired by WME-IMG for approximately $4 billion. WME-IMG is a talent agency lead by Patrick Whitesell and Ari Emanuel, a close friend of the Fertitta family. The private equity funds involved in the deal were KKR, Silverlake, and MSD Capital (Merced). The sale represents a return of approximately $800 million for each of the brothers who took the brand to the next level (Kirsch).

After the sale, the UFC caught even more attention. No one can deny that it has become a powerhouse in the sports industry, no matter what way you cut it. The small company that started with a Brazilian dream is now a global behemoth. Even though Gracie was not the one to do it, his dream still became reality.   

For your viewing pleasure... Here is my favorite knockout in the UFC. A spinning back kick by Uriah Hall on season 17 of The Ultimate Fighter (WARNING: Very violent content).

References:

Kirsch, Noah. “The Fertitta Brothers Just Made 2,000x Their Initial Investment in UFC.” Forbes. Forbes, 11 July 2016. Web. 18 Sept. 2016

Merced, Michael J. De La. "U.F.C. Sells Itself for $4 Billion." The New York Times. The New York Times, 10 July 2016. Web. 18 Sept. 2016.

Segal, David. "Fighting a Cage Match to Turn UFC Into a National Phenomenon." The New York Times. The New York Times, 26 March 2016. Web. 18 Sept. 2016.

"UFC is Facing its Ultimate Fight." Wall Street Journal. 11 Nov 2010. ProQuest. 18 Sept. 2016

This Book is Growing on Me: Part 2

A brief review of Growing a Farmer by Kurt Timmermeister.

This book starts getting more interesting during the second half as Kurt Timmermeister has already established himself as a farmer. Shifting away from describing his struggles he now moves into describing a section of his food endeavors in each chapter. Timmermeister focuses on the production of cheese, which is his area of expertise, but also describes growing vegetables and caring for pigs.

As opposed to the first section of the book that somewhat bored me for its monotony, the second half was more intriguing. Even though there was less drama during this section, the descriptions of each section of farming seem more true to what the book should be about. These sections are more specific to the farming itself and what Kurt learned. Thus, these sections work as a way of learning about the industry and not only learning about Kurt's life.

Billion-Dollar Bloodbath

A deep-dive into the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship

In a dimly lit room, people sit staring to the bright cage in the middle. Inside, the opponents are chirping at each other from opposite corners. The audience yells and is putting down bets on which one of these animals they think is going to win. You’re probably asking yourself, is this article really about cockfighting? Almost. 

Cage fighting has long been seen as a platform for savagery and deathly matches. No one ever thought this could become a billion-dollar industry that now competes with major league sports in the United States. The Ultimate Fighting Championship, or UFC, has come a long way from the all-out, no rules, barbaric fighting establishment it once was. Today, it is indisputably the largest promotion for professional MMA fighting. But since its turbulent inception, the UFC has fended off its fair share of adversity to reach the top of the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) kingdom.

Humble Beginnings

As with any business, the UFC has always been about making money. It needs capital to survive and can only be sustained if it sells. But the originator of the idea had a deeper purpose as well. Rorion Gracie, largely considered a pioneer of MMA, had the idea to globalize the sport and make it well known. With the financial backing of several financial partners, the UFC was born (Segal 2016).

The Gracie’s are to mixed martial arts as the Kennedy’s are to American politics. A family so deeply rooted into the sport you cannot speak about its history without a mention to them. The family is Brazilian royalty. They are known for the creation of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a common spin on the classic Japanese sport of Jiu-Jitsu and one of the most common modalities of MMA. Today, you can find a Gracie gym in every continent, and in most major cities across the United States. But before the sport became mainstream, that was only a dream for Rorion.

Unfortunately, neither of the founders were able to see their dreams come to fruition. The organization never took off under Gracie and his partners. The strategy was doomed from the start. They built a “reputation for unchecked aggression” (Segal 2016) and were condemned for it. The sport would never be popular when marketed as an “everything goes” or “fight to the death” event. The UFC was at the brink of irrelevance. They were losing money quickly and had no strategies for growth. In fighting terms, you could say Gracie and Meyrowitz were about to tap out.

Enter Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta. The brothers, born seven years apart, grew up in Las Vegas in a family known for their casino chain, Station Casinos. Growing up in the fight capital of the world, both were instilled with a love for boxing at a young age. The avid investors wanted to enter the fighting business and saw the UFC as the perfect opportunity. They bought the company for pennies on the dollar at a sum of 2 million. It would be a challenge to grow this company after the very tarnished reputation it had already built. The brothers created Zuffa, a company to run the UFC. Zuffa, the Italian word for “fight” was quite fitting coming from a classic Italian family and also for the struggles they would face ahead.

Early Struggles

Much like the initial version of the organization, the UFC was not successful out of the gates under its new management. The first issue was the branding the organization had created before the sale. The three letters by which the promotion was known were synonymous to a dangerous style of fighting with no rules. Imagine Fight Club and bloodied up Brad Pitt in a fight to the death. This was not the imagine that the Fertitta’s saw when they imagined their company. The company underwent an immense amount of re-branding and re-structuring efforts in order to align itself with an image more similar to what American major league sports boast; a regulated, entertaining, and star-studded competition.

In the first couple of years, the Fertitta’s lost nearly $10 million a year (New York Times, March 2016). Not enough people were tuning in to watch the fights. Then there was the broadcasting fiasco that the Fertitta’s remember to this day. The Pay-Per-View event was running long and they had not bought enough broadcasting time in order to finish the event. Fans watching on TV were stopped in their tracks when the the event cut out in the middle of the main event. The UFC rebounded from this by starting The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). TUF is a competition that recruits top mixed martial artists from across the globe to compete for a contract with the promotion. The competition was an instant success with fans globally.

It wasn’t all uphill from there however. The UFC was also on the tail-end from much scrutiny due to health concerns of their fighters. Much like boxing and football, this is a heavy contact sport. This brings much concern to the dangers of head trauma. Being such a new sport, the true effects of MMA and its activities in the UFC are yet to be fully documented. Nevertheless, UFC president Dana White claims “this thing is safe,” adding that “there’s never been a death or serious injury in the 20-year history of UFC” (Wall Street Journal 2010).

In addition to the health concerns, The Championship also had to battle with lawmakers to fully legalize the sport in the United States. Stemming from its barbaric roots, New York lawmakers were weary about legalizing this sport in their state. However, the UFC was recently able to overcome that adversity and is now allowed to operate in all 50 states.

The Boom

After the UFC turned their performance around they have seen a fast rise in popularity. It is now the fastest growing sport in the world and has built a hardcore fan base all around the world. The promotion estimates that 30 to 40 million people tune in to watch their biggest pay-per-view events. For reference, that blows away the audience for any of the 2015 N.B.A. finals (Segal 2016). A lot of the success of the company can be attributed to superstars that they have created. Connor McGregor and Ronda Rousey are only two of the athletes that are employed by the UFC and have become household names across the world. These two have seen a meteoric rise in fame and draw an immense amount of attention to the company. Even those who are not fans of combat sports now want to tune in just because they have seen their faces so much in the media.

Recently, the UFC sold itself for approximately $4 billion to WME-IMG and a handful of private equity funds. WME-IMG is a talent agency lead by Patrick Whitesell and Ari Emanuel, a close friend of the Fertitta family. The private equity funds involved in the deal were KKR, Silverlake, and MSD Capital (Merced 2016). The sale represents a return of approximately $800 million for each of the brothers who took the brand to the next level (Kirsch 2016). Even though the company underwent a successful sale, the new management will have to face some of the similar struggles Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta faced. The first challenge; facing the scrutiny of antitrust regulators. The company has already been a target of an investigation for abuse of monopoly power in the industry (The Economist 2011).

Nonetheless, the UFC remains a powerhouse in the sports industry no matter what way you cut it. The small company that started with a Brazilian dream is now a global behemoth. Even though Gracie was not the one to do it, his dream still became reality. The UFC has made the sport of MMA a household name across the globe.