Welcome to this week’s edition of The MVP Letter, where the world’s headlines are so inspiring, you’ll want to frame them, right next to your “Employee of the Month” certificate from 2008. In the past few days, we’ve seen the DRC try to eliminate HIV in children by 2030 (because who needs small goals?), Indonesia betting on “faith in finance” to save the planet (move over, Bitcoin), and the Philippines trusting women to revive watersheds - since men must be busy elsewhere1. Meanwhile, Spain insists global solidarity is alive, despite development funding cuts that say otherwise1.

On the international drama front, Netanyahu’s corruption trial is back (popcorn, anyone?), while Trump calls it a “witch hunt” and Congress debates whether slashing Medicaid by $800 billion counts as “healthcare innovation”. U.S. airstrikes on Iran apparently failed to “obliterate” anything except credibility, and Israel’s attacks on Gaza continue to redefine the word “safe zone”3. NATO wants to spend 5% of GDP on defense, but Spain says, “We’ll stick with 2% and a side of protests, thanks”3.

So buckle up, because if you thought last week was wild, this one’s already asking for a sequel.

We asked. We listened. We invested €2,000 in Bitcoin and will be tracking Bitcoin vs a portfolio from the defence industry. How is it doing? Our crypto newbee Damian, somehow managed to set up 2 wallets. Which means we will have to wait for next weeks issue to see if Bitcoin will be able to catch up. What’s your bet?

Answer to last week’s question: Roughly 1 in 3 people flush the toilet before using it, even if it’s already clean. A psychological habit tied to perceived hygiene and comfort.

We would be thrilled see your feedback, which you can give by using the poll at the end of this newsletter plus we have a cool free merchandise offer at the end of the newsletter

Based on the many TED talks I have listened to, I asked myself: Why is it interesting to listen to some people, while others put you right off to sleep, even before the main subject is discussed.

After consuming a lot of content from various mediums, I eventually came to the conclusion that a story based delivery of thought is much more effective than simply reciting numbers and facts.

Since then, I have tried storytelling with varying levels of success in the past and it has worked every time.

But I am not writing this to give you ‘gyan’, I am here to tell you a story that happened to me a few weeks ago in Sweden that will truly show the power of storytelling.

I have recently changed to a different employer and was at one of my first client meetings. I was going to / told to follow the usual script that was in place and it was meant to be your “usual-in-and-out-head-to-the-airport-and-take-the-flight-back-home” kind of meeting.

But everything turned out differently!

There was a part of my presentation which was rather raw and technically difficult to explain in the time I had. My initial idea was to dumb it down and create an hypothetical narrative around the concept, but as the meeting went on, it was clear me to that the customer was not interested in blueprints or hypotheticals, they wanted real world results (lesson one: read the room). Clearly the narrative I had prepped was not going to impress the audience. So I decided to pivot to Storytelling (lesson two: improv), and this is how I started:

“There is this really cool solution that I would like to talk about that we implemented for one of our clients. The client had two simple requests …”

The audience, including my colleagues, were staring at me, not looking at what was on the screen. I had their attention and I had to now build on this. This is the point where eye contact is very crucial and I had to draw in my audience, ideally into a discussion so they them themselves become part of the solution. And so, what was intended to be a presentation, became a lively discussion about how we ran the workshops and created result based milestones.

In the meanwhile the numbers and bullet points on the slides were completely ignored. We had connected at a human level. Leaving out the details, these slides, which were supposed to run for 5 mins became the highlight of the presentation.

In a world of specs, features, and endless PowerPoint slides, one skill sets apart the truly influential professionals in technical sales and technology architecture: Storytelling.

Read more…

On this day in 1964, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, perhaps the most important U.S. law on civil rights since Reconstruction (1865–77) and a hallmark of the American civil rights movement.

Tamara Mellon’s name is synonymous with luxury but her success came not from glamour alone, but from grit. As co-founder of Jimmy Choo, she transformed a modest London cobbler into a global fashion empire, using her editorial savvy from British Vogue and an unrelenting drive to bring high-end shoes to the red carpet and boardroom alike.

Behind the scenes, Tamara battled boardroom politics, gender bias, and personal demons including a rocky marriage and recovery from addiction. Yet she emerged stronger, selling her stake in Jimmy Choo for a reported £85 million, only to launch her next bold act: the Tamara Mellon brand, a direct-to-consumer luxury shoe company rewriting the fashion playbook with transparency, innovation, and monthly drops.

Despite a bankruptcy setback in 2015, Mellon relaunched with new investors, proving once again she’s not just a designer she’s a disruptor. Her story is one of reinvention, resilience, and redefining what it means to walk like a woman in business.

Backed by €150 million from Eldridge Industries, German startup Isar Aerospace is advancing Europe's space ambitions. In March, their first rocket test, Spectrum, launched in Norway, lasting 30 seconds before splashing into the sea. CEO Daniel Metzler deemed it a success for achieving liftoff and collecting data, marking the first orbital rocket launch from continental Europe.

🌟 Why It Matters?

Europe has relied on others, but Isar's progress marks a shift towards private European capabilities and orbital autonomy. With a full order book through 2026 and plans extending to 2031, Isar's success addresses global satellite demand and suggests Europe may soon trust its own rockets.

Across Europe in May 2025, electric vehicle sales skyrocketed rising 25%, with battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) capturing over 15% of new car registrations. Hybrid and plug-in variants also surged, tipping Europe’s electrified share to roughly 25%, signaling a profound shift away from ICE.

Yet beneath the boom, one name is missing: Tesla. Its European sales dropped for the fifth straight month, down about 28% in May, while competitors like Skoda, BYD, and Volkswagen surged ahead. In Germany alone, BEVs overtook 18,000 registrations in the month, marking a 45% yoy increase

🌟 Why It Matters?

Europe's EV market has gone mainstream, driven by public policy, affordability, and consumer choice. Tesla's struggles to keep up highlight a shift where price, variety, and local appeal outweigh brand prestige. Traditional European and Chinese manufacturers are thriving, and the title of EV leader is now up for grabs.

Turning Social Engagement into Sales: Why Google Ventures Invested in Nectar Social: because product feedback surfaces instantly, and customer conversations convert into sales

Cities Are Stopping You From Turning Left. Here's Why: 60% of accidents on intersections involve left turns

Amazon prime day deals are starting from 8th of July (affiliate link)

Nasa is bringing live rocket launches and spacewalks on Netflix

OpenAI is developing its own office suite within ChatGPT, aiming to transform it from a smart assistant into a comprehensive digital workspace. This move could challenge giants like Google and Microsoft, despite Microsoft's backing of OpenAI. By offering a single, intelligent tool for tasks like drafting reports and editing slides, OpenAI hopes to redefine the future of work…

🌟 Why It Matters

OpenAI is entering the core workflow software market, a space long defended by Office and Workspace. A successful play here would rewrite the rules of enterprise tech. For businesses and power users, the convenience of editing and collaborating in ChatGPT could outweigh the inertia of legacy systems speeding up adoption dramatically.

Imagine an AI so smart it can tackle the hardest medical cases—better and cheaper than doctors. Microsoft’s newly unveiled MAI Diagnostic Orchestrator (MAI‑DxO) does exactly that. Tested using 304 real-world cases from the New England Journal of Medicine, it achieved a striking 85.5% accuracy compared to the human doctors’ 20% success rate. And it’s not just smart, it’s cost-efficient, reducing testing expenses by around 20%.

What sets MAI‑DxO apart is its “chain-of-debate” model. It combines the strengths of multiple top-tier AI systems OpenAI’s GPT, Google’s Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude, Meta’s LLaMA, and xAI’s Grok to think through diagnostic steps like a panel of specialist doctors

🌟 Why It Matters

While many AI tools nailed medical licensing exams, MAI‑DxO passes the deeper test: sequential reasoning, asking the right questions, ordering tests, iterating diagnoses like a true clinician

With over 50 million health queries daily across Bing, Edge, and Copilot, Microsoft’s AI could help millions get faster, more accurate insights before even seeing a doctor.

If MAI‑DxO scales into clinics, it could save lives, cut cost, and reduce physician burnout all while helping underserved areas

Google announced that over 30 AI-powered tools under Gemini for Education are now free for all Google Workspace for Education users. Based on the Gemini 2.5 Pro model, these tools offer automated lesson plans, interactive diagrams, personalized quizzes, and AI-generated audio/video overviews, integrated into Classroom, Forms, NotebookLM, and Google Vids. A key feature is "Gems": custom AI tutors trained on class-specific content. NotebookLM now supports users under 18, providing interactive study guides and audio recaps. Safeguards include data protection, admin settings, youth filters, AI literacy onboarding, and fact-checking.

🌍 Why It Matters

This isn’t a beta experiment; it’s shaping how millions of teachers plan, teach, and assess daily. By making AI tutors customizable and classroom-based, Google is enhancing teacher-led instruction rather than automating it.

In a bold move, Grammarly has acquired the AI-powered email client Superhuman, valued at around $825 million in 2021 to launch itself from grammar checker to full-blown productivity platform. With over 40 million daily users and $700 million in annual revenue, Grammarly now gains Superhuman’s lightning-quick inbox tools and team, including CEO Rahul Vohra and 100+ employees, while keeping the Superhuman brand alive .

💡 Why it matters

This isn’t just an acquisition; it’s a statement. Email remains the cornerstone of professional workflows. Owning that space gives Grammarly an edge over giants like Microsoft and Google. By combining Superhuman’s speed with Grammarly’s linguistic strengths, it’s positioning itself as a smarter, more seamless AI-first competitor in the productivity landscape.