Founder teams anxiously wait for the leaderboard to update at 9 a.m. at a reality-style incubator in rural Pennsylvania.
Truman Dickerson
There was only one thing on the minds of the founders at this reality-show-style startup incubator.
It wasn't sex.
Founder teams had two weeks to become profitable, and potent social media was paramount.
At 9 p.m. on a recent Friday night, Max Harding had just returned from a barefoot run in the woods.
The eccentric 20-year-old Californian was back in a large barn in rural Pennsylvania — still barefoot — alternatively working on his startup and asking me about the point of life.
Though not an especially adept programmer, Harding possesses a more adroit, perhaps unteachable skill that has never been more valuable in the current landscape of founder culture.
"Max captures the attention of the camera, keeps us center stage," said his cofounder, Skyler Ji, who added that Harding's role includes "spreading our philosophy" while he runs the operation behind the scenes.
"Max brings some of the grander things," Ji told me. The pair's startup, Hivemind Research, aims to build "digital brains" in the form of social media.
Harding and Ji were among 66 mostly young, mostly imaginativestartup founders taking part in a two-week "incubator" workshop called Launchpad.
The novel event was hosted by Stan, the company behind a moderately successful platform for independent creators to advertise and sell their services. At the last meetup Stan organized, startup founders jet-skied the East River at golden hour.
At the incubator event, the entirety of which was filmed for use in a reality show that Stan plans to release sometime soon (though it is uploading Instagram clips daily), magnetic personalities were among the most valuable commodities.
Max Harding (left) with his startup team at the launchpad event.
Max Harding
Stan cofounder Vitalii Dodonov told me that the 30 participating teams were chosen from a pool of 700 applicants, primarily for their existing social media followings and their ability to grow them.
"It's not the building that gets you to revenue, it's the distribution," he said of today's startup culture.
Of the many metrics competing teams were required to meet daily (10 sales calls, for example), social media videos were among the most heavily weighted.
Everywhere I looked, people were talking about their companies into phones attached to tripods. Their products ran the gamut of usefulness — ranging from an AI facial scanner that tracks acne to an AI app that connects parents with babysitters.
Startup founders film social media content while having dinner.
Truman Dickerson
Dodonov and John Hu, Stan's other cofounder, were trailed at all times by multi-person film crews, who glared should you emit an ill-timed sound while the cameras rolled. (The Velcro rip of my messenger bag earned me some leers.)
Even outfits were choreographed. On the advice of the camera crews, Hu wore a "cream" colored getup while Dodonov donned a "charcoal" number to emphasize what was described to me as the "yin and yang" paradigm between the two.
I spent about 16 cumulative hours at the event over two days earlier this month, at Stan's invitation. I ate meals with the founders, did a 7:30 a.m. cold plunge in the on-site lake alongside a Danish guy selling an AI to-do list, and commiserated with the startup founders who routinely pulled all-nighters to hit their metrics.
Yours truly, soon before jumping into a freezing lake at 7:30 a.m. The visible mist is fog, not steam, in case you're wondering.
Truman Dickerson
Here's what I learned from the experience.
Reality TV meets hackathon
The event was billed as a sort of reality-TV-style game show-slash-incubator in the vein of hits like "Love Island" and "Squid Game."
As in those shows, founder teams at Launchpad were subject to firepit eliminations, discreet alliances, and competitive drama under the ever-watchful lenses of dozens of expensive cameras.
Except instead of a bunch of promiscuous co-eds doing risque challenges on a tropical island somewhere, contestants at Launchpad were mostly tech geeks with an unhealthy number of hours notched building software on their MacBooks.
"There's no sex," laughed Jacob Snarr, a 24-year-old from Philadelphia. "Nobody here is thinking about that."
Snarr and his cofounder, RJ McLaughlin, built a web browser game that lets friends debate their tastes and preferences, from their favorite foods to other everyday questions. The pair enlisted me as a product tester one morning, and we debated the merits of empanadas in the chilly barn.
McLaughlin and Snarr were in second place on the leaderboard when I talked to them on Saturday morning — saving them from elimination.
Rey Mendoza, who at 41 was one of the oldest founders in the competition, had already been eliminated. When I spoke with him, he was fighting for a chance at redemption. He showed me his sleep tracker for the six days. He hadn't slept more than six hours a night.
Stan cofounder John Hu explains marketing to Rey Mendoza during a closed-door meeting.
Truman Dickerson
"Here, you're just fucking building, like 24/7," Mendoza, fatigued, said reverently.
Event organizers added a number of less-intense, more fun-oriented events to the schedule, which were largely ignored by teams scrambling to upload more videos to social media.
A "Mario Kart" meetup in a room adjoining the cafeteria was attended by precisely nobody. Two TVs showed the game's start screen, while maybe a dozen people sat at tables squinting at laptops.
It's hard to imagine binge-watching some 60 sweatshirt-clad nerds drearily prompting chatbots to refine source code for yet another quirky AI startup. After all, everyone and their cousin is vibe coding their way into progressively nicher business models these days.
In 2025, a record number of business applications — about 5.7 million — were submitted by Americans, according to census data. However, the number of businesses the government estimates will be successful enough to require employees actually declined.
Those kinds of numbers mean it takes more to stand out. In our interview, Hu pointed at my phone and said I could use AI tools to start three or four businesses today — but, of course, they likely wouldn't be profitable.
That, Hu said, is where the founders' personalities are supposed to come in, together with a bit of manufactured drama and endless streams of social media content.
In the first challenge of the event, held on the first day, for example, teams were required to submit one social media video for public review around the firepit. Then, in front of everyone, Hu tore into them.
"I was very honest," he said of one particular "roast" that produced tears from the submitters. "I was like, 'Guys, would anyone ever watch this? No. The answer is no, because of the quality — you never have a shot."
The moment wouldcertainly make for good television. It also, Hu told me, mimicked the real-life struggle inherent in starting a company in a saturated market.
"They're going through the true ups and downs of a true cofounder relationship and a startup experience," he said of the team that was subjected to his roast, who were initially so dejected they discussed "breaking up."
Overall, most of the teams I talked to said they enjoyed the ramshackle experience of trying to make a company profitable in two weeks. At the very least, it was all happening in a picturesque setting.
Vitalii Dodonov poses at the retreat spot.
Truman Dickerson
A $3 million investment
Stan spared no expense to pull off the event.
It was held at a luxury, 400-acre villa two hours north of New York City that has in the past hosted retreats for high-flying companies like J.P. Morgan,whose executives, according to one staff member at the retreat at least, are keen for employees to embrace buzzwords like "team-building" and "company culture" among the illusion of rustic calm far from Manhattan.
We were in the sticks of eastern Pennsylvania — so deep in the woods, in fact, that cell service was nonexistent. There was fiber-optic internet, however, and the setting, though far-flung, could hardly be called rustic.
A squadron of golf carts staffed by the venue's seasonal workforce, many of whom were from Ireland or Australia, patrolled the grounds.
I was personally given the cellphone number of one such seasonal worker and encouraged to notify her anytime I wanted to go anywhere, at which point she would materialize with the golf cart.
Dodonov told me that Stan spent a combined $3 million renting the place for two weeks, booking camera crews, and making other necessary arrangements to host the founders, some of whom had traveled from as far away as Spain and Denmark.
For a company whose cofounder told Business Insider this year that it has an annual recurring revenue of "nearly $41 million," that's a significant sum.
"It's a very expensive experiment," Dodonov said. He said that, in his view, the return on investment is to see if "the playbook works" — the playbook being his and Hu's belief that building a successful company requires, perhaps above all, promoting yourself on social media.
"Anyone can systematically establish and build support through the power of content," Dodonov said.
A TV Brasil apresenta a última edição inédita do reality show Duelo de Guitarras com um panorama sobre a trajetória do ganhador Pedro Hills durante a competição musical neste sábado (17), às 13h30. Com estilo próprio, parecendo um viajante no tempo, o artista performou no programa como um roqueiro clássico.
Fluente nos ritmos das décadas de 1970 e 1980, o guitarrista teve um desempenho vitorioso na atração exibida pelo canal público e mereceu a conquista da disputa que é celebrada nesse especial dedicado a sua jornada na produção.
O programa temático que encerra a sequência do reality show musical recorda os desafios encarados por Pedro Hills. O programa acompanha o desenvolvimento do campeão no embate com outros guitarristas no decorrer da competição em diferentes gêneros musicais com performances brilhantes na avaliação dos jurados Navalha Carrera e João Gaspar.
Pedro Hills encarou Roger Oliveira logo na primeira batalha do programa no estilo rock clássico. O folk e o sertanejo embalaram a disputa com André Sampaio na segunda rodada da fase classificatória do programa.
Sobre a estratégia, Pedro Hills considera sempre o inesperado. "Você planeja algumas coisas, mas, de repente, na hora, tem que modificar a estratégia por causa da dificuldade aleatória. Não estava preparado para esse desafio, mas eu tive que criar alternativas", destaca Pedro Hills sobre o ritmo sertanejo.
"Eu me inspirei bastante nas questões do banjo, por mais que eu estivesse na guitarra. Com menos duas cordas é a mesma coisa que dirigir um carro sem a primeira e a segunda marcha. Você tem que arrancar de terceira. Eu fiquei surpreso com o que eu consegui desenvolver ali na hora", completa o artista.
O programa foi liderado por Pedro Hills na etapa inicial com 69 pontos. Na vice-liderança, Lucas Mosca obteve 67,5. Na sequência, o reality trouxe Lui Rabello com 62,5 e Roger Oliveira com 61,5. O experiente André Sampaio, com 58,5 pontos, e a guitarrista Gabi Terra, com 57,5, deixaram o confronto, mas permaneceram na casa para apoiar os colegas.
"Estou feliz novamente em ter essa segunda chance e dialogar com as guitarras", pontua Pedro Hills sobre a classificação para as semifinais. O participante voltou a enfrentar o amigo Roger Oliveira. A dupla que realizou o primeiro desafio da produção Duelo de Guitarras definiu uma vaga na final. Cada um escolheu um ritmo para mostrar que merecia estar na decisão do reality.
O reencontro dos guitarristas no palco da atração foi emocionante. Pedro Hills e Roger Oliveira ganham mentoria direta e individual com os jurados Navalha Carrera e João Gaspar. Os concorrentes solaram em dois ritmos escolhidos por eles mesmos.
Para a performance da disputa, Pedro Hills optou pelo blues. "Escolhi pela afinidade. É um privilégio ter a mentoria, um momento só nosso com o João e a Navalha", comenta o candidato pela oportunidade da mentoria exclusiva. Já Roger Oliveira decidiu propor bossa e jazz
O vencedor da primeira fase do reality show gostou do seu desempenho no duelo decisivo das semifinais do programa. "Só penso em botar a energia pra fora no momento. É coração. Fiquei feliz com o que consegui entregar", pondera.
Na decisão contra Lucas Moscardini pelo título da competição de melhor guitarrista no primeiro reality da televisão brasileira dedicado ao instrumento, Pedro Hills e o adversário deveriam escolher gêneros que eles ainda não tocaram durante a produção.
Pedro decidiu incluir o xote e o baião no duelo decisivo, enquanto Mosca optou pelo rock clássico. Uma surpresa: os finalistas vão precisar tocar com o tom diferente das bases utilizadas pelos concorrentes no decorrer do reality. Os guitarristas tiveram pouco tempo para criar seus solos e vão ter que se superar.
Antes da disputa, Pedro Hills e Lucas Moscardini comentaram o convívio e a expectativa para a prova decisiva. "Espero levar com a maior naturalidade possível, apesar de ser um momento tenso. Estou muito feliz de tocar com o Mosca. Gostei bastante dele como pessoa e guitarrista. As palavras que me definem agora são felicidade e gratidão", opina Pedro.
A alteração de tom para a final surpreendeu os concorrentes. "A gente escutou muito essas bases para estudar. Nós imaginamos soluções para determinadas bases. Agora, vamos ter que desconstruir e tentar usar o novo tom. O desafio foi transpor algumas ideias que estava na cabeça e utilizar outros artifícios para superar a situação", explica.
Sobre o programa
Formado por 16 episódios, o reality show musical Duelo de Guitarras promove disputas entre seis artistas que tocam estilos diversos em busca da premiação na guitarra elétrica. O novo formato foi criado pelo produtor Julio Carvana com o diretor Marcio Vianna, que assina o roteiro. O programa inédito na telinha é conduzido pelo apresentador Dimi, guitarrista e entusiasta do instrumento.
No papel dos jurados, a produção convidou duas figuras com grande destaque no cenário brasileiro, virtuoses na guitarra com grande domínio dos estilos musicais e muito conhecimento sobre a história de cada ritmo: Navalha Carrera e João Gaspar. Eles atuam como mentores dos seis participantes.
O primeiro critério considerado pelos jurados é a técnica e a precisão, com valor de 5 e 10 pontos. Depois, eles também avaliam a emoção e a criatividade com a mesma pontuação. Durante o programa, os competidores comentam as apresentações dos colegas e manifestam suas impressões. Os próprios participantes também analisam seu desempenho no palco.
Concorrentes
Pedro Hills - Roqueiro clássico, fã dos grupos da década de 1960 e 1970, participa de uma banda com o irmão.
Roger Oliveira - Carioca do subúrbio, começou tocando na Igreja e mostra versatilidade nos ritmos.
Gabi Terra - Capixaba que tem um trabalho autoral forte, com sonoridades experimentais.
André Sampaio - Ex-guitarrista da consagrada banda Ponto de Equilíbrio, experiente em ritmos africanos e não convencionais.
Lui Rabello - Baiana foi integrante por 16 anos da Banda Altas Horas, do programa homônimo e, com isso, ganhou muita agilidade para improvisar e encontrar sua expressão em qualquer ritmo.
Lucas Moscardini - Metaleiro moderno, capaz de executar centenas de notas precisas por segundo e de tirar muita emoção da guitarra.
Dinâmica da atração
O sexteto convive numa casa equipada com um estúdio de gravação e com áreas para conversar, ensaiar e criar. Os guitarristas participam de uma vivência artística com direito a workshops ministrados por experientes profissionais.
Durante todo o processo, os guitarristas eliminados seguem na casa e no convívio diário de atividades para apoiar os finalistas, torcer pelos colegas e mostrar também o seu talento em jams e ensaios descontraídos.
Muito mais que uma competição, Duelo de Guitarras é um reality inovador em que o aprendizado e a criação artística convidam o público a conhecer mais sobre os ritmos e sobre o instrumento, além de poder acompanhar os músicos cheios de personalidade e talento. De acordo com o apresentador Dimi, "essa é uma competição onde um guitarrista vence, mas ninguém sai perdendo".
Os artistas têm tempo livre durante as gravações e, entre outras convivências, decidiram reformar uma guitarra antiga que estava na casa apenas como objeto cenográfico, revelando também essa competência. As ações foram gravadas e entraram na edição do programa.
Os competidores puderam, um de cada vez, tocar com o veterano Victor Biglione na sua visita ao reality. O resultado foi um dia de solos que passam por todos os ritmos abordados na temporada, com muita emoção compartilhada pelo sexteto.
Para trazer mais diversão e transformar o reality num jogo lúdico, diversas dificuldades aleatórias são sorteadas pelos participantes, tirando cada um deles da sua zona de conforto e convidando-os a mergulhar no universo do improviso. Entre as surpresas do jogo estão desafios como executar o solo sem uma palheta ou apenas com parte das cordas da guitarra, por exemplo.
O resultado é uma viagem musical com muito aprendizado para quem participa e também para quem assiste, porque são apresentadas, numa linguagem simples e popular, as nuances do instrumento e os caminhos da criação artística.
Conteúdo independente
O reality show Duelo de Guitarras ganha exibição semanal inédita na programação da TV Brasil desde o início de julho. O programa foi realizado por meio do Prodav. A emissora pública é um dos canais que mais apresenta produções independentes nacionais. Além de ser uma grande apoiadora das obras dessa natureza no mercado audiovisual do país, a TV Brasil ainda fomenta novos realizadores.
Ao vivo e on demand
Acompanhe a programação da TV Brasil pelo canal aberto, TV por assinatura e parabólica. Sintonize: https://tvbrasil.ebc.com.br/comosintonizar.
Seus programas favoritos estão no TV Brasil Play, pelo site http://tvbrasilplay.com.br ou por aplicativo no smartphone. O app pode ser baixado gratuitamente e está disponível para Android e iOS. Assista também pela WebTV: https://tvbrasil.ebc.com.br/webtv.
Serviço
Duelo de Guitarras – último programa inédito - sábado, dia 17/10, às 13h30, na TV Brasil
Duelo de Guitarras – reprise - sábado, dia 17/10, para domingo, dia 18/10, à meia-noite, na TV Brasil
He starred in ‘Beast From Haunted Cave,’ ‘Ski Troop Attack’ and ‘Atlas’ for the B-movie maven but also did lots of Shakespeare on the stage and films overseas.
The European Union has reached an agreement with China to restrict imports of Chinese hybrid vehicles to 350,000 annually, introducing a significant new barrier to the expansion of Chinese manufacturers in Europe’s automotive market.
The arrangement, confirmed on 12 October, follows months of negotiations between Brussels and Beijing and reflects growing concern about the competitive position of European carmakers.
The import ceiling could reduce Chinese hybrid vehicle sales in the EU by more than half compared with previously anticipated volumes, although the actual effect will depend on demand, product classifications and implementation.
The agreement comes as manufacturers gather for the Paris Motor Show, where the future of European vehicle production, Chinese competition and industrial policy have become central subjects.
China’s Commerce Ministry has presented the outcome as a negotiated arrangement intended to preserve trading relations, while the European side has emphasised the need to prevent rapidly increasing imports from undermining domestic production.
Chinese manufacturers confront a new European barrier
Chinese carmakers have expanded aggressively in overseas markets as domestic demand has weakened. Chinese passenger vehicle exports rose sharply in September, with manufacturers increasingly targeting Europe, Latin America and Asian markets.
Hybrid vehicles have become particularly important because they offer consumers lower fuel consumption without requiring the same degree of dependence on charging infrastructure as fully electric cars.
This has allowed Chinese brands to compete in market segments where European manufacturers retain substantial established production capacity.
The new quota limits the number of eligible Chinese hybrid vehicles permitted to enter the European market each year. According to details of the import restrictions, shipments exceeding the permitted volume would face restrictions at EU customs.
The mechanism differs from a conventional tariff because imports beyond the ceiling cannot simply enter the market by paying a higher duty. Manufacturers and importers will need to consider both delivery costs and the availability of import allocations.
European manufacturers seek protection
The measures arrive amid growing pressure on the European automotive industry, which faces high production costs, expensive energy, competition from Chinese manufacturers and the capital requirements of shifting towards electrified transport.
Companies operating in Germany, France, Italy and other established manufacturing centres must fund the development of new vehicles while maintaining existing factories and employment.
Chinese manufacturers benefit from extensive domestic production networks, considerable scale and access to battery manufacturing capacity.
European policymakers have questioned whether competition takes place under equivalent economic conditions, particularly where Chinese producers receive support from state-directed industrial policies.
Beijing rejects allegations that its export performance results principally from unfair state assistance, arguing that Chinese companies have achieved competitiveness through investment, innovation and efficiency.
The quota represents a departure from the assumption that European consumers will necessarily have unrestricted access to the lowest-priced imported vehicles.
Its economic effects will depend partly on whether European manufacturers can use the additional protection to improve productivity and develop more competitive models.
Will Chinese manufacturers move production into Europe?
Restrictions on imports do not necessarily reduce the presence of Chinese-owned companies in the European automotive industry.
Several manufacturers are already developing production capacity outside China, including within the European Union. BYD’s investment in Hungary is one example of how Chinese companies can pursue access to European consumers through local manufacturing rather than relying entirely on imported finished vehicles.
The new arrangements could strengthen the commercial incentive to expand such operations.
For European governments, Chinese investment presents a difficult calculation. New factories may create employment, increase industrial activity and preserve automotive supply chains, while also expanding the influence of Chinese manufacturers within Europe’s domestic market.
The economic consequences depend on how much research, component manufacturing, battery production and other high-value activity takes place locally.
A Chinese-owned assembly plant using predominantly imported components would provide different benefits from a fully developed European production network.
The British dimension
The debate is also drawing attention to the position of the United Kingdom, whose automotive industry remains closely integrated with European supply chains despite Brexit.
Executives from Stellantis and Renault have supported including Britain within proposed European industrial protection measures, reflecting the importance of UK manufacturing operations to their broader businesses.
Such an arrangement would raise questions about regulatory alignment, trade preferences and the conditions under which non-EU production could qualify for European industrial support.
British manufacturers also face the challenge of Chinese competition, and decisions taken in Brussels could influence investment strategies across the wider European automotive sector.
Protection versus competitiveness
The restrictions may offer European manufacturers additional time to adapt, but they do not eliminate the structural challenges confronting the industry.
Energy prices, labour costs, the availability of batteries and the affordability of new vehicles remain important factors in the competitiveness of European production.
Nor will the quota necessarily prevent Chinese firms from gaining market share through investment, partnerships or vehicles manufactured outside China.
The EU’s approach combines restrictions on imports with the possibility of continued Chinese industrial participation inside Europe.
The outcome will depend on whether European manufacturers use the reduced competitive pressure to strengthen their technological and manufacturing position, or whether the restrictions primarily accelerate the relocation of Chinese-owned production into the EU.
A Phantom F-4 fighter jet of the Greek Air Force crashed during the air show of the Athens Flying Week in Tanagra north-western Athens at noon on Saturday, September 5, 2026. +++ One hour after the crash and it is still not known whether the pilot and the co-pilot survived the crash. +++ It is […]
At a conformation show, purebred dogs are evaluated by judges according to written documents that strive to capture the exemplary features of each breed. (These standards are searchable via the American Kennel Club; my dog’s breed standard, for instance, is “interested and even mischievous” in expression, but might be faulted for a “short, prancing, or choppy gait.” Noted.) Hannah Berger files a remarkably observed dispatch from one such show in Virginia, where she has traveled to consider show dogs as signifiers, “the ideal against its approximation.” There’s plenty of human folly here, not limited to the interpretation of a “breed standard” and its pursuit over time. A janitor ceaselessly sweeps away dog hair; a mother silences her child as one might a yapping pet. Berger layers her observations into an ending so clever that I gasped.
Now under the jurisdiction of the American Kennel Club in the U.S., conformation shows measure the degree to which a dog “conforms” to its “breed standard,” a document that transmutes historical function into superficially measurable and marketable qualities: proportions, attitude, gaiting patterns. These documents vary widely in length and style. The greyhound’s standard, for example, is a spare two-hundred-word document that strays from sobriety just once in its description of the eyes: “dark, bright, intelligent, indicating spirit.” The standard of the Coton de Tulear, the bichon-like “national dog” of Madagascar, is nearly eight times as long, describing colors and shapes in percentages and angles. Its “joie de vivre” is mentioned twice.