The week in founders, 10 October 2026
This week
Donald Trump has put Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton in charge of a new White House body coordinating government dealings with AI companies. The FTC chair and a Pentagon research chief sit on it. It reports straight to the president. No rules, powers or deadlines have been published.
Ineos Automotive lost €913m after tariffs cut revenue by 24%. Sir Jim Ratcliffe's carmaker builds vehicles in France and sells two-thirds of them into America.
The Pentagon has stopped using Anthropic's tools, a US defence official says. In February the department branded Anthropic a national security supply chain risk, the designation usually aimed at firms based in hostile states.
Sixteen freight firms filed for bankruptcy in the United States at the end of summer as diesel hit record prices. Some were one-truck owner-operators, others fleets with dozens of rigs. Fuel is the line item that moves fastest in a thin-margin business.
The lead
Greenwich driver's glovebox problem becomes vehicle-history app
Revodo launched on 3 September 2026. Nine days later its founder counts 38 vehicles on the platform and more than 80 service records.
Startup news
Tariffs cut Ineos Automotive revenue 24% and left a €913m loss
Sir Jim Ratcliffe's carmaker sells two-thirds of its vehicles into America and builds them in France. The arithmetic no longer works, and production may follow the customers.
Bristol agency Halo makes TV bet on Bart, debut set for Q1 2027
'The Secret is Bart' goes digital-first this autumn and reaches television in the first quarter of 2027. It follows the herbs and spices brand into Sainsbury's.
He Raised $1,500 of His $150,000 Goal. So He Faked the Company
Mike Cessario could not afford to make canned water, so he advertised a product that did not exist. Within months distributors were asking to stock it.
Phoenix Spark reports $280,000 in first year bridging Europe and America
The Verona group set up a US arm in June 2025 to help Italian companies land in America. It says its first year brought 10 clients, a third of them American, hiring it to reach Europe.
Inspiring stories
Hero Bread walked away from Subway, then rebuilt to $54m
The low-carb baker landed an anchor customer in 2021 and was running out of money by 2022. Its chief executive says the maths never worked, so they quit the deal and started again selling direct.
Tips & tricks
Three months of stock gone in 48 hours: what breaks next
A brand sold a quarter of a year's inventory in two days, Inc. reports. The hard part starts when the orders stop.
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