There comes a point in every founder’s career when the focus shifts from building to preserving. For Michael Shanly, that moment has not prompted a retreat. It has sparked a reorientation. The property developer and long-term investor, known for a career that bridges regeneration and philanthropy, is now concentrating his energy on a quieter but no less demanding task: securing the longevity of what he’s built.

Shanly’s influence can be traced across the South East of England—through thoughtfully designed town centers, high-spec residential developments, and discreetly impactful community projects. His approach has always been grounded in presence. He does not speak in abstractions. His decisions reflect time spent walking sites, listening to planners, engaging with tradespeople. That same groundedness now defines his view of legacy.

For Shanly, protecting his life’s work means refusing the assumption that stability comes from scaling up or institutionalizing vision. In fact, much of his effort has been directed toward resisting those pressures. He has seen what happens when companies grow past their principles—when quality becomes conditional, and community impact becomes a talking point rather than a throughline.

The Shanly Group was not built as a speculative machine. Its success is rooted in patience, craftsmanship, and locality. Developments are not carbon copies. They are responses—to geography, to housing need, to long-term economic viability. Shanly’s plan for the future follows that same logic. The systems he’s putting in place are designed to carry forward judgment, not just output.

A central part of that strategy lies in how he integrates the Shanly Foundation into his broader framework. Philanthropy is not an afterthought. It is a structural element. Profits from the business help fund a wide array of causes, with an emphasis on education, healthcare access, and community services. This connection between enterprise and giving has been in place for years, but Shanly’s focus now is on formalizing it in a way that protects both sides of the equation.

Rather than segment business and charity into separate silos, he’s shaping governance structures that allow values to flow between them. Future stewards of the business will not just inherit assets—they will inherit a set of operating principles that prioritize utility over flash, substance over scale. It’s a model that demands discernment, not just oversight.

That kind of continuity planning requires more than paperwork. It requires cultural clarity. Shanly has spent time codifying the beliefs that have shaped his decisions, not to create rigidity, but to ensure that what matters most isn’t lost in transition. From how partnerships are formed to how public feedback is incorporated, he wants future leadership to operate from the same questions he’s always asked: Does this improve the place? Is it built to last? Will it serve more than just the immediate buyer?

These are not sentimental notions. They’re strategic. In a sector often marked by short-term cycles and cost-driven shortcuts, Michael Shanly’s differentiation has always been his unwillingness to cut corners. And in the long view, that has paid off—not only in financial terms, but in trust. His name carries weight because people associate it with consistency.

Still, protecting a legacy requires navigating change. Towns evolve. Regulations shift. Markets soften or surge. Shanly is not blind to volatility. His response has been to double down on fundamentals—land with potential, teams with integrity, architecture that responds to place. He is less concerned with future-proofing against disruption than he is with creating frameworks that can adapt without distortion.

Much of this work happens quietly. Shanly does not position himself as a public figure. He is known more for delivery than for commentary. But inside the organization, his presence is instructive. He continues to invest time in mentoring, not in the formal sense, but through the steady transfer of judgment. What he’s offering is not just a business playbook. It’s a way of seeing—how to measure the value of a project by more than its yield, how to weigh impact in decades rather than quarters.

The Shanly Foundation, too, is evolving in step with this vision. As its grantmaking expands, it remains tied to the places and people that have long defined its focus. Shanly is cautious about scale here as well. He favors targeted, high-trust giving that supports under-resourced efforts with long-term benefit. The Foundation’s structure is being refined to ensure this approach remains intact, regardless of who oversees it in the years ahead.

There is no sweeping mission statement that captures this work. That feels deliberate. Shanly’s legacy isn’t rooted in rhetoric. It lives in the places he’s helped restore, the homes that have become generational anchors, the organizations that continue serving their communities because of sustained support. What he’s trying to protect is not an image—it’s an ecosystem.

To outside observers, legacy planning might appear like a closing chapter. For Michael Shanly, it feels more like a recalibration. The goal is no longer to build more. It’s to protect the integrity of what exists. And in that task, as in every project he’s taken on, the question remains the same: what will endure, and what must be done now to make sure it does?

Learn more about Michael Shanly at the link below: 

https://www.bbntimes.com/financial/michael-shanly-s-approach-to-property-that-keeps-the-high-street-alive

In an era when most of the live music business has consolidated under a handful of global players, Seth Hurwitz remains an anomaly. He does not run a conglomerate. He does not answer to a board. And yet, his company, I.M.P., books some of the most acclaimed artists in the world and operates venues that consistently outclass their corporate counterparts.

From the outside, it would be easy to read this as a nostalgic holdout. A promoter clinging to the indie model as the tide moves elsewhere. But the reality is more exacting. Seth Hurwitz did not avoid the corporate trap by rejecting growth. He avoided it by rejecting sameness.

His path began with a simple, DIY mindset. Not the aesthetic of it, but the logic: do things yourself so you can do them right. At the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., which Hurwitz co-owns, that meant obsessing over the sight lines, controlling the sound mix, hiring staff who actually love music. These were not branding exercises. They were operational decisions made by someone who believed that autonomy was the only way to protect the experience.

That belief hardened into strategy as I.M.P. expanded. With each new venue—the Lincoln Theatre, Merriweather Post Pavilion, The Anthem—the question was not how to scale the business. It was how to scale control. Hurwitz didn’t want to grow just to grow. He wanted to grow in a way that preserved the ethos of the small room: artist-first, detail-obsessed, always a little unpredictable.

This meant building infrastructure without replicating the corporate model. I.M.P. does not offer the most lucrative contracts in the industry. It does not promise mass exposure or glossy sponsorship deals. What it offers instead is a system where the product—live performance—is treated with care. Artists often describe playing an I.M.P. venue as feeling “looked after.” Fans say the rooms feel curated. That kind of reputation does not come from marketing. It comes from method.

Inside the company, decision-making is flat. Hurwitz stays involved in booking, design, and venue operations. His presence is not symbolic. He’s known to tweak seating layouts, challenge set times, even walk the floor before a show to check how it feels. It’s an approach that prioritizes sensory input over quarterly metrics.

For Hurwitz, the trap of corporatization is not just about bureaucracy. It’s about deadening. When the core product—music, emotion, memory—gets treated like a widget, the entire system calcifies. Creativity gives way to efficiency. Risk is filtered out. Audiences can feel it. So can artists.

His solution has been to keep the business small enough to touch, but large enough to matter. That balance is hard to maintain. It requires saying no to acquisition offers, resisting the lure of uniformity, and absorbing the friction that comes with doing things your own way. But Hurwitz has never seemed interested in making things easier. He’s interested in making them good.

The results speak for themselves. The 9:30 Club has long been regarded as one of the best venues in the country. The Anthem redefined what a midsize venue could feel like. Merriweather has been pulled back from the brink of obsolescence and reestablished as a regional anchor. This piece on Boss Magazine explores how The Atlantis embodies the spirit of his roots. These spaces do not feel like clones. They feel like places with a pulse. 

Critically, this model has not just worked—it has endured. I.M.P. books thousands of acts each year. Its venues are consistently profitable. And perhaps most notably, its cultural relevance has only grown. In a marketplace where so many experiences blur together, Hurwitz’s venues remain distinctive. You know when you’re in one. You remember it.

The durability of that distinctiveness lies in his refusal to outsource the soul of the operation. The merchandising, the lighting, the food, the signage—it’s all considered. Not in a precious way, but in a practical one. He sees the concert experience as a total system. If any piece is generic, it weakens the whole.

For entrepreneurs studying Hurwitz’s trajectory, the takeaway is not to stay small or to reject growth. It’s to build a structure that protects your judgment. He has created a company where personal taste is not a bottleneck, but a filter. Where gut instinct is treated as data. Where doing it yourself doesn’t mean doing it alone—it means staying close enough to notice what’s working.

Avoiding the corporate trap is not about avoiding success. It’s about refusing to build a system that forgets why it exists. Seth Hurwitz knows what kind of experience he wants to create. And everything—from the venue design to the booking calendar—flows from that.

What he’s built is not just a business. It’s a reminder that independence, when coupled with discipline, can outperform conformity. The DIY ethos, in his hands, is not an aesthetic choice. It’s a long-term business strategy. One that has made I.M.P. not just a respected name in music, but a quiet rebuke to an industry that too often forgets what made it matter in the first place.

Learn more about Seth Hurwitz in his interview with Insight Success.

Trust forms the foundation of lasting customer relationships, yet many business models prioritize short-term profits over building genuine trust. Neora has structured its operations around customer-first principles that demonstrate commitment to customer success rather than merely extracting maximum revenue. This approach creates trust that sustains long-term business growth while serving customer interests authentically.

The customer-first model manifests through accessible entry points, transparent policies, risk mitigation for participants, and genuine focus on customer satisfaction over aggressive sales tactics. Understanding how these elements work together reveals a business model designed to earn and maintain trust through demonstrated priorities rather than marketing claims.

Low-Risk Entry Points

Traditional direct selling often requires substantial upfront investments in inventory that participants might struggle to sell. This financial risk deters many potential participants while creating situations where people lose money rather than earning it. Neora eliminates this barrier through minimal entry costs that make participation accessible without significant financial risk.

Brand partners start with modest investments typically under $100, receiving business tools and support without inventory requirements. This low barrier enables people from various economic circumstances to participate without jeopardizing family finances. The accessibility demonstrates that participation opportunity extends broadly rather than being limited to those with substantial capital.

The absence of inventory obligations removes major financial risk that characterizes traditional direct selling. Partners don’t purchase products hoping to sell them—orders ship directly from the company to customers. This model eliminates situations where unsold inventory creates financial loss, making participation genuinely low-risk for those trying to build businesses.

No Quotas or Mandatory Purchases

Some direct selling companies require ongoing purchases to maintain active status or qualify for commissions, creating situations where participants spend more than they earn. Neora’s model includes no such requirements—partners earn commissions on actual sales without mandatory purchases.

The absence of quotas prevents situations where people buy products they don’t need simply to maintain qualification. This customer-first approach ensures that purchases reflect genuine product use rather than artificial movement driven by business opportunity pursuit. The policy aligns participant interests with authentic customer demand.

Partners who want products for personal use can purchase at discount, but no obligation exists to buy anything. This voluntary purchasing demonstrates that the business opportunity stands independently rather than being disguised product sales scheme where participants are the primary customers.

Transparent Income Information

Income potential represents one area where direct selling has faced justified criticism. Companies highlighting exceptional success stories without providing context about typical earnings create unrealistic expectations that lead to disappointment. Neora provides detailed income disclosures showing actual earnings distributions across the brand partner network.

These comprehensive disclosures reveal that most partners earn modest amounts rather than substantial incomes, setting realistic expectations for prospective participants. The transparency might discourage some from joining, but it creates informed participation by those who proceed. Realistic expectations prevent disappointment while building trust through honesty.

Income information includes not just top earners but median and average earnings across experience levels and activity levels. This complete picture enables prospective partners to assess opportunity realistically based on their own circumstances and commitment levels rather than assuming they’ll achieve exceptional results.

Satisfaction Guarantees

Product satisfaction guarantees demonstrate confidence while reducing purchase risk for customers. Neora’s return policies allow customers to try products with assurance that dissatisfaction won’t create financial loss. This risk removal encourages trial among people who might otherwise hesitate.

The guarantee applies genuinely rather than including obstacles that make returns practically difficult. Straightforward return processes demonstrate that guarantees represent actual commitments rather than marketing claims with fine print that negates them in practice.

Partner satisfaction receives similar attention through support systems ensuring that those who join receive adequate training and assistance. While business success ultimately depends on individual effort, the company ensures that partners have resources needed to give themselves genuine success opportunities.

Education Over Pressure

Traditional sales approaches often employ high-pressure tactics creating urgency through artificial scarcity or emotional manipulation. Neora emphasizes education that empowers informed decisions rather than pressure that bypasses rational evaluation. This approach builds trust by respecting customer intelligence and autonomy.

Brand partners receive training emphasizing consultative selling focused on customer needs rather than aggressive closing techniques. The education-first approach positions partners as trusted advisors rather than pushers, creating customer relationships built on value rather than manipulation.

Product information provided to customers emphasizes realistic benefits and appropriate usage rather than exaggerating results. Honest communication about what products can and cannot do manages expectations while building credibility. The transparency creates satisfaction through accurate expectations rather than disappointment from overpromises.

Responsive Customer Service

Excellent customer service demonstrates that companies value customers beyond initial purchases. Neora’s service approach emphasizes quick response, genuine problem-solving, and taking responsibility for ensuring satisfaction.

Brand partners provide first-line customer service, creating personal relationships where customers receive individualized attention. This personalized service surpasses generic call center experiences where customers are ticket numbers rather than known individuals.

Company-level support backs partners when complex issues arise, ensuring customers receive adequate assistance regardless of situation complexity. The tiered approach ensures appropriate support while maintaining personal relationships that direct selling enables.

Long-Term Relationship Focus

Customer lifetime value thinking influences decisions about customer interactions. Rather than maximizing immediate transaction value, Neora focuses on creating relationships that generate ongoing purchases over years. This long-term perspective aligns company interests with genuine customer satisfaction.

The business model encourages brand partners to build customer bases through service and relationship rather than constantly seeking new customers to replace dissatisfied ones who don’t return. This sustainable approach creates better outcomes for everyone compared to churn-and-burn tactics.

Product quality investment ensures customers have genuine reasons to continue purchasing rather than relying on relationships alone to maintain loyalty. Quality products create satisfied customers who remain loyal because products work, not just because they like their brand partners.

Ethical Business Practices

Clear ethical guidelines govern how brand partners conduct business, preventing practices that might generate short-term sales but undermine trust. These standards protect customers while maintaining brand integrity across the partner network.

Prohibited practices include making medical claims about products, misrepresenting income potential, or using high-pressure tactics. The clear boundaries create consistent customer experiences regardless of which partner they work with.

Consequences for violating ethical standards demonstrate that policies represent genuine commitments rather than suggestions. Partners who engage in prohibited practices face corrective action ensuring that standards maintain meaning across the organization.

Building Industry Trust

Neora’s customer-first approach influences broader industry perceptions by demonstrating that direct selling can operate ethically while maintaining commercial success. The example shows that customer-first values and business profitability can align rather than conflict.

The trust built through ethical practices benefits the entire direct selling industry by providing positive examples that counter negative stereotypes. As more companies adopt customer-first approaches, industry reputation improves, benefiting all legitimate direct selling operations.

Neora’s customer-first model demonstrates that building trust through genuine commitment to customer interests creates sustainable business success. By removing financial risk, providing transparent information, emphasizing education over pressure, and focusing on long-term relationships, the company earns trust that translates into loyalty and organic growth. This approach proves that doing right by customers ultimately serves business interests best.

On a winter evening in central Iowa, the Farm4Profit studio fills with the familiar shuffle of caps and boots. A guest farmer settles into a chair, a microphone swings into place, and small talk drifts between yields, kids’ basketball schedules, and the wind that never seems to stop. When the red light turns on, there is no script beyond a rough outline. The success of the episode rests on something Tanner Winterhof has been building since he was a kid in Aurelia: trust.

Tanner Winterhof, co-host and founding partner of Farm4Profit, grew up on a swine and row-crop farm in northwest Iowa.  He later trained in business administration and financial services, then spent more than a decade as an agricultural banker before leaning fully into media and advisory work.  That mix of farm upbringing and financial training now sits behind one of agriculture’s most widely followed podcasts, a show with hundreds of episodes and a large online audience of producers and rural businesses.

When Winterhof talks about community, he rarely starts with brand statistics. He begins with the feeling in the room when someone decides to share an honest story.

Showing up as a neighbor first

For Winterhof, trust in farming communities still grows in familiar places: sale barns, church basements, county fairs, online spaces that feel like virtual versions of those settings. His own credibility rests on the fact that he still helps on family farms, knows the rhythm of chores and understands what a dry August feels like.

He frames that background as more than nostalgia. In his view, people in agriculture decide who to listen to based on two questions. Does this person understand what my life looks like. Does this person stand to gain if I fail. The early years he spent walking fields and working with hogs give him solid ground on the first question. His banking experience and later media work taught him to answer the second by being clear about his role.

On Farm4Profit, the mission is explicit. The show exists to help farmers improve profitability through independent and unbiased information rather than to push a single product line.  That positioning is intentional. Winterhof wants listeners to treat the podcast as a neighbor at the parts counter rather than a billboard.

Listening before advising

Before Farm4Profit, Winterhof spent years as an ag lender in Iowa, reading balance sheets at kitchen tables and in branch offices.  Credit decisions required hard numbers, yet he noticed that trust rarely came from spreadsheets alone. It grew when he took time to understand a family’s goals, their tolerance for risk, their non-negotiables.

That banking habit carried directly into the podcast. Episodes often start with open questions: what is working on your farm, what is keeping you up at night, what mistake taught you the most this year. The team then follows those threads rather than forcing the discussion into a pre-set agenda.

Winterhof has said in interviews that feedback loops are central. Listeners regularly comment on audio quality, topics, and even interview pace. The crew responds by adjusting format and production, treating criticism as free consulting from the very audience they want to serve.

To him, that is how you build trust at scale: invite real participation, act on what you hear, then show your work.

Turning information into shared problem-solving

Tanner Winterhof often describes farms as complex small businesses that carry weather risk, market volatility, labor challenges and family dynamics.  The podcast reflects that reality. Episodes range from credit and equipment decisions to succession planning and mental health.

What ties those topics together is a problem-solving stance. Winterhof and his co-hosts ask guests to unpack decisions step by step: why a farmer chose a particular lease structure, how a family navigated buying out a sibling, what data points actually changed planting plans.

Listeners hear not only success stories but also experiments that went sideways. That openness highlights another trust principle. In rural communities, perfection reads as distance. Shared mistakes read as honesty. The show leans into that by letting guests describe missteps in plain language, then exploring what they would do differently.

The trust dividend

The result of this long patience is subtle but significant. When Winterhof invites a guest to share a sensitive story about finances or succession, they already understand the culture of Farm4Profit. When he highlights a new technology or financial tool, listeners weigh it against a history of pragmatic, farmer-first conversations.

In an era when rural communities feel scrutinised from the outside, trust has become an essential input, as necessary as seed or fuel. Tanner Winterhof treats it as something that is built one interaction at a time, through clear motives, careful listening and a willingness to be present after the recording ends.

For the farmer pulling up podcasts between chores, that trust shows up in a simple way. They can press play, hear familiar voices and feel that the conversation was designed with their long-term success in mind.

Check out Tanner Winterhof’s Substack for more insights:

https://substack.com/@tannerwinterhof

In the biotech world, return on investment is typically measured in trials completed, patents issued, and capital raised. But for Leen Kawas—scientist, entrepreneur, and CEO of EIT Pharma—the definition of ROI has always been broader. It includes the lives improved, the platforms built, the researchers funded, and the ripple effects of science moving from the bench to the bedside. Her work reflects a deeper conviction: innovation must be financially viable, but its true value lies in what it makes possible—for patients, practitioners, and future founders.

Kawas’s path has been defined by both scientific rigor and entrepreneurial risk. She first rose to prominence as co-founder and CEO of Athira Pharma, a company focused on neurodegenerative disease therapies. Under her leadership, Athira raised over $400 million and became one of the few female-founded biotech firms in the U.S. to go public. But that success, while measurable in investor returns, was never the endpoint. For Leen Kawas, IPOs and funding rounds are milestones—not finish lines. They provide the infrastructure for something else: impact at scale.

Now, as CEO of EIT Pharma and managing general partner at Propel Bio Partners, she brings that same philosophy to a broader portfolio of ventures. Inherent Biosciences, where she also serves on the board, exemplifies this dual lens. The company is focused on epigenetic diagnostics—a complex, early-stage field that could redefine how conditions like male infertility are understood and treated. The potential financial upside is substantial, but what excites Kawas is the possibility of expanding care for patients who’ve long been underserved by mainstream medicine.

This impact-forward mindset doesn’t mean ignoring the fundamentals. Kawas is a disciplined strategist. She’s known for translating complex science into actionable roadmaps, de-risking early-stage platforms, and guiding companies through regulatory and investor scrutiny. But even in those moments—especially in those moments—she pushes teams to ask: What will this work change, if it succeeds? The answers to that question help shape everything from clinical trial design to hiring plans to investor communications.

One of the frameworks Kawas uses to evaluate opportunity is what she calls multi-dimensional value. This includes not just financial return, but scientific differentiation, platform scalability, and unmet patient need. If a project scores high on all four, it’s a strong candidate. If it only meets one or two, even with strong investor interest, it may not be the right fit. This lens helps ensure that the companies she backs don’t just perform well—they matter.

Kawas also brings a distinctive perspective as an operator-turned-investor. At Propel Bio Partners, she’s not just evaluating pitch decks from a distance. She’s been in the seat. She understands the tradeoffs founders face, the weight of clinical timelines, the complexity of fundraising while managing teams. This allows her to offer not only capital, but context. Her approach is hands-on, but not prescriptive. She believes in supporting founders without reshaping their vision—a reflection of the trust she wished she’d received more consistently in her early days.

Part of Kawas’s impact philosophy involves ecosystem building. She’s committed to shifting biotech’s center of gravity away from a narrow definition of who gets funded, who gets mentored, and who leads. By actively supporting women and underrepresented founders, she’s helping build a more expansive innovation economy—one that reflects a wider set of life experiences, patient needs, and scientific approaches. For her, this isn’t about optics. It’s about unlocking better outcomes through more inclusive perspectives.

She also pushes for long-term thinking in an industry often driven by short-term catalysts. While many biotech companies are built around exit events—acquisition, IPO, licensing—Kawas encourages teams to stay focused on the end-user: the patient. When science is aligned with need, and strategy is aligned with integrity, she argues, financial outcomes will follow. But when those elements fall out of sync, even the best-capitalized ventures can falter.

In doing so, she’s challenging the industry to evolve. Biotech doesn’t have to choose between ambition and responsibility, speed and safety, capital and care. Kawas believes these can be reconciled—if leaders are willing to ask better questions and design better incentives.

That belief has shaped her approach to board governance as well. At Inherent Biosciences and other companies in her portfolio, she emphasizes transparency, cross-functional collaboration, and early alignment around both mission and metrics. These aren’t just checkboxes. They’re conditions for sustainable execution—especially in fields where the science is complex and the stakes are high.

In an industry driven by breakthroughs, Leen Kawas stands out for how she defines success. Her legacy won’t just be measured in market caps or FDA approvals. It will be measured in the kind of companies she builds, the kind of leaders she backs, and the kind of science she helps translate into meaningful change. Her model isn’t just about investing in the future. It’s about shaping it.

For Leen Kawas, ROI will always include returns—but it will also include reach. And in the biotech world she’s helping to shape, that kind of value is the most enduring of all.

Learn more about Leen Kawas in her in-depth interview with Billion Success.

Leen Kawas didn’t enter biotech to make a statement. She entered to solve problems. But in doing so—leading clinical innovation, co-founding companies, taking one public, and now backing others through venture capital—she has become a reference point in an industry that remains deeply imbalanced at the top. Her work, both visible and behind the scenes, offers a blueprint for what it means to create lasting opportunity for women in science, leadership, and investment.

Kawas is not interested in token representation. She’s interested in access, influence, and ownership. For her, creating opportunities for women in biotech is not a side project or social gesture—it is a structural necessity. Scientific innovation, she argues, depends on diversity of perspective. And perspective only enters the room when systems are rebuilt to welcome it.

That rebuilding work is present across her career. As co-founder and former CEO of Athira Pharma, Kawas led the company from early-stage development through a successful IPO, becoming one of just a few women in the United States to take a biotech company public. The milestone was groundbreaking, but she didn’t frame it as a personal triumph. Instead, she used it to draw attention to how rare that outcome remains—and how much work is left to normalize it.

Today, she channels that focus through several roles. She is the co-founder and managing general partner of Propel Bio Partners, a life sciences venture fund focused on funding underrepresented founders and ideas. She serves as CEO of EIT Pharma, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company advancing treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. And she sits on the board of Inherent Biosciences, a molecular diagnostics company applying epigenetics to solve unmet needs in reproductive health and beyond.

In all three spaces, her mission is consistent: build, back, and elevate companies that are designed for long-term scientific and social impact.

At Propel Bio Partners, Leen Kawas brings capital to early-stage biotech startups, but she also brings lived insight. She knows how much of the industry’s gatekeeping happens not through formal exclusion, but through informal networks—who gets recommended, who gets the second meeting, who is assumed to be “ready.” She’s working to change that by investing earlier, coaching longer, and opening more doors.

Her model is grounded in proximity. She doesn’t wait for qualified women to find their way to the table. She seeks them out. Scientists. Founders. Operators. She reads pitch decks differently because she knows what it’s like to be doubted. She coaches differently because she knows what gets whispered after a woman leaves the room. That awareness is not theoretical. It’s earned.

Kawas is particularly focused on venture capital’s influence over who gets to build. In her view, the investment world often underestimates women not because of lack of data, but because of bias in what success is expected to look like. Her goal at Propel isn’t to tilt the scale—it’s to reset it. A woman founder with a well-constructed platform, strong IP, and a clear roadmap should be seen as investable, not exceptional.

She also challenges assumptions about leadership style. Kawas knows that women are often expected to perform confidence differently. She’s seen how this can be used to disqualify founders who lead with caution or care. But in biotech—where timelines are long and uncertainty is embedded in the work—measured thinking is a strength. She helps founders own that.

Outside the boardroom, Kawas mentors quietly. She supports women through career transitions, company pivots, and negotiation moments where what’s at stake is not just equity percentage, but long-term power. Her guidance often involves re-framing: reminding a founder that they don’t need to apologize for asking, that protecting the science means protecting the structure around it, that growth comes from clarity, not hustle alone.

She also pays attention to team composition. Whether building companies herself or advising others, Leen Kawas looks closely at who is hired, who is promoted, and who is heard. She encourages teams to move beyond performative inclusion and toward actual accountability—measurable diversity, equitable compensation, leadership pipelines that reflect intention rather than inertia.

In every setting, Kawas resists the idea that progress for women in biotech must come incrementally. She sees no reason why there shouldn’t be dozens more women-led biotech IPOs. No reason why boardrooms shouldn’t have parity. No reason why venture capital firms shouldn’t be designed to fund a broader range of founder identities and approaches. Her message is not “we’re getting there.” Her message is “we’re overdue.”

This stance is not driven by idealism. It’s driven by data and discipline. Kawas understands the economic and scientific upside of inclusion. She’s seen firsthand how diverse teams iterate better, manage risk differently, and build stronger clinical strategies. For her, backing women is not charity. It’s competitive advantage.

And yet, she still sees the gap. The number of women in biotech leadership remains low. Capital allocation continues to favor a narrow profile. Cultural narratives often paint women founders as anomalies rather than indicators of change. Kawas doesn’t waste time lamenting these facts. She builds around them—and through them.

For Leen Kawas, the question is not whether the biotech industry is ready to shift. The question is how many more people will be equipped to lead that shift when the moment arrives. Creating opportunity means preparing the next generation of women to walk into rooms with full ownership of their ideas, their value, and their future.

And when they do, Kawas won’t need to be at the center of the story. The opportunity itself will speak loud enough.

Check out this interview on Principal Post to learn more about Kawas and her work in female entrepreneurship.

Entertainment giant beats expectations despite competitive pressures from Universal’s Epic Universe

The Walt Disney Company delivered strong third-quarter results Wednesday, beating Wall Street expectations with $1.61 adjusted earnings per share and demonstrating resilience across its core entertainment and experiences divisions despite increased competition in the Orlando market.

Disney reported total revenue of $23.7 billion for the quarter ending June 28, up 2% year-over-year, while operating income across its three segments grew 8% to $4.6 billion. The performance was driven primarily by robust theme park operations and a successful streaming business turnaround.

CEO Bob Iger emphasized the company’s strategic progress, stating: “We are pleased with our creative success and financial performance in Q3 as we continue to execute across our strategic priorities.”

Theme Parks Demonstrate Competitive Strength

Disney’s Experiences segment posted impressive results with revenue increasing 8% to $9.09 billion and operating income rising 13% to $2.5 billion. Domestic theme parks led the growth with a 22% increase in operating income against 10% revenue growth, demonstrating improved operational efficiency.

The strong performance occurred despite the May opening of Universal’s Epic Universe theme park, prompting Disney to address competitive concerns directly in its earnings commentary. The company noted: “We are pleased with these results and encouraged by the continued resiliency of our domestic parks business, particularly at Walt Disney World, despite increased competition in the Orlando market.”

CFO Hugh Johnson told CNBC that Walt Disney World experienced its “biggest” third quarter ever, with solid traffic and strong consumer spending patterns. “I know there’s a lot of concern about the consumer in the U.S. right now. We don’t see it. Our consumer is doing very, very well,” Johnson said.

Key drivers of theme park success included:

• Higher guest spending per visit at domestic parks
• Increased occupied room nights at Disney resort hotels
• Growth in passenger cruise days across Disney Cruise Line
• International parks revenue up 6% to approximately $1.7 billion
• Continued expansion projects underway across all global locations

Disney’s domestic parks performance contradicts widespread speculation about attendance impacts from Epic Universe’s opening, suggesting the company’s brand strength and loyal customer base provide competitive protection.

Streaming Business Achieves Profitability Milestone

Disney’s direct-to-consumer streaming segment marked a significant turnaround with $346 million in operating income for the quarter, reversing years of losses and exceeding management expectations. The segment generated approximately $6.1 billion in revenue, up 6% from the previous year.

Combined Disney+ and Hulu subscribers reached 183 million by quarter-end, an increase of 2.6 million from the prior quarter. Disney+ added 1.8 million subscribers while Hulu gained 900,000 new customers.

The streaming success reflects several strategic initiatives gaining traction. Price adjustments implemented over previous quarters improved revenue per subscriber without causing significant churn. Average revenue per user (ARPU) increased to $7.77, demonstrating pricing power in the competitive streaming market.

Password-sharing crackdown measures are beginning to show results, with management expecting continued subscriber growth from enforcement efforts. The company projects adding more than 10 million subscribers in Q4, primarily through a distribution deal with Charter Communications.

Disney raised its streaming operating income expectation for fiscal 2025 to $1.3 billion, reflecting confidence in sustained profitability trends.

ESPN Strategy Takes Shape with NFL Partnership

Disney’s sports division, anchored by ESPN, continues evolution toward direct-to-consumer offerings. The company announced ESPN’s new streaming app will launch August 21 with multiple pricing tiers starting at $11.99 monthly, including bundling options with Disney+ and Hulu.

A groundbreaking partnership with the NFL emerged Tuesday, with the professional football league taking a 10% equity stake in ESPN. The arrangement strengthens ESPN’s sports content portfolio while providing the NFL with ownership participation in Disney’s sports media strategy.

WWE live events are also coming to the ESPN app and linear network, further expanding content offerings for cord-cutting sports fans seeking comprehensive streaming solutions.

Revenue for ESPN increased 1% to $3.93 billion, though operating income declined 7% to $1.01 billion due to higher programming costs related to NBA and college sports rights. The investments position ESPN for long-term growth as sports content becomes increasingly valuable in the streaming era.

Entertainment Division Shows Mixed Results

Disney’s Entertainment segment experienced challenges with operating income declining 15% to just over $1 billion, despite revenue growth driven by successful film releases. The traditional television business continued secular decline as cord-cutting trends persist.

However, Disney’s film studio achieved significant success with multiple billion-dollar releases. The live-action “Lilo & Stitch” remake crossed $1 billion worldwide, becoming Hollywood’s first film to reach that milestone in 2025 and joining “Moana 2,” “Deadpool & Wolverine,” and “Inside Out 2” as Disney’s fourth billion-dollar film within 12 months.

Film success translated into broader business benefits with “Lilo & Stitch” generating more than 640 million hours of related content streaming on Disney+. The franchise is projected to become Disney’s second-largest licensed merchandise category behind Mickey Mouse, with 70% revenue growth compared to the previous year.

Linear television networks continue facing headwinds from declining subscriber bases and reduced advertising revenues, though Disney’s diverse content portfolio provides cross-platform monetization opportunities.

Global Expansion and Future Growth Initiatives

Disney announced ambitious expansion plans across its theme park portfolio. The company revealed plans for a new Abu Dhabi theme park and waterfront resort, representing Disney’s seventh global resort and first in the Middle East.

Major construction projects are underway at existing parks worldwide:

• World of Frozen land opening at Disneyland Paris in 2026
• Villains-themed area coming to Magic Kingdom
• Cars-themed area development at Walt Disney World
• Monsters, Inc. attractions in development

These expansion investments demonstrate Disney’s commitment to maintaining competitive advantages in the experiences business despite rising capital requirements and construction costs.

International market opportunities remain significant with emerging markets showing strong demand for Disney-branded entertainment experiences. The Abu Dhabi project specifically targets travelers from the Middle East, Africa, India, Asia, and Europe.

Financial Outlook and Strategic Positioning

Disney raised its full-year adjusted earnings per share forecast to $5.85, representing an 18% increase from 2024. The company projects streaming business operating income of $1.3 billion for the full year while expecting 8% operating income growth from the Experiences segment.

The dual success of theme parks and streaming provides diversified revenue streams that reduce dependence on any single business segment. This portfolio approach offers stability during economic uncertainty while providing multiple growth vectors.

Disney’s performance demonstrates successful navigation of industry-wide challenges including cord-cutting trends, increased streaming competition, and economic pressures on consumer discretionary spending. The company’s brand strength and content creation capabilities continue providing competitive advantages across multiple distribution channels.

Management’s optimistic outlook reflects confidence in strategic initiatives while acknowledging ongoing industry headwinds that require continued operational excellence and strategic investment.