The Builders Keep Building

The AMC's Newsletter, 27 June 2025

Author

Andrea Maria Cosentino
June 28, 2025

⚡️ Quote of the Week

“Your biggest legacies are born at the intersection of your boldest risks and the problems no one else thought to solve.”

📆 The Week: Before & After

⏪️ Before (June 22–26):

  • Oil prices stabilized after Middle East tensions cooled, but volatility remains as hedge funds unwind energy shorts.

  • Jerome Powell testified to Congress, reinforcing a cautious stance: inflation is easing, but rate cuts remain distant. Markets wavered midweek.

  • The BoE released inflation data on June 26 showing a slight CPI drop—but wage pressure continues, keeping a rate hold likely in July.

  • Quantum Korea 2025 unveiled IBM’s Starling roadmap and South Korea’s national quantum stack ambitions, signaling new entrants in the global race.

  • Canva and Google AI quietly rolled out new Veo 3 video tools—prompt-to-video storytelling with real-time audio generation.

⏩️ Ahead (June 27–July 2):

  • Bank of England's Monetary Policy Summary drops June 28 @2 p.m. BST with updated growth outlooks and macro stress test results.

  • BlackRock’s “Volatility & AI Strategy” webinar on June 28 @11 a.m. ET will outline hedge recommendations for Q3 macro shocks.

  • The U.S. enters preliminary trade negotiations with the EU (July 1), focused on tariff extensions and green tech subsidies.

  • Meta Connect 2025 begins July 2—expected to launch new LLM integrations for RealityOS and multi-modal workspace assistants.

  • Stablecoin infrastructure firms prep for new reporting rules under the GENIUS Act, set to activate July 1—expect investor rebalancing early next week.

  • Expect fresh OpenAI DevDay announcements teased for next Monday (June 30) via insiders and partner Slack leaks.

  • Early earnings from enterprise SaaS firms (starting July 2) will set the tone for Q3 forecasts in AI-adjacent sectors.

  • EU Green Deal ESG metrics workshop on July 1 will finalize sectoral reporting thresholds impacting startup ESG ratings.

✍️ My Weekly Article Preview

“AI-native founders rewriting legacy industries”

  • Case studies: logistics startups cutting delivery times by >50%, HealthTech firms launching diagnostics in 6 months, and FinTech challengers using real-time analytics to beat incumbents.

  • I unpack their playbooks—leveraging rapid iteration, telemetry-driven pivots, and minimal data pipelines to move at startup speed.

  • You'll get structural frameworks to distinguish between durable AI-powered moats and hype machines—plus core technical architecture insights.

  • I profile two founder archetypes: those building platforms with long-term defensibility and those riding short-lived trends.

  • By the conclusion, you'll clearly identify which AI-native startups are built to last, and why their models truly scale.


    🧭 Read the full deep dive

📉 Macro, Finance & Geopolitics

  • Elevated oil volatility continues to stress EM bond markets and central bank caution.

  • The GENIUS Act now passed Senate, giving regulated stablecoin players clarity and triggering equity rallies.

  • Diverging monetary paths—Fed steady, BoE cautious, SNB easing—set the stage for currency and capital flow repricing.

🧠 Neurotech

  1. China’s first clinical BCI trial: A tetraplegic patient gains play control via thought.
    💡 Insight: This marks China’s bold entry into regulated, outcome-driven neural tech, rivaling Neuralink.

  2. Miniaturized neural implants: Palm-sized devices capturing single-neuron signals.
    💡 Insight: Hardware miniaturization brings BCI into real-world feasibility.

  3. Reimbursement frameworks emerge: BCIs align with national healthcare coverage.
    💡 Insight: Clinical deployment is tied tightly to payment-ready ecosystems.

🧬 Quantum

  1. IBM’s Starling roadmap: Prepares for 200 logical qubits by 2029, expanding to 2K+ by 2033.
    💡 Insight: Focus on error correction signals a maturation of quantum tech from labs to products.

  2. LDPC error-correction innovation: Dramatically slashes qubit overhead.
    💡 Insight: Efficiency gains bring practical quantum closer to reality.

  3. Google & Microsoft’s parallel approaches: Diversified architecture bets to hedge innovation.
    💡 Insight: Multiple development strategies increase victory odds.

🧓 Agetech

  1. Toronto Tech Week, June 23–27: Senior-care tech trends—smart homes, caregiving automation, VR companionship demos.

  2. AgeTech Impact Challenge: Focused on scalable elder wellness tools.

  3. VC + Policy Firesides: Investors and regulators align on care infrastructure.
    💡 Insight: AgeTech is moving from niche to infrastructure-backed scale, supported by capital and policy.

🤖 AI

  1. Google Veo 3 in Canva: Produces 8-second pro-grade videos with synced audio.
    💡Insight: Video creation becomes accessible and scalable for small teams.

  2. Google Vids via Gemini AI: Integrated video production in Workspace.
    💡Insight: Shift from novelty to essential: video tools embedded in daily workflows.

  3. Forbes & LinkedIn’s free AI picks: Featuring seven powerful productivity helpers.
    💡Insight: AI-enhanced operations are now standard for modern workforces.

🌐 Blockchain, Crypto & Web3

  1. GENIUS Act passes Senate: Sets stablecoin rules under regulatory supervision.
    💡Insight: Institutional adoption now has a regulatory safety net.

  2. Circle (USDC) stock surges 245–544%: Markets reward a compliance-first crypto architecture.
    💡Insight: Investors align with regulated infrastructure over speculation.

  3. Coinbase +16% post-payments pivot: Exchange repositions as payments layer.
    💡Insight: Crypto platforms evolve into regulated financial services.

🌱 ESG, Electric & Sustainability

  1. EVs >25% global share in 2025: Over 20M sold; Q1 +35%.
    💡Insight: Electrification is mainstream—legacy OEMs must adapt swiftly.

  2. States sue to defend 2035 EV mandate: Legal action over rollback attempts.
    💡Insight: Policy enforcement via courtrooms will determine infrastructure timing.

  3. Stablecoin–Treasury link: DeFi flows impacting bond yields.
    💡Insight: Crypto is interwoven into macro-financial structures.

📚 Must‑Read of the Week

  • Stocks are pushing fresh highs driven by a weak dollar, easing Treasury rules, and renewed optimism around AI investments.

  • Durable goods and labor data remain strong, hinting at resilient economic backdrops—even as traders weigh inflation risk.

  • The S&P 500 is up ~20% from April lows, with AI-heavy names like Nvidia leading the charge.

  • Europe sees stimulus from Germany and NATO defense boosts; meanwhile, China’s industrial slump adds global tension.

  • Crucially, markets are eyeing upcoming PCE inflation data and Fed commentary shaping rate-cut expectations.

    💡 Why it matters: A real-time lens on macro drivers—AI, inflation, monetary policy, and geopolitics—this market snapshot arms founders and investors with the context needed to align strategy with where capital is flowing.

🚀 Tactical Advice for Founders

“Stop Doing” Sprint 

  • Why: As scale increases, low-impact tasks stealthily erode strategic progress.

  • How: Dedicate 30 minutes listing every activity, tag those with minimal returns, and eliminate at least one.

  • Impact: Frees bandwidth, sharpens focus, and empowers execution muscle.

  • Validation: Founders report a 20–30% improvement in clarity and depth of work.

  • Routine: Run this as a weekly cycle: List, Label, Let Go, Launch.

🛠️ Free AI Tool for Productivity

Notion AI (Free Tier) — see the 5-minute demo:

  • Summaries: Converts meeting transcripts into bullet-point actions.

  • Drafts: Produces outlines or emails from a few prompt lines.

  • Boards: Auto-sets up sprint Kanban boards from meeting notes.

  • Extraction: Generates tasks and deadlines without manual work.

    💡 Why it matters: A true single-pane-of-glass workspace—writing, planning, and executing with AI, no tab switching.

📍 Key Events This Week

2nd Aurora Webinar: Blockchain & Tracking Devices
📅 June 27, 11:00–13:00 CET (Online)
Delve into real-world blockchain use in logistics, IoT, and device provenance—security, interoperability, and decentralized record-keeping for hardware innovators.

ECB Forum in Sintra – June 27–29
A central-banker deep dive—Lagarde, Powell and others tackle inflation, currency resilience, and policy coordination. Ideal for macro-focused fintechs and economic strategists.

FINRA Forward Webinar: Small Firm Briefing
📅 June 30, 16:30 ET (Online)
Compliance and regulatory update for boutique finance and fintech firms directly from FINRA—key for staying ahead of rule changes and enforcement priorities.

Bank of England City Week: Digital Assets & Communications
📅 July 2, 09:20 BST (Hybrid, London)
Hear Sasha Mills on payments innovation and Alan Taylor on central bank communications; ideal for fintech, CBDC, and DeFi ecosystem participants.

Ethereum Community Conference (EthCC) – June 30–July 3
📍 Cannes, France
One of Europe’s major Ethereum conferences—deep developer workshops, protocol upgrades, DeFi protocols, tooling, and on-chain governance.

Alteryx Live Demo: Agentic AI in Enterprises
📅 July 2, 16:00 CEST / 10:00 a.m. PT
Live demonstration of self-driven analytics workflows—shows how AI agents can synthesis data, automate decisions, and drive enterprise efficiency.

DAIS 2025 Virtual Learning Festival
📅 Ongoing through July 2 (Online)
Ongoing virtual fest for data & AI professionals—workshops, live demos, and networking on ML ops, GenAI ethics, and data engineering.