Good morning, friends!

On Thursday, I published a Q&A with Ezra founder and CEO Emi Gal. He discusses how full-body MRI scans could transform early cancer detection, how his work with Bryan Johnson influenced Ezra’s development, and why longevity is a critical frontier.

I’ve gotten a full-body MRI scan before, and it’s very informative. Luckily, I didn’t discover any life-threatening diseases, but it did tell me I have scoliosis and that I was born without a small bone in my mouth.

However, for some people, a scan like this could be life-saving. Gal told me that the very first person to be scanned by Ezra discovered that he had prostate cancer. “We’ve scanned tens of thousands of people since we started, and we have found cancer in 6% of our members,” Gal says. “Notably, we find clinically significant things in about a third of our members.”

This was a fascinating interview, and it revealed that Gal is building a very important company.

You can check out my full interview with Ezra founder Emi Gal here:

Ezra, the Cancer Screening Startup, Is Bringing Bryan Johnson’s Longevity Secrets to the Public Polina Pompliano · Mar 13 Read full story

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FOUNDER PANEL IN NYC: I’ll be on a panel with some incredible people talking about how founders can break through the (media) noise. It’s on April 22 at 5 p.m. in NYC. If you’re a founder or solo GP, join us here.

PROFILES.

— The founder of a billion-dollar betting platform [**HIGHLY RECOMMEND**]
— The UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect who divided a nation
— PR’s fiercest bull
— The CEO racing to win the AI race
— American foodies’ latest grocery obsession

PEOPLE TO KNOW.

The founder of a billion-dollar betting platform: FBI agents stormed the Soho apartment of Shayne Coplan, the brash 26-year-old founder of Polymarket, the crypto-powered betting platform that called the 2024 election before the networks did. With $3 billion in wagers and a cult-like following, Polymarket has become a go-to crystal ball for politics, finance, and pop culture, but it’s also in hot water for allegedly letting U.S. users skirt gambling laws. Now, as regulators circle and Trump reshapes the crypto landscape, Coplan is making his biggest bet yet — that he’ll outrun the law and turn Polymarket into a $10 billion giant. Will he win, or lose it all? (New York Magazine; alternate link)

“We’re used to dealing in gray area, right, where the laws aren’t clear yet, but I think for Polymarket it was more ‘Who cares about that?’ — like the whole point is to kind of be averse to the law.”

The UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect who divided a nation: On Dec. 4, 2024, Luigi Mangione was accused of assassinating UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in front of a New York City hotel. The crime, marked by bullet casings labeled “delay, deny, depose,” turned him into both a villain and a folk hero, sparking fierce debate. As memes, protests, and speculation swirl, his trial now looms as a flashpoint in a deeply divided America. (Polina’s Note: It hasn’t escaped me that there are no in-depth profiles on Brian Thompson—the victim of this senseless crime—while the media frenzy and fascination with his shooter must be deeply painful for his family.) (Rolling Stone)

“Around 6:45 a.m., the assassin raised a partially 3D-printed gun and shot Thompson three times in the back and leg.”

PR’s fiercest bull: Lulu Cheng Meservey is a no-nonsense comms strategist disrupting Silicon Valley’s approach to messaging. Instead of relying on PR agencies, she urges founders to “go direct,” owning their narratives through social media and bold storytelling. Loved by tech titans like Sam Altman and Brian Armstrong — but loathed by many PR insiders — her approach challenges the old guard while making her one of the most in-demand voices in the industry. With her firm, Rostra, she’s proving that in today’s media landscape, founders who master their own messaging hold the power. (Business Insider; alternate link)

“Lulu is the Steph Curry of comms.”

The CEO racing to win the AI race: Nvidia’s meteoric rise, fueled by the AI boom, has made CEO Jensen Huang a tech rockstar, but now the company faces mounting pressures. As competitors develop cheaper AI chips and hyperscalers like Amazon and Google build their own, Huang is scrambling to expand Nvidia beyond GPUs into full AI-driven computing solutions. His vision stretches from self-driving cars to digital hospitals, but skepticism lingers—especially as Nvidia’s flashy demos often outpace real-world deployment. With a multitrillion-dollar AI future at stake, Huang’s next big bet is on “physical AI,” hoping robots and automation will keep Nvidia on top. (Bloomberg; alternate link)

“We can’t just be selling picks and shovels if nobody ever finds any gold.”

COMPANIES TO WATCH.

American foodies’ latest grocery obsession: H Mart started as a small Korean grocery in Queens but has grown into a billion-dollar empire with a cult foodie following, driven by America’s love affair with Korean culture. From TikTok trends to Michelin-level food halls, it’s more than a store — it’s an experience, turning grocery shopping into a destination. With 100+ locations and non-Asian shoppers making up 30% of its customers, H Mart is reshaping how Americans shop, cook, and eat. Once a niche market for homesick immigrants, it’s now the blueprint for the future of grocery retail. (Bloomberg; alternate link)

“We don’t want to be the gentrified store.”

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