Exploring new approaches to how people connect online in Western markets, creates and cashes in online, Bebuzee fuses social media, messaging, payments, commerce and content into one seamless powerhouse platform – positioning itself as Positioning itself as an alternative to established technology platforms, and which the company says offers creators a potentially higher revenue share than many traditional platforms.
Image Credit: Bebuzee
When he was eight years old, Joseph Onyero decided to build a helicopter out of wood. “I had that mentality to create something,” he states. “It flew a bit, then fell to the ground, and was ultimately unsuccessful. But it’s not about being successful, it’s about having a vision and seeing it through.”
In early February 2026, Onyero’s newest vision came to life as his company Bebuzee was an early attempt to introduce a ‘superapp’ model in Western markets, combining social networking, payments, commerce, content, and services into a single ecosystem.
Hyped as “contributing to ongoing changes in digital platforms,” Bebuzee is the amalgamation of social media, video, messaging, business tools, and content discovery into one unified experience, eliminating the need for multiple apps and fragmented platforms. For example, WeChat in Asia started out as a messaging service and eventually grew into a “superapp.”
But that was in Asia only.
Bebuzee is aiming to develop a super-app model for Western markets. “Bebuzee was born in 2012,” Onyero shares, “and is a result of a sense of remorse after my first venture failed to materialize in 2004. I never anticipated it’d take this long to become a reality. That’s why we’re so delighted that the ‘superapp’ was completed in the back end of 2023 … it’s a huge achievement.”
Fostering community and collaboration beyond functionality, Bebuzee has photo and video features akin to those found on today’s most popular social networking and content-sharing platforms, allowing users to create, discover, and engage with visual stories in real time. “A lot of our functions don’t exist anywhere else,” shares Onyero. “For example, we have a feature called ‘Real Estate Newsfeed.’ This covers real estate news globally, not just in North America.” Where Bebuzee separates itself from other platforms is a 50-50 revenue-sharing model for content creators that the company says differs from the structures commonly used on many social media platforms. “We see content creators as having made certain social media platforms relevant. Therefore, we want to reward them. Without content, platforms don’t hold much value.”
Another notable aspect of Bebuzee’s development is the protection of personal data that Onyero says, “is owned by the user, not us. We encourage free speech for our users, while exercising caution and respect.” Whereas other platforms originally began as social networking sites that morphed into multifunctional digital ecosystems, Bebuzee is able to pivot with regard to what and how they add content, as it doesn’t have to break from its existing business model. “That’s how those platforms generate their revenue,” Onyero continues, “regardless of how much capital they have. So we’re going into this venture not overly concerned with how much the big boys have to play with.”
It’s this confidence and reassurance that Onyero says allows him to think big with regard to how big a global reach Bebuzee will eventually have. While the initial goal is to conquer North America and Europe, Onyero will look to saturate the African market with his concept, as it would be a proud achievement to dominate his native continent. In a world lacking data sharing, user trust, ecosystem fragmentation, and platform fatigue, Onyero aims to provide an environment built on respect and freedom of expression. “The ‘superapp’ is arguably the toughest project I’ve ever worked on in my life,” Onyero says. “If I’d known it’d have taken this long, I’d have thought twice. But then again, much like the helicopter story in my childhood, I love challenges.”
ABOUT BEBUZEE INC.
Bebuzee Inc. is a social media and digital entertainment platform dedicated to providing innovative and engaging experiences for its users. With a focus on community-driven content and seamless integration of diverse digital services, Bebuzee is part of a new generation of social media platforms.
Forget whatever you thought you knew about the time it takes to take a business from idea to startup. With AI, would-be entrepreneurs have a tool that can quickly turn their professional expertise or side gigs into full-time income streams.
This is yet another of the many applications for AI that few anticipated, least of all the hobbyists who were brought up to believe that launching a brand was expensive and time-consuming. And now could be just the right moment for this new AI use.
These days, many workers are hesitant to rely on traditional employment as a sole source of personal revenue, especially in a labor market with flat hiring and limited prospects. This has naturally given way to a gig economy where DIY job opportunities thrive. However, the self-sufficiency mindset has also led many down the founder path, with business applications rising 7.2% between December 2025 and January 2026.
For many professionals, a single source of income no longer feels sufficient. This has prompted more workers to pursue side ventures or business ideas alongside traditional employment. As a result, some of those workers are taking a chance on themselves by going the entrepreneurial route — and plenty are leaning on AI as a tool to assist their efforts.
How AI can speed up the business launch process
Since the unveiling of artificial intelligence, the world has been introduced regularly to the full breadth of AI’s capabilities. And make no mistake: AI goes far beyond writing a succinct letter or delivering 50 headline variations in a few seconds. Now, AI can reduce the technical skills that frequently limit how quickly entrepreneurs can bring their businesses to fruition.
This isn’t to suggest that AI can take the place of human inventiveness or intuition. Founders are still integral to the success or failure of their operations, whether or not they use AI tools. However, AI can bring more equality and nimbleness to what’s usually an arduous and complex process. With AI, an entrepreneur has an automatic, 24/7 assistant capable of navigating all the ins and outs involved with introducing a new business.
A use case for a speedy idea-to-launch journey
To illustrate how rapidly someone can get a business “out there”, let’s take a look at one company that used the Durable AI-driven business builder platform.
Durable encourages and rewards experimentation by enabling fast, branded business launches that help focus on getting income streams flowing. Because the AI does all the coding, the business owner (e.g., the entrepreneur) only needs to supply the platform with basic information. From there, the platform can construct a brand, logo, a well-mapped website and even an invoicing infrastructure that’s written to the client’s tone.
The Durable client in question wanted to maximize his company’s presence in the mobile bartending space in a crowded urban center. The founder possessed the right mixology skills and was already operating on a hobby level. But he lacked the online branding and marketing expertise he needed to enter (and hopefully dominate) the market in a way that would allow him to be a full-time entrepreneur. Using Durable, he crafted a brand, launched his website and was able to create a business that reflected his preferred aesthetic.
Benefits of an AI-assisted launch
The aforementioned use case highlights three advantages of using AI, starting with savings.
Many people who want to become entrepreneurs are held back because they don’t have access to funding. Indeed, lack of capital remains one of the top reasons for reluctance among those who say they are dreaming of owning their own business. AI-run systems can take away some upfront costs because they can perform tasks like creating ecommerce-enabled websites, generating logos and constructing the framework of a comprehensive business plan.
Another benefit to using AI as an entrepreneurial assistant is that it can help distill the language of complicated documents. First-time business owners are often perplexed by the documents they’re asked to sign. An AI tool can summarize an agreement into layman’s terms, making it accessible to most individuals.
Finally, AI can make marketing suggestions based on real-time trends and competitive maneuvers. An AI product can be trained to scour the Internet and social media for hidden opportunities, such as popular hashtags (or even online challenges) or rising influencer messaging. And it can all happen without the entrepreneur hiring an outside marketing agency or bringing on an employee.
Founding a business can be one of the most rewarding experiences, but it’s been one that’s seemed out of reach for countless dreamers — until now. With AI, entrepreneurs can limit the need for hefty startup costs and move into moneymaking stages of their businesses faster.
The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended as legal, financial, or professional advice. Readers should not rely solely on the content of this article and are encouraged to seek professional advice tailored to their specific circumstances. We disclaim any liability for any loss or damage arising directly or indirectly from the use of, or reliance on, the information presented.
New York City is considered a cultural giant in the fine-dining scene, and the greater New York area boasts a number of up-and-coming restaurants that more than hold their own. Across the state, in towns like Albany and Troy, new restaurants are popping up regularly, featuring bold layouts, stunning visuals, and impeccable design that offer guests a memorable night out.
One design firm is building a notable footprint in the New York restaurant scene with its unique design strategy. Dunne Kozlowski is an architecture, interior design, branding, and project delivery firm that operates around a single core belief: that meaningful experiences are built on more than design alone. Led by founders Corey Dunne and Paul Kozlowski, the firm designs around how people actually live, not how spaces are traditionally categorized or how they are supposed to function.
Photo Credit: Dunne Kozlowski
“Many restaurants are designed to look good, but fail operationally,” says Corey Dunne, co-founder. “We start in a different place. We listen first, spending time understanding how our clients move through the day. Design decisions come after that, not before.”
The team at Dunne Kozlowski considers the brand’s initial vision, how the space will actually be used, and the experience they want to create for their guests. Then they work with them to design a restaurant that serves its guests not just visually, but practically.
“We don’t design for ego or for a pretty picture in a magazine,” says Paul Kozlowski, co-founder. “Hospitality is about more than just getting a meal. It takes into account many things, from how the customer feels to the quality of their experience and the seamless flow of operations.”
The other part of the equation that helps define Dunne Kozlowski is its holistic approach to restaurant design. Whereas traditional architectural firms draw up architectural plans before handing them off to outside vendors, Dunne Kozlowski handles every part of the process from concept through completion.
The firm offers services including architecture, interior design, concepting, branding, project management, procurement, and construction administration. Its strategy of consolidating everything under one roof came as a natural evolution of years spent watching clients deal with friction, costly delays, and vendor miscommunications.
“We brought interior design services in-house to reduce friction for our clients,” says Dunne. “From there, we’ve continued to evolve by identifying the services in a project that can cause the most problems for our clients and integrating them into our business—allowing operators to stay focused on running theirs.”
Photo Credit: Dunne Kozlowski
Take, for example, the firm’s work designing MOSU in Albany, NY. As a modern Asian restaurant with hibachi-style cooking, the logistical requirements could have been a design disaster. Hibachi grills require exposed exhaust ductwork and mechanical infrastructure along the ceiling, a notorious eyesore most designers would try to distract from. The space was also long and narrow, which presented a challenge for the owners’ goal of creating a flexible, community-oriented space.
Rather than pushing seating to the perimeter, Dunne Kozlowski introduced a central bar, creating a strong social anchor and focal point for guests. They also introduced a hanging rope installation along the ceiling, softening the presence of infrastructure and bringing attention back to the dining experience.
“Design must respond honestly to real constraints and real human behavior,” says Dunne. “You can’t ignore or hide operational requirements. If you address them directly, however, then you can turn them into assets that enhance the overall experience.”
After the success of MOSU, Dunne Kozlowski also led the architectural and interior design for a second location in Henrietta, New York, set to open in the near future. The firm has also designed several recently opened restaurants in the greater Albany area, including Sea Smoke Waterfront Grill, the Mexican restaurant Toro Cantina, and The Scene.
Photo Credit: Dunne Kozlowski
“With MOSU, we were able not only to help elevate a brand from 800 miles away, but to help elevate an entire city’s restaurant scene,” says Dunne. “We became a leading designer in Albany, leading to projects like Toro Cantina, Sea Smoke Waterfront Grill, and The Scene. Whether in Chicago or beyond, we’re able to elevate brands to the same level of quality, demonstrating success on a nationwide scale.”
The firm has expanded its presence into other cities and industries, from the modern Adalina Prime steakhouse in Chicago to the Hotel Julian in San Francisco. With every project, Dunne Kozlowski is refining its design-led, design-build approach to set restaurants and businesses up for long-term success.
“In today’s marketplace, it’s not enough to have a beautiful design,” says Kozlowski. “To create memorable experiences that elevate a brand, design must be rooted in function—flow of operations, budget, and schedule. You may hesitate to part with your current firm, but it’s worth asking: Do they truly understand your business? Can they deliver a space that’s not only beautiful, but operationally sound and genuinely memorable?”
Jami McGuairt-Salazar blew through Manhattan this weekend with the kind of high-gloss glamour that has turned her into a closely followed ItGirl and prominent socialite on social media. The Texas-born beauty treated New York City like her own private playground, floating from penthouse sunsets to courtside seats, from the city’s most impossible book dining rooms to late-night hotspots where only the boldfaced names get waved in.
Her weekend began high above the skyline, where she shared a sunset view from her NoMad penthouse, a silhouette framed against a Manhattan horizon streaked in pink and gold. From there, she slipped into a weekend that read like a socialite’s private diary. McGuairt-Salazar secured a table at Crane Club, the reservation everyone wants and almost no one gets, before heading to The Plaza for high tea, where she blended into the old-NewYork elegance as if she’d been raised on it. The socialite capped her nights with after-hours festivities at Marquee and Pergola, where the city’s celebrity and socialite circles converge.
McGuairt-Salazar wasn’t alone in her Manhattan jaunt. Her husband, Dallas C. Salazar, a commodities venture capitalist whose empire spans oil, gas, and now trucking, was in town making a run on Wall Street. Salazar’s latest acquisition, a major trucking company, adds another jewel to the couple’s growing industrial portfolio. Together, they’ve quietly become a visible couple with influence, visibility, and reach growing in tandem with their wealth. McGuairt-Salazar’s rise in New York’s social and fashion circles is closely connected to the business ventures they’re building together, a modern blend of Texas oil grit and Manhattan polish.
But the crown jewel of her weekend was Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. A diehard Knicks fan, Jami returned to her signature courtside seats for the Knicks-Suns matchup on January 17. Dressed in a chic blue dress that embellished her waist, cinched belt, and fur coat, she turned the front row into a runway. Cameras caught her laughing, cheering, and chatting with other VIPs, the kind of effortless courtside glam that has become her calling card.
Whether she’s sipping tea at The Plaza, whispering over champagne about her husband’s next big takeover, or cheering courtside in fur, Jami McGuairt-Salazar continues to deliver the aspirational escapism her audience can’t get enough of.
Passport concierge services—sometimes called passport expediting—have long been a quiet part of the American travel industry, typically discovered through word of mouth or a frantic Google search when a trip is already in jeopardy.
That’s now changing. With major retail and travel brands embedding passport services into their customer journeys, Miami-based startup HelloGov is helping take the category mainstream.
Expediting — and the broader idea of “white glove passport help” or concierge services — is becoming far easier to access through HelloGov’s partnerships with national retails and travel brands, bringing passport support into all of the places that travelers already use to plan and prepare for a trip.
HelloGov, founded by industry veterans Adam Boalt, Steven Fox and Brian LaBasco, spent two years developing a passport application platform that was intelligent, robust and scalable enough for enterprise partnerships.
“HelloGov is a service-in-a-box,” Boalt says. “Government applications are notoriously complex, so we built a white-glove enterprise platform that lets partners launch passport services at scale instantly—no specialists, no new infrastructure.”
A platform built to handle complex passport applications
Now, customers can go directly to HelloGov and get 24/7 support, assistance and step-by-step guidelines to complete their applications quickly and accurately.
At its core, HelloGov is built for passport applications that aren’t straightforward. The platform guides applicants through the correct forms and supporting documents based on their specific situation, catching common errors that delay approvals.
Each application is reviewed using a combination of automated checks trained on Department of State hand-carry guidelines and a human-in-the-loop review by passport specialists, with 24/7 support available to resolve issues quickly.
HelloGov’s CEO Adam Boalt frames it in practical terms:
“If you have an expensive trip coming up, the last thing you want is to lose vacation days or pay change fees because of an application mistake. That’s when people turn to a white-glove service like ours. We operate a marketplace of registered passport couriers, allowing us to securely hand-carry applications into local passport agencies while staying compliant with government rules.”
“If you’re comfortable doing your own taxes, a passport concierge probably isn’t for you. But if you use an accountant, as the saying goes — when mistakes are expensive, paying to get it right is worth it.”
Last-minute travel is booming
Americans are travelling at record levels — the State Department issued 27.3 million passports in FY2025 and Expedia Group data also points to shorter planning windows, including a 20% quarter-over-quarter increase in trips booked within two weeks of departure.
And with more and more last-minute bookings, demand for expedited, white-glove passport support is only going to continue to climb. (Expedited applications had a record year in 2023.)
Why? Because documentation problems are messy.
When an issue with a passport happens just before the trip or gets discovered the day of, it turns into disruption inside the whole of the travel industry. Rebooks, counter escalations, support load, and a customer who blames the brand in front of them.
That’s the gap that HelloGov is looking to fill: a way to put passport help where customers already prepare for travel, so problems get caught earlier and travel brands can solve their customers problems, rather than turn them away at the gate.
That’s where HelloGov’s industry experience and security-first platform matter most.
“Our enterprise partners need more than software,” Boalt says. “They need a platform that can securely coordinate real-world operations, including hand-carrying passports into local agencies through a vetted network of registered couriers.”
He points to HelloGov’s compliance roadmap—aligned with frameworks like SOC 2, NIST, ISO 27001, and FedRAMP principles—as evidence the platform was built for real-world use. “We’ve tested and hardened the system across hundreds of thousands of real applications, so even complex cases are handled correctly the first time.”
HelloGov’s partnership approach: embedded distribution without operational lift
HelloGov’s growth strategy is built around meeting the customers earlier in their travel plans.
Many customers still find themselves Googling “passport expediting” in a panic three days before a flight.
But solving the industry-wide headaches caused by documentation problems requires thinking bigger and being embedded where travellers are already preparing for a trip — with retail and travel partners — so problems get caught before they turn into a day-of crisis.
And for partners, this isn’t just about efficiency. HelloGov’s goal is to give partners an additional revenue stream that solves a customer headache without creating any extra operational burden.
They don’t need to hire specialists, train support teams, or build a new workflow. They add the service line; HelloGov runs the workflow, customer support, and operations behind it.
Brian LaBasco, HelloGov’s CFO, speaks on the commercial upside for HelloGov’s partners: “There’s huge demand for a plug-and-play model,” he says. “We see our partnerships as symbiotic, giving customers a service they genuinely need and creating meaningful affiliate revenue that goes straight to our partners’ bottom line, all without adding a new operational team.”
And if retail and travel memberships were HelloGov’s on-ramp into partnerships, airlines and the travel industry are the logical next step.
American airlines and travel agents sit closest to the moment when documentation issues become operational issues — missed trips, rebooks, counter escalations — and they have the earliest customer touchpoints to catch problems before travel day.
There’s also a compliance component, too. The IATA notes that airlines can face fines up to $10,000 per passenger when someone is deemed inadmissible due to missing visas or invalid documents.
Steven Fox, HelloGov’s co-founder and VP of Business Development, frames the opportunity as moving the solution upstream: “Passports and visas might sound like documentation issues” he says. “But for airlines and travel agents, they’re disruptive. Rebooking, dealing with frustrated travellers, hold ups, fines are all headaches for travelers and airlines. But by integrating HelloGov’s services at every step of the customer journey, from the moment a customer books to all pre-flight comm, airlines don’t just reduce the disruption of document issues, they can add an extra revenue stream without needing extra overhead.”
For Boalt, this all ties back to the bigger picture too. “Our goal is to create a solution that catches and helps people before they panic,” he says. “We want to put the services we provide everywhere people already plan and book trips so that we get a better outcome for travellers and for the travel ecosystem around them.”
Beyond passports: travel visas in 2026
HelloGov’s vision for the future isn’t limited to passports.
The company says it plans to launch a global travel visa service in 2026, an adjacent category where customers have the same pain points: realising they need help close to departure, complex guidelines and the stress of not knowing if they’ll make the trip.
Zooming out, HelloGov’s broader ambition is to become a travel-document layer that can be embedded across the travel industry — retailers, memberships, loyalty programs, corporate travel, and airlines — anywhere customers make decisions before departure.
In fact, HelloGov sees itself as a usability layer that sits in between the travel industry and the government, helping the travel industry reduce documentation bottlenecks and helping customers reduce pre-trip stress. On top of that, by ensuring that every application delivered to the agency is pre-vetted and checked by trained passport staff, HelloGov argues it effectively increases the government’s bandwidth.
Boalt’s thesis for HelloGov is simple: “We don’t want to replace the government at all. We just want to make all government document processes easier to navigate, and then partner with enterprise partners to help put the help and peace of mind we bring where customers already go for help: at retail brands, travel brands, airports and more.”
HelloGov’s services are already available in hundreds of retail locations across the U.S. and offered through travel-related memberships that collectively reach tens of millions of Americans. Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, the company plans to expand partnerships with travel agents, airlines, and travel insurance providers—aiming to reach travelers well before last-minute panic sets in.
Alisha Lehmann is letting fans see the real her — no filter. The 27-year-old Swiss athlete has jumped on Fanvue, giving her millions of followers a more personal, unfiltered look at her life beyond the pitch and the headlines.
Her football story is stacked: debuted for Switzerland at 17, 65 caps, FA Cup final with West Ham, became a fan favorite at Aston Villa, lifted the Serie A title with Juventus, had a quick stop at Como, and just recently signed a 2.5-year deal with Leicester City to return to the Women’s Super League.
Off the field, she has built a strong public presence, with 16 million Instagram followers, brand shoots with Tezenis, regular media attention, and a profile that has kept her in the spotlight for years. Now Fanvue is where she’s showing the side people actually want: relaxed, real, and way more personable than the usual social-media highlights.
Her page is loaded with exclusive stuff: pro photoshoots in stylish, confident outfits (classy, no nudes), face-covered poses, training and recovery clips, everyday moments fans rarely see, and football nostalgia — including the viral Ronaldinho crossbar challenge she did for the launch (the one where the ball accidentally nailed the cameraman…a classic).
It’s the kind of behind-the-scenes access that makes fans feel like they’re actually along for the ride instead of just watching from afar. Lehmann is giving people more of who she really is, not just the polished version.
Fanvue Co-Founder Will Monange said:
“Alisha has a strong connection with her fans already. Fanvue lets her share more of her life. More openly, more personally, and completely in her control.”
Subs kick off at $8/month (cheaper if you lock in longer) and deliver that closer, more real look. Fanvue just raised $22 million, but for Lehmann it’s dead simple: more fans getting the authentic her, while she runs the show her way.
From goal scorer to straight-up fan favorite, she’s handing people the keys to her world.
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Boards face an increasingly urgent question: how should they engage with cybersecurity risk when it represents the single largest threat to most organizations? The answer, according to Joseph Steinberg, lies in understanding a critical distinction that many boards miss entirely. “Every company really needs somebody on their board today who understands how to oversee the management of cyber risk,” Steinberg explains, “but, while there are many people who know how to manage cyber risk far fewer know how to oversee the management of cyber risk.”
This distinction between management and oversight defines the fundamental difference between boards that provide effective governance and those that inadvertently undermine their CISOs while creating dangerous gaps in organizational security.
The Critical Difference Between Cyber Security Consultancy and Board Oversight
Many players within the cybersecurity consulting industry have conditioned boards to think about cyber risk through the wrong lens. Traditional cyber security consultancy focuses on helping CISOs implement defenses: acquiring, deploying, and configuring security controls, building incident response capabilities, and managing day-to-day security operations. These tasks are components of management—the active work of defending systems and data. Board oversight, by contrast, ensures that CISOs are doing their jobs effectively without the board attempting to do those jobs themselves.
“The difference is whether you’re actively doing it or making sure someone’s doing it the right way,” Steinberg clarifies. This mirrors how boards approach every other major business function. “It’s the same way that boards don’t manage accounting; they make
sure that the CFO is doing a proper job managing the accounting,” he explains. “It’s not my job to run the company if I’m on the board. The company’s CEO runs it.”
Yet cybersecurity frequently breaks this pattern. “In many cases, companies don’t have that expertise on their boards,” Steinberg observes. “Either because they don’t have it at all or they’ve brought in people who don’t really understand how to do it. They’re doing management of cyber risk, not oversight of that management.” This confusion stems partly from how boards recruit cybersecurity expertise. Companies often add someone with technical and hands-on-management credentials—a former CISO or security consultant—expecting that technical knowledge and related management experience will easily translate to effective governance. It rarely does.
Steinberg, author of the “Official (ISC)2 Guide to the CISSP-ISSMP CBK”—an official textbook for chief information security officers—occupies a unique position to address this challenge. He knows what CISOs should be doing because he wrote the book on it. More importantly, he understands what boards should be overseeing because he’s served on both sides of that relationship throughout his career.
The irony is that what cyber consultants focus on—countermeasure configuration, vulnerability management, security architecture, incident response procedures, etc. —is precisely what boards don’t need to understand in detail. Boards need governance frameworks instead. Steinberg’s teaching experience at Columbia University illustrates this perfectly. He teaches people studying to be C-suite executives about cyber risk management. CEOs, CIOs, and CTOs—executives learning how to ask strategic questions, not technical specialists learning system hardening.
How Boards Fail at Cyber Governance By Trying to Do the CISO’s Job
The most common failure pattern in board cyber governance follows a predictable trajectory. Boards review security reports detailing department performance on social engineering simulations, patch management, compliance metrics, or individual incident details. These operational reports may be interesting, but focusing on them gives boards the illusion of proper engagement while distracting them from actual governance questions.
In actuality, effective board cyber oversight requires asking the right strategic questions rather than reviewing technical details. Steinberg’s framework, for example, focuses boards on governance-level inquiries: Is your risk appetite appropriate for your business model? Does management have adequate resources to appropriately and adequately manage cyber risk? Are you asking the right questions to verify effective execution? Do you understand your exposure in business terms that you can govern? Are you fulfilling your fiduciary duties regarding cyber oversight?
Traditional cyber security consulting service firms either manage operations or sell specific technical implementations: penetration testing, security architecture reviews, compliance audits, incident response planning, and the like. Steinberg’s board advisory begins somewhere completely different—with clarifying whether you’re seeking management help or oversight help. “The chief information security officer needs to make sure that they manage cyber risk— transferring unacceptable risks via insurance or other agreements, and terminating or treating other risks with technical controls—all of which are done to ensure that only a tolerable level of risk remains,” Steinberg explains.
The board’s role differs fundamentally. Boards verify that management is executing effectively, ensure that acceptable levels of risk are taken on, and hold executives accountable. When boards confuse these roles, they end up micromanaging technical decisions while failing to provide strategic oversight.
The fiduciary implications are significant. Boards have a duty to oversee cyber risk as “the biggest risk to most companies.” Failing to distinguish oversight from management may constitute a governance failure, particularly when breaches occur that proper oversight might have prevented.
Steinberg’s observation captures the problem precisely: boards get distracted by things with which they do not need to be involved and missing things in which they do, creating governance gaps while appearing busy and engaged. This micromanagement trap prevents boards from asking the strategic questions that actually determine whether an organization’s approach to cyber risk is sound.
Steinberg’s multiple perspectives reinforce this observation. He has served as the head of security for other organizations,built products and deployed them all over the world.
He served as an expert witness on dozens of cybersecurity-related cases. He’s seen what works and what fails from every angle: as implementer, advisor, board member, and expert witness.
His credentials demonstrate the breadth needed for this strategic perspective. Steinberg holds the suite of advanced information security certifications, CISSP, ISSAP, ISSMP, and CSSLP. This combination of technical depth and governance breadth enables him to translate between technical operations and strategic oversight.
Steinberg himself is selective about board positions, evaluating opportunities based on geography, cultural fit, ability to contribute value, mission alignment, and whether companies are contributing to human society. This selectivity mirrors his approach to expert witness cases—he only accepts engagements where he believes he is on the right side of justice and can add genuine value.
The ultimate value proposition for boards is straightforward: they don’t need to become technical experts in cybersecurity. They need frameworks for asking the right strategic questions and evaluating whether their CISOs are performing effectively. Steinberg provides those frameworks based on having been both the implementer building security programs and the advisor helping boards govern them. Boards that understand the distinction between oversight and management can fulfill their fiduciary duties regarding cyber risk without attempting to do the CISO’s job.
Artificial intelligence has seeped into daily life, from customer support chats to predictive playlists; however, its next big test is unfolding in the entertainment industry, where it is tapping into the world of fan-artist relationships. This time, it no longer automates tasks or sets notifications. In an industry where growth relies on both scale and engagement, Alters AI utilizes its digital twin technology to transform fan-artist relationships from mass-media interactions into more meaningful and reliable touchpoints.
Alters AI’s bet is straightforward: if AI transforms processes, it can also unlock a new phase of potential and growth for the global entertainment economy—addressing the audience’s demand for deeper engagement, and genuine, personal artist connections.
Unlocking Market Potential of Fan Experience
The rise of AI in the entertainment industry marks not only a shift in technological innovation, but also a step in empowering fans—one of the sector’s most important assets. The global fan engagement market size has reached $6.69 billion in 2024, which can grow up to $16.39 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.3%
Fans have long been the force behind album sales, streaming spikes, box office records, sold-out arenas, and trending moments that define pop culture. Their passion shapes reputations, propels careers forward, and fuels the industry’s multi-billion-dollar machine. Yet, for all their influence, fans have traditionally experienced connection in broad strokes: through mass media, limited meet-and-greets, or short-lived moments at live events.
AI changes this equation by personalizing the fan journey and making fans genuine stakeholders in the entertainment ecosystem. Platforms like Alters AI leverage hyper-personalization, using data and intelligent models to create content, experiences, and interactions tailored to each supporter’s preferences. This not only helps deepen loyalty and engagement but also gives fans the treatment they deserve.
AI in Action in the Entertainment Industry
Empowering fans means giving them more of what they truly desire: deeper, more frequent engagement with the artists they admire. While most AI investment has targeted general infrastructure and automation, Alters AI brings a rare vertical focus on consumer experience, an end-to-end managed app for artists, athletes, and personalities.
Alters AI accomplishes this with digital twins, meticulously crafted AI twins that do far more than chat. These twins produce stunning visual content, capture exclusive moments, and engage in conversations that can feel as genuine as face-to-face interactions.
Through AI, fans can receive photos, videos, and messages created in their favorite artist’s authentic voice, style, and personality, with every skin texture, strand of hair, and micro-expression rendered using cinematic-grade technology—the same kind used in blockbuster film productions. The technology transforms one-sided admiration into a two-way conversation, focused on keeping them engaged and excited.
All of this is delivered straight to the fan’s hand, thanks to Alters AI’s end-to-end management: from app creation to publishing, daily content, and ongoing operations, ensuring that the connection is easy, available, and always fully authentic.
Global Expansion and Multi-Vertical Relevance
Alters AI’s platform serves not only pop stars, but also actors, athletes, and influencers worldwide. Localization, language, and cultural adaptation are supported at scale, turning casual audiences into loyal communities.
For instance, a pop star’s twin can welcome fans in Manila at sunrise, while a footballer’s twin in Madrid reviews a training clip with supporters at dusk, each in their own voice and language, each with their own brand safeguards.
This flexibility expands the universe of potential partners and new touchpoints. Artists and actors can utilize the twin to sustain energy between releases; athletes can keep supporters close during off days and long travel weeks; streamers and influencers can turn casual audiences into communities with consistent, low-friction touchpoints. Under the hood, identical mechanics, such as subscriptions, special drops, and platform-optimized media, become potential revenue layers that adapt to each persona and region.
Alters AI also argues that digital-physical interplay will define the next wave of fan products. Limited-edition items that appear in a twin’s wardrobe when purchased in-app create a visible loop between ownership and identity, making collections feel both tangible and social. That loop is designed to reward participation rather than passive watching—fans who engage see their choices reflected, and the experience becomes personal in a way that’s difficult to replicate with broadcast posts alone.
A New Era of Engaged Growth
As AI rises from a workflow tool to the centerpiece of the entertainment experience, Alters AI is driving innovation around fan engagement, growth opportunities, and market impact. The platform’s blend of personalized, scalable presence, frictionless management, and local adaptation offers entertainment companies, artists, and creators a key to success in the next phase: genuine fan connections.
Alters AI has just started, but with AI, its possibilities for both artist growth and fan engagement are limitless, changing how content is produced and reaching its audience.
Viral messaging isn’t random; it’s repeatable and systemized. Asher Lara founded Iconify Media on the vision that creativity can scale to virality through dedicated infrastructure while preserving authenticity. His early role as a content creator led to the successful launch of his agency, built from the ground up, leveraging his lived experience and platform fluency.
Lara’s foundation came from posting daily at 16 with no plan, no audience, and no results for a full year. “I just kept posting, praying it would work, and trusting that something would eventually click even when it felt like I was talking to nobody,” he recalls.
On YouTube, that persistence evolved into a sharper understanding of how audiences respond. He learned how to invite action without forcing it, a shift that led to 1 million subscribers in 30 days. As of January 2026, his channel has grown to 8.5 million subscribers.
An expert in virality and media strategy, Lara had friends come to him with questions such as “What should I post?” and “Why isn’t this working anymore?” about SEO content, and his informal feedback turned into a business model. His first official client was Joseph Shalaby, and his systems had an immediate impact thanks to strong content-creation tips and excellent frameworks.
Hands-On Experience Equals Platform Fluency
As a content creator, Lara experimented with hooks, formats, packaging, tone, and posting cadence across platforms. Early on, his content reached millions and billions of views. The platform fluency he developed led to a deep understanding of how content in reality travels and scales. Shalaby saw his content reach millions of views, thanks to Asher’s frameworks, as the first official client for Iconify Media.
These framework systems were successfully applied to clients after his friends made strategic tweaks during their informal discussions. Virality was not random, and efforts could be made to identify it. Lara didn’t have a traditional business plan; momentum and his love for both business and creativity intersected to form his company, leading to a successful start as a creator-led agency.
All the parts that lead to success, viral marketing, content strategy, and social media growth are part of the day-to-day for the company. The media agency takes a holistic approach to content, platform strategy, and authentic content, which has led to sustainable growth.
Content Creation Industry Challenges
The pressure in the content creation and online media industries is quantifiable, with daily adaptation required due to constant algorithm shifts. Lara has experienced the cyclical nature of creating, posting, failing, iterating, and adapting, with the possibility of viral content scaling or instead needing tweaks and brainstorming. He maintains hands-on creative work while running the agency to manage the agency’s regular pressures. Instead of relying solely on theory, Lara stays connected to platforms and culture in real time.
Staying up to date on the business and its proximity to the work helps Iconify move faster and stay culturally fluent, enabling Lara to build realistic strategies that work for clients. Continuing his work within the agency and experience have combined to create his credibility.
The traditional agency model relies on long production cycles and rigid campaigns, but Lara puts creation first and strategy second. By making his own content, he continues to evolve Iconify’s systems, ensuring they keep pace with the company’s culture and don’t fall behind. In fact, Lara brings systems-based thinking, grounded in real platform experience, to clients’ online experiences.
Creator-Economy Systems for the Future
Lara plans to expand the agency’s reach, deepen client relationships, and bring creator-economy systems to more businesses. His content goals for adding clients are mainly in the food sector, including service, restaurants, and cafés, an area where quality content directly drives foot traffic and community loyalty. The direction reflects how Lara built his own audience, by experimenting publicly, testing formats and hooks, and paying attention to what people actually responded to rather than relying on manufactured trends. That same trial-and-error mindset now informs how Iconify approaches growth for its clients, favoring familiarity and consistency over one-off promotions.The total Iconify vision is to create an overarching infrastructure and systems that enable creativity to scale without sacrificing authenticity.
Why spend a fortune on an engagement ring when you don’t have to?
For years, couples were told that a real proposal meant a massive diamond and a massive bill. That idea is fading fast. Today’s buyers care less about inflated price tags and more about what actually matters.
Lab-grown diamonds are designed to exhibit comparable brilliance, fire, and shine to mined diamonds. Visually and chemically, they are real diamonds. The difference is the cost and the footprint. Produced in controlled environments, lab-grown stones avoid the environmental strain and sourcing concerns tied to traditional mining. By skipping the traditional markup, couples can save thousands without sacrificing the look or the moment.
That extra money goes a long way. It can fund an international trip, help with a down payment, or simply make starting married life less stressful.
The term affordable does not refer to inexpensive products. A growing number of engagement ring brands are proving that great design, quality craftsmanship, and serious sparkle do not require a five-figure spend.
Here is a breakdown of those engagement ring brands, giving you a boost of confidence without breaking the bank.
Why these three engagement ring brands made the cut
Ouros Jewels puts affordability first, without limiting choice.
Most brands lower prices by shrinking their catalog or limiting options. Ouros Jewels takes the opposite approach. Its engagement ring range spans classic solitaires, halos, and modern designs, giving buyers real choice without nudging them into higher price tiers or unnecessary upgrades.
The brand also stands out for variety. Along with traditional lab-grown diamonds, Ouros Jewels offers fancy colored lab-grown diamonds and lab gemstone rings. That level of flexibility is uncommon at this price point and appeals to couples looking for something personal rather than predictable, especially those hoping to move beyond the standard white diamond look.
The brand establishes its unique identity through its customized product offerings. The engagement ring design system at Ouros Jewels enables customers to design their own rings through complete customization, which lets them select their desired stone shape and size, metal type, and setting style and band details. The system enables customers to design their preferred ring instead of choosing a similar option, which leads to a pricing situation that remains within budget except for high-end products.
The price of their products does not affect their visual appearance or product quality for customers who want to buy them. The design spaces use basic elements to maintain their purity while showcasing the stone without decorative elements that would obscure material flaws. The overall design creates an impression of completeness and refinement rather than indicating low-cost production.
Pricing is a key part of Ouros’ positioning, with engagement rings starting at around $150, placing the brand firmly within reach for first-time buyers, younger couples, and anyone looking for affordable engagement rings without overspending on a proposal.
Ouros Jewels provides the ideal shopping experience for customers who want to see jewelry sparkle, choose from a wide range of designs, and see their final look at a reasonable price. The solution allows couples to customize their experience through flexible options while maintaining the necessary engagement ring visibility.
Dvik Jewels
Image credit Dvik Jewels
Dvik Jewels focuses on minimal engagement rings with a clean, modern feel.
The designs avoid heavy detailing and decorative excess, relying instead on simple settings that let the stone do the work. This stripped-back approach keeps the rings visually refined and easy to wear, especially for buyers who prefer subtle elegance over ornate styles.
What sets Dvik Jewels apart is scale. The brand offers engagement rings with larger carat weights while still keeping prices in check. By prioritizing lab-grown diamonds and straightforward construction, Dvik Jewels makes bold center stones more accessible without inflating costs.
Pricing starts at $200, positioning the brand as a practical option for couples who want a noticeable presence on the finger without paying luxury markups.
Dvik Jewels suits buyers who want clean design, bigger stones, and a realistic entry price.
Ibling Jewels
Image credit: Ibling Jewels
Ibling Jewels focuses on engagement ring designs that have already proven popular with buyers.
Rather than chasing trends, the brand studies what customers consistently buy and love, then builds its collections around those proven preferences. The result is a lineup shaped by real market demand, not guesswork.
The designs lean toward styles that last. You will find classic solitaires, modern silhouettes, and clean, trend-aware details that feel current without becoming dated. This balance makes the rings easy to wear today and years from now.
Because every design is built around customer favorites, choosing a ring feels less risky. There is less second-guessing about whether the style will land or feel too bold.
Ibling Jewels works best for buyers who want a safe, well-loved design with broad appeal and lasting style.
Prices and availability are accurate as of the time of publication and are subject to change without notice. Please check the retailer’s website for the most up-to-date pricing information.
