Latest news with #Flawless
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Caitlin Clark rookie cards likely to break women's sports card record sale go to auction
Potentially the most expensive Caitlin Clark cards to date will soon hit the auction block. On Thursday night, her 2024 Panini WNBA Rookie Royalty Flawless patch autographed one-of-one rookie card will be up for sale through Fanatics Collect's July Premier auction. And on Friday, Clark's one-of-a-kind Immaculate patch autographed rookie card from the same set will go to auction with Goldin. Both cards are expected to eclipse the March sale of a different one-of-a-kind Clark card, her 2024 Panini Prizm WNBA Signatures Gold Vinyl autograph rookie card, which went for $366,000 through Goldin Auctions. That sale set a record for the most expensive women's sports card ever. A few key elements set the Rookie Royalty one-of-ones apart from the Prizm card, though. The autograph on the Flawless and Immaculate cards are directly on the card — this is far more desirable to collectors than autographed stickers that are placed on cards, which is what the Prizm card has. In addition, the Flawless and Immaculate cards also feature the WNBA 'Logowoman' patch from Indiana Fever jerseys. Even though they're from jerseys that weren't personally worn by Clark, league logo patches command a premium in cards. Clark also inscribed the Flawless card with '769 pts and counting.' This refers to how many points she scored during her 2024 campaign in which she won the WNBA rookie of the year award. The Immaculate card is inscribed with 'ROY 24' to signify Clark's rookie of the year honors. Advertisement Kevin Lenane, Fanatics Collect's vice president of marketplace, said the consignor pulled the Clark card from a 2024 Panini Rookie Royalty box sold privately, rather than an online live box break stream, which is how the Immaculate card was found. 'The story is really about women's cards in the hobby. It's just remarkable, the path of this,' Lenane said. 'It's without a doubt, the No. 1 card she has. Given that this (gold) vinyl sticker Prizm sold for $366,000, I am positive it will sell for more. How much? I don't know. I would think it's pretty hefty. And so it'll just be a big moment for women in the hobby and women's cards featuring women in the hobby. The trajectory of that has really been just buoyed by Caitlin Clark, to be frank.' Lenane said he's pretty conservative when giving estimates to potential consignors of cards, admitting he provided an estimate lower than the eventual $1.1 million price the 11-year-old boy landed for the Paul Skenes MLB Debut Patch autographed one-of-one card from the 2024 Topps Chrome Update set. The fact he's so bullish about this Clark card points to this being the biggest Clark card ever consigned to Fanatics Collect. Goldin Auctions seemingly owned the Clark secondary card auction market, having sold the top 10 most expensive Clark cards on the secondary market, according to Market Movers — an online card sales database. Advertisement The Flawless and Immaculate brands typically stand as two of Panini's top high-end products, meaning the cards from those sets command some of the highest price tags for collectors to buy on the secondary market. Flawless and Immaculate have traditionally been a stand-alone sets, but Panini inserted the brands and other high-end company labels like National Treasures and Noir within the Rookie Royalty boxes. That means there is also a similar one-of-a-kind National Treasures Clark Logowoman autographed card in Rookie Royalty, too. This wasn't the only part of the unusual set up. Panini launched its Dutch auction for the boxes containing two cards starting at $30,000. Most boxes sold for around $4,000, though. Each box includes just two cards and is guaranteed to contain an on-card autograph of either Clark or Angel Reese and a Downtown or Kaboom insert of one of 12 players (including Clark and Reese). Regardless of Panini's methods for the Rookie Royalty boxes, the Clark one-of-a-kind Flawless and Immaculate cards would be two of the most sought after cards in any set in any sport this year. 'From our side, it's just this amazing card,' Lenane said. 'We're auctioning it. I just think it's really interesting and kind of like a moment. In the WNBA, it's just the card everyone's looking for.' Advertisement Clark returned to action Wednesday after missing the previous five games with a groin injury. She scored 10 points during the Fever's loss to the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday. This was Clark's second extended absence this season after missing another five games in early June with a calf injury. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Indiana Fever, WNBA, Sports Business, Memorabilia & Collectibles 2025 The Athletic Media Company
Zawya
03-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Flawless closes $1.5mln pre-seed funding to expand business
Flawless, a Saudi digital platform offering AI-powered career guidance, has secured $1.50 million in a pre-seed funding round backed by a group of regional angel investors. The investment will be used to advance the platform's technology, enhance user experience, and expand the company's growing team, according to a press release. Founded by Shaimaa Alghamdi, Flawless integrates generative AI and social psychology insights to offer tailored career recommendations to individuals navigating professional transitions. The platform originated as a blog in 2023 and transformed into a full-fledged digital startup in 2024, targeting unmet demand in the career support space. In line with the economic development of Saudi Vision 2030, Flawless quickly scaled by identifying a gap in the market for intelligent, tech-driven career guidance. The company aims to evolve its services and widen its reach across Saudi Arabia and beyond. Alghamdi commented: 'What began as a passion project is now a data-driven platform helping thousands make smarter career decisions. This funding validates our approach and gives us the fuel to scale responsibly and impactfully.'
Wamda
02-07-2025
- Business
- Wamda
Flawless lands $1.5 million pre-seed to expand its career mentorship platform
Saudi Arabia-based platform Flawless has raised $1.5 million in pre-seed funding, backed by unnamed angel investors focused on early-stage innovation. Founded by Shaimaa Alghamdi, the platform uses generative AI and social psychology to offer personalised career guidance. The company originated as a blog in 2023 and transformed into a full-fledged digital startup in 2024, targeting unmet demand in the career support space. The funding will be used to scale technology, improve services, and hire new talent to expand operations. Press release: Flawless, a Saudi-based digital platform offering AI-powered career guidance, has raised $1.5 million in a pre-seed funding round backed by a group of regional angel investors. The investment will be used to enhance the platform's technology, improve user experience, and expand the company's growing team. Flawless combines generative AI and social psychology insights to deliver tailored career recommendations to individuals navigating professional transitions. The platform evolved from a blog launched by founder Shaimaa Alghamdi in 2023 into a fully-fledged startup by 2024, addressing growing market demand for accessible, personalised mentorship and job-matching tools. Initially focused on educational content, training opportunities, and job listings, Flawless quickly scaled by identifying a gap in the market for intelligent, tech-driven career guidance. With this funding round, the company aims to further refine its services and broaden its reach across Saudi Arabia and beyond. 'What began as a passion project is now a data-driven platform helping thousands make smarter career decisions,' said Alghamdi. 'This funding validates our approach and gives us the fuel to scale responsibly and impactfully.'
Fashion Value Chain
01-07-2025
- Business
- Fashion Value Chain
Nesterra Launches 5.0 Collection of Fabrics & Blinds
Premium home décor and furnishings brand Nesterra, a part of Sutlej Textiles & Industries Ltd. under the K.K. Birla Group, launched its highly anticipated 5.0 Collection at a grand showcase event at Bağlami, BKC Mumbai, on 16th June. The event marked a defining moment in Nesterra's design evolution—where creativity meets sustainability and function—with a strong focus on 'consumer-first' values. The 5.0 Collection introduces blinds for the first time, expanding the brand's portfolio into new territory. These include Forest Frames (wooden blinds), Layor (roller blinds), and Shades of Blinds, offering blackout, translucent, and sheer variants. Alongside this, the new fabric range blends comfort and purpose—featuring Flawless (easy-clean upholstery), Eclipse (blackout curtains), and Breeze (airy sheers). Collections like Garden of 1905 reimagine archival Flemish botanical motifs, while others such as Raw Comfort, Twilight, and Petal Poetry bring out tactile textures, muted tones, and quiet luxury. Ashish Kumar, CEO & Wholetime Director, Nesterra, emphasized the importance of design that is 'personal, purposeful, and progressive,' and noted that the brand's expansion into blinds sets a new milestone in its growth trajectory. Smita Joshi, Vice President, Nesterra, added that the collection is a result of 'listening, observing, and reflecting,' and is aimed at consumers who seek both meaning and minimalism in their home aesthetics. With a curated gathering of industry leaders, retailers, and designers, the launch event also featured immersive product experiences followed by an evening of cocktails and conversations—deepening Nesterra's connection with its community and stakeholders. The 5.0 Collection reaffirms Nesterra's commitment to thoughtful design, user-centric innovation, and the idea that every home should reflect personal identity through comfort and storytelling. For more, visit
Los Angeles Times
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The spirit of Pride is diversity and progress, not respectability politics
The latest installment of 'Jurassic Park' is hitting theaters July 4th weekend, and while normally I detest silly summer sequels, for some reason I do enjoy watching dinosaurs eat people on the big screen. 'Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should,' Jeff Goldblum famously said in the 1993 original. After his character perfectly framed the ethical question nestled in the heart of the Jurassic Park story, I was more than happy to see Newman from 'Seinfeld' get what he deserved. A brilliant line or movie monologue — like Goldblum's gem — can not only advance a fictional plot, but also foster conversations about real life. Consider how Michael B. Jordan's character Killmonger challenged the idea of isolationism and Jack Nicholson's line 'You can't handle the truth' explored what it takes to defend this country, morally. One of my all-time favorite movie monologues was delivered by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman in the 1999 cult classic 'Flawless.' In the scene, Hoffman — portraying a no-nonsense drag queen — confronts a group of conservative gay men who seek to mute the more flamboyant members of the LGBTQ+ during a Pride march in an attempt to gain broader acceptance. 'You're ashamed of us, but we're not ashamed of you,' the speech begins. 'As long as you go down on your Banana Republic knees … you're my sisters and I love you. I do. And f— off!' I wonder whether Richard Grenell, the former ambassador to Germany who currently serves as an envoy for special missions in the Trump administration, has seen it. I ask because Grenell, who during President Trump's first term became the country's first openly gay Cabinet-level official, spent part of this Pride month trying to drive a wedge within the community in a fashion very similar to what was portrayed in the 25-year-old film. In a Truth Social post back in December, Trump said that in the envoy role, Grenell would 'work in some of the hottest spots around the World, including Venezuela and North Korea.' It seems one of Grenell's special missions was to sell America on the idea that gender identity and transgender healthcare are outside the realm of what 'normal gays' are concerned with. He also suggested the LGBTQ+ community needs to police itself, echoes of the same respectability politics framework that is often employed to gaslight those who have been systematically disenfranchised. Of course Grenell is not the first conservative gay man who has used his station in life to enrich himself at the expense of the collective. Not long after Hoffman's character went off in 'Flawless' in 1999, Ken Mehlman was appointed President George W. Bush's director of political affairs and spent years working against legalizing same-sex marriage — as we now know, from the closet. In 2010, Mehlman, a former chairman of the Republican Party, came out as gay. Biographers have documented J. Edgar Hoover's relationships with men even as he was driving the Lavender Scare. His accomplice, Roy Cohn, has a similar story. As the various letters suggest, the LGBTQ+ community is far from a monolith. However, if there is one thing most of us have in common, it is our tendency not to vote against our own interest. In 2020, Trump won 27% of the vote. In 2024, it was down to 12%. In between the two elections, we saw a relentless Republican-led attack on LGBTQ+ rights of which Trump has often been the instigator. I don't know what Grenell considers 'normal gay' behavior, but he does not represent normal gay voting. The idea that he could speak for the community's core values is not only laughable but also woefully disingenuous. It was the drag queens and gender-nonconforming members of the community who began the Stonewall Riots in 1969. Before Grenell was even born, the first out gay person to run for public office wasn't a 'normal gay' but an extraordinary drag queen by the name of Jose Sarria in 1961. The groups who won progress for queer people have never been monolithically made up of white, Anglo, heteronormative men. That's what makes the gay rights movement so beautiful, so American, so worthy of pride and celebration. And that's also why it's so weird, given the obvious concern rippling through the LGBTQ+ community because of Trump's words and actions, that Grenell chooses to use his station to fight for the members of his community who need his help the least, and to do so at the expense of the LGBTQ+ people who really need a champion. @LZGrandersonShow
