From the Founder, Brian Mazza 2/17

Rolodex vs Rolex

I vividly remember my first night working in the Hamptons, when I met the Vice President of Real Estate for Nike, and another time, the Vice President of American Express at The Ainsworth. In the early days of my hospitality career, I was drawn to the excitement of chasing what I thought would fulfill me. But soon, I realized I was in rooms filled with some of the most influential decision-makers, and I had direct access to them because I offered something they needed. They wanted to appear even more important than they already were, securing preferred reservations and exclusive access to our biggest sports viewing events—especially since we were the official Alabama Football Bar and the pioneers of Sunday Funday.

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From the Team @ HPLT 2/17

Business & Markets Update

Stocks snapped a 2-week losing streak last week, with solid performance coming from a couple of the biggest names in tech (NVDA +7% / AAPL +8%).  Markets continue to chew on a LOT of moving pieces on a day-to-day basis.  The bulk of that daily volatility stems from 3 things, for now:  The end of Q4 earnings season, ongoing geopolitical concerns, and an absolute barrage of tariff-related Trump headlines every other hour.  Trump 2.0 uncertainty (mainly on the tariff front) remains an overhang during earnings calls/releases, and as mentioned here in recent weeks, this dynamic is likely in play for months before we have more definitive visibility and understand the actual implications.

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Tommy's Take by Tommy Pomatico 2/1

Are Zero-Calorie Sweeteners Bad for Your Health?

Zero-calorie sweeteners are a popular choice for those looking to reduce sugar intake and cut down on calories. From diet sodas to sugar-free desserts, these sweeteners provide the sweetness we crave without the extra calories of regular sugar. But with growing concerns about their long-term effects, many are left wondering: are zero-calorie sweeteners bad for your health? Let’s explore the facts.

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Spotlights by Melissa Westphal 2/17

Interview with Dr. Yael Joffe PhD

Founder and Chief Science Officer 3X4 Genetics

I was studying architecture when my gran died from cancer. It was all so quick and no doctor could give me answers to why cancer. What could we do to prevent it, and how could we have treated it better? No answers at all! So I left architecture to become a dietitian, hoping to find answers. This was many decades ago, and I was disappointed and frustrated not to find any of the answers I was looking for. After becoming a dietitian I was working in London, when I was lucky enough to meet Dr Rosalynn Gill, a geneticist and a visionary who believed that the future of health and medicine was nutrigenomics, the scientific field that looks at the relationship between genetics and nutrition. I was hooked, and joined her start-up, the first company to build a nutrigenomics test for the market, as early as 2000. I knew so little about genetics, but I would learn. A few years later I went back to university to get my PhD in the genetics of obesity. I have been working in this field for 25 years, and I finally feel that I have found the answers I was looking for.

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