The Profile: The NFL star playing for equity & the Americans discovering family secrets

This edition of The Profile features Saquon Barkley, Andrew Garfield, Scott DeRue, and others.

Good morning, friends!

After I published my exclusive Saquon Barkley profile on Wednesday, one part of it went viral.

It was the part about his investment portfolio:

As someone who used to cover venture capital at FORTUNE, I can tell you this portfolio would make even top VCs jealous. But Barkley isn’t building it alone. His business manager, Ken Katz, has been the architect behind the scenes. He uses a relationship-driven approach to get the NFL star into the best deals.

Katz was the one who urged Barkley to read Peter Thiel’s Zero to One. He was the one who steered him away from the typical athlete playbook of podcasts and clothing lines. And he’s the one who doggedly pursues founders so Barkley’s portfolio looks less like a celebrity brand and more like an elite venture fund.

Katz gave me just one on-the-record quote: “My thesis has always been: Use the fame to get equity in the companies of the best founders in the world.”

And that’s how Barkley has crafted a portfolio that rivals some of the best in the business.

If you haven’t yet, I hope you’ll take a moment this weekend to read the full piece: Saquon Barkley Is Playing for Equity.

Saquon Barkley Is Playing for Equity

— Polina

PROFILES.

— The NFL star playing for equity [**HIGHLY RECOMMEND**]
— The Americans discovering family secrets
— The gatekeeper of free U.S. Open tickets
— The nice guy-turned-villain
— The CEO who wants to turn the Ironman into a lifestyle brand

PEOPLE TO KNOW.

The NFL star playing for equity: Saquon Barkley is prioritizing ownership. He invested his entire $31.2M rookie contract into index funds and converted his endorsement income into Bitcoin because he’s betting big on building generational wealth. Now, with equity stakes in companies like Ramp, Anthropic, and Neuralink, he’s looking to turn fragility into permanence. For Barkley, the real legacy is ownership that lasts beyond football. (The Profile)

“Use the fame to get equity in the companies of the best founders in the world.”

The Americans discovering family secrets: A DNA test upended Lily Wood’s life, revealing a Sicilian half brother and long-buried family secrets. Her discovery launched her into the growing N.P.E. (“not parent expected”) community, where millions are grappling with shocking DNA revelations. From podcasts to therapists to advocacy groups, a cottage industry now helps millions navigate the shock, anger, and existential questions that come with misattributed parentage. What began as personal identity crises has become a cultural reckoning with truth, secrecy, and belonging. (The New Yorker)

“We’re a sweep-it-under-the-rug sort of family.”

**The gatekeeper of free U.S. Open tickets:** Amanda Wight is the quiet gatekeeper behind the U.S. Open’s star power, deciding which celebrities are famous enough for free tickets and a blue-carpet reveal. From Olivia Munn and John Mulaney to Anna Wintour and Spike Lee, she orchestrates every arrival, photo op, and TV cameo to maximize buzz. Her celebrity program has become the tournament’s biggest marketing tool, turning courtside sightings into global promotion for the sport. (The New York Times; alternate link)

“Every agent under the sun has my number.”

**The nice guy-turned-villain:** Actor Andrew Garfield is shedding his nice-guy skin in After the Hunt, playing a predatory Yale professor in Luca Guadagnino’s fiery #MeToo psychodrama. The role marks a sharp turn from his usual saintly characters, pushing him into darker, riskier territory alongside Julia Roberts and Ayo Edebiri in a cultural clash of power, identity, and perception. With this and his upcoming portrayal of Sam Altman in Artificial, Garfield is stepping onto the edge — eager, uneasy, and finally dangerous. (New York Magazine; alternate link)

“I saw in Andrew a real rigor about being malleable, a determination to go wherever he needed to go.”

The CEO who wants to turn the Ironman into a lifestyle brand: Scott DeRue is reinventing Ironman from a punishing race into a global lifestyle brand. He’s expanding into travel, gear, and partnerships while fine-tuning race details to keep athletes loyal. With record sign-ups and Kona’s iconic one-day championship returning, Ironman is chasing self-betterment on and off the course. (Bloomberg; alternate link)

“We’re creating experiences for people that espouse a certain set of values.”

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