🐑 What the flock?

Plus: Introvert happy hour, four sleep myths busted, and more. 

Share The Hustle: https://thehustle.co/join?ref=7598767985 Check your referral progress & prizes here 👋  Good morning. If you can't decide which sweater to wear today, might we suggest the white one? Pantone crowned Cloud Dancer as its 2026 color of the year. And it looks like a whole bunch of… nothin'. The slightly off-white tone comes at a moment when minimalism is being traded in for vibrant hues and retro charm, making it a surprising choice. But Pantone Color Institute's executive director says the shade is "a whisper of calm in a noisy world." So we'll say it's kinda boring very quietly. STARTING UP This startup puts a new spin on lift off   ❌  The problem: A traditional rocket slinging supplies into space can carry a maximum of 4% of its weight as payload. And it burns massive amounts of fuel doing it. 💡  The pitch: Moonshot Space is building an electromagnetic accelerator that can fire cargo capsules into space using electricity instead of rocket fuel. The kinetic system boosts payload capacity to ~45% by eliminating the heavy fuel tanks that weigh rockets down.  🚀  The outlook: The startup just emerged from stealth with fresh funding to build its first accelerator. Moonshot says it aims to reach space within five years and has signed early agreements with space transportation companies. It's also eyeing an expansion into the defense sector with the development of an accelerator that can be used by defense firms to conduct testing for hypersonic weapons, which fly at five times the speed of sound. We don't love the sound of that.   NEWS FLASH   Someone's gotta do it: Autolane is building what cofounder and CEO Ben Seidl calls "air traffic control for autonomous vehicles," per TechCrunch. It'll start by organizing pickup and drop-off areas, which will include a combo of physical infrastructure (signage, for example) and software, for companies. You're not gonna be popular: Reddit will no longer use r/popular as the default feed for new users because, per CEO Steve Huffman, it "sucks." It's also not what's broadly popular, just what Reddit's most active users like most. Reddit will soon offer users more personalized feeds. We like the cute animal ones, obviously. No bone about it: Seen Nutrition offers patented calcium chews made from real foods, like milk, to help women's bone health. The startup recently won a $500k award at an agriculture startup competition in New York, which it will use to scale its business. That's fun: Woojer, which makes vibrating vests and other haptic products, released a $799 haptic mat. It vibrates for a more immersive video game or TV watching experience, but the company says it can also reduce stress and improve sleep through its "rich library of dedicated vibroacoustic sessions," per The Verge. MEMES GALORE For making viral memes in minutes    [Insert "Michael Scott screaming" GIF for all the times you thought about using memes for content and backed out like a bonehead.]   In 2026, ship more winners. Skim this 15-min. field guide for a shortlist of meme-making apps, plus templates for 10 timeless classics.  Make more memes   THE BIG IDEA Solar sheep are grazing big bucks    Imagine if you could generate a six-figure income and make a positive impact on the environment by doing nothing more than munching all day.    No luck yet on that front for humans, but that is the reality for "solar sheep."   Since you're probably wondering WTF those are, let us explain.    A symbiotic business model    They're regular sheep that are leased to solar farms to graze the land. Here's why, per Forbes: Solar farms are typically situated on flat, grassy pastures that need to be maintained to avoid overgrown vegetation — a common problem, due to the shaded underside of panels — from blocking the panels and impacting their efficiency.    For solar farm owners, sheep offer a cost-effective, eco-friendly alternative to gas-powered mowers, which are pricier and risk damaging solar panels when the occasional rock is spit out, as well as herbicides, which can cause environmental harm.  As for the sheep, solar farms provide shade from the sun and abundant grass to eat, while the fencing around them offers the woolly creatures some protection from predators. In short, it's a win for everyone: for solar farm owners, sheep, the environment — and, of course, shepherds.   Now, about that money…   Instead of leasing pastures for their sheep to graze, solar shepherds are paid to have their sheep fed, resulting in extra cash from the service and in the form of fatter sheep to sell. According to Glassdoor, the average American sheepherder makes ~$61k a year. Solar shepherds can make 2x-3x as much, meaning some are pulling in serious profits. That incentive has helped fuel the rapid rise of solar grazing, which one solar shepherd told AP News has been "probably the biggest opportunity" for the US sheep industry "in several generations."    There are already 250+ sites of varying sizes around the US, with more cropping up, and none of it would be possible without the booming business of solar energy — the cheapest form of electricity in history, according to the International Energy Agency.   So, as the solar industry continues to grow, you can expect the same of shepherds' flocks and their profits.    🔗 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED   What's the fastest way to make $1m? To avoid all the businesses that won't get you there. Luckily, Sam Parr tried them first and is saving you the time.   NEWSWORTHY NUMBER How many Silent Book Club chapters now exist, per Axios. What began as two friends quietly reading in a San Francisco wine bar in 2012 has expanded into a global organization with chapters in 62 countries, built on a simple concept: members bring their own books to a set location at a set time, and read independently while in the company of other book worms.    What makes it better than a traditional book club: no required reading or forced interactions — making the semi-social, choose-your-own-adventure format low-pressure compared to traditional book clubs and, as co-founder Guinevere de la Mare puts it, the perfect "introvert happy hour." Sign us up.   AROUND THE WEB 📅  On this day: In 1933, the ratification of the 21st Amendment ended Prohibition in the US. 🗞️  Newsletter: Want to get smarter about financial markets? Join Opening Bell Daily for charts, economic data, and Wall Street analysis you won't find anywhere else. 😴  That's interesting: Four sleep myths that aren't true, including some very good news for people who hate spiders. 📚 Useful: Lumi is a tool that uses Gemini AI to annotate and answer questions about scholarly articles. 😍  Aww: Movie night. SHOWER THOUGHT They should make 'exercise recliners' with pop-out pedals and resistance bands for gamers to get in a couple quick reps during loading screens, or just for people that wanna workout but be real lazy about it. SOURCE   Today's email was brought to you by Juliet Bennett Rylah and Singdhi Sokpo. Editing by: Sara "Ewe betcha" Friedman.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here. Working on something big? We've got a whole library of business-building resources for you. Subscribe to our other newsletters Stay up-to-date on AI: Mindstream  |  Expert insights: Masters in Marketing  |  Sell better: The Science of Scaling Follow The Hustle on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram. HubSpot Media, 2 Canal Park, Cambridge, MA, 02141, USA, +1 888.482.7768 Never want to hear from us again? Break our hearts and Unsubscribe.