Sam Barsanti

Madison

Contributing Writer at The Hustle

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Articles

If Americans want rugged EVs, they’ll get rugged EVs

6 days ago | thehustle.co | Sam Barsanti

Earlier this year, electric vehicle advocates insisted that global demand was still “surging,” even though sales in the US had slowed; now, they’re targeting a specific audience to make that a reality. The (off)road less traveledThe most popular EVs in the US are famously SUVs and pickups, (like the Tesla Model Y and Ford Mustang Mach-E).
A future for four-eyes

1 week ago | thehustle.co | Sam Barsanti

Bifocals were invented in the 1700s and transitions came out in the 1990s, but that’s about it as far as innovations in corrective lenses go. Or at least it feels like that sometimes. Seeing is believingFinnish startup IXI has raised $36.5m to develop the world’s first autofocus glasses, per GamesBeat. The glasses use “cutting-edge technology” to track the wearer’s eyes. The lenses adjust focus in real time — which is pretty crucial to wearing glasses — to help you see more clearly.
Seeing Red No. 3

1 week ago | thehustle.co | Sam Barsanti

The US government recently waged a new war on artificial food dyes, with a ban on Red No. 3 and an “understanding” with the food industry to phase out a lot more. But there’s still hope for people who love the unnatural hue of their favorite snack food. Green No. 2 with envyA number of startups are already developing alternative food dyes, largely thanks to the wonders of fermentation.
The world’s coolest drones survey sewage pipes

2 weeks ago | thehustle.co | Sam Barsanti

Drones have been doing our dirty work for so long that the Smithsonian has a nearly decade-old article about how drones helped rescue Capt. Richard Phillips in 2009. But there’s a difference between dirty jobs and dirty jobs. Meet the poop dronesThe Public Works Office in Michigan’s Macomb County has embraced the tech to manage its sewer lines, per Wired. Rather than sending workers into tight, stinky tunnels to look for damaged pipes, they use Flybotix’s Asio X drone.
You light up my office

2 weeks ago | thehustle.co | Sam Barsanti

Working remotely generally leads to happier, more productive employees. But companies aren’t paying for office space for nothing, so return-to-office mandates are the new norm. But it doesn’t have to be miserableSome companies are trying to make their offices less inhospitable with more pleasant lighting, per The Wall Street Journal. Searing yellow fluorescents are out, replaced by adjustable LED bulbs that can offer different color temperatures and intensities.
The puzzle of proving you’re a person

3 weeks ago | thehustle.co | Sam Barsanti

Increasingly difficult captchas used to prove that a person on the internet was indeed a person. But now it’s not as straightforward as retyping a string of illegible letters. (Is that a “g” or a “q”?)Allow the Orb to see youTools for Humanity’s Orb is a reflective sphere designed to replace easily beatable verification systems like captchas, per CNN. It scans you and decides whether you’re human (but, like, in a cool way). It’s so strict that a CNN reporter’s contacts triggered a failure.
Feel the buzz of the basketball

1 month ago | thehustle.co | Sam Barsanti

Sports are getting techier, with gimmicks like indoor golf battles, but it’s not just about making things more exciting. Modern advancements are also bringing sports to underserved fan bases. Accessibility slam dunkProfessional sports teams are working with startups like OneCourt, Touch2see, and Field of Vision to help blind and low-vision fans follow the action via tactile devices, per CNBC.
The return of the mascots

1 month ago | thehustle.co | Sam Barsanti

Liberty Mutual’s LiMu Emu recently topped a study’s list of the best brand mascots in the insurance industry. But its competition, Progressive’s Flo and Allstate’s Mayhem, put up a good fight, proving that insurance companies are ahead of the marketing curve. The time of ToomgisThere’s a surprising trend in advertising, per a recent Digiday report: Everyone’s using mascots again.
The IPO boom is canceled

1 month ago | thehustle.co | Sam Barsanti

Unless you’ve been living under a really heavy rock (in which case, scoot over) you know that US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs are turning the global economy upside down. But there’s a more surprising victim than the Nintendo Switch 2 or your 401k: IPOs.Taking stockThe market has been tough on initial public offerings for years, with things looking rough even back in 2018 — pre-Trump’s second term and pre-covid — when the number of startups making IPOs was steadily declining.
Clean blood is trendy, if you can afford it

1 month ago | thehustle.co | Sam Barsanti

Everybody’s into microplastics these days — or at least they’re really into us, having been found in food, water, and even newborns. We don’t know exactly what microplastics do to our bodies, but it’s probably something, and that can be scary. Meet Clarify ClinicsA London startup is hoping to assuage microplastic fears by offering to clean your blood, and all it costs is two hours… plus nearly $13k.