Episodes
-
In this episode of "Funds That Won," I sit down with Peter Birk from Catalyst Partners, a subsidiary of Moelis Asset Management, focused on seeding new and emerging private equity managers. Peter discusses the strategy behind Catalyst Partners, which includes backing debut private equity funds with sizable checks ranging from $50 to $100 million. He shares insights into how they support managers through first-close capital and revenue share arrangements, and the importance of talent and grit in building a successful asset management firm. The conversation offers a deep dive into the world of private equity seeding and the challenges and opportunities it presents.
-
In this episode of "Funds That Won," Lincoln interviews Jack Selby from AZ-VC, a venture fund focused on supporting Arizona-based entrepreneurs. Jack shares the challenges Arizona startups face in securing Series A funding locally and how AZ-VC aims to fill that gap by leveraging his extensive network from his PayPal days. They discuss the current state of the venture capital market, the importance of timing, and how Jack's deep commitment to Arizona's tech ecosystem drives the fund's strategy. Jack also reflects on the personal motivations and experiences that led him to launch AZ-VC.
-
Missing episodes?
-
In this episode of "Funds That Won," I sit down with Andrew Smith from the Savory Fund to discuss their unique investment strategy in the food and beverage industry. Andrew shares how the Savory Fund targets emerging food brands with 5 to 15 units and supports their growth with a robust operating team and dedicated capital. He delves into the fund's success, raising and deploying substantial funds to scale promising brands, and the importance of disciplined investment and active management. Tune in to hear insightful stories and practical advice on navigating and thriving in the dynamic world of food and beverage investments.
-
In this episode of "Funds That Won," I sit down with Brock Mogensen from Smart Asset Capital to discuss the inception and growth of their company. Brock shares how Smart Asset Capital evolved from a property management and brokerage firm into a syndication and private equity business, leveraging existing infrastructure to scale quickly. He delves into their strategic focus on industrial real estate, highlighting the opportunities and returns in this sector. Brock also explains their decision to shift from syndication deals to launching their first fund, aiming to diversify investor risk and capitalize on multiple deals simultaneously.
-
In this episode of "Funds That Won," I sit down with Brent Mott of Bow Tie Capital, a firm specializing in commercial real estate syndications and funds. Brent shares insights into Bow Tie Capital’s unique approach, including their focus on raising funds from non-accredited investors and their diverse portfolio spanning self-storage, medical office buildings, and affordable housing developments. He also discusses the firm's ambitious goal of managing a billion dollars in assets by the end of the decade. Tune in to hear Brent's inspiring journey from leaving his corporate job to controlling nearly $200 million in assets and his vision for the future of Bow Tie Capital.
-
In this episode of "Funds That Won," Colin Greenspon from Narya discusses his venture capital firm's unique focus on funding companies addressing critical societal issues like GDP growth, improving American lives, and protecting sovereignty. He explains how Narya prioritizes investments in industrial sectors such as agriculture, energy, and defense, often in overlooked regions like Ohio and Illinois. Colin shares insights into their strategic partnerships, including co-founders JD Vance and Peter Thiel, and their concentrated investment strategy. Highlighting successful investments like a gene therapy company and a faith-based app, he demonstrates Narya's commitment to impactful, long-term investments. Colin also offers advice for emerging fund managers, emphasizing the importance of a clear thesis, a strong network, and genuine conviction in their choices.
-
For today's episode, I sat down and did a winners circle on Ares Capital Management. Ares Capital Management is a major asset manager specializing in private credit, managing over $428 billion, with more than $300 billion in this asset class. Founded in 1997 as a spin-out from Apollo, they quickly grew through acquisitions and went public in 2004. Known for consistent, strong returns and low downside risk, Ares caters to large endowments and pension funds. Despite controversies, such as their handling of PPP loans during COVID-19, Ares remains a leader in the private credit market.
Enjoy!
-
In this episode of Funds That Won, I sit down with Nitin Pachisia from Unshackled Ventures, a fund focused on supporting immigrant founders by managing their immigration processes. The Unshackled team consists of immigrant founders that understand the stress of navigating visas, government agencies, and the intense start-up atmosphere. Nitin explains their unique approach of investing in founder potential rather than business plans, emphasizing early-stage investments. The discussion highlights the importance of maintaining a disciplined investment thesis and following intuition in venture capital.
-
For today's episode of "Funds That Won," I sit down with Michael Swensson, co-founder of M 31 Capital, a global investment firm specializing in AI and blockchain technologies. Michael discusses the unique investment strategies of M 31 Capital, emphasizing their focus on decentralized finance and Web3 as pivotal elements shaping the future of finance and technology. He provides insights into the firm's growth, highlighting its global team and decentralized operations, which contribute to its dynamic market presence.
-
In this episode of Funds That Won, I sit down with Kate Beardsley from Hannah Grey. Kate discusses Hannah Grey's focus on pre-seed and seed investments, emphasizing their commitment to backing customer-obsessed founders who redefine everyday experiences. She provides insights into their investment strategy, highlighting their approach to portfolio construction, cultural trends analysis, and their emphasis on team dynamics and market timing. Kate also shares the story behind the founding of Hannah Grey and offers advice for aspiring fund managers, underscoring the importance of strong partnerships and thorough preparation.
-
In this episode of "Funds That Won," Arthur Roulac from Three Court discusses their investment strategy, focusing on middle market and lower middle market credit investing, primarily through purchasing discounted loans and bonds. Arthur emphasizes the value in these often overlooked markets, noting the firm's methodical approach to finding opportunities for returns through interest and price appreciation. He also highlights the firm's lean structure, founded in 2012, which manages over $100 million in assets with a small, dedicated team. Lastly, Arthur shares insights on the importance of having a clear point of view, strong partnerships, and the right client expectations for fund management success.
-
In this episode of "Funds That Won," we sit down with Alexis Morgan from Peach State Capital, a real estate investment firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. Alexis shares the unique aspects of Peach State Capital, including their focus on providing short-term bridge loans to real estate investors and their competitive advantage of quick transaction execution. Additionally, we dive into Alexis's journey from wholesaling real estate to managing a fund with over six million dollars in investor capital by 20 years old. Alexis discusses the importance of forming strong partnerships, the challenges of fund management, and his vision for scaling Peach State Capital. Finally, she also emphasizes the value of surrounding oneself with experienced mentors and constantly learning to achieve success in the finance industry.
-
In this episode of "Funds That Won," Kristian Hanelt from Ultra Capital discusses the firm's unique approach to energy transition investments. He explains that Ultra Capital focuses on businesses that are asset-heavy and execution-oriented, filling a gap between traditional venture capital and large-scale private equity. Kristian shares insights into Ultra Capital's strategy, highlighting their focus on proven technologies like solar, batteries, and electric vehicle infrastructure. Additionally, he emphasizes the importance of mentorship, strong judgment of character, and a disciplined investment approach in achieving success.
-
For today's episode of Funds That Won, I sit down with Ludwig Schulze from Alumni Ventures. Ludwig discusses how their fund uses alumni connections to find and invest in new businesses. He explains that they don’t lead investment rounds but instead invest alongside other big venture funds. Ludwig emphasizes the importance of having a lot of investment opportunities and their method of carefully evaluating these opportunities. He also shares how they've successfully raised money from individual investors and the value of building good relationships with the founders they support.
-
For today's episode of Funds that Won, I am posting the recording of a panel we did this year at Fund Launch Live. This panel discussion was on the future of technology in alternative assets. These were the panelists:
Andrew Smith: GP at the Savory Fund - $750 million AUMBryce Sutton: Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Summit Global Investments - $2+ Billion AUMDan Young: Co-Founder of Ugly Unicorn crypto fund - 8 Figures AUMKoloa Wolfgramm: Founder of Wolfgramm Capital - $600 million AUMThere were a lot of great conversations during this panel! Enjoy
-
In today's episode of Funds That Won, I sit down with Zach Brown, who is a founding partner at New Reign Capital. New Reign Capital is an investment fund that focuses on commercial insurance. He explains that "New Reign" symbolizes new leadership, reflecting his and his partner's goal to be the mentors they never had. New Reign Capital is different from their previous company, Modern Rain, and aims to improve efficiency in acquired companies by centralizing their back-office functions. They own nine companies and look for new acquisitions that can benefit from sharing their existing customer base. Zach discusses their plans to expand by starting a larger fund, aiming to raise $30 to $50 million to grow their business model and acquire bigger companies.
Zach details New Reign Capital's approach to business, which keeps acquired companies operationally independent rather than merging them. This method maintains each company's specialized skills and avoids the problems large merged entities often face, such as losing focus and efficiency. He talks about the commercial insurance industry and how his firm adds value through deep industry knowledge and a strong network. This strategy helps streamline and speed up the claims process across various service stages. Zach also shares personal stories about his move to California and early career challenges, highlighting his commitment to hard work, integrity, and community engagement in the industry.
-
For today's episode, I am uploading the audio from my presentation at Fund Launch Live 2024! In this presentation, I break down the 4 core pillars for structuring your investment offering:
Your asset classYour strategyYour teamThe structure of your offerOn top of that, I also dive into how you can properly communicate these pillars to potential investors.
Enjoy!
-
For today's episode, I sit and give an update on our GP stakes fund - Fund Launch Partners. With the successful raise of our initial $1.2 million from friends and family, we've set a strong foundation and have really validated our GP stakes thesis. Despite the complexity and the time it has taken to get to our first close, the experience has been instrumental in shaping our strategy and operations, confirming the massive job it is to run a fund.
Over the last few moths, we've struck deals with very impressive emerging funds like Ollin Ventures, Venatic Capital, and a PE/Real Estate firm out of Arizona. They have been great to work with, and we really believe in their potential to scale.
-
For today's episode, I sit down with Todd Recknagel from Three20 Capital Group. Todd dives into franchise investment and his family office's strategic operations. He outlines their focus on franchise companies and their collaborative strategy with private equity firms, leveraging extensive franchising experience. This approach has cultivated a successful track record, emphasizing the importance of active involvement in deal creation, management guidance, and industry knowledge utilization. The conversation highlights the investment philosophy and operational model of Recknagel's family office, established after successful exits from multiple companies, targeting middle-market entities and facilitating growth without excessive capital commitment to any single deal.
Todd also discusses investment management practices, such as liquidity handling and the value of proprietary deal sourcing, are discussed, along with the critical role of operational excellence in enhancing portfolio company value. He emphasizes the profitability of franchisees as a key performance metric, demonstrating a deep understanding of the franchising model and a strategic, risk-balanced investment approach.
-
For today's episode, I sit down with David Mullings from Blue Mahoe Capital. David shared insights on bridging investors with the Caribbean's vibrant markets, particularly leveraging Jamaica's stellar stock market performance. By emulating the business models of Berkshire Hathaway and Blackstone, Blue Mahoe Capital offers diversified investments across real estate, private equity, and public equities, aiming to make Caribbean growth accessible to global investors. Bowlings highlighted the company's dedication to educating investors and promoting a global perspective among its portfolio companies.
David also shared personal success habits, including maintaining life balance, mindfulness, continuous education, and philanthropy. He criticized the industry's common pitfalls, such as under-appreciating marketing, hoarding equity, and unfair negotiation practices. His commentary not only illuminates the untapped opportunities in the Caribbean but also emphasizes the importance of ethical investment practices and personal development in achieving business success.
- Show more