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It's 2017 and the Roomba rules the robotic vacuum market. But cheaper competitors from China, some of whom offer more features for less money, start eating away at its lead. iRobot's CEO Colin Angle fights back with lawsuits and a bet on premium pricing. But the competition keeps finding ways around him, and as a pandemic-fueled sales boom fades, iRobot's finances start to crumble. Can a lifeline from Amazon pull the Roomba to safety or is the pioneer of home robots, about to get sucked up by the competition?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
01. Cyril - Breathless 02. Alice Deejay - Better Off Alone (CYRIL Quick Flip) 03. Cyril - Get Stupid 04. Timmy Trumpet - Freaks (CYRIL Remix) 05. Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive (InntRaw, Zaark Remix) 06. Dean Turnley - actin tough (Maesic Remix) 07. Fatboy Slim & Riva Starr - Eat Sleep Rave Repeat (Mike Renza Edit) 08. Chemical Brothers - Go (CYRIL Remix) 09. Cyril, Maryjo - Still Into You 10. Argy, Alok, Adam Beyer - Keep Up 11. Kevin De Vries, Stylo, Monte - Be My Own 12. Cyril - Stumblin In (Tomorrowland Edit) 13. Volkoder, Camelphat - Unique Moment 14. Moat, Alay - What U Waitin 4 15. Hermen - Subra 16. Cyril - Sound Of Silence (Tomorrowland Edit) 17. Tony Dark Eyes - Perfect
For a minute there, it looked like the AI wars would come down to who built the smartest model. Rob's not buying that anymore. Take Claude. Rob's increasingly convinced that what makes Anthropic so sticky isn't Claude itself. It's Claude Code. It's Cowork. It's the software wrapped around the model that makes the whole thing so ridiculously useful. Great news for Anthropic, except for one tiny problem: software can be copied. And when the models themselves are interchangeable enough to live in a dropdown menu, you have to start wondering what any of these companies really have that somebody else can't recreate. That question leads straight to Microsoft, which may be holding a much better hand than it gets credit for. Everyone else is trying to worm their way into your email, your files, your chats, and the rest of your working life. Microsoft is already sitting inside the castle. From there, Rob and Justin talk through the increasingly strange economics of all this, whether actual humans using your product become the moat that matters, and finally, the proposed fix for our data center problem that involves launching the data centers into space. Give it a listen for Rob's take on that one, starting with the minor inconvenience of physics.
When Charlotte Meerstadt put solar on her Amsterdam home, the numbers made sense.Then Charlotte moved to the U.S. and rented out the apartment. The solar panels kept doing exactly what they were supposed to do: producing cheap, clean power. But, while the tenant received the lower utility bill, Charlotte still owned the panels and had no clear way to capture the savings her asset was creating.That mismatch revealed a bigger problem hiding across rental housing and distributed energy: the person who can invest in clean energy is often not the same person who gets the financial benefit.Under 1% of rental rooftops have solar.Now put that next to 49 million rental units in the U.S., including roughly 23 million apartments, and you start to see the size of the opportunity Charlotte Meerstadt stumbled into.In this episode, Charlotte, Founder and CEO of Fram Energy, joins Nico to explain how she turned that insight into a company helping property owners, developers, and energy asset owners measure, bill, and collect the value their projects produce.She also shares how early customer conversations shaped the product, why real-world complexity can become a moat, and what she had to unlearn as an engineer to become a founder.Expect to learn:
The summer series is over, and Marc spent a lot of it away from the office - resetting, thinking, and figuring out where his voiceover business goes from here. This has been an unusual year. AI hit his business hard, e-learning work he counted on disappeared, and he made a deliberate choice to step back from coaching and get back to voiceover. In this solo episode, he shares the five things he keeps coming back to - the ones he's rebuilding his own business around heading into Q4. He gets into why you can't measure what you don't track, and the handful of numbers he now keeps in front of him every single week. Then he flips it around: why most voice actors are tracking the wrong metrics entirely, and which ones actually matter. From there it's AI search - why being found in ChatGPT and Claude may now matter more than being found on Google, and why we're all starting from close to zero. He talks about creating content with real purpose instead of posting for the sake of it, and why the competition left standing is tougher than the crowd that's thinning out. Plus a bonus he swore he wouldn't admit out loud: the niche he thinks he may have quietly found for himself - and the question of whether you can build a moat of your own. If you're figuring out how to finish the year strong, this one's for you. CONNECT WITH MARC SCOTT & VOPRENEUR
This week Chris sits down with Zane Hengsperger, Founder and CEO of NOX Metals, a metal supplier in Detroit he started in 2025. NOX buys metal from the mill, cuts it to the exact size a machine shop needs, and ships it out. The whole operation runs on software the company writes itself. Zane is 26, and his first job was scrubbing the floors of his dad's machine shop at 14. He went into software, then came back to run a machine shop. That is where he saw that metal was the bottleneck for everyone making parts in America. The incumbents have been around for 200 years and have never put software to work. NOX is a year old and has raised an $11.5M seed round. It has written a million lines of code and quotes an order in 10 seconds. They discuss:• The 18-minute call with Y Combinator that put him on a plane the next day• Why his dad hired software engineers for a machine shop back in 2017• How one piece of software does the work of 20 salespeople• Why two of his engineers moved their desks onto the factory floor• Why the forklift driver gets equity after three months• The 7pm order that was in Dallas by 10 the next morning• Why he says America needs 100x more factories• Where AI has let him down so far This one is for anyone betting on American manufacturing. Timestamps(00:00) Intro(01:10) Reading Alex Karp and Walking Back Into a Machine Shop(06:06) Hiring Young Technicians Who Want Hard Work(09:10) Why the Brand Is the Moat(14:28) Lessons From a Dad Who Ran a Machine Shop(16:14) Getting Into Y Combinator With One Day's Notice(22:06) Buy a Saw and Write Instant Quoting Software(27:37) Software Engineers on the Factory Floor(34:29) Is America Actually Reindustrializing?(40:55) America Needs 100 Times More Factories(45:26) Quotes in 10 Seconds Instead of Eight Hours(50:09) Delta Cargo Deliveries and Why Detroit Is Ripping(56:07) Where AI Falls Short and What the Next 24 Months Hold(59:13) The Customer Is the Core Thing Left in America === Presented by True North Advisors: True North AdvisorsTrue North Advisors is a multi-family office and private wealth advisory firm serving business owners, entrepreneurs, and families since 2000. With over $5.6 billion under management, they're real investors offering conflict-free counsel and portfolios built around your life. Learn more at https://truenorthadvisors.com === Sponsored by: AirshareAirshare is trusted across the country for fractional ownership, jet cards, charter, and aircraft management. They give you a smarter way to fly private - over 25 years of experience, operating their own fleet, with the top safety ratings in the industry. Drive up to the FBO, walk on, and go. Go to flyairshare.com to learn more. Collateral PartnersCollateral Partners builds institutional-grade investor materials for private credit, private equity, real estate, and family office firms, the kind of marketing collateral that helps you close capital. Learn more at https://collateral.com/powers Relay Human CloudRelay Human Cloud gives you pre-vetted, fully managed global talent for up to 75% less than hiring locally. Your best people stop doing repetitive work and get back to the work that moves your company forward. Learn more at https://www.relayhumancloud.com/powers === Chris on Social Media:X: https://x.com/fortworthchrisInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcastLinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNXVisit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO
Alex Su is one of those people I need to catch up with every now and then just to see what he's thinking. Since we recorded this, Alex was named President of Latitude Legal. He understands both the people selling lawyers on change and the lawyers they're trying to convince, and those two groups don't always see the same world. We get into Harvey, Legora and Claude, the billable hour, junior associates, where human judgment still matters, why trust may be part of Harvey's moat, and how both of us are using AI differently now than we were in 2023. 0:00 Zach's Hot Disruptive Legal Take 3:22 Harvey vs. Legora vs. Claude 5:58 Can Claude Gobble Up Harvey? 8:00 Why Haven't Junior Associates Been Replaced? 10:30 In-House Is Outpacing Law Firms on AI 12:49 Why Hasn't AI Killed the Billable Hour? 17:49 Why Hourly Rates Could Go Up 20:04 Is Anyone Less Busy Because of AI? 22:39 Where AI-Native Law Firms Could Win 24:28 If NDAs Are Never Litigated, Why Sign Them? 28:06 AI Made My Content More Human 31:11 How We Actually Use AI for Writing 38:28 How Many Lawyers Do You Need With AI? 40:22 When AI Gets Better, Trust Matters More 44:50 Has Harvey Built a Moat? 46:54 How Do You Compete With Harvey? 49:06 Is CLM Dead in the Water? Subscribe to Zach's newsletter: https://www.legallydisrupted.com/ Follow Zach on X: https://x.com/ZachAbramowitz?lang=en Follow Alex: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-su Engage Killer Whale Strategies: https://www.killerwhalestrategies.com
A completely mailbag episode. In the first segment, Jon, Matt, and Rachel take a question regarding return on invested capital (ROIC), and how this metric plays into investment decisions. In the second segment, a listener asks about bottlenecks in the power generation space and how companies such as Emphase and Bloom could benefit. And in the final segment, the team answers a question about how trillion-dollar IPOs can send ripple effects through the market. Jon Quast, Matt Frankel, and Rachel Warren discuss: -Why return on invested capital (ROIC) is important -Things to look for when companies are investing profits -What needs to go right for Enphase Energy -Bloom Energy's potential moat -How trillion-dollars IPOs could create market ripples Companies discussed: Coca-Cola (KO), WM (WM), S&P Global (SPGI), Enphase Energy (ENPH), Bloom Energy (BE), Vertiv (VRT), Eaton (ETN), Schneider Electric (SBGSY), Space Exploration Technologies (SPCX), Rocket Lab (RKLB), Alphabet (GOOG)(GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN) Host: Jon Quast Guests: Matt Frankel, Rachel Warren Engineer: Dan Boyd Disclosure: Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. The Motley Fool and its affiliates (collectively, “TMF”) do not endorse, recommend, or verify the accuracy or completeness of the statements made within advertisements. TMF is not involved in the offer, sale, or solicitation of any securities advertised herein and makes no representations regarding the suitability, or risks associated with any investment opportunity presented. Investors should conduct their own due diligence and consult with legal, tax, and financial advisors before making any investment decisions. TMF assumes no responsibility for any losses or damages arising from this advertisement. We're committed to transparency: All personal opinions in advertisements from Fools are their own. The product advertised in this episode was loaned to TMF and was returned after a test period or the product advertised in this episode was purchased by TMF. Advertiser has paid for the sponsorship of this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Everyone says trust is the new moat in AI, but is anyone actually building for it end to end? In this podcast hosted by iDonate VP of Product and Engineering Nacho Andrade, Stack Overflow VP of Product Alex Lato will be speaking on why the knowledge problem hasn't been solved yet, how Stack Overflow is evolving from a developer Q&A platform into an agent-native enterprise product, and what it really means when SMBs are outpacing enterprises on AI adoption. She also gets into why hesitation is the real risk in product leadership, what clarity over consensus means in practice, and how the designer's role is quietly becoming something entirely new.
Bold Bean Co didn't just make beans cool. They built a brand people actually care about.Tobey and Amelia join Dan to unpack how Bold Bean turned one of the least glamorous supermarket categories into a cult food brand, and why obsessing over culture, community and product beats blindly following the conventional FMCG playbook.From rejecting boring advertising and building genuine brand obsession, to supermarket listings, sustainability, hiring, growth and watching major competitors move into glass jars, this is a masterclass in making an everyday product feel anything but ordinary.ON THE MENU[00:00:00] Why Bold Bean Rejects the FMCG Playbook[00:06:35] How Do You Make Beans Desirable?[00:08:18] Beans Became Bold Bean's Competitive Advantage[00:23:25] Building Bold Bean's Brand From Obsession[00:42:18] Why Bold Bean Is Allergic to Advertising[00:50:42] Tesco's Christmas Ads vs Performance Marketing[00:58:38] Can You Manufacture Brand Obsession?[01:01:40] Why “Be Bold” Became a Company Value[01:10:10] Why Sustainability Doesn't Sell More Beans[01:21:03] Bold Bean's Obsessive Customers Are the Moat[01:25:28] Marketing Is Downstream of Consumer Culture[01:42:54] What Happened When Heinz Copied Bold Bean?[01:51:35] The Hard Reality of Building Bold Bean[01:55:36] What Founders Never Tell You on LinkedIn ============================================== ♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It'll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here - https://hungryfeast.beehiiv.com/
What makes an analytics or intelligence product indispensable when technical sophistication alone isn't enough to drive adoption, renewals, or sales? Why do POCs stall, why does adoption stay flat, and why aren't prospects nearly as excited about your (impressive) analytics tech as you are? It's that the value never becomes obvious to the humans in the loop who do the buying, using, and justifying. In this episode, I provide a framework for identifying the personas (roles) and experiences that can turn sophisticated analytical capability into perceived value. We'll explore the five essential control surfaces you'll need to address in your product and why founders and product leaders need to look beyond technical development (e.g., the delivery of AI models, dashboards, MCP connectors, agentic capabilities, and traditional interfaces). I also examine the tensions that can emerge when incentives and goals for end users are not aligned with those of management and executive/fiscal buyers. Why does the efficiency ROI you sell to a management champion get read as a job threat to the operator/user whose adoption you need to succeed? I'll answer this, plus the reasons AI can complicate those dynamics, how to prevent your product from creating an Invisible Intelligence Gap for customers, and why one past podcast guest's “shipping the meter” matters much more than another feature. (That will also explain why I don't think dashboards are dead in the age of AI.) Highlights / Skip to: Short-term stakeholders you shouldn't forget to satisfy (particularly during POCs/Demos) such as legal, compliance, and the game of defense “value be damned” they are playing (4:14) Not every mouth is equally hungry: deciding which personas deserve the most product attention (8:23) End users of your product such as developers, analysts, business users (often ICs) operating your product daily—and why the real bar is whether they would complain to the C-suite if your product went away (9:12) How managers of ICs (e.g., sales directors, customer service managers, VPs of data, etc.) might need something very different than end users, and why the manager's needs might be a threat to those very IC users. The 3-part fix? Making all parties look successful to their superiors; improving the lives of those stakeholders; and arming champions with the evidence fiscal buyers need (11:08) The unique needs of executive and financial stakeholders who might have the most decision power while using your product the least (15:59) Why “shipping the meter” and the Invisible Intelligence Gap decide whether your product survives the next budget cut (17:07) The “AI Agent” as a “user” of your product: Why I think agents ride in a sidecar attached to humans and what you need to do to enable your customers and their AI agents to be successful (21:23) Why figuring out what control surfaces/UIs/UXs you may need to improve is the easy part if you know what they are a response to (26:37) Links 197 - Agentic AI Isn't a Moat for Analytics Products.This is. - My episode on viable moats for BI/Analytics products in the age of AI The Invisible Intelligence Gap Behavioral Signals CEO Rana Gujral on “Shipping the Meter” is in Episode 198 Need help identifying the 5 control surfaces in your product and satisfying the human users behind them? Schedule a free discovery call with me
Freedom feels very different when you have financial breathing room.Without reserves, every business decision becomes more emotional.In this episode of The Level Up Podcast, Paul Alex breaks down why transitioning entrepreneurs need to build a financial moat before walking away from a steady paycheck.When cash is tight, desperation can destroy your positioning.You may lower your prices, accept the wrong clients, or make short-term decisions simply because you need money immediately.A strong reserve gives you options.In this episode, you'll learn:• Why financial pressure can lead to weak business decisions• How cash reserves protect your pricing and negotiating power• Why lifestyle inflation should be avoided during the transition phase• How building several months of runway can create greater confidence and clarityThe truth is simple:Cash creates breathing room.Breathing room creates better decisions.Keep your expenses under control.Stack the reserves.Build a defensive wall around your personal finances before making the leap.When you no longer need every deal just to survive, you can negotiate from strength instead of fear.Build the moat.Protect the cash.Buy your autonomy.Your Network is your NETWORTH!Make sure to add me on all SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS:Instagram: https://jo.my/paulalex2024Facebook: https://jo.my/fbpaulalex2024YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGhDAD1JyGGzSQUPD9lc9HQLinkedIn: https://jo.my/inpaulalex2024Looking for a secondary source of income or want to become an entrepreneur? Check out one of my companies below to see if we can help you:www.CashSwipe.comFREE Copy of my book “Blue to Digital Gold - The New American Dream”www.officialPaulAlex.com
Today for "Everyday Money #5":-- There is a pattern that shows up again and again when you study companies that manage to keep growing long after their first product matures. They do not just add features. They build entirely new verticals, one after another, each one landing faster than the one before. Revolut is one of the clearest examples of this playbook in action. The company entered the UK in 2015 with three simple propositions: prepaid FX cards, peer-to-peer payments, and multi-currency accounts. That was the wedge. It gave people a reason to open the app regularly, without the usual banking friction. The interesting part is what happened next. [Learn more in the episode]-- The podcasts are authored, edited and produced by Raph Grieco (raphael-grieco.com | olivecapital.vc).
Vivek Vaidya of super{set} joins Nick to discuss AI Cost Structures and Pricing, Proprietary Data Sets That Create Moats, and a Clear Method for Determining Which Problem to Solve First. In this episode we cover: Challenges and Considerations in Selling Companies Building Companies and the Importance of Selling Ahead Navigating AI-Native Products and Cost Structures Valuation and Pricing of AI Companies Data as a Moat in the AI Era Distinguishing Between Frontier Labs and Startups Open Source and Data Security in AI Products Guest Links: Vivek's LinkedIn Vivek's X super{set}'s LinkedIn super{set}'s Website The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached. Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.
Stripe has just made one of the biggest AI acquisitions yet, buying OpenRouter for around $7.5 billion — a company that was valued at just $1.3 billion only months earlier. So what exactly is Stripe buying, and why has OpenRouter become so valuable so quickly?In this episode of the Market Maker Podcast, Anthony Cheung and Stephen Barnett break down OpenRouter's extraordinary rise, how its platform connects businesses to hundreds of different AI models, and why the economics of AI could increasingly favour the platforms routing intelligence rather than the companies building the models themselves.We also unpack the remarkable story of Stripe, founded by Irish brothers Patrick and John Collison, which now processes payments equivalent to around 1.6% of the entire global economy. We explore how Stripe became a critical part of the internet's financial infrastructure, and why its latest acquisitions point to much bigger ambitions across AI, payments and agentic commerce.From venture capital and AI valuations to network effects, business moats and the future of online commerce, this is the business behind Stripe's $7.5 billion bet on the AI economy.(00:00) Stripe's $7.5BN AI Bet(02:30) The OpenRouter Deal(05:01) From Startup to $7.5BN(09:29) How Venture Capital Works(11:13) What Is OpenRouter?(16:32) Building a Billion-Dollar Startup(22:21) What's OpenRouter's Moat?(28:19) Why Stripe Bought OpenRouter(33:20) The Rise of Agentic Commerce(37:12) The Story of Stripe(40:07) How Stripe Makes Money(44:35) Stripe's Acquisition Strategy(47:13) Have We Reached Singularity?
Key TakeawaysMH parks = land business, not housing business. Owner rents pads, tenants own homes; owner avoids interior repairs and big capex on structures, focusing instead on utilities, roads, and management.Demand is counter-cyclical and supply is shrinking. Parks are the “Dollar Tree of housing,” performing best in downturns; new parks are almost never approved, while 100+/year are redeveloped into other uses.Economics are driven by NOI vs. interest rates. Deals are valued almost purely on income; investors seek cap rates 1–3 points over debt, targeting roughly 10–20% cash-on-cash by raising under-market rents, filling lots, and cutting waste.Expense ratios are lean vs. apartments. A well-run park often operates at 30–40% expenses (lower if tenants pay water/sewer, higher with high taxes or vacancy), compared to ~45–50% in typical multifamily.IDEAL framework for evaluating parks: Infrastructure (city water/sewer, no master meters), Density (lots big enough for modern homes), Economics (spread over debt), Age of homes (prefer 1990s+, paid-off), Location (urban-safe or strong suburban/exurban demand).Moat + controversy come from “stickiness.” Homes are effectively immobile (costly and risky to move), so tenants tend to stay long-term; this creates stable income and investor moat, but also fuels criticism around rent increases and perceived tenant lock-in.
Breaking Analysis with Dave Vellante
René Saúl spent seven years running an offline agricultural lending business in Mexico before selling it and pouring the proceeds into Kapital, a bet that the future of B2B fintech in Latin America belonged to companies willing to become regulated banks. Today Kapital is the largest B2B fintech in the region, and René is the only founder in the space who has bought not one but two banks, one of the deals agreed to on a napkin.What We CoveredWhy the future of fintech is regulated, and why that was a contrarian call in 2021René's seven years running an offline agricultural lending business in MexicoThe founding thesis behind Kapital's one-stop B2B banking ecosystemHow Mexico's electronic invoicing system became Kapital's underwriting moatThe "red car theory" of spotting opportunities before they arriveBuying Banco Autofin on a napkin, and growing its deposits from $150 million to $400 million in three monthsAcquiring the banking, brokerage and payments assets of Grupo Financiero IntercamBuilding instant, 24/7 cross-border payment rails on top of SWIFTClosing the small business financing gap with AI-native underwritingWhy Mexico is becoming a cornerstone of America's AI manufacturing boomThe limits of banking an economy that still runs largely on cashKapital's growth numbers and its path to a dual listing in New York and MexicoKey TakeawaysMexico's electronic invoicing mandate hands Kapital more than 50,000 data points per customer, a seven-year head start on underwriting that competitors using third-party providers cannot easily close.For large enterprises and cash-strapped SMBs alike, a banking license, not a slicker app, is what earns the trust needed to hold their money and their cash flow.Opportunities have to be hunted, not waited for. Kapital tracked potential bank acquisitions for years so it could move in days when the Autofin deal appeared.Staying liquid and profitable before either acquisition is what let Kapital move fast when the opportunity came, rather than scrambling to raise capital under pressure.About René SaúlRené Saúl is the co-founder and CEO of Kapital, which he built after selling an offline agricultural lending business that financed berry and avocado exporters in Mexico and Peru. Under his leadership, Kapital has grown into a licensed financial group serving more than 300,000 customers across Latin America, with more than $5.3 billion in assets and two bank acquisitions behind it.Connect with Fintech One-on-One:Tweet me @PeterRentonConnect with me on LinkedInFind previous Fintech One-on-One episodes
Salesforce (CRM) will be a company that benefits from AI instead of being disrupted by it, says Michael Monaghan after seeing the software giant's earnings. He adds that Anthropic's Claude being integrated into Agentforce will add pricing power to Salesforce's future earnings. Michael offers more insight into how earnings and Anthropic give Salesforce renewed momentum in the software trade.
When brands can't figure out how LLMs are ranking them, what do they do?upGrad raised close to $800M, made year long online degrees mainstream in India when everyone said it wasn't possible, and in the process became a trusted brand in Indian education.Phalgun Kompalli is the co-founder of upGrad. Now, on his second founder journey, he is helping brands become visible to AI.In this episode, Phalgun shares why he chose to build an AI company, how Bodhium Labs helps brands influence LLMs, why lazy marketing is dead and why AI services can be more defensible than AI products.He also shares hard-won lessons from upGrad, from expanding into too many markets at once, to hiring far too fast, to discovering that a highly valuable brand can be worth nothing to a customer.00:00 Founding UpGrad02:55 Why We Bet on LLMs06:35 The GEO Moat10:18 Inside the LLM12:07 Why Services Won Early13:35 Building an AI Research Lab18:46 Why India Sells Differently22:11 From Consultant to Founder26:50 The Early Hiring Lessons26:55 International Expansion Mistakes27:47 The EdTech Boom and Bust31:12 How We Found Product-Market Fit32:59 Supply Before Demand34:58 Differentiation Is Not Enough36:29 Borrowing Trust to Scale38:01 Why Offline Still Matters40:55 Why Cambridge Lost to MICA45:33 Raising the First Big Round46:42 The Pain of Starting Again48:31 The Future of AI + Education-------------India's talent has built the world's tech—now it's time to lead it.This mission goes beyond startups. It's about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.What is Neon Fund?We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that's done it before.Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we're doing it all at Neon.-------------Check us out on:Website: https://neon.fund/Instagram: / theneonshoww LinkedIn: / beneon Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShowwConnect with Siddhartha on:LinkedIn: / siddharthaahluwalia Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7-------------This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.Send us Fan Mail
Fabian Alefeld interviews Brandon Brodie, co-founder and CEO of Annihilator Broadheads, about how an Idaho elk hunt and a lost bull sparked a new broadhead concept sketched by Brandon's future partner Micah. They describe turning the 2D sketch into plastic CAD prototypes via Boise State, a makeshift “wind tunnel” test using Instant Pot steam, and early performance goals of flight, penetration, durability, and lethality. Field and improvised tests (steel drum, long-range accuracy, animal kills) plus third-party fluid dynamics modeling suggested Annihilator's design created unusually large high-pressure and low-tension effects. After major supply failures with investment casting and metal injection molding - causing shortages, high scrap rates, and lost dealers - Brodie brought manufacturing in-house, adopting metal laser powder bed fusion, improving repeatability and enabling new geometries like the Katana. He outlines ongoing innovation, potential adjacent products, and plans to leverage Annihilator's additive capabilities for partnerships and contract manufacturing. 02:26 Elk Camp Origin 06:43 Sketch to Prototype 11:36 Instant Pot Wind Test 14:44 Performance Pillars 18:41 Steel Drum Proof 22:45 Real Hunt Validation 26:45 Fluid Dynamics Breakthrough 30:41 Engineering Led Marketing 33:32 Manufacturing Growing Pains 34:27 Industry Award Surprise 35:53 COVID Demand Crunch 36:54 Casting Supplier Failures 39:40 MIM Tooling Disaster 42:30 Additive Breakthrough 46:35 Learning Metal Printing 49:55 Repeatability and Materials 52:56 Katana Broadhead Innovation 57:49 Scaling R&D Team
After more than 30 years in investing—including 20 years at BC Partners and a decade as CIO—Jean-Baptiste Wautier joins Alex Rawlings to share the lessons that have shaped his approach to private equity.Jean-Baptiste explains why trying to time markets is a mistake, how GPs should think about exits, and why time and DPI can matter just as much as MOIC. He also argues that private equity has entered a consolidation phase where scale, institutionalisation and permanent capital will increasingly separate the long-term winners from the rest.The conversation also explores how firms should diversify, the tailwinds behind AI and the US economy, and Jean-Baptiste's three requirements for a great investment: a strong moat, an exceptional management team and multiple layers of optionality. He breaks down what he looks for in CEOs, where operating teams can genuinely create value, and why the skill set required to lead tomorrow's private equity firms is changing.Key TakeawaysDon't try to perfectly time deployment or exits; invest steadily and price for the environment.Exit decisions should start with fund-level needs, including DPI, the J-curve and the cost of time.Scale is becoming essential as private equity shifts from entrepreneurial partnerships toward large institutions.New strategies should be capable of becoming meaningful, multi-billion-dollar businesses and leverage existing infrastructure.Permanent capital can provide GPs with strategic stability and longevity.Great investments combine moat, management and optionality across both value creation and exit routes.The strongest CEOs tend to excel in one core dimension—charisma, operations or finance—while also creating trust and alignment.Functional operating expertise such as working capital and procurement can be more repeatable than broad “sector expertise.”Timestamps00:00 – Introduction to Jean-Baptiste Wautier01:28 – The mistake of trying to time private equity markets03:21 – When is the right time to exit?04:17 – DPI, the J-curve and the cost of holding assets05:15 – The current state and future of private equity06:42 – Why subscale firms face consolidation09:39 – Why performance alone is no longer enough13:04 – Where displaced private equity talent may go next14:31 – How GPs can scale AUM16:57 – Why permanent capital is the “Holy Grail”18:22 – When firms should diversify into new strategies20:17 – What helped BC Partners scale23:45 – Where the next investment tailwinds may come from27:10 – Moat, management and optionality32:23 – What the best private equity CEOs have in common35:42 – What makes a strong value-creation strategy39:03 – How private equity firms are becoming institutions44:44 – Books and investors that shaped Jean-Baptiste's thinking46:33 – How to connect with Jean-BaptisteRaw Selection partners with Private Equity firms and their portfolio companies to secure exceptional executive talent. We focus on de-risking executive recruitment through meticulous search and selection processes, ensuring top-tier performance and long-term success.
In this episode, Kirk sits down with Richard D. Moat, an expert in emotional wellbeing, for a conversation about something we don't always know how to talk about: how we actually feel. Because success, achievement, relationships, and even a seemingly "good life" don't necessarily mean we feel good on the inside. Richard shares his perspective on emotional wellbeing, where our emotional patterns come from, why we often carry wounds from childhood and previous generations, and how learning to understand and express our emotions can transform the way we live. In this episode, we explore: Why emotional wellbeing starts with our relationship with our emotions How suppressed emotions can continue to affect us long after the original experience The emotional patterns and wounds we can inherit from previous generations Why the first seven years of life can have such a profound influence on how we relate to ourselves and others Why "reduce stress" isn't particularly useful advice unless we understand how to actually do it Richard's personal journey into emotional wellbeing following his father's cancer diagnosis Why high achievers can still feel unfulfilled despite external success How understanding our emotional needs can help us become more self-sufficient and fulfilled The difference between expressing emotions and acting them out Why creating a culture where talking about feelings is normal can change our relationships and communities Practical ways to start paying more attention to your emotional wellbeing Listen to the full episode of the Kirk Miller Podcast for a deeper conversation on emotional wellbeing, self-awareness, healing and what it really means to feel well. If you're a founder, CEO or business leader who wants to build year-round health, confidence and energy, apply to Built To Last here: www.kirkmiller.co.uk
Amazon says more than 350 million shoppers have used Alexa for shopping over the past year, with active users nearly doubling and customer interactions increasing fivefold. Chris Walton and Jenn Hahn discuss whether Amazon is best positioned to move AI shopping beyond discovery and recommendations into actual purchasing and transactions. ▶️ Watch the full Fast Five episode here: https://youtu.be/VL3Q373gkfY
Microsoft (MSFT) is back to being a magnificent Mag 7 stock after earnings. David Wagner is very bullish on the stock's upward momentum due to its diversified business model through Azure cloud and Office suite working in tandem with each other to maximize profits. While some critique Microsoft's AI models, David believes the size of the company's moat allows it to connect those models much more efficiently. He adds that CapEx will continue to drive the narrative that has revenue to back it up. ======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day. Subscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/ About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about
פרק מספר 518 של רברס עם פלטפורמה - קרבורטור מספר 42. רן ואורי מארחים שוב את נתי שלום לפרק המשך בסדרה על סוכני קידוד, והפעם - מה קורה כשסוכני AI (Agents) מגיעים לסביבת הפרודקשן. אנחנו צוללים לתוך השינוי הטקטוני שעוברת תעשיית ה-Observability, התרסקות המודלים העסקיים המוכרים, ומי הולך להרוויח את הזכות לא רק לתצפת על המערכות, אלא גם לתקן אותן בפועל. [01:24] מ-Assisted SRE לתיקון אוטונומי מה קורה כשהסוכנים מגיעים לפרודקשן ומה ההבדל בין פרסונת ה-DevOps לפרסונת ה-SRE בארגון. הבשלות של התעשייה: משתמשים כבר לא רוצים מערכות "מסייעות" (Assisted) שרק זורקות המלצות ומייצרות יותר עבודת פענוח לאדם. הדרישה כיום היא לסוכנים שפשוט פותרים את הבעיה. [05:51] הרגע שבו Datadog הבינו את המשחק דיון על חברת Datadog (ואיך הם קיבלו את השם שלהם ממדבקה על שרת אקראי). רעידת האדמה בתעשייה: ההבנה של ענקיות ה-Observability שהמודל הישן מת. המנכ"ל של Datadog מודה בעצמו שהארגונים מצפים עכשיו לפתרונות אקטיביים ולא רק לאיסוף נתונים וצפייה. לקריאה נוספת והעמקה על הדיסוננס של החברה מול השוק, קראו את הפוסט של נתי בנושא: Datadog beat Q2 and the market sold it off: here's the tension the number hides. ההשוואה ההיסטורית למאבק של VMware מול AWS: זה לא רק פער טכנולוגי, אלא שינוי דרמטי במודל העסקי שמחסל את החפיר (Moat) הישן. [12:02] כשל השוק של ה-Data Lakes בעיית העלות המובנית: המודל העסקי של חברות האובזרבביליטי מבוסס על תמחור לפי נפח הנתונים (Ingestion). רוב המידע שנשמר הוא "זבל" - לוגים ונתונים שאיש לא קורא עד שיש תקלה, אך ארגונים משלמים עליהם פרמיום כמעין תעודת ביטוח. סוכני AI הופכים את אגירת כל הנתונים באגם מרכזי ללא כלכלית בעליל (לא ססטיינבילית), מה שמאיץ את הנפילה מצוק של ספקיות המסורתיות. [16:27] רגע ה-Claude Code של עולם הפרודקשן בניגוד לאימון על היסטוריית תקלות רנדומלית, מערכות אוטונומיות אמיתיות צריכות "סימולטור" - יכולת לשחזר תקלה בסביבה מבוקרת (Reinforcement Learning Verified Rewards). בדיוק כמו ש-Claude Code מריץ ובודק מול הקומפיילר כדי להגיע לדיוק, סוכן SRE חייב Feedback Loop אמיתי ולא רק להתבסס על ארכיון לוגים. רוב הידע הבסיסי על תקלות נפוצות ממילא כבר מקודד פנימה בתוך הזיכרון הפרמטרי של ה-LLMs (הם ה"Stack Overflow" של עצמם). [29:21] רדיוס הפיצוץ: איך סומכים על סוכן בפרודקשן? החשש הטבעי: מה יקרה אם הסוכן האוטונומי ישנה קונפיגורציית רשת או יוריד שרתים בטעות? הדילמה הפסיכולוגית מול סטטיסטיקה - כמו ההבדל בין נהג אנושי למכונית אוטונומית או טייס אוטומטי במטוס. הפתרון: מנגנוני בקרה אוטומטיים שמחשבים מראש את "רדיוס הפיצוץ" (Blast Radius) של התקלה. הסוכן מחליט מתי מותר לו לתקן לבד ומתי האימפקט גדול מדי ומצריך התערבות אנושית. [34:36] קונטקסט לוקאלי מול גלובאלי תקלות רבות נולדות משינויים (Drift), ורוב הקונטקסט הדרוש כדי לפתור אותן נמצא ברמת הקלאסטר הלוקאלי. למה איסוף כל הנתונים לענן מרכזי שגוי: בעיות אבטחת מידע, עלויות מטורפות, ו-Latency (איחור בהגעת לוגים ומטריקות שמבלבל את תמונת המצב בזמן אמת). דילמת החדשנות: חברות ה-Observability הגדולות מזהות את הבעיה (וקונות חברות בתחום), אבל מתקשות לשנות כיוון בגלל התלות במודל ההכנסות הקיים שלהן. [40:27] חוקר התקלות לעומת יוצר התקלות חשיבה מחדש על התהליך: במקום להגיע ל"זירת פשע" בדיעבד, מה קורה אם ה-AI שכתב ודחף את הקוד (ה"פושע") הוא גם זה שמנתח ומזהה את התקלה? החשיבות העצומה של Efficiency (יעילות) בעולמות התשתית של ה-AI היום, ואיך היא משפיעה על הערכות שווי של חברות אוטונומיות (כמו Devin). השורה התחתונה: אין טעם לקחת תהליך שבור וצוותים מופרדים ולהדביק להם AI כפלסטר. זו הזדמנות לעשות הנדסה מחדש לדרך שבה אנחנו מנהלים את האמינות של המערכות שלנו. האזנה נעימה!
"Economic MOAT" — a business's ability to maintain a competitive edge over its competitors. Andrej P. Škraba, Boris Cergol, Simon Belak, Enej Gradišek in Klemen Selakovič se enkrat na mesec (remote / na daljavo) pogovarjamo o trenutno aktualnih tematikah iz sveta razvoja tehnologije umetne inteligence, podjetništva, ekonomije in politike. ============================= AI Developer Summit: Astra AI × Vercel Torek, 22.9.2026 v Ljubljani
This week on the Friday Deploy, Ben and Andrew explore Uber's strategy of "rearward deploying" engineers to spread agentic AI workflows into departments like legal and marketing. They also dive into Anthropic making Claude Code's Auto Mode the default, Meta's new on-device Muse Glimmer model, and Tim O'Reilly's case for an open source AI ecosystem. Finally, they break down context engineering for the SDLC and examine new research showing why generalized agent skills outperform personalized ones. Register: Dev Interrupted Presents: The Software Factory RoundtableFollow the show:Subscribe to our Substack Follow us on LinkedInSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelFollow the hosts:Follow AndrewFollow BenFollow DanFollow today's stories:After starting the tokenmaxxing panic, Uber's CTO is back with a very different AI storyAuto mode is now the default in Claude Code for Pro, Max, and Team plansIntroducing Muse Glimmer: An Open Agentic Model That Runs on Your DeviceWhy Open Source Matters for AIYour SDLC is your context engineeringDo personalized skills help coding agents? An empirical study of developer interaction historiesOFFERSStart Free Trial: Get started with LinearB's AI productivity platform for free.Book a Demo: Learn how you can ship faster, improve DevEx, and lead with confidence in the AI era.LEARN ABOUT LINEARBAI Code Reviews: Automate reviews to catch bugs, security risks, and performance issues before they hit production.AI & Productivity Insights: Go beyond DORA with AI-powered recommendations and dashboards to measure and improve performance.AI-Powered Workflow Automations: Use AI-generated PR descriptions, smart routing, and other automations to reduce developer toil.MCP Server: Interact with your engineering data using natural language to build custom reports and get answers on the fly.
AI is making tactical knowledge cheaper, faster, and more accessible than ever. Knowing how to do something is quickly becoming table stakes. The real competitive advantage is shifting to something harder: how quickly leaders can make decisions, move teams into action, recognize patterns, navigate adversity, and recover when things inevitably break.In this episode, Anthony Vaughan explores why the next era of leadership won't be defined by who has the most information, but by who can turn information into coordinated action and then adapt without destroying trust, communication, or team alignment when the plan fails. From predictive leadership and behavioral pattern recognition to building institutional memory around past roadblocks, this is a look at what may become the true leadership moat of 2027 and beyond.The future belongs to teams that don't just move fast. They learn fast, recover fast, and get better every time something goes wrong.
Is the next onchain bull market already taking shape? This week, we unpack Pump's resurgence and Fomo's explosive growth as social trading brings users back onchain. We debate Pump's buybacks and token value, Fomo's social moat, where crypto infrastructure captures value, and whether trading can become social media. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro00:46 Pump's Bull Case08:24 Are Pump's Revenues Real?13:33 Pump's Buyback Debate23:58 The Best Pump Pair Trade31:19 Fomo's Breakout Growth39:12 Fomo's Social Trading Vision44:17 When Social Trading Becomes Gambling50:03 Get Your DAS Tickets! FOLLOW THE SHOW › 0xResearch – https://x.com/0xResearch › Luke – https://x.com/0xMether › Carlos – https://x.com/0xcarlosg › Shaunda – https://x.com/shaundadevens › Ryan – https://x.com/AvgJoesCrypto › Telegram – https://t.me/+UFFz4z3qyrhhMDYx › Blockworks – https://x.com/Blockworks Check out Blockworks Research today! Research, data, governance, tokenomics, and models – all in one place Blockworks Research: https://www.blockworksresearch.com/ Free Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter EVENTS › Join us at Digital Asset Summit 2026 Asia October 7th & Digital Asset 2026 London November 10-11th https://blockworks.com/events DISCLAIMER Nothing said on 0xResearch is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Any views expressed are opinions, not financial advice. Hosts and guests. mayhold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
"Send me a text"In this episode, I break down the difference between education that commoditizes you and education that makes you the only reasonable choice, using Seed as the example. How they teach the market why most probiotics fail instead of why probiotics are good, so their education disqualifies the competition instead of growing the category. How they own the language of quality so every comparison quietly tilts in their favor. And how Seed University turned thousands of influencers into a moat that gets stronger the more they scale, rather than a message that gets diluted. I also get honest about the risk of living by the science, because when you build a brand on rigor, critics will hold you to it. Then I give you the exact audit to run on your own content to find out whether you're building a moat or funding a leak. Because supplements are a trust-dependent, skeptical purchase, and education is one of the only ways to earn the sale, which means getting it wrong is uniquely expensive.Learn more about The Supplement Business Accelerator Group at https://creativethirst.com/groupIf you're interested in working with me and my team to improve your supplement business. You can learn more at my website https://creativethirst.comClick here to grab your copy of the Health Supplement Ad Swipe Guide.Discover what really works in funnel marketingNeed help increasing sales on your own? Click hereStuck at $1 - $5M in revenue? Click HereCase Study on how Creative Thirst added over $200,000 for one supplement brand
David Nichols of Loupe explains what actually changed in automation engineering this year, and why control retrofits just got far cheaper.Nearly twenty years into building high performance controls, David Nichols is blunt about what AI did to his business: what used to take six weeks now takes two, and his team ships roughly five times more software per sprint. An engineer dropped the raw documentation from a failing robotic cell into a folder, asked Claude for a state diagram, and got a reverse engineered flow chart in thirty minutes that beat anything the customer had. The error recovery gap causing the downtime was visible right there in the chart. A SASE member handed a model a hundred page ethernet specification and got working code for every function, plus tests, on the first try. That was a six week project. It took a day.The implication is the sharpest part of the conversation. Software rewrites used to be the dumbest thing an engineer could propose, because software was expensive and full of unknowns. That logic has inverted. If a rewrite takes a week and produces better documentation, better tests, and better coverage, then brownfield modernization stops being a risk calculation. His words: open season on old controllers. For an industry sitting on Windows 7 machines and undocumented cells one PC failure away from stopping a line, that is a different economic picture entirely.Vlad walks David through the full project lifecycle, and the answers stay practical. Discovery becomes a context gathering exercise where interview transcripts and a drawer full of legacy PDFs turn into control diagrams and proposals in days. Development becomes worth treating as a real software engineering project, because source control, digital twins, and automated testing are exactly what these models are fluent in. David is equally direct about platforms: the bottleneck in automation was never technical, it is cultural. His analogy is a shop that insists on carburetors because that is what the technicians know. The close tackles the chat's harder questions, including what is left of a software moat once building software is trivial. His book pick is Richard Rhodes and The Making of the Atomic Bomb.About David NicholsDavid Nichols is co-founder of Loupe, a West Coast automation engineering and systems integration company he started in 2007. Loupe does high performance controls work across aerospace, semiconductors, and metal cutting, built largely on the B&R Industrial Automation platform. He also founded SASE, the Society of Automation Software Engineers, a free community of roughly two thousand engineers. This is his fourth appearance on Manufacturing Hub, following episodes 29, 53, and 127.https://loupe.teamTimestamps0:00 Introduction2:45 Loupe, 20 years of controls, and the SASE community8:40 Carburetors in industrial automation: culture, not technology11:20 The ChatGPT moment versus the Claude Code moment20:20 Inside an integrator: six week sprints become two21:30 Reverse engineering a robotic cell in 30 minutes26:10 A 100 page ethernet spec turned into working code in a day27:50 Does this change who gets to be a builder40:40 AI across the project lifecycle from discovery to handoff49:00 How to actually get started, and what to prompt53:20 If software is no longer a moat, what is57:50 Predict the future, career advice, and the book pickReferencesSASE: https://sase.spaceClaude: https://claude.aiClaude Code: https://claude.com/claude-codeSendCutSend: https://sendcutsend.comAcquired Podcast: https://www.acquired.fmAbout Your HostsVladimir Romanov is a co-host of The Manufacturing Hub Podcast and the founder of Joltek, an independent manufacturing and industrial automation consulting firm specializing in modernization strategy, digital transformation, and workforce development. Joltek works with manufacturers and investors to de-risk modernization and build the internal capability to sustain results.Connect with Vlad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vladromanov/Want to go deeper? Vlad and the team at Joltek have covered related topics here:Control System Modernization Strategy: https://www.joltek.com/blog/control-system-modernization-strategyEdge Computing and AI Value from Manufacturing Data: https://www.joltek.com/blog/edge-computing-ai-value-manufacturing-dataDave Griffith is a co-host of The Manufacturing Hub Podcast and founder of Capelin Solutions, an industrial automation firm helping manufacturers adopt smart manufacturing technology. He brings 15 years of experience in industrial automation and digital transformation.Connect with Dave: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davegriffith23/Subscribe to Manufacturing Hub: https://www.manufacturinghub.liveLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/manufacturing-hub-networkYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ManufacturingHub
In this latest episode of Limited Supply, Nik gets in the guest seat for a conversation with Ryan Ayala for his show, The Alchemist's Library (https://www.alchemistslibrary.org/). Listen as Nik and Ryan break down why the old moats (distribution, proprietary data, a big audience) don't hold water the way they used to now that small teams are running 20-agent AI stacks and compressing weeks of execution into hours. Nik breaks down why agencies get brutal to run once you cross $200-250K a month, why raising too much money can trap a startup before it's proven anything, and where he is actually seeing opportunity right now in niche agencies and boring Main Street businesses nobody wants to touch. Also, Nik calls it out at the top of the episode...the Ecom Founders Q4 Summit is officially back! Third year running, and it's the biggest one yet. For more information, check out https://ecomfounders.com/pages/q4-summit. Questions on the Q4 Summit, or just want to talk about the episode? DM Nik on Twitter/X (@mrsharma) or email him at nik@nik.co --- Tatari helps brands run TV like a modern performance channel. Unlike most platforms that focus only on programmatic CTV, Tatari gives marketers access to all of TV - linear, streaming, programmatic CTV, and direct publisher inventory - in one platform. By combining premium inventory with transparent reporting and outcome-based measurement, Tatari lets growth teams evaluate TV the same way they evaluate paid search or paid social. The result: more control, better reach, and TV spend that can actually be tied back to business results. Learn more at https://lp.tatari.tv/limited-supply --- Want more DTC advice? Check out the Limited Supply YouTube page for more insider tips. And if you're looking for an instant stream of on-demand DTC gold, check out the Limited Supply Slack Channel for Nik's most unfiltered, uncensored thoughts. Check out the Nik's DTC newsletter Follow Nik on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/mrsharma
Jeremy Au joins an episode of The Accidental VC podcast. Hosted by seasoned founders and VCs from ANZ and SEA, this show reveals how unlikely beginnings can lead to extraordinary outcomes. Whether you're building, backing, or just curious—tune in for stories, strategies, and sharp takes from those who've been there. In this episode, we explore the thought that “Everyone wants a unicorn. But what if that's the wrong goal?” Mohan Belani and Jeremy Au join Milan Reinartz to challenge what founders and investors think they know about building in Southeast Asia, from venture capital and AI to startup exits, global expansion, and the future of entrepreneurship. Support The Accidental VC: https://www.youtube.com/@TheAccidentalVC Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/stop-chasing-unicorns BRAVE is Southeast Asia's leading tech podcast, hosted by Jeremy Au. Honest conversations with the region's top founders, investors, and operators on building startups in Southeast Asia. New episodes every week. Subscribe so you never miss one. Listen & Subscribe YouTube (English), YouTube (Bahasa Indonesia), Spotify (English), Spotify (Bahasa Indonesia), Spotify (Chinese), Spotify (Vietnamese), Apple Podcasts Follow BRAVE LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp Follow Jeremy Au LinkedIn, X / Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Threads, Twitch Resources Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com #VentureCapital #SoutheastAsia #StartupFunding 00:00 Intro 02:44 What 2026 actually looks like in Southeast Asia 07:10 Big problems, small wallets: who in the region can actually pay 10:00 Why a $50 million exit is a real outcome 11:14 Power law investing vs micro private equity 17:13 Block lays off 40% and blames AI 18:43 Is Southeast Asia facing a K-shaped economy? 26:21 Future shock: a Waymo, a Costco chicken and no jobs 27:59 What founders should focus on now 31:03 Moat building in the age of AI 36:48 Quick fire: biggest wins and fails in VC
Somewhere along the way, PR research came to mean a survey reverse-engineered to confirm whatever the client had already decided to say. Real research, the slow and expensive kind, stayed with the academics, because nobody on the agency or client side had the hours. So what happens when the cost of doing it right collapses? In this episode of The Trending Communicator, host Dan Nestle sits down with Rich Gallagher, Head of Comms Innovation at Brands2Life, whose answer to that question was to write the code himself. Each of his research reports started as something close to a dare — watch a month of business television, read every business-section story in three national papers, listen to a year of back catalog across 96 podcasts — and each came back with a number worth having, like the 12% of those shows actually built for the privately held companies his clients run. That method is the easy part to admire and the wrong part to copy, and the conversation goes well past it. Rich and Dan get into why curiosity has always been the one non-negotiable trait in a good PR person, and why for the first time there's something like a metric for it. They work through The Rise of Indie Journalism, Rich's study of 32 tech journalists who walked away from traditional mastheads and took their audiences with them. They dig into why generative engine optimization is quietly making niche trade coverage more valuable than a one-line mention in a marquee outlet, and what media relations turns into when it stops being a tier-one scavenger hunt. Rich also shares the app his team built to score World Cup managers on how hard they lean on clichés, and the uncomfortable pattern it surfaced about losing coaches. Listen in and hear about... Making AI watch a month of business television through closed captions The 96-show podcast audit and why only 12% were worth a pitch The Rise of Indie Journalism: 32 reporters, portable audiences, and the opportunity most brands are ignoring Why curiosity finally has something resembling a measurement How GEO is lifting niche and vertical media over marquee one-liners What clichés in a post-match press conference reveal about crisis response Notable Quotes from Rich Gallagher "You watch every single hour of market-day television on the three major business broadcast networks for a month? Like, no, of course not. That's like a Geneva Convention violation to force someone to do that. But now we have tools. You can scrape the closed caption for the hearing impaired and effectively make the AI watch the show." [07:16 → 08:01] "The challenge is you can't read everything all the time. But what if you could? And now that you have AI, you can. We can analyze all these things at a scale that doesn't exist even inside a very big agency, where you can not only make sure you're reading every single business section story that runs that quarter, but reading it with the same eyes." [33:06 → 33:47] "The most important thing for a successful PR person is curiosity. Really being genuinely interested in uncovering what's special about what your clients do. And it's kind of funny, because there's never really been a good metric for curiosity, and now we have it." [40:38 → 41:26] "I don't necessarily subscribe to 'media relations is dead.' But it kind of goes into a chrysalis and emerges as a beautiful butterfly every couple of years." [52:46 → 53:27] Resources and Links Dan Nestle Lilypath | Website The Trending Communicator | Website Communications Trends from Trending Communicators | Dan Nestle's Substack Dan Nestle | LinkedIn Rich Gallagher Brands2Life | Website Rich Gallagher | LinkedIn Princeton Narrative Lab | Website Expected Cliche Tracker | Website The Brands2Life Research Reports The Tech Podcast Opportunity for Privately Held Companies Breaking Through in Broadcast The Rise of Indie Journalism Timestamps 0:00 Intro: real research and its counterfeit cousin 2:33 Two nerds, two girl dads, one Princeton zip code 4:16 The ADP employment report and data a company already had 5:33 Moat, ad spend, and the run-up to 2016 7:16 "Make the AI watch the show" — Breaking Through in Broadcast 10:51 Predictive analytics the hard way: 150 hours, then 30 seconds 13:04 Why the AI policy came before the research 15:16 Three newspapers, three paywalls, three automations 15:57 Testing whether the AI actually read it 17:28 Podcast transcripts and the wild west of captions 19:56 Claude Code, Cowork, and what changed 22:53 Thirty sub-agents that never lose their place 26:06 Where deep research helps and where it stops 29:09 The Tech Podcast Opportunity: 96 shows and the 12% that mattered 31:32 Where the questions come from in the first place 38:13 The human-in-the-loop sandwich 40:38 Curiosity as the differentiator — and finally a metric 43:19 The Rise of Indie Journalism: Substack, Ghost, and Beehiiv 46:20 Velvet Underground economics and portable audiences 49:00 Media relations, dying or molting 55:27 Why GEO makes vertical media solid gold 59:17 Authority when the entity is a person, not a website 1:01:46 The cliché tracker, hot IPO summer, and what's next 1:05:04 Where to find Rich (Notes co-created by Human Dan, Claude, Fireflies, and Riverside) Learn more about your ad choices. 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With Episode 200 coming up, Karl and Erum switch roles and interview each other the way they usually interview their guests. Karl shares why he decided not to become a doctor, how interviewing bands in college taught him to connect with anyone, and what he learned about storytelling during a decade in public relations before starting Messaging Lab. Erum talks about her unexpected path from studying forensic chemistry and working in pharmaceutical labs to executive coaching, joining a startup accelerator on a ship traveling around the world, and working in energy policy from the Navajo Nation to Brussels. They also discuss what waiting tables taught them about sales and humility, why early-stage startups should sometimes stay quiet until they have real traction, and why strong relationships are something AI cannot replace. Along the way, they revisit favorite moments from past guests, including Vishaal Bhuyan, Casey Lardner, Glennis Mehra, Linnea Fletcher, Elizabeth Hénaff, Phil Morle, Michael Specter, and Sabriya Stukes. Their conversation is a reminder that there is no single path into the bioeconomy.Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and speak with the leaders and innovators using biology to change the world. Biology is the world's oldest technology, and it can be engineered. So, what are we growing?Learn more at www.messaginglab.com/groweverythingChapters:(00:00:00) Karl and Erum interview each other ahead of Episode 200(00:06:45) Erum's experience building a startup at sea with the Unreasonable Institute(00:13:30) Genspace's Break Into Biotech program and lessons from college(00:19:58) Leaving the pharmaceutical lab for positive psychology and executive coaching(00:26:40) What working in restaurants teaches about sales, empathy, and humility(00:33:20) How energy and water policy work with the Navajo Nation shaped Erum's perspective(00:40:02) Why staying quiet can be better than making a big launch announcement for an early-stage biotech company(00:46:31) Michael Specter discusses mistrust in science and the need for greater biology education(00:53:15) Career changes, layoffs, and staying adaptable in the age of AI(00:59:58) Advice for their younger selves and quick-fire questionsLinks and Resources:45. Insuring Your Lunch: Aanika's Vishaal Bhuyan Cracks the Microbial Code of Food Security139. Cultivating a Culture of Cultures? Genspace's Casey Lardner on Community Biotech30. Breaking into Biotech: Linnea Fletcher's Inclusive Education and Workforce Upskilling at InnovATEBIO117. From Lab Coats to CEO Notes: BioLabs' Glennis Mehra on Biotech Business in NYC104. Unseen Worlds: Exploring Environmental Microbiomes and Their Secrets of Human and Climate Impact with Dr. Elizabeth Henaff149. Beyond Capital: Phil Morle of Main Sequence Ventures on Collaboration as the New Competitive Edge44. Spec-Tacular Science: A Chat with Michael Specter on Denying Denialism39. From Microbe to Unicorn: IndieBio's Sabriya Stukes on the Journey of Biotech StartupsAI Value PyramidGrow Everything LinkedInBioInnovations Events - For 25% off use code: Grow EverythingTopics Covered:community biotech, biotech storytelling, biotech founders, biotech communications, life lessons in biotech, biotech careers, science entrepreneurship, biotech media, biotech community building, biotech journeyHave a question or comment? Message us here:Text or Call (804) 505-5553Instagram / Twitter / LinkedIn / Youtube / Grow EverythingMusic by: Nihilore Production by: Amplafy Media
Databox is an easy-to-use Analytics Platform for growing businesses. We make it easy to centralize and view your entire company's marketing, sales, revenue, and product data in one place, so you always know how you're performing. Learn More About DataboxSubscribe to our newsletter for episode summaries, benchmark data, and moreIn this episode, Rick and Pete break down exactly why: the semantic layer, the metric definitions, and the standardized math that make an AI's answer trustworthy instead of a guess. If you've ever wondered why connecting five random MCP servers to Claude doesn't give you the same results as a purpose-built data layer, this is the episode.What you'll learn:Why raw data connected directly to AI can actively mislead youThe three things a system needs (semantic relationships, metric definitions, consistent statistical math) before AI can safely draw conclusionsReal examples of AI skills built on Databox MCP — sales pulse, content performance partner, weekly growth dashboardWhy "just hook up your MCPs" burns through AI credits without getting you a real answer
Everyone Has the Same AI Tools Now. So where's the Moat?In this episode of Tank Talks, host Matt Cohen sits down with Jacob Jackson, partner at Julian Capital and founder of Deep Checks. A physicist turned SaaS founder turned deep tech investor, Jacob brings a unique perspective on the shifting landscape of venture capital. He shares his personal journey from developing MRI techniques at UBC to founding MedStack, and why he made the full-circle pivot back to backing companies building real, hard technology.Jacob offers a frank assessment of the defensibility crisis in software, explains why AI is democratizing superpowers across every industry, and makes the case that deep tech offers faster exits and higher unicorn density than its reputation suggests. He also breaks down how Julian Capital supports founders with growth and go-to-market muscle, and why the team behind the idea matters more than ever in today's market.Whether you're a founder building hardware, an investor looking for the next generation of venture returns, or just trying to understand where technology is headed, Jacob Jackson delivers the kind of straight talk that cuts through the hype.Why Software's Moat Is Gone (04:00)* Jacob's firsthand experience building MedStack, where Amazon, Google, and Azure built competing products almost overnight* Why the defensibility crisis in SaaS is making it harder than ever for new companies to get off the ground* The shift from competing on product to competing on capital and go-to-marketRedefining Deep Tech: What Everyone Gets Wrong (06:44)* The biggest misconception: that deep tech requires 20-year fund cycles* How SpaceX-style private market liquidity proves milestone-based exits work* Why the hottest sector of the year is never where the biggest company gets seededHow AI Accelerates Hardware Development (08:23)* AI as a democratizing force that makes everything faster and more competitive* From CAD design to patent strategy: how AI is becoming a founder's essential tool* The commoditization of vertical robotics and what it means for defensibilityBuilding Moat in Deep Tech: Talent, Networks, and Network Effects (10:30)* Why network effects and talent density matter more than patents alone* How to pull the “ladder up” behind you as you scale* Incumbents vs. upstarts: why everyone has access to the same tools nowThe Rise of Deep Checks (18:01)* How Deep Checks became the world's largest network of deep tech founders and VCs* The platform that helps founders run a tight, accelerated fundraising process* Over $100 million deployed and 5,000+ founders submitted in just two yearsWhat Jacob Looks for in Founders (24:50)* The 50/50 split between team and idea* Why obsession and speed matter more than business experience* How to spot the founders who will learn to sell, recruit, and negotiateFrontier Tech vs. Deep Tech (29:20)* Why Julian Capital backs “picks and shovels” companies in spaces like fusion and quantum* The importance of market pull and meaningful near-term milestones* Why a 20-year fund cycle makes financial math nearly impossibleThe Data That Surprised Everyone (32:58)* Deep tech exits are 25% faster with more unicorns per dollar invested* Why historical data shows deep tech outperforming software* The role of capital flooding and dilution in venture returnsAbout Jacob JacksonJacob Jackson is a partner at Julian Capital and the founder of Deep Checks, the world's largest network of deep tech founders and VCs. A physicist by training, Jacob pivoted from academic research to founding MedStack, a privacy and security SaaS platform, before returning to his engineering roots as an investor. He now backs founders building hardware and tackling the world's hardest problems. Jacob is known for his data-driven approach, obsession with team quality, and candid takes on the future of venture capital.Connect with Jacob Jackson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonlovekingsett?originalSubdomain=caVisit Julian Capital's website: https://www.julian.capital/Submit to Deep Checks: https://www.deepchecks.vc/Connect with Matt Cohen on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/matt-cohen1Visit the Ripple Ventures website: https://www.rippleventures.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com
A quarter in the piggy bank has grown into a maze of UTMAs, 529s, custodial Roth IRAs, and the new child investment accounts. Tom and Don sort the options by what the money is actually for—and who keeps control.The 529 emerges as the flexible favorite, especially with its education uses and limited Roth rollover. Then the conversation turns to concentrated factor ETFs, the familiar Bitcoin argument, and whether private markets are really swallowing public investing.The through-line is refreshingly simple: match the account to the goal, favor broad diversification, and resist stories that make investing sound more complicated than it needs to be.00:00 Pshaw, Wordle, and the kid-money maze03:00 UTMAs and UGMAs: control has an expiration date05:34 Why 529 plans remain the flexible favorite09:01 Custodial Roth IRAs and an enormous head start11:15 New child accounts versus the 52916:02 MOAT and COWZ: clever ticker, concentrated portfolio20:48 Bitcoin, volatility, and the meaning of value26:51 Public markets versus the private-market storyQuestions? Comments? Click!
HubSpot lost roughly 75% of its blog traffic to AI search—and grew revenue 19% anyway. Everyone wrote the obituary for content marketing, but the traffic that died was the content HubSpot never had the right to own, and everything built on real authority held. In Episode 4 of the PESO Model® Diagnostic, I break down what survived, what didn't, and how to tell which of your own content is an asset versus exposure—before AI makes the call for you. Take your own PESO Model® Diagnostic: https://spinsucks.com/self-peso-diagnostic/ PESO Model® Certification: https://spinsucks.com/peso-model-certification/ Full article: https://spinsucks.com/communication/peso-model-diagnostic-hubspot
Follow us here: Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2cAY638 homepage: http://www.cosmic-gate.de Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cosmicgate/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realcosmicgate/ =============================== Episode 641: 01. Something Good & YOTTO - Good Time (Clothes Off) (Extended Mix) [Armada] 02. Beobê - Remains The Same (Extended Mix) [Disconnected] 03. Sven Pulsar - Not The End Of The World (Extended Mix) [Punx Records] 04. David Granha - All That's Left (Extended Mix) [Days Like Nights] 05. Room Service (DE) - Sun Dance (Original Mix) [Future Romance] 06. zaccwithtwocs - Resonating (Extended Mix) [No Place Like Home] 07. Braxton, Lauren L'aimant - Holding On (Icarus Extended Mix) [Colorize] 08. mOat, ALAY & Elliot Chapman - I Can't See Straight (Matador Remix) [Spectrum] 09. Mathame feat. Bonn - Follow (Extended Mix) [Neo/Mathame] 10. Eli & Fur - Ceremony (SCRIPT Remix) [Pias] 11. Cosmic Baby - Loops Of Infinity (Solee Remix) [White Label] 12. MORTEN & David Guetta - La Révolution (Extended Mix) [Future Rave] 13. UMEK - Vibrancy (Kosmo Remix) [1605] 14. Cosmic Gate & Arnej - Sometimes They Come Back For More (Album Mix) [Wake Your Mind]
Len Ward went from a Wall Street trading desk to leading the AI work at Commexis, an AI consulting and product development firm, and he has become a go-to voice for leaders trying to make sense of AI without the hype. In this episode he breaks down why AI is changing the business model itself, not just the speed of the work, and what owners should do about it right now. Key Discussion Themes: - Why AI moves customers from search and retrieve to solve my problem - The unglamorous first step of AI success, organizing your data - What most CEOs still get wrong about AI, and the cost of missing it - Knowing your worth and charging for outcomes instead of hours - The marketing shift ahead, from brand to agent-to-agent buying Listener Takeaway: AI is changing how customers find and choose businesses, all the way down to the model itself. Get your data in order, move quickly, and build your business to pilot the tools instead of depending on them. Connect with Len: Website: https://commexis.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lenward/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/lenwardnj About the Host: Entrepreneur Conundrum is hosted by Virginia Purnell, founder of Distinct Digital Marketing, where she builds human-driven AI systems that help business owners get their time back (and get seen). New episodes every Monday. Work with Virginia: https://www.distinctdigitalmarketing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/virginiapurnell Listen to the Full Episode: https://entrepreneurconundrum.com/lenward
Most companies say they're doing AI. A surprising number are doing very little — and a Chief AI Officer at one of the world's largest automation platforms has the receipts to prove it. Motley Fool analyst Rachel Warren talks with Adam Field, Chief AI Officer at Tungsten Automation — a company serving 25,000 organizations including 40% of the Fortune 100 — about what separates real AI transformation from expensive spin. They get into why most enterprise AI pilots quietly die before they scale, what "boring AI" actually means and why it's the most important signal investors aren't paying attention to, and why the competitive moat that once made legacy software giants unassailable has effectively disappeared overnight. Host: Rachel Warren Guest: Adam Field Producers: Adam Landfair, Lauren Budabin Disclosure: Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. The Motley Fool and its affiliates (collectively, “TMF”) do not endorse, recommend, or verify the accuracy or completeness of the statements made within advertisements. TMF is not involved in the offer, sale, or solicitation of any securities advertised herein and makes no representations regarding the suitability, or risks associated with any investment opportunity presented. Investors should conduct their own due diligence and consult with legal, tax, and financial advisors before making any investment decisions. TMF assumes no responsibility for any losses or damages arising from this advertisement. We're committed to transparency: All personal opinions in advertisements from Fools are their own. The product advertised in this episode was loaned to TMF and was returned after a test period or the product advertised in this episode was purchased by TMF. Advertiser has paid for the sponsorship of this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Great marketing can bring customers through the door. Weak operations will send them right back out. In this episode of The Level Up Podcast, Paul Alex breaks down why reliable fulfillment, strong systems, and consistent customer support matter more than flashy campaigns when building a business that lasts. Marketing creates attention. Operations create retention. You can generate thousands of leads, but none of it matters if your onboarding is confusing, your support is slow, or your product fails to deliver the promised result. In this episode, you'll learn: • Why strong marketing cannot compensate for broken fulfillment• How standard operating procedures create a predictable customer experience• Why improving operations can produce better returns than spending more on ads• How precision, speed, and quality control create a competitive advantage The truth is simple: Your competitors can copy your advertisements. They can copy your website. They cannot easily copy a culture built around flawless execution. Build the systems. Strengthen the backend. Serve your customers consistently. The boring details are what protect the brand and secure the profits. Your Network is your NETWORTH! Make sure to add me on all SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS: Instagram: https://jo.my/paulalex2024Facebook: https://jo.my/fbpaulalex2024YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGhDAD1JyGGzSQUPD9lc9HQLinkedIn: https://jo.my/inpaulalex2024 Looking for a secondary source of income or want to become an entrepreneur? Check out one of my companies below to see if we can help you: www.CashSwipe.com FREE Copy of my book “Blue to Digital Gold - The New American Dream”www.officialPaulAlex.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Benedict Evans, one of tech's most widely-read analysts, joins Jacob Effron. The conversation centers on Benedict's core thesis that comparing AI's scale to past platform shifts (the internet, mobile, PCs) is analytically useless, and that the more productive move is studying how those previous technologies actually evolved economically to reason about where AI's value will accrue. He argues the one genuine difference this time is that we don't know AI's physical or scientific limits, unlike past shifts where the boundaries were at least knowable, and that this uncertainty is what fuels both AGI hype and doomerism without resolving anything. Benedict unpacks why capabilities remain jagged, meaning usage is jagged too, why coding became the first real enterprise use case thanks to scalable verification, and why most consumer and enterprise use cases still have to be invented by entrepreneurs rather than emerging spontaneously once models improve. He also lays out why foundation model labs may end up structurally like TSMC rather than Windows, valuable but bounded rather than owning the entire stack, walks through why automation has historically meant more work rather than less (using a hundred years of rising accountant headcount as evidence), and explains why industries like Uber and Airbnb, or Caterpillar and the internet, show just how unevenly this kind of technology actually lands. Throughout, he offers candid, historically grounded takes on OpenAI's product sprawl versus Anthropic's narrow coding bet, Apple's stumbled AI moment, and why most companies, unlike Silicon Valley, have far bigger priorities than AI on their minds. (0:00) Intro (1:31) Is AI Bigger Than the Internet? (10:10) Barriers of Getting From Demos to Daily Use (20:15) Why Job Predictions Fail (25:52) Where's the Moat? (33:55) Will Models Eat the App Layer? (39:25) When Average Isn't Enough and Models Don't Work (45:58) Reflections on OpenAI (55:04) Consumer Usage Is Still Shallow (58:51) What's Required for More Enterprise Adoption (1:03:47) Opinion on Sora (1:06:27) Quickfire With your host: @jacobeffron - Managing Director at Redpoint
For the last fifteen years, capital has relentlessly chased digital attention, turning it into a diluted and cheap commodity. The new luxury for consumers and investors alike is the "presence economy," where real-world, in-person experiences are driving unparalleled engagement and spending. With experiential spending up over 30% from pre-pandemic levels, the smartest brands are no longer building better digital vending machines, but rather creating meaningful tables for people to sit at.This episode breaks down the massive shift toward IRL (in real life) business models and why creating physical communities is the ultimate competitive moat. From slashing customer acquisition costs to unlocking new avenues for raising capital, hosting real-world events provides defensibility that competitors cannot simply duplicate. Listeners will learn how to strategically integrate IRL experiences into their existing operations to drive loyalty, retention, and revenue.KEY TOPICS DISCUSSEDThe transition from the digital attention economy to the physical presence economyPost-pandemic experiential consumer spending trends and travel statisticsThe explosive growth of golf demographics and the massive supply gap in physical hospitalityDifferences between transactional digital interactions and relationship-driven business modelsUsing in-person events to drastically lower customer acquisition costsBuilding highly defensible business moats through community and shared experiencesThe role of proximity and shared meals in raising capital and securing partnershipsKEY TAKEAWAYSAttention has become an infinite and cheap commodity, making genuine physical presence the new premium asset for businesses.Experiential spending has surged over 30% compared to pre-pandemic levels, proving consumers are voting with their wallets for real-world connection.A digital screen acts as a forgettable vending machine, while an in-person experience acts as a dinner table that fosters lasting relationships.Hosting intimate, real-world events can outperform months of paid digital traffic by deeply accelerating trust and slashing customer acquisition costs.Competitors can easily copy digital marketing funnels and pricing, but they cannot pirate or replicate the specific feeling of belonging created in a physical room.Meaningful capital is rarely raised through cold outreach; proximity builds the trust required for significant financial transactions and partnerships.CONNECT & TAKE ACTIONImagos Income Fund: Text "INCOME" or "DEALS" to 844-447-1555 to learn more about Matty A's private debt fund targeting 10% fixed returns paid out monthly.
Pat Dorsey is the Founder of Dorsey Asset Management, a $1.7 billion global public equity manager focused on companies with competitive advantages and long investment runways. Pat created Morningstar's moat research framework and led its equity research efforts for a dozen years before launching his firm in 2014. Our conversation covers the nuances of investing in businesses with wide moats across quantitative analysis, switching costs, network effects, brands, management, alignment, capital allocation, and reinvestment runways. We then turn to Pat's application of moat analysis to his investing, including concentration, global scope, position sizing, decision making, and lessons learned. Any leader should see for themselves the benefits of elite coaching. Try ALEX: tryalex.admiredleadership.com. Learn More Follow Ted on Twitter at @tseides or LinkedIn Subscribe to the mailing list Access Transcript with Premium Membership Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)
Kyle Grieve and Shawn O'Malley analyze American Tower, the global cell tower business that powers the wireless networks we rely on every day. They unpack how leasing tower space to carriers creates durable recurring revenue, why its stacked competitive advantages form one of the widest moats in the market, and how a steadily growing debt load complicates the picture. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:51) How American Tower powers the wireless networks we use (00:06:21) How AMT creates recurring revenue (00:08:09) Why adding additional tenants dramatically boosts profits per tower (00:13:57) The three moats protecting American Tower from competitors (00:32:13) Why the REIT structure forces heavy reliance on debt (00:38:46) What American Tower's capital allocation reveals about management (00:40:22) Whether the data center deal was worth it (00:57:33) How carrier consolidation threatens even the widest moats (01:01:30) Why a wonderful business isn't always a wonderful investment (01:11:35) Intrinsic value of AMT (01:13:52) Whether Kyle and Shawn will add AMT to the Intrinsic Value Portfolio Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Join the exclusive TIP Mastermind Community. Track The Intrinsic Value Portfolio. Brad Jacob's first book, How to Make A Few Billion Dollars. Brad Jacob's follow-up book, How to Make A Few More Billion Dollars. Listen to Brad Jacob's interview with David Senra. Follow Kyle on X and Linkedin. Follow Shawn on X and Linkedin. Ad-free episodes on our Premium Feed. NEW TO THE SHOW? Get smarter about valuing businesses through The Intrinsic Value Newsletter. Check out The Investor's Podcast Starter Packs. Follow our official social media accounts: X | LinkedIn | Facebook. Try our tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance. Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts. SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors: Plus500 Netsuite Vanta Shopify References to any third-party products, services, or advertisers do not constitute endorsements, and The Investor's Podcast Network is not responsible for any claims made by them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm