Podcasts about TPG

In this episode, Scott Becker shares updates on the rebound of major private equity firms after a tough start to the year, with Blackstone and KKR now showing positive gains while Apollo and TPG remain slightly down.

In this episode, Scott Becker shares updates on the rebound of major private equity firms after a tough start to the year, with Blackstone and KKR now showing positive gains while Apollo and TPG remain slightly down.

In January, 2022 today's guest, Mike Paciello, made his first appearance on Unstoppable Mindset in Episode 19. It is not often that most of us have the opportunity and honor to meet a real trendsetter and pioneer much less for a second time. However, today, we get to spend more time with Mike, and we get to talk about not only the concepts around web accessibility, but we also discuss the whole concept of inclusion and how much progress we have made much less how much more work needs to be done.   Mike Paciello has been a fixture in the assistive technology world for some thirty years. I have known of him for most of that time, but our paths never crossed until September of 2021 when we worked together to help create some meetings and sessions around the topic of website accessibility in Washington D.C.   As you will hear, Mike began his career as a technical writer for Digital Equipment Corporation, an early leader in the computer manufacturing industry. I won't tell you Mike's story here. What I will say is that although Mike is fully sighted and thus does not use much of the technology blind and low vision persons use, he really gets it. He fully understands what Inclusion is all about and he has worked and continues to work to promote inclusion and access for all throughout the world. As Mike and I discuss, making technology more inclusive will not only help persons with disabilities be more involved in society, but people will discover that much of the technology we use can make everyone's life better. We talk about a lot of the technologies being used today to make websites more inclusive including the use of AI and how AI can and does enhance inclusion efforts.   It is no accident that this episode is being released now. This episode is being released on July 25 to coincide with the 35th anniversary of the signing of the Americans With Disabilities Act which was signed on July 26, 1990. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADA!   After you experience our podcast with Mike, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to email me at michaelhi@accessibe.com to tell me of your observations. Thanks.     About the Guest:   Mike Paciello is the Chief Accessibility Officer at AudioEye, Inc., a digital accessibility company. Prior to joining AudioEye, Mike founded WebABLE/WebABLE.TV, which delivers news about the disability and accessibility technology market. Mike authored the first book on web accessibility and usability, “Web Accessibility for People with Disabilities” and, in 1997, Mr. Paciello received recognition from President Bill Clinton for his work in the creation of World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). He has served as an advisor to the US Access Board and other federal agencies since 1992.   Mike has served as an international leader, technologist, and authority in emerging technology, accessibility, usability, and electronic publishing. Mike is the former Founder of The Paciello Group (TPG), a world-renowned software accessibility consultancy acquired in 2017 by Vispero. Ways to connect with Mike:   mpaciello@webable.com Michael.paciello@audioeye.com Mikepaciello@gmail.com     About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, hi everyone, and welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset where inclusion diversity and the unexpected meet. Normally, our guests deal with the unexpected, which is anything that doesn't have to do with inclusion or diversity. Today, however, we get to sort of deal with both. We have a guest who actually was a guest on our podcast before he was in show 19 that goes all the way back to January of 2022, his name is Mike Paciello. He's been very involved in the whole internet and accessibility movement and so on for more than 30 years, and I think we're going to have a lot of fun chatting about what's going on in the world of accessibility and the Internet and and, you know, and but we won't probably get into whether God is a man or a woman, but that's okay, God is actually both, so we don't have to worry about that. But anyway, Mike, welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Mike Paciello ** 02:21 Yeah, Hey, Mike, thanks a lot. I can't believe has it really been already since today, six years since the last time I came on this? No, three, 320, 22 Oh, 2022, I for whatever I 2019 Okay, three years sounds a little bit more realistic, but still, it's been a long time. Thank you for having me. It's, it's, it's great to be here. And obviously, as you know, a lot of things have changed in my life since then. But, yeah, very   Michael Hingson ** 02:46 cool. Well, you were in show number 19. And I'm not sure what number this is going to be, but it's going to be above 360 so it's been a while. Amazing, amazing, unstoppable, unstoppable. That's it. We got to keep it going. And Mike and I have been involved in a few things together, in, in later, in, I guess it was in 20 when we do the M enabling Summit, that was 2021 wasn't it? Yeah, I think it was, I think it was the year before we did the podcast, yeah, podcast, 2021 right? So we were in DC, and we both worked because there was a group that wanted to completely condemn the kinds of technologies that accessibe and other companies use. Some people call it overlays. I'm not sure that that's totally accurate today, but we we worked to get them to not do what they originally intended to do, but rather to explore it in a little bit more detail, which I think was a lot more reasonable to do. So we've, we've had some fun over the years, and we see each other every so often, and here we are again today. So yeah, I'm glad you're here. Well, tell us a little about well, and I guess what we'll do is do some stuff that we did in 2022 tell us about kind of the early Mike, growing up and all that and what eventually got you into dealing with all this business of web accessibility and such. Yeah, thank you.   Mike Paciello ** 04:08 You know, I've tried to short this, shorten this story 100 times. Oh, don't worry. See if I get let's see if I can keep it succinct and and for the folks out there who understand verbosity and it's in its finest way for screen reader users, I'll try not to be verbose. I already am being   Michael Hingson ** 04:28 intermediate levels fine.   Mike Paciello ** 04:30 I came into this entire field as a technical writer trying to solve a problem that I kind of stumbled into doing some volunteer work for the debt the company that I then then worked for, a Digital Equipment Corporation, a software company, DEC software hardware company, back then, right back in the early 80s. And as a technical writer, I started learning at that time what was called Gen code. Eventually that morphed in. To what Goldfarb, Charles Goldfarb at IBM, called SGML, or standard, Generalized Markup Language, and that really became the predecessor, really gave birth to what we see on the web today, to HTML and the web markup languages. That's what they were, except back then, they were markup languages for print publications. So we're myself and a lot of colleagues and friends, people probably here, I'm sure, at bare minimum, recognized named George Kercher. George and I really paired together, worked together, ended up creating an international steer with a group of other colleagues and friends called the icad 22 which is 22 stands for the amount of elements in that markup language. And it became the adopted standard accessibility standard for the American Association of Publishers, and they published that became official. Eventually it morphed into what we today call, you know, accessible web development. It was the first instance by that was integrated into the HTML specification, I think officially, was HTML 3.1 3.2 somewhere in there when it was formally adopted and then announced in 1997 and at the World Wide Web Conference. That's really where my activity in the web began. So I was working at DEC, but I was doing a lot of volunteer work at MIT, which is where the W 3c was located at that particular time. And Tim Bursley, who a lot of people i Sir, I'm sure, know, the inventor of the web, led the effort at that time, and a few other folks that I work with, and.da Jim Miller, a few other folks. And we were, well, I wasn't specifically approached. Tim was approached by Vice President Gore and eventually President Clinton at that time to see if we could come up with some sort of technical standard for accessibility. And Tim asked if I'd like to work on it myself. Danielle, Jim, a few others, we did, and we came up that first initial specification and launched it as part of the Web Accessibility Initiative, which we created in 1997 from there, my career just took off. I went off did a couple of small companies that I launched, you know, my namesake company, the Paciello Group, or TPG, now called TPG IGI, yeah, yeah, which was acquired by vector capital, or this bureau back in 2017 so it's hard to believe that's already almost 10 years ago. No, yeah. And I've been walking in, working in the software, web accessibility field, usability field, writing fields, you know, for some pretty close to 45 years. It's 2025 40 years, I mean, and I started around 1984 I think it was 8384 when all this first   Michael Hingson ** 07:59 started. Wow, so clearly, you've been doing it for a while and understand a lot of the history of it. So how overall has the whole concept of web accessibility changed over the years, not only from a from a coding standpoint, but how do you think it's really changed when it comes to being addressed by the public and companies and so on.   Mike Paciello ** 08:26 That's a great question. I'd certainly like to be more proactive and more positive about it, but, but let me be fair, if you compare today and where web accessibility resides, you know, in the in the business value proposition, so to speak, and list the priorities of companies and corporations. You know, fortune 1000 fortune 5000 call whatever you whatever you want. Accessibility. Is there people? You could say section five way you could say the Web Accessibility Initiative, WCAG, compliance, and by and large, particularly technology driven, digital economy driven businesses, they know what it is. They don't know how to do it. Very rarely do they know how to do it. And even the ones that know how to do it don't really do it very well. So it kind of comes down to the 8020, rule, right? You're a business. Whatever kind of business you are, you're probably in more online presence than ever before, and so a lot of your digital properties will come under you know the laws that mandate usability and accessibility for people with disabilities today that having been said and more and more people know about it than ever before, certainly from the time that I started back in the you know, again, in the early, mid 80s, to where we are today. It's night and day. But in terms of prioritization, I don't know. I think what happens quite often is business value proposition. Decisions get in the way. Priorities get in the way of what a business in, what its core business are, what they're trying to accomplish, who they're trying to sell, sell to. They still view the disability market, never mind the blind and low vision, you know, market alone as a niche market. So they don't make the kind of investors that I, I believe that they could, you know, there's certainly, there are great companies like like Microsoft and and Google, Amazon, Apple, you know, a lot of these companies, you know, have done some Yeoman work at that level, but it's nowhere near where it should be. It just absolutely isn't. And so from that standpoint, in where I envision things, when I started this career was when I was in my 20 somethings, and now I'm over now I'm over 60. Well over 60. Yeah, I expected a lot more in, you know, in an internet age, much, much more.   Michael Hingson ** 11:00 Yeah, yeah. Well, it's it's really strange that so much has happened and yet so much hasn't happened. And I agree with you, there's been a lot of visibility for the concept of accessibility and inclusion and making the the internet a better place, but it is so unfortunate that most people don't know how to how to do anything with it. Schools aren't really teaching it. And more important than even teaching the coding, from from my perspective, looking at it more philosophically, what we don't tend to see are people really recognizing the value of disabilities, and the value that the market that people with disabilities bring to the to the world is significant. I mean, the Center for Disease Control talks about the fact that they're like up to 25% of all Americans have some sort of disability. Now I take a different approach. Actually. I don't know whether you've read my article on it, but I believe everyone on the in the in the world has a disability, and the reality is, most people are light dependent, but that's as much a disability as blindness. Except that since 1878 when Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. We have focused nothing short of trying to do everything we can to improve light on demand for the last 147 years. And so the disability is mostly covered up, but it's still there.   Mike Paciello ** 12:37 You know, yeah, and I did read that article, and I couldn't agree with you more. In fact, I personally think, and I actually have my own blog coming out, and probably later this month might be early, early July, where I talk about the fact that accessibility okay and technology really has been all along. And I love the fact that you call, you know, you identified the, you know, the late 1800s there, when Edison did the the light bulb, Alexander Graham Bell came up with, you know, the telephone. All of those adventures were coming about. But accessibility to people with disabilities, regardless of what their disability is, has always been a catalyst for innovation. That was actually supposed to be the last one I was going to make tonight. Now it's my first point because, because I think it is exactly as you said, Mike, I think that people are not aware. And when I say people, I mean the entire human population, I don't think that we are aware of the history of how, how, because of, I'm not sure if this is the best word, but accommodating users, accommodating people with disabilities, in whatever way, the science that goes behind that design architectural to the point of development and release, oftentimes, things that were done behalf of people with disabilities, or for People with disabilities, resulted in a fundamental, how's this for? For an interesting term, a fundamental alteration right to any other you know, common, and I apologize for the tech, tech, tech language, user interface, right, right? Anything that we interact with has been enhanced because of accessibility, because of people saying, hey, if we made this grip a little bit larger or stickier, we'll call it so I can hold on to it or softer for a person that's got fine motor dexterity disabilities, right? Or if we made a, you know, a web browser, which, of course, we have such that a blind individual, a low vision individual, can adjust the size of this, of the images and the fonts and things like that on a web page, they could do that unknown. Well, these things now. As we well know, help individuals without disabilities. Well, I'm not much, right, and I, again, I'm not speaking as a person beyond your characterization that, hey, look, we are all imperfect. We all have disabilities. And that is, that is absolutely true. But beyond that, I wear glasses. That's it. I do have a little hearing loss too. But you know, I'm finding myself more and more, for example, increasing the size of text. In fact, my note, yes, I increase them to, I don't know they're like, 18 point, just so that it's easier to see. But that is a common thing for every human being, just like you said.   Michael Hingson ** 15:36 Well, the reality is that so many tools that we use today come about. And came about because of people with disabilities. Peggy Chung Curtis Chung's wife, known as the blind history lady, and one of the stories that she told on her first visit to unstoppable mindset, which, by the way, is episode number five. I remember that Peggy tells the story of the invention of the typewriter, which was invented for a blind countist, because she wanted to be able to communicate with her lover without her husband knowing about it, and she didn't want to dictate things and so on. She wanted to be able to create a document and seal it, and that way it could be delivered to the lever directly. And the typewriter was the result of   Mike Paciello ** 16:20 that? I didn't know that. I will definitely go back. I just wrote it down. I wrote down a note that was episode number five, yeah, before with Curtis a couple of times, but obviously a good friend of ours, yeah, but I yeah, that's, that's, that's awesome.   Michael Hingson ** 16:37 Well, and look at, I'll tell you one of the things that really surprises me. So Apple was going to get sued because they weren't making any of their products accessible. And before the lawsuit was filed, they came along and they said, we'll fix it. And they did make and it all started to a degree with iTunes U but also was the iPhone and the iPod and so on. But they they, they did the work. Mostly. They embedded a screen reader called Voiceover in all of their operating systems. They did make iTunes you available. What really surprises me, though is that I don't tend to see perhaps some things that they could do to make voiceover more attractive to drivers so they don't have to look at the screen when a phone call comes in or whatever. And that they could be doing some things with VoiceOver to make it more usable for sighted people in a lot of instances. And I just don't, I don't see any emphasis on that, which is really surprising to me.   Mike Paciello ** 17:38 Yeah, I totally agree. I mean, there are a lot of use cases there that you go for. I think Mark Rico would certainly agree with you in terms of autonomous driving for the blind, right? Sure that too. But yeah, I definitely agree and, and I know the guy that the architect voiceover and develop voiceover for Apple and, boy, why can I think of his last name? I know his first name. First name is Mike. Is with Be My Eyes now and in doing things at that level. But I will just say one thing, not to correct you, but Apple had been in the accessibility business long before voice over Alan Brightman and Gary mulcher were instrumental towards convincing, you know, jobs of the importance of accessibility to people with disabilities,   Michael Hingson ** 18:31 right? But they weren't doing anything to make products accessible for blind people who needed screen readers until that lawsuit came along. Was   Mike Paciello ** 18:40 before screen readers? Yeah, that was before,   Michael Hingson ** 18:43 but they did it. Yeah. The only thing I wish Apple would do in that regard, that they haven't done yet, is Apple has mandates and requirements if you're going to put an app in the App Store. And I don't know whether it's quite still true, but it used to be that if your app had a desktop or it looked like a Windows desktop, they wouldn't accept it in the app store. And one of the things that surprises me is that they don't require that app developers make sure that their products are usable with with VoiceOver. And the reality is that's a it doesn't need to be a really significantly moving target. For example, let's say you have an app that is dealing with displaying star charts or maps. I can't see the map. I understand that, but at least voiceover ought to give me the ability to control what goes on the screen, so that I can have somebody describe it, and I don't have to spend 15 or 20 minutes describing my thought process, but rather, I can just move things around on the screen to get to where we need to go. And I wish Apple would do a little bit more in that regard.   Mike Paciello ** 19:52 Yeah, I think that's a great a great thought and a great challenge, if, between me and you. Yeah, I think it goes back to what I said before, even though we both see how accessibility or accommodating users with disabilities has led to some of the most incredible innovations. I mean, the Department of Defense, for years, would integrate people with disabilities in their user testing, they could better help, you know, military soldiers, things like that, assimilate situations where there was no hearing, there was they were immobile, they couldn't see all, you know, all of these things that were natural. You know, user environments or personas for people with disabilities. So they led to these kind of, you know, incredible innovations, I would tell you, Mike, I think you know this, it's because the business value proposition dictates otherwise.   Michael Hingson ** 20:55 Yeah, and, well, I guess I would change that slightly and say that people think that the business proposition does but it may very well be that they would find that there's a lot more value in doing it if they would really open up their minds to looking at it differently. It's   Mike Paciello ** 21:10 kind of, it's kind of like, it's tough. It's kind of like, if I could use this illustration, so to speak, for those who may not be religiously inclined, but you know, it's, it's like prophecy. Most people, you don't know whether or not prophecy is valid until years beyond, you know, years after. And then you could look back at time and say, See, it was all along. These things, you know, resulted in a, me, a major paradigm shift in the way that we do or don't do things. And I think that's exactly what you're saying. You know, if, if people would really look at the potential of what technologies like, you know, a voice over or, as you know, a good friend of mine said, Look, we it should be screen readers. It should be voice IO interfaces, right? That every human can use and interact with regardless. That's what we're really talking about. There's   Michael Hingson ** 22:10 a big discussion going on some of the lists now about the meta, Ray Ban, glasses, and some of the things that it doesn't do or that they don't do well, that they should like. It's really difficult to get the meta glasses to read completely a full page. I think there are ways that people have now found to get it to do that, but there are things like that that it that that don't happen. And again, I think it gets back to what you're saying is the attitude is, well, most people aren't going to need that. Well, the reality is, how do you know and how do you know what they'll need until you offer options. So one of my favorite stories is when I worked for Kurzweil a long time ago, some people called one day and they wanted to come and see a new talking computer terminal that that Ray and I and others developed, and they came up, and it turns out, they were with one of those initial organizations out of Langley, Virginia, the CIA. And what they wanted to do was to use the map the the terminal connected to their computers to allow them to move pointers on a map and not have to watch the map or the all of the map while they were doing it, but rather, the computer would verbalize where the pointer was, and then they could they could move it around and pin a spot without having to actually look at the screen, because the way their machine was designed, it was difficult to do that. You know, the reality is that most of the technologies that we need and that we use and can use could be used by so much, so many more people, if people would just really look at it and think about it, but, but you're right, they don't.   Mike Paciello ** 24:04 You know, it's, of course, raise a raise another good friend of mine. We both having in common. I work with him. I been down his office a few, more than few times, although his Boston office, anyway, I think he's, I'm not sure he's in Newton. He's in Newton. Yeah. Is he still in Newton? Okay. But anyway, it reminded me of something that happened in a similar vein, and that was several years ago. I was at a fast forward forward conference, future forward conference, and a company, EMC, who absorbed by Dell, I think, right, yes, where they all are. So there I was surprised that when that happened. But hey, yeah, yeah, I was surprised that compact bought depth, so that's okay, yeah, right. That HP bought count, right? That whole thing happened. But um, their chief science, chief scientist, I think he was a their CSO chief scientist, Doc. Came up and made this presentation. And basically the presentation was using voice recognition. They had been hired by the NSA. So it was a NSA right to use voice recognition in a way where they would recognize voices and then record those voices into it, out the output the transcript of that right text, text files, and feed them back to, you know, the NSA agents, right? So here's the funny part of that story goes up i i waited he gave his presentation. This is amazing technology, and what could it was like, 99% accurate in terms of not just recognizing American, English speaking people, but a number of different other languages, in dialects. And the guy who gave the presentation, I actually knew, because he had been a dec for many years. So in the Q and A Part I raised by hand. I got up there. He didn't recognize it a few years had gone by. And I said, you know, this is amazing technology. We could really use this in the field that I work in. And he said, Well, how's that? And I said, you know, voice recognition and outputting text would allow us to do now this is probably 2008 2009 somewhere in that area, would allow us to do real time, automated transcription for the Deaf, Captioning. And he looks at me and he he says, Do I know you? This is through a live audience. I said. I said, Yeah, Mark is it was. Mark said, So Mike gas yellow. He said, you're the only guy in town that I know that could turn a advanced, emerging technology into something for people with disabilities. I can't believe it. So that was, that was, but there was kind of the opposite. It was a technology they were focused on making this, you know, this technology available for, you know, government, obviously covert reasons that if they were using it and applying it in a good way for people with disabilities, man, we'd have been much faster, much further along or even today, right? I mean, it's being done, still not as good, not as good as that, as I saw. But that just goes to show you what, what commercial and government funding can do when it's applied properly?   Michael Hingson ** 27:41 Well, Dragon, naturally speaking, has certainly come a long way since the original Dragon Dictate. But there's still errors, there's still things, but it does get better, but I hear exactly what you're saying, and the reality is that we don't tend to think in broad enough strokes for a lot of the things that we do, which is so unfortunate,   Mike Paciello ** 28:03 yeah? I mean, I've had an old saying that I've walked around for a long time. I should have, I should make a baseball cap, whether something or T shirt. And it simply was, think accessibility, yeah, period. If, if, if we, organizations, people, designers, developers, architects, usability, people, QA, people. If everybody in the, you know, in the development life cycle was thinking about accessibility, or accessibility was integrated, when we say accessibility, we're talking about again, for users with disabilities, if that became part of, if not the functional catalyst, for technology. Man, we'd have been a lot further along in the quote, unquote value chains than we are today.   Michael Hingson ** 28:46 One of the big things at least, that Apple did do was they built voiceover into their operating system, so anybody who buys any Apple device today automatically has redundancy here, but access to accessibility, right? Which, which is really the way it ought to be. No offense to vispero and jaws, because they're they're able to fill the gap. But still, if Microsoft had truly devoted the time that they should have to narrate her at the beginning. We might see a different kind of an architecture today.   Mike Paciello ** 29:26 You know, I so I want to, by the way, the person that invented that wrote that code is Mike shabanik. That's his name I was thinking about. So Mike, if you're listening to this guy, just hi from two others. And if he's not, he should be, yeah, yeah, exactly right from two other mics. But so let me ask you this question, because I legitimately can't remember this, and have had a number of discussions with Mike about this. So VoiceOver is native to the US, right?   Michael Hingson ** 29:56 But no, well, no to to the to the to the. Products, but not just the US. No,   Mike Paciello ** 30:02 no, I said, OS, yes, it's native to OS, yeah, right. It's native that way, right? But doesn't it still use an off screen model for producing or, you know, translate the transformation of, you know, on screen to voice.   Michael Hingson ** 30:27 I'm not sure that's totally true. Go a little bit deeper into that for me.   Mike Paciello ** 30:34 Well, I mean, so NVDA and jaws use this off screen model, right, which is functionally, they grab, will they grab some content, or whatever it is, push it to this, you know, little black box, do all those translations, you know, do all the transformation, and then push it back so it's renderable to a screen reader. Okay, so that's this off screen model that is transparent to the users, although now you know you can get into it and and tweak it and work with it right, right? I recall when Mike was working on the original design of of nary, excuse me, a voiceover, and he had called me, and I said, Are you going to continue with the notion of an off screen model? And he said, Yeah, we are. And I said, Well, when you can build something that's more like what TV Raman has built into Emacs, and it works integral to the actual OS, purely native. Call me because then I'm interested in, but now that was, you know, 1520, years ago, right? I mean, how long has voiceover been around,   Michael Hingson ** 31:51 since 2007   Mike Paciello ** 31:54 right? So, yeah, 20 years ago, right? Just shy of 20 years, 18 years. So I don't know. I honestly don't know. I'm   Michael Hingson ** 32:02 not totally sure, but I believe that it is, but I can, you know, we'll have to, we'll have to look into that.   Mike Paciello ** 32:08 If anyone in the audience is out there looking at you, get to us before we find out. Let us we'll find out at the NFB   Michael Hingson ** 32:12 convention, because they're going to be a number of Apple people there. We can certainly ask, there   Mike Paciello ** 32:17 you go. That's right, for sure. James Craig is bound to be there. I can ask him and talk to him about that for sure. Yep, so anyway,   Michael Hingson ** 32:23 but I think, I think it's a very it's a valid point. And you know, the the issue is that, again, if done right and app developers are doing things right there, there needs to, there ought to be a way that every app has some level of accessibility that makes it more available. And the reality is, people, other than blind people use some of these technologies as well. So we're talking about voice input. You know, quadriplegics, for example, who can't operate a keyboard will use or a mouse can use, like a puff and zip stick to and and Dragon to interact with a computer and are successful at doing it. The reality is, there's a whole lot more opportunities out there than people think. Don't   Mike Paciello ** 33:11 I agree with that. I'm shaking my head up and down Mike and I'm telling you, there is, I mean, voice recognition alone. I can remember having a conversation with Tony vitality, one of the CO inventors of the deck talk. And that goes all the way back into the, you know, into the early 90s, about voice recognition and linguistics and what you know, and I know Kurzweil did a lot of working with Terry right on voice utterances and things like that. Yeah, yeah. There's, there's a wide open window of opportunity there for study and research that could easily be improved. And as you said, and this is the point, it doesn't just improve the lives of the blind or low vision. It improves the lives of a number of different types of Persona, disability persona types, but it would certainly create a pathway, a very wide path, for individuals, users without disabilities, in a number of different life scenarios.   Michael Hingson ** 34:10 Yeah, and it's amazing how little sometimes that's done. I had the pleasure a few years ago of driving a Tesla down Interstate 15 out here in California. Glad I wasn't there. You bigot, you know, the co pilot system worked. Yeah, you know, I just kept my hands on the wheel so I didn't very much, right? Not have any accidents. Back off now it worked out really well, but, but here's what's really interesting in that same vehicle, and it's something that that I find all too often is is the case if I were a passenger sitting in the front seat, there's so much that I as a passenger don't have access to that other passenger. Do radios now are mostly touchscreen right, which means and they don't build in the features that would make the touchscreen system, which they could do, accessible. The Tesla vehicle is incredibly inaccessible. And there's for a guy who's so innovative, there's no reason for that to be that way. And again, I submit that if they truly make the product so a blind person could use it. Think of how much more a sighted person who doesn't have to take their eyes off the road could use the same technologies.   Mike Paciello ** 35:35 You know, Mike, again, you and I are on the same page. I mean, imagine these guys are supposed to be creative and imaginative and forward thinking, right? Could you? Can you imagine a better tagline than something along the lines of Tesla, so user friendly that a blind person can drive it? Yeah? I mean this is, have you heard or seen, you know, metaphorically speaking, or that's okay, a an advertisement or PR done by any, any company, because they're all, all the way across the board, that hasn't featured what it can do to enhance lives of people with disabilities. Where it wasn't a hit. I mean, literally, it was, yeah, you see these commercials played over and over to Apple, Microsoft, Emma, I see McDonald's, Walmart. I mean, I could just name, name the one after another. Really, really outstanding. Salesforce has done it. Just incredible. They would do it, yeah. I mean, there is there any more human centric message than saying, Look what we've built and designed we're releasing to the masses and everyone, anyone, regardless of ability, can use it. Yeah, that, to me, is that's, I agree that's a good route, right for marketing and PR, good,   Michael Hingson ** 37:03 yeah. And yet they don't, you know, I see commercials like about one of the one of the eye injections, or whatever Bobby is, Mo or whatever it is. And at the beginning, the woman says, I think I'm losing sight of the world around me. You know that's all about, right? It's eyesight and nothing else. And I appreciate, I'm all for people keeping their eyesight and doing what's necessary. But unfortunately, all too often, we do that at the detriment of of other people, which is so unfortunate.   Mike Paciello ** 37:39 Yeah, you know again, not to, not to get off the subject, but one of my favorite books is rethinking competitive advantage, by Ram Sharon. I don't know if you know know him, but the guy is one of my heroes in terms of just vision and Business and Technology. And in this, this book, he wrote this a couple of years ago. He said this one this is his first rule of competition in the digital age. The number one rule was simply this, a personalized consumer experience, key to exponential growth. That's exactly you and I are talking about personally. I want to see interfaces adapt to users, rather than what we have today, which is users having to adapt to the interface.   Michael Hingson ** 38:32 Yeah, and it would make so much sense to do so. I hope somebody out there is listening and will maybe take some of this to heart, because if they do it right, they can have a huge market in no time at all, just because they show they care. You know, Nielsen Company did a survey back in 2016 where they looked at a variety of companies and consumers and so on. And if I recall the numbers right, they decided that people with disabilities are 35% more likely to continue to work with and shop, for example, at companies that really do what they can to make their websites and access to their products accessible, as opposed to not. And that's that's telling. It's so very telling. But we don't see people talking about that nearly like we should   Mike Paciello ** 39:20 you talk about a business value proposition. There is bullet proof that where you are leaving money on the table, yep, and a lot of it, yeah, exactly. We're not talking about 1000s or hundreds of 1000s. We're talking about billions and trillions, in some instances, not an exaggeration by any stretch of the imagination, very, very simple math. I had this conversation a couple years ago with the CEO of Pearson. At that time, he's retired, but, you know, I told him, if you spent $1 for every person that it was in the world with. Disability, you're, you're, you're talking about 1/4 of the population, right? It's simple math, simple math,   Michael Hingson ** 40:08 but people still won't do it. I mean, we taught you to mention section 508, before with the whole issue of web access, how much of the government has really made their websites accessible, even though it's the law?   Mike Paciello ** 40:19 Yeah, three years, three or four years ago, they did a study, and they found out that the good that every federal agency, most of the federal agencies, were not even keeping up thinking with reporting of the status, of where they were, and yet that was written right into the five way law. They were mandated to do it, and they still did do   Michael Hingson ** 40:37 it. We haven't, you know, the whole Americans with Disabilities Act. Finally, the Department of Justice said that the internet is a place of business, but still, it's not written in the law. And of course, we only see about 3% of all websites that tend to have any level of access. And there's no reason for that. It's not that magical. And again, I go back to what do we do to get schools and those who teach people how to code to understand the value of putting in accessibility right from the outset?   Mike Paciello ** 41:10 Yeah, no, I totally agree with you. I think this is what Kate sanka is trying to do with with Teach access. In fact, you know, again, my company, TPG was one of the founding companies have teach access back again, 10 years ago, when it first started. But that's where it starts. I mean, they're, they're pretty much focused on post secondary, university education, but I could tell you on a personal level, I was speaking at my kids grade school, elementary school, because they were already using laptops and computers back then it starts. Then you've got to build a mindset. You've got to build it we you've heard about the accessibility, maturity models coming out of the W, 3c, and in I, double AP. What that speaks to fundamentally, is building a culture within your corporate organization that is think accessibility as a think accessibility mindset, that it is woven into the fiber of every business line, in every technology, software development life cycle, all of the contributors at that level, from A to Z. But if you don't build it into the culture, it's not going to happen. So I would love to see a lot more being done at that level. But yeah, it's, it's, it's a, it's a hero. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 42:34 we're, we're left out of the conversation so much. Yeah, yeah, totally. So you, you sold TPG, and you then formed, or you had web able and then able Docs.   Mike Paciello ** 42:48 So what web able came out was a carve out, one of two carve outs that I had from when I sold TPG. The other was open access technologies, which which eventually was sold to another accessibility company primarily focused on making documentation accessible to meet the WCAG and other standards requirements and web able I carved out. It's been a kind of a hobby of mine now, for since I sold TPG, I'm still working on the back end, ironically, from the get go, so we're talking, you know, again, eight years ago, I had built machine learning and AI into it. From then back then, I did so that what it does is it very simply, goes out and collects 1000s and 1000s of articles as it relates to technology, people with disabilities, and then cleans them up and post them to web able.com I've got a lot more playing for it, but that's in a nutshell. That's what it does. And I don't we do some we do some QA review to make sure that the cleanup in terms of accessibility and the articles are are properly formatted and are accessible. We use the web aim API, but yeah, works like magic. Works like clockwork, and that's got aI uses IBM Watson AI built into it. Yeah, enable docs was abledocs was, how should I say this in a nice way, abledocs was a slight excursion off of my main route. It can work out. I wish it had. It had a lot of potential, much like open access technologies, but they both suffered from owners who really, really not including myself, who just didn't have good vision and in lack humility,   Michael Hingson ** 44:43 yeah. How's that? There you go. Well, so not to go political or anything, but AI in general is interesting, and I know that there have been a lot of debates over the last few years about artificial. Intelligence and helping to make websites accessible. There are several companies like AudioEye, user way, accessibe and so on that to one degree or another, use AI. What? What? So in general, what do you think about AI and how it's going to help deal with or not, the whole issue of disabilities and web access,   Mike Paciello ** 45:22 yeah, and we're going to set aside Neil Jacobs thoughts on how he sees it in the future, right? Although I have to tell you, he gave me some things to think about, so we'll just set that to to the side. So I think what AI offers today is something that I thought right away when it started to see the, you know, the accessibes, the user ways, the audio, eyes, and all the other companies kind of delving into it, I always saw potential to how's this remediate a fundamental problem or challenge, let's not call it a problem, a challenge that we were otherwise seeing in the professional services side of that equation around web accessibility, right? So you get experts who use validation tools and other tools, who know about code. Could go in and they know and they use usability, they use user testing, and they go in and they can tell you what you need to do to make your digital properties right, usable and accessible. People with disabilities, all well and good. That's great. And believe me, I had some of the best people, if not the best people in the world, work for me at one time. However, there are a couple of things it could not do in it's never going to do. Number one, first and foremost, from my perspective, it can't scale. It cannot scale. You can do some things at, you know, in a large way. For example, if, if a company is using some sort of, you know, CMS content management system in which their entire sites, you know, all their sites, all their digital properties, you know, are woven into templates, and those templates are remediated. So that cuts down a little bit on the work. But if you go into companies now, it's not like they're limited to two or three templates. Now they've got, you know, department upon department upon department, everybody's got a different template. So even those are becoming very vos, very verbose and very plentiful. So accessibility as a manual effort doesn't really scale well. And if it does, even if it could, it's not fast enough, right? So that's what AI does, AI, coupled with automation, speeds up that process and delivers a much wider enterprise level solution. Now again, AI automation is not, is not a whole, is not a holistic science. You know, it's not a silver bullet. David Marathi likes to use the term, what is he? He likes the gold standard. Well, from his perspective, and by the way, David Marathi is CEO of audio. Eye is a combination of automation AI in expert analysis, along with the use of the integration of user testing and by user testing, it's not just personas, but it's also compatibility with the assistive technologies that people with disabilities use. Now, when you do that, you've got something that you could pattern after a standard software development life cycle, environment in which you integrate all of these things. So if you got a tool, you integrate it there. If you've got, you know, a digital accessibility platform which does all this automation, AI, right, which, again, this is the this is a forester foresters take on the the the daps, as they calls it. And not really crazy about that, but that's what they are. Digital Accessibility platforms. It allows us to scale and scale at costs that are much lower, at speeds that are much faster, and it's just a matter of like any QA, you've got to check your work, and you've got it, you can't count on that automation being absolute. We know for a fact that right now, at best, we're going to be able to get 35 to 40% accuracy, some claim, larger different areas. I'm still not convinced of that, but the fact of the matter is, it's like anything else. Technology gets better as it goes, and we'll see improvements over time periods.   Michael Hingson ** 49:49 So here's here's my thought, yeah, let's say you use AI in one of the products that's out there. And I. You go to a website and you include it, and it reasonably well makes the website 50% more usable and accessible than it was before. I'm just, I just threw out that number. I know it's random. Go ahead, Yep, yeah, but let's say it does that. The reality is that means that it's 50% that the web developers, the web coders, don't have to do because something else is dealing with it. But unfortunately, their mentality is not to want to deal with that because they also fear it. But, you know, I remember back in the mid 1980s I started a company because I went off and tried to find a job and couldn't find one. So I started a company with a couple of other people, where we sold early PC based CAD systems to architects, right? And we had AutoCAD versus CAD. Another one called point line, which was a three dimensional system using a y cap solid modeling board that took up two slots in your PC. So it didn't work with all PCs because we didn't have enough slots. But anyway, right, right, right. But anyway, when I brought architects in and we talked about what it did and we showed them, many of them said, I'll never use that. And I said, why? Well, it does work, and that's not the question. But the issue is, we charge by the time, and so we take months to sometimes create designs and projects, right? And so we can't lose that revenue. I said, you're looking at it all wrong. Think about it this way, somebody gives you a job, you come back and you put it in the CAD system. You go through all the iterations it takes, let's just say, two weeks. Then you call your customer in. You use point line, and you can do a three dimensional walk through and fly through. You can even let them look out the window and see what there is and all that they want to make changes. They tell you the changes. You go off and you make the changes. And two weeks later, now it's a month, you give them their finished product, all the designs, all the plots and all that, all done, and you charge them exactly the same price you were going to charge them before. Now you're not charging for your time, you're charging for your expertise, right? And I think that same model still holds true that the technology, I think most people will agree that it is not perfect, but there are a lot of things that it can do. Because the reality is, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, are all things that can be defined with computer code, whether it necessarily does it all well with AI or not, is another story. But if it does it to a decent fraction, it makes all the difference in terms of what you're able to do and how quickly you can do   Mike Paciello ** 52:52 it. Yeah, I can argue with that at all. I think any time that we can make our jobs a little bit easier so that we can focus where we should be focused. In this case, as you said, the expertise side of it, right to fix those complicated scenarios or situations that require a hands on surgical like Right? Expertise, you can do that now. You've got more hours more time because it's been saved. The only thing I would say, Mike, about what, what you just said, is that there with that, with that mindset, okay, comes responsibility. Oh, yeah, in this is where I think in everybody that knows anything about this environment, you and I have an intimate understanding of this. The whole overlay discussion is the biggest problem with what happened was less about the technology and more about what claims are being made. Yeah, the technology could do which you could not do in, in some cases, could never do, or would never, would never do, well, right? So if you create, and I would submit this is true in as a fundamental principle, if you create a technology of any kind, you must, in truth, inform your clients of of what it can and cannot do so they understand the absolute value to them, because the last thing you want, because, again, we live in a, unfortunately, a very litigious world. Right soon as there's   Michael Hingson ** 54:49 a mistake couldn't happen,   Mike Paciello ** 54:51 they'll go right after you. So now you know, and again, I don't I'm not necessarily just blaming the ambulance chasers of the world. World. I was talking to an NFP lawyer today. He referred to them in a different name, and I can't remember well, I never heard the expression before, but that's what he meant, right? Yeah, it's the salesman and the product managers and the marketing people themselves, who are were not themselves, to your point, properly trained, properly educated, right? It can't be done, what clearly could not be said, what should or should not be said, right? And then you got lawyers writing things all over the place. So, yeah, yeah. So, so I look people knew when I made the decision to come to audio eye that it was a make or break scenario for me, or at least that's what they thought in my mindset. It always, has always been, that I see incredible possibilities as you do or technology, it just has to be handled responsibly.   Michael Hingson ** 55:56 Do you think that the companies are getting better and smarter about what they portray about their products than they than they were three and four and five years ago.   Mike Paciello ** 56:08 Okay, look, I sat in and chaired a meeting with the NFB on this whole thing. And without a doubt, they're getting smarter. But it took not just a stick, you know, but, but these large lawsuits to get them to change their thinking, to see, you know, where they where they were wrong, and, yeah, things are much better. There's still some issues out there. I both know it that's going to happen, that happens in every industry,   Michael Hingson ** 56:42 but there are improvements. It is getting better, and people are getting smarter, and that's where an organization like the NFB really does need to become more involved than in a sense, they are. They took some pretty drastic steps with some of the companies, and I think that they cut off their nose, despite their face as well, and that didn't help. So I think there are things that need to be done all the way around, but I do see that progress is being made too. I totally   Mike Paciello ** 57:11 agree, and in fact, I'm working with them right now. We're going to start working on the California Accessibility Act again. I'm really looking forward to working with the NFB, the DRC and Imperato over there and his team in the disability rights consortium, consortium with disability rights. What DRC coalition, coalition in in California. I can't wait to do that. We tried last year. We got stopped short. It got tabled, but I feel very good about where we're going this year. So that's, that's my that's, that is my focus right now. And I'm glad I'm going to be able to work with the NFB to be able to do that. Yeah, well, I, I really do hope that it passes. We've seen other states. We've seen some states pass some good legislation, and hopefully we will continue to see some of that go on. Yeah, Colorado has done a great job. Colorado sent a great job. I think they've done it. I really like what's being done with the EAA, even though it's in Europe, and some of the things that are going there, Susanna, Lauren and I had some great discussions. I think she is has been a leader of a Yeoman effort at that level. So we'll see. Let's, let's, I mean, there's still time out here. I guess I really would like to retire,   Michael Hingson ** 58:28 but I know the feeling well, but I can't afford to yet, so I'll just keep speaking and all that well, Mike, this has been wonderful. I really appreciate you taking an hour and coming on, and at least neither of us is putting up with any kind of snow right now, but later in the year we'll see more of that.   Mike Paciello ** 58:45 Yeah, well, maybe you will. We don't get snow down. I have. We've gotten maybe 25 flakes in North Carolina since I've been here.   Michael Hingson ** 58:53 Yeah, you don't get a lot of snow. We don't hear we don't really get it here, around us, up in the mountains, the ski resorts get it, but I'm out in a valley, so we don't, yeah,   Mike Paciello ** 59:02 yeah, no. I love it. I love this is golfing weather.   Michael Hingson ** 59:05 There you go. If people want to reach out to you, how do they do that?   Mike Paciello ** 59:11 There's a couple of ways. Certainly get in touch with me at AudioEye. It's michael.paciello@audioeye.com   Michael Hingson ** 59:17 B, A, C, I, E, L, L, O,   Mike Paciello ** 59:18 that's correct. Thank you for that. You could send me personal email at Mike paciello@gmail.com and or you can send me email at web able. It's m passielo at web able.com, any one of those ways. And please feel free you get on all the social networks. So feel free to link, connect to me. Anyway, I try to respond. I don't think there's anyone I I've not responded to one form or another.   Michael Hingson ** 59:46 Yeah, I'm I'm the same way. If I get an email, I want to respond to it. Yeah, well, thanks again for being here, and I want to thank all of you for listening. We really appreciate it. Love to hear your thoughts about this episode. Please feel free to email. Me, you can get me the email address I generally use is Michael h i at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, i, b, e.com, or you can go to our podcast page, which is Michael hingson.com/podcast, and there's a contact form there. But love to hear from you. Love to hear your thoughts, and most of all, please give us a five star rating wherever you're listening. We value your ratings and your reviews a whole lot, so we really appreciate you doing that. And if any of you, and Mike, including you, can think of other people that you think ought to be guests on the podcast, we are always looking for more people, so fill us up, help us find more folks. And we would appreciate that a great deal. So again, Mike, thanks very much. This has been a lot of fun, and we'll have to do it again.   Mike Paciello ** 1:00:44 Thanks for the invitation. Mike, I really appreciate it. Don't forget to add 10 Nakata to your list,   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:49 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

El uso de inteligencia artificial gana terreno entre los turistas internacionales que visitarán España en 2025, especialmente en el mercado chino, donde uno de cada cuatro viajeros afirma que usará asistentes de IA para planificar su itinerario, según el informe Travel Trends 2025 de Visa. La encuesta también revela que, en promedio, uno de cada seis turistas recurrirá a estas herramientas digitales, lo que refleja una creciente digitalización en la organización de los viajes.Civitatis ha superado los 1,5 millones de seguidores en redes sociales tras un crecimiento del 44,68%, impulsado por su estrategia “social-first” centrada en contenido nativo y colaboraciones con creadores. Instagram y TikTok han sido claves, con especial éxito en Brasil y entre públicos jóvenes. Además, la compañía ha lanzado perfiles locales adaptados a distintos mercados.Sabre Corporation ha completado la venta de su unidad de soluciones para la industria hotelera a la firma de inversión TPG por 1.100 millones de dólares. La operación forma parte de la estrategia de Sabre para reducir deuda, optimizar su cartera y centrarse en un crecimiento sostenible. La unidad vendida, ahora denominada Hospitality Solutions, operará de forma independiente bajo TPG Capital en EE. UU. y Europa.Exceltur ha presentado su plan de acción 2025-2026 bajo el lema “Turismo que suma”, con el objetivo de reforzar el prestigio social del sector turístico en España. La iniciativa busca destacar su aportación económica —estimada en 220.000 millones de euros este año— y promover un modelo de turismo más equilibrado, que tenga en cuenta tanto las necesidades de los visitantes como de los residentes. El plan apuesta por la colaboración público-privada y por priorizar un turismo de mayor valor añadido y alineado con los valores locales.Ávoris y Mundiplan han sido adjudicatarias del programa de Turismo del Imserso para la temporada 2025/2026, que incluye un total de 879.213 plazas y un presupuesto cercano a los 60 millones de euros. Ávoris gestionará más de 650.000 plazas, principalmente en la costa peninsular, mientras que Mundiplan se encargará de 228.000 viajes, incluyendo destinos insulares e interiores. La adjudicación ha sido ratificada oficialmente por el Instituto de Mayores y Servicios Sociales.

In this episode of the insuranceaum.com podcast, host Stewart Foley, CFA sits down with Matt Jones, Co-Managing Partner of TPG's North American and European secondaries business, to explore the evolution and growing significance of GP-led secondaries. With over two decades of experience in private markets, Matt brings deep expertise to a complex and rapidly expanding space. He breaks down how GP-led transactions emerged post-financial crisis, why they've become more attractive over time, and how they now serve as strategic tools for high-quality fund managers to retain and build value in their best-performing assets.   The conversation covers key structural features of continuation vehicles, the risk-return advantages of single-asset secondaries, and what makes this market so compelling for investors today. Matt also explains how macroeconomic volatility is shaping pricing and deal flow, and what traits distinguish the most successful players entering this space. For institutional investors, asset managers, and anyone tracking private equity innovation, this discussion offers a practical and insightful look at one of the most dynamic segments in the alternatives landscape.

Metcash – the largest operator of IGA stores – has said the illegal tobacco trade is hurting its bottom line. MARKET WRAP: ASX200: down 0.36%, 8474 GOLD: $3,363 US/ounce BITCOIN: $159,214 AUD Energy & Utilities rose on war threats: Woodside was flat, with Santos 1% higher, with LNG seller Origin also lifting just under 1%. Metcash rose 2.7% after revealing an 8.9% uplift in group revenue to $17.3 billion. BWP Trust rose 1.9 per cent to $3.65 Reece Holdings up more than 2% to $16.57 TPG and Medibank rose more than 1% ANZ Bank fell 0.6%, National Australia Bank shed a few cents to close at $38.88. Fortescue gave up 1% BHP fell 1.5% per cent to $35.64 Rio Tinto fell marginally but still closed above $100 a share at $101.83. Drone Shield fell more than 4% to $1.83 CURRENCY UPDATE: AUD/USD: 63.9 US cents AUD/GBP: 48.2 pence AUD/EUR: 56 Euro cents AUD/JPY: 94 yen AUD/NZD: 1.08 Dollars See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of 401(k) Roundtable™, Rick Unser speaks with Jack Weingart, Chief Financial Officer of TPG, a leading global private equity firm. They examine how macroeconomic shifts, technological advancements like AI, and a declining number of public companies are shaping private equity investment strategies. The discussion also touches on the role of institutional investors and the growing interest in making private equity accessible through workplace retirement plans. Jack offers a thoughtful perspective on long-term capital deployment and the future of private markets.

In this full SBS Hindi program, tune in to uncover the controversy involving Telstra, Vodafone, and TPG. We also bring you an in-depth report on Victoria's multicultural budget, along with top news stories from Australia and a roundup of the week's headlines from India.

What do aviation, AI, parenting, and longevity have in common? Blair LaCorte. In this fast-paced episode, Episode 243 of the Fit Father Project Podcast, he shares with Dr. Anthony Balduzzi the biggest lessons from his high-performance life — and how we can all build a stronger body, mind, and purpose. Together, they explore the powerful idea that safety — both physical and emotional — is the foundation for longevity, authentic living, and effective parenting. Blair shares how formative childhood experiences shaped his entrepreneurial spirit, why midlife transitions are deeply necessary, and how self-love is one of the highest acts of love for your children.Blair explains how your parasympathetic nervous system — the “rest and digest” network — underpins your mental, physical, and emotional well-being. He emphasizes the vital role of feeling safe, connected, and curious in both health and personal evolution. His advice? Move every hour, sleep according to your chronotype, get sunlight in your eyes first thing in the morning, and start each day with intention. From daily mantras to longevity science from the Buck Institute, Blair's practical wisdom is packed with insights.The conversation also dives into actionable tips for parents on creating resilient, curious, and emotionally stable kids — without overprotecting them. Blair's candid reflection on failure, identity, and the modern health landscape is both refreshing and empowering. Whether you're looking to optimize your body, reconnect with your purpose, or better guide your children in the AI age, this episode delivers.Key TakeawaysChildhood wiring shapes lifelong behaviorSelf-love is essential for effective parentingAuthenticity is the key to a regret-free lifeSafety regulates the parasympathetic nervous systemYour nervous system is the root of health spanFrequent movement trumps long workoutsMorning sunlight resets your biological clockDaily mantras shift your brain's focusSitting is the new smoking — get up hourlyConnection is the #1 longevity multiplierFood is the most important input for your healthKids need a safe place to fail and growRandom acts of kindness heal both giver and receiverLearn More about Blair LaCorte:Websites: https://ppemastermind.com/ https://www.mastermindinnovate.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blair-lacorte-68084/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTSlr8fDtSu4Ev_hF6tyqDwBiographical Information on Blair LaCorte:Blair LaCorte is a dynamic business executive who after being raised by two entrepreneurs has taken a path less traveled, unless of course you were Forrest Gump! His career spans numerous industries such as entertainment, aviation, AI, technology, aerospace, consulting, investing and military logistics. Renowned for his insatiable curiosity, collaborative spirit, passionate oratorical skills and competitive drive, Blair consistently strives to make a positive contribution and impact in all his endeavors.For Credibility: Blair has held CEO or “C” level strategy or operating roles in companies such PRG (largest live entertainment production company), XOJET/Vista (largest private aviation company), TPG (one of largest PE firms), Autodesk (largest CAD SW company), and Sun Microsystems / Oracle...

What do aviation, AI, parenting, and longevity have in common? Blair LaCorte. In this fast-paced episode, Episode 153 of the Fit Mother Project Podcast, he shares with Dr. Anthony Balduzzi the biggest lessons from his high-performance life — and how we can all build a stronger body, mind, and purpose. Together, they explore the powerful idea that safety — both physical and emotional — is the foundation for longevity, authentic living, and effective parenting. Blair shares how formative childhood experiences shaped his entrepreneurial spirit, why midlife transitions are deeply necessary, and how self-love is one of the highest acts of love for your children.Blair explains how your parasympathetic nervous system — the “rest and digest” network — underpins your mental, physical, and emotional well-being. He emphasizes the vital role of feeling safe, connected, and curious in both health and personal evolution. His advice? Move every hour, sleep according to your chronotype, get sunlight in your eyes first thing in the morning, and start each day with intention. From daily mantras to longevity science from the Buck Institute, Blair's practical wisdom is packed with insights.The conversation also dives into actionable tips for parents on creating resilient, curious, and emotionally stable kids — without overprotecting them. Blair's candid reflection on failure, identity, and the modern health landscape is both refreshing and empowering. Whether you're looking to optimize your body, reconnect with your purpose, or better guide your children in the AI age, this episode delivers.Key TakeawaysChildhood wiring shapes lifelong behaviorSelf-love is essential for effective parentingAuthenticity is the key to a regret-free lifeSafety regulates the parasympathetic nervous systemYour nervous system is the root of health spanFrequent movement trumps long workoutsMorning sunlight resets your biological clockDaily mantras shift your brain's focusSitting is the new smoking — get up hourlyConnection is the #1 longevity multiplierFood is the most important input for your healthKids need a safe place to fail and growRandom acts of kindness heal both giver and receiverLearn More about Blair LaCorte:Websites: https://ppemastermind.com/ https://www.mastermindinnovate.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blair-lacorte-68084/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTSlr8fDtSu4Ev_hF6tyqDwBiographical Information on Blair LaCorte:Blair LaCorte is a dynamic business executive who after being raised by two entrepreneurs has taken a path less traveled, unless of course you were Forrest Gump! His career spans numerous industries such as entertainment, aviation, AI, technology, aerospace, consulting, investing and military logistics. Renowned for his insatiable curiosity, collaborative spirit, passionate oratorical skills and competitive drive, Blair consistently strives to make a positive contribution and impact in all his endeavors.For Credibility: Blair has held CEO or “C” level strategy or operating roles in companies such PRG (largest live entertainment production company), XOJET/Vista (largest private aviation company), TPG (one of largest PE firms), Autodesk (largest CAD SW company), and Sun...

In this week's episode we were thrilled to talk to one of the stars of the NBL1 East, Jade Kirisome. Jade began her basketball journey in QLD and has since gone on to play college ball in the USA with Furman and Saint Mary's as well as playing in the WNBL with UC Capitals, playing in the NBL1 North and now is the star player with the Hills Hornets. Please make sure you LIKE and SUBSCRIBE! 0:00 Kick Off 1:38 Throwback Jerseys for the week- Hills Hornets and Jock Landale 4:54 Card of the week- Patty Mills- Panini Auto 6:15 Q&A with Jade Kirisome- we discussed Jade's journey into basketball, her heritage and role models growing up, college ball in the USA including why so many Aussies attend Saint Mary's, WNBL with UC Capitals. We also chatted about her time in the NBL1 and putting together a special season with the mighty Hills Hornets this year. 42:57 Outro Please sit back and enjoy and spread the word about Throwback Hoops. Much love Rob and Woody V. Rob apologies for his internet issues this week and he will be asking TPG for a discount on his next bill!

In this episode of the Top Contractor School Podcast, host Eric Guy sits down with Michael Hoogeheem, President and Co-Founder of The Pavement Group, to pull back the curtain on what it really takes to scale a construction business — and lead from behind the scenes. Whether you're already a member or just hearing about TCS for the first time, this episode breaks down: ✅ How Mike went from working in homebuilding and sales to helping build one of the fastest-growing pavement companies in the country ✅ The origin story of The Pavement Group and why massive action beats perfect timing ✅ What it takes to transition from doing the work to leading people — and doing it well ✅ The key leadership lessons Mike has learned as TPG scaled nationally  ✅ Why culture, truth, data, and transparency are the cornerstones of sustainable growth ✅ How contractors can use data, communication, and the right partnerships to grow with intention If you're a contractor who's serious about growing your business, building a legacy, working on your business instead of in it, and accelerating your success, this episode is for you. Get plugged into a network that will help you fail faster, learn quicker, and win bigger.

Send us a textLinking the Travel Industry is a business travel podcast where we review the top travel industry stories that are posted on LinkedIn by LinkedIn members.  We curate the top posts and discuss with them with travel industry veterans in a live session with audience members.  You can join the live recording session by visiting BusinessTravel360.comYour Hosts are Riaan van Schoor, Ann Cederhall and Aash ShravahStories covered on this session include -Sabre Corporation sells it's hospitality business unit to asset firm TPG for $1.1b. ... and Gray Dawes Travel announce they have selected Sabre as their single global GDS provider.There's been a 40% increase in issues relating to pax electronic devices impacting flights, the latest being the diversion of a Lufthansa A380 due to an iPad stuck in a seat.Revolut is taking on American Express with plans for a rewards card of their own.Five Brand USA board members get removed from their posts. Uniglobe Travel International LP expand their footprint in a deal with ITP - International Travel Partnership | Hickory.The African Space Agency is officially inaugurated.American Airlines are suing JetBlue for $1M...whilst rumours about a United Airlines / JetBlue partnership emerge. Lufthansa will stop on-board physical duty free sales on their long-haul flights.Virgin Atlantic, Turkish Airlines and Pegasus Airlines all announce they will not return to Tel Aviv.You can subscribe to this podcast by searching 'BusinessTravel360' on your favorite podcast player or visiting BusinessTravel360.comThis podcast was created, edited and distributed by BusinessTravel360.  Be sure to sign up for regular updates at BusinessTravel360.com - Enjoy!Support the show

A LOT has happened since Crunch's early days!  Humble Beginnings & Early Growth: Crunch started in 1989 with Doug Levine, Roger Harvey (Crunch's first COO), and a powerhouse team, quickly making waves in the highly competitive NYC fitness scene. Big Deals & Bumpy Roads: Bally Total Fitness bought Crunch in 2001 for $90 million, but soon faced challenges. A few years later, Angelo Gordon (with Pete Moore himself on the deal side) acquired the company for half that price—$45 million. Growing Pains: Membership dropped from 92,000 to 72,000, forcing Crunch into bankruptcy in 2009. This time was all about resetting, restructuring, and prepping for the future. A Decade of Determination: Crunch worked hard to dial in their business model, launching a successful franchise program and slowly but steadily building momentum. Skyrocketing Success: By 2019, TPG Growth snagged Crunch to accelerate its franchising efforts, which paid off. Fast-forward to today: Leonard Green has acquired Crunch for a stunning $1.5 billion. The company now boasts 500 locations and 3 million members! One solid takeaway? Spotting potential in a struggling business—and having the patience, grit, and right partners to see it through—can lead to incredible success. Crunch isn't just surviving, they're thriving. With blue-chip private equity backing and a proven growth strategy, the future looks bright.  RESOURCES: Crunch Fitness: https://www.crunchfitness.com Sale of Crunch to TPG: https://www.tpg.com/news-and-insights/tpg-backed-crunch-fitness-announces-strategic-investment-from-leonard-green-partners Doug Levine's Live HALO Talks in NYC: https://youtu.be/h-qDEAS5LsM?si=kh0GclOgGmwXMxhS 

Ben Forman is the Founder and Managing Partner of ParaFi Capital, a $1 billion investment and technology firm that focuses on decentralized finance across digital assets, venture equity, and quantitative strategies. Ben launched ParaFi in 2018 after a decade in traditional finance roles across investment banking, credit investing, and private equity at venerable institutions such as Rothschild, TPG, and KKR. Our conversation covers Ben's background, pivot to crypto, and launch of ParaFi into a bear market. We then discuss opportunities in the world of DeFi, including borrowing and lending, stablecoins, scaling, insurance, governance, and capital allocation. We close with ParaFi's research and valuation approach, engagement with DeFi protocols, and seeding crypto managers.   Learn More  Follow Ted on Twitter at @tseides or LinkedIn  Subscribe to the mailing list  Access Transcript with Premium Membership 

In this episode, TK shares his busy week involving golf, horse racing, and family events, including his daughter's first auction and his upcoming birthday. Cameron updates on the QAV light portfolio's performance, noting it's now beating the index since inception and for the financial year, despite selling EHL and TPG. They discuss Dollarama's acquisition of The Reject Shop (TRS) at a significant premium, speculate on the rationale, and touch on potential challenges for Dollarama in the Australian market. Concerns are raised about Stockopedia following staff departures and data discrepancies, particularly with Price to Operating Cash Flow (PropCAF) figures. The hosts delve into ASIC and the RBA scrutinizing the ASX over CHESS replacement issues and operational risks. They analyze several stocks: Accent Group (AX1) potentially seeing increased stake from Fraser's Group, New Hope Group's positive results and share buyback amidst slumping coal prices, Ramelius Resources' (RMS) controversial acquisition of Spartan Resources and subsequent removal from Stock Doctor's star list due to disclosure and financial concerns, and NZME's results, potential corporate activity involving Stuff, and a looming board challenge from Canadian billionaire Jim Grennan. A significant discussion revolves around establishing 'red flags' for corporate governance issues, triggered by Helia's (HLI) CEO selling shares before bad news, Indiana Resources (IDA) failing to lodge reports on time, and broader concerns about management integrity, timely disclosure, and when to remove a red flag. They also cover TPG Telecom's sale of assets to Vocus and perform a deep dive into Santos (STO), including its history, recent performance, QAV metrics, and associated risks. The episode wraps up with 'After Hours' chat about classic TV shows like Joe 90 and Odd Squad, films like Unforgiven and Ipcress File, music discoveries including Transplants and The Distillers, and TK's upcoming horse races.

The Uptime Podcast team celebrates their fifth anniversary, reflecting on their journey and contributions from team members. They also discuss Siemens Gamesa's India operations acquisition by TPG and future renewable energy investments. Additionally, the episode covers innovations in carbon-negative building materials. Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly email update on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard's StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Linkedin and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary Barnes' YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us! Allen Hall: We just celebrated our fifth year of podcasting, everybody. So the uptime podcast is of officially five years old. I can't believe we've made it this far. That's we were trying to do the math on it the other day at five times 50. Roughly. It's 250 odd episodes. That's a lot of episodes, Rosemary Barnes: but that's only the weekly episodes. What about all the others? You're not only putting out one a week these days. Allen Hall: No, it's two or three or four, right? It's somewhere in there. But I just wanted to say congratulations to each of you on behalf of the Uptime podcast and all the work that happens behind the scenes. Everybody listens to the finished product, and I know it sounds great and the comments are great, and the ideas are great, but there's. A ton of work that goes into this every week to give you this content, and everybody that's been on the podcast as a guest, it was just trying to remember all the faces and names that are. Big and wind that have been on the podcast. It's amazing the people we've touched, the people we've met that are friends that have come from the podcast. It's a nice little family, weirdly enough. And it's one of those it feels like a pair of comfortable shoes that hey, when you go to a conference, you just know everybody and you, and they know us. You feel like we've known them forever because we just spend every week together talking about what's happening in wind. It's a great little experience. Phil Totaro: Can we add that, a big thank you to everyone who listens because we wouldn't keep doing it if you weren't also showing up. Thank you to everyone that listens. Again, your feedback is fantastic. Good and bad. It it keeps us entertained. So we thank you all. Joel Saxum: I would say from my seat as well, Alan, thank you for having all of us and organizing the things that you do. And the unsung hero that you guys don't hear from or usually see unless you're a guest on the podcast is Claire Hall in the background. Who's our producer who puts all of these episodes together and is juggling work life. School, a million different things to make sure this thing goes out every week. So thank you Claire as well. And of course, Rosemary. Rosemary Barnes: Yeah I was gonna say that, Alan has abnormal persistence. I think it took it like now it's obvious why, the value and why we would all keep going and why we come back every week. But yeah, Alan's efforts, especially in the early years was like, just. Just kept on doing it week after week. And, when I started, all I had to do was show up and try and read the material beforehand. I definitely would not have been doing a weekly podcast for, I think I've been on it for four years or so. I wouldn't have been doing that on my own, that's for sure. I think yeah, 90% of the success comes from Alan's abnormal persistence. So Thanks Alan. Allen Hall: Yeah. I appreciate everybody coming every week. I know we've all been through ups and downs over the last several years, rosemary, you've grown a family. And Joel is. Been in and out and I've been in and out and Phil too, right? So between the four of us, we can actually make a decent podcast,

Meghan Reynolds is Partner and Head of Capital Formation & Talent at Altimeter Capital, a leading technology-focused investment firm founded by Brad Gerstner. Meghan joined Brad three years ago, after decade-long stints at Goldman Sachs and TPG. She's like the private equity version of my friend and partner Rahul Moodgal, bringing a keen understanding of LPs and a relationship-focused approach to her role.   Our conversation covers Meghan's experience building and maintaining great LP relationships over twenty-five years at both large and smaller firms. She discusses the role of capital formation, approach to serving clients, process of seeking prospects, and parallels between venture capital today and private equity a decade ago. We close with a discussion of what Meghan is hearing from LPs.   Learn More Follow Ted on Twitter at @tseides or LinkedIn Subscribe to the mailing list Access Transcript with Premium Membership

This week, we revisit our interview with Keith Grossman. He currently serves as Chairman of Nevro Corp. (NVRO), Vice-Chairman of Alcon, Inc. (ALC), and Lead Director of Outset Medical, Inc. (OM). Previously, Keith was the CEO and President of Nevro. Keith has over 40 years of experience in the medical device field. He served most recently, and for the second time, as the President, Chief Executive Officer, and director of Thoratec Corporation, leading up to its 2015 sale to St. Jude Medical.   Before Thoratec, he served as President, Chief Executive Officer, and director of Conceptus, a women's health medical device company, leading up to its sale to Bayer Healthcare. Before Conceptus, Keith served as managing director of TPG (Texas Pacific Group), a private equity firm, and was a member of its healthcare investment team. Prior to TPG, Keith served as Thoratec's President, Chief Executive Officer, and director for the first ten years of its growth as a commercial company.  Keith was chronicled in the book “Executive Intelligence: What All Great Leaders Have”, was named among the “Business Leaders to Watch” and the “40 Under 40” lists in the Bay Area and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by his Medical Device CEO peers. Keith received a B.S. in life sciences from The Ohio State University and an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University.

Marc Mezvinsky is a partner at TPG Rise Climate. TPG Rise Climate is among the largest pools of capital ever raised with a dedicated focus on climate tech. They announced a debut fund in 2021 at over $7 billion—and another very large fund currently in the works. Rise Climate is part of the broader TPG Rise platform, the impact arm of the publicly traded private equity firm TPG, which manages more than $220 billion in assets.Marc and I discuss his background and career path in finance across various asset classes, including private equity, venture capital at Social Capital, investment banking at Goldman Sachs, and hedge fund management, in addition to his work in climate tech.Of note, Marc has a fascinating personal history as the son of two former U.S. House Representatives and as the son-in-law of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton—he is married to Chelsea Clinton.We also discuss how Marc approaches capital deployment at TPG Rise Climate, how he thinks about impact in his work, and how TPG Rise Climate evaluates impact relative to market-rate returns.We're thrilled to have Marc as an individual investor in our funds at MCJ, and it was great to learn more about his journey and work.In this episode, we cover: [3:04] An overview of TPG Rise Climate [8:34] The fund's investment approach [11:12] TPC Rise Climate's impact mandate [16:16] Marc's background and path into finance[26:16] His exposure to policymaking and its impact on his work [38:10] Areas Marc and TPG Rise are exploring [44:07] Headwinds and tailwinds  on Marc's radar Episode recorded on Jan 23, 2025 (Published on Feb 27, 2025) Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Sheldon Kimber says the grid is broken — at least for new data centers and other large, industrial loads that need lots of clean power, fast.  But the founder and CEO of Intersect Power believes there's a workaround that enables larger data centers and speeds up time to power: colocating behind-the-meter generation and storage on megasites rich with renewable resources.  In short, instead of bringing clean generation to load, bring load to clean generation. Major partners are on board with the strategy. Last December Intersect announced $800M in investment from Google and private equity firm TPG, along with a goal of catalyzing $20B in projects by 2030. So how does colocation work? And how far does it go? In this episode, Shayle talks to Sheldon about how colocation can help sidestep the challenges associated with grid upgrades, transmission, and permitting. They dig into topics like: Major forces shaping the market, like AI demand, the IRA, and tariffs Optimal PPA prices and tenures The right mix of grid-connected and behind-the-meter power The extreme version of colocation: off-grid data centers Megasite developers for hydrogen and crypto and how they took advantage of the AI boom Whether DeepSeek will cause energy demand to temper or accelerate Recommended resources Latitude Media: Google's new data center model signals a massive market shift Latitude Media: Load growth is changing how Silicon Ranch develops solar projects Latitude Media: Amazon's data center strategy: ‘Get back to being grid-tied' Catalyst: The US power demand surge: The electricity gauntlet has arrived Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Daniel Woldorff. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is executive editor. Catalyst is brought to you by EnergyHub. EnergyHub helps utilities build next-generation virtual power plants that unlock reliable flexibility at every level of the grid. See how EnergyHub helps unlock the power of flexibility at scale, and deliver more value through cross-DER dispatch with their leading Edge DERMS platform, by visiting energyhub.com. Catalyst is brought to you by Antenna Group, the public relations and strategic marketing agency of choice for climate and energy leaders. If you're a startup, investor, or global corporation that's looking to tell your climate story, demonstrate your impact, or accelerate your growth, Antenna Group's team of industry insiders is ready to help. Learn more at antennagroup.com.

We are back today with Brian Kelly — who you might know as The Points Guy — chatting about his brand new book How to Win at Travel, which came out this week on February 4. I can almost guarantee that you will learn something about how to travel more effectively and save time and money after reading Brian's book, and that you'll likely never look at travel quite the same again — in the best way possible. In this book, Brian shares page after page — 336 pages, to be exact — of travel wisdom, and helps us be, in his words, more travel fluent. In today's conversation, Brian and I talk about how we are in, in his words, the platinum age of travel and what that means; whether travel insurance is really worth it; what airport lounges are really like; the best piece of travel advice he's ever heard; how credit cards play into travel; travel etiquette that he cringes to see travelers break; where he's headed next; and so much more. Any question you have about travel, Brian has probably answered it in this book. Brian is the founder of The Points Guy, where he's become the leading voice in loyalty programs, points, miles, credit cards, and travel. TPG reaches over 10 million unique monthly visitors globally, and he has been named Forbes' No.1  travel influencer, one of Travel + Leisure's Most Notable People in Travel, and so much more. Brian knows what he's talking about and is here to share his wisdom freely with all of us.  How to Win at Travel by Brian Kelly

Blair LaCorte is a dynamic business executive who after being raised by two entrepreneurs has taken a path less traveled, unless of course you were Forrest Gump! Blair has held CEO or “C” level strategy or operating roles in companies such PRG (largest live entertainment production company), XOJET/Vista (largest private aviation company), TPG (one of largest PE firms), Autodesk (largest CAD SW company), and Sun Microsystems / Oracle (largest workstation HW company). In addition, Blair has taken several companies from start up to IPO such as AEye Technologies (1.5b IPO in 2021) and VerticalNet (#1 IPO in 1999). Today, Blair is currently an Astronaut in training for Virgin Galactic where he expects to fly in 2026. Blair is the Vice Chairman of the Buck Institute, the world's leading research organization on longevity and aging as well as Co-Founder and Facilitator of a highly rated Mastermind group of 40 global CEO's. What you will learn The value of self-awareness in achieving personal and professional growth. How adaptability and resilience can lead to unexpected opportunities. Why meaningful relationships are essential for happiness and success. Insights on using AI and technology for health and personalized care. Lessons on balancing career risks, timing, and personal authenticity.

The SpaceX Starship explosion causes airline flight diversions, DJI changes its geofencing feature for drone flights, synthetic aviation fuel eyed for military aircraft, Boeing resumes 777X certification flight tests. Aviation News SpaceX Starship Explosion Causes Flight Diversions The January 16 launch of the SpaceX Starship was successful, and the launch tower caught the returning booster with its “chopsticks,” but the spacecraft was lost about 8 minutes into the flight. According to data from FlightRadar24, multiple aircraft, including those flying routes for American Airlines, JetBlue, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines, were placed in holding patterns or landed prior to reaching their final destination. SpaceX Starship booster returning to the launch pad. (Screen grab courtesy SpaceX.) The impact of space launches on airline operations and the FAA notification process: FAA: Airspace Integration FAA Safely Keeps More Airspace Open During Most Florida Space Launches Impacts of Space Launch Operations on Florida East Coast Airspace Users Impact of Commercial Space Launch Activities on Aviation [PDF] Video: Safe Integration of Space Launches https://youtu.be/bTfEykjnbek?si=RiIaUCqefR6SwCbi DJI will no longer stop drones from flying over airports, wildfires, and the White House and DJI Updates GEO System in U.S. Consumer & Enterprise Drones DJI drone control software includes a geofencing feature called Geospatial Environment Online (GEO). It's designed to preventing drones from flying in restricted or sensitive areas. DJI's geofencing will now use FAA data instead of DJI datasets. What was previously defined as a Restricted Zone (also known as No-Fly Zone) will be called Enhanced Warning Zones with a warning that the operator can dismiss. DJI says “this shift puts more responsibility on drone operators to comply with airspace regulations and avoid restricted areas.” The company also notes that Remote ID solutions make detection and enforcement “much easier.” Lockheed Martin Approves Use of Synthetic Aviation Turbine Fuels for F-35 Fleet See: Sustainable aviation fuel approved for Boeing-built military aircraft The Air Force partners with Twelve, proves it's possible to make jet fuel out of thin air Twelve Announces $645 Million in Funding Led by TPG to Transform CO2 into Jet Fuel and Electrochemicals at Scale Twelve to produce 50,000 gallons of SAF annually at pilot plant, CEO says From Twelve: “E-Jet® SAF jet fuel made from air with up to 90% lower emissions than conventional fuel. It's a Power-to-Liquid e-fuel made from CO2, water, and renewable energy.” $645M in funding was announced in September 2024 to support the development of future AirPlants, which will supply Twelve's E-Jet fuel to customers like Alaska Airlines and International Aviation Group (IAG). Boeing Set To Resume 777X Certification Flight Tests During flight testing, technicians discovered cracks and failures in the engine thrust links of the 777X test aircraft. This issue was first detected in mid-August 2024 on the aircraft registered as N779XY, after a five-hour test flight in Hawaii. The problem led to the grounding of the entire 777X test fleet, halting the certification campaign. The thrust link is a critical component that connects the engine to the aircraft's wing, and its failure posed a significant safety risk. Boeing engineers replaced the faulty thrust links and conducted thorough inspections of the other test aircraft. The issue was resolved, and certification flights resumed in January 2025. Mentioned On Jetwhine: Flying Aero: One Passenger's Experience Video: CES 2025 Keynote with CEO of Delta, Ed Bastian https://youtu.be/CV8V6oqP4pw?si=wCmRL4RucL8eqD2D Remos Crop Duster's Wings Collapse During Flight Jeppesen FliteDeck Advisor and FliteDeck Pro From the Flight Safety Detectives podcast, Video: Hair-Raising UAP Encounter Shared by Pilot -...

Episode 49: Show Notes In this episode, we welcome Ryan Smith, the news managing editor for upgraded points and a prolific writer published by Award Wallet, TPG, Forbes Advisor, and more. One of the things that makes Ryan special is that he is one of very few people on the planet who have visited every country in the world! Join us as Ryan shares his experience as a writer, traveler, and points and miles user over the years. You'll learn what it was like for him to travel in business class for the first time before we unpack the airlines diversifying their fleets today. Ryan speaks to three major events in points and miles this year, and as someone with dual citizenship in Brazil, he shares why he recommends going to South America, especially if you have points and miles. We discuss memorable cultural experiences that Ryan has had and what has struck him most from traveling to places that are furthest away from his childhood experiences. We also dive into the details of his experiences in Nigeria and Bhutan, and what makes Bhutan so special. Join us today to hear all this and more! Key Points From This Episode: [00:54] An overview of which journalistic websites are shutting down and why. [08:02] Context for Ryan's work and where he first learned about points and miles. [14:28] Why he recommends going to South America and what some barriers might be. [19:18] The story of the first time he redeemed miles to fly in business class. [26:38] Airlines diversifying their aircraft makes. [33:30] Three major events in points and miles this year. [44:57] The mechanism that Southwest has used to capitalize on sales. [49:31] Ryan's predictions for the rest of the year. [57:14] Traveling to every country in the world and why Togo was the biggest challenge. [01:08:45] What struck him about traveling to places that are different from where he grew up. [01:14:50] How he ended up at the finals of the Best MC Rap Battle in Nigeria by accident. [01:18:55] What it was like to visit Bhutan and what makes the country so exceptional. [01:22:33] Bhutan's visa and visitor's fee and why you should visit as soon as possible! [01:29:41] Ryan's hot takes on Alaska and more. [01:35:28] Thoughts on Bluesky and whether it will survive as a platform. Quotes: “The average – person might never meet someone who has been to every country, but you could go to a points and miles conference, and there might be three or four of us there.” — @RyanSmithTravel [58:51] “I enjoy going to places – [where] it feels like, this place ain't like where I grew up – That's North Korea, that's China, that's Bhutan, that's Madagascar. I grew up in Ohio outside Columbus and those places feel so different that it's just really interesting.” — @RyanSmithTravel [01:08:12] “I don't want the concierge to send me where all the foreigners are going. I want the people who take the bus to work to tell me what's something that I shouldn't miss while I'm here.” — @RyanSmithTravel [01:15:29] “[Bhutan doesn't] worry about GDP. They worry about their Gross National Happiness.” — @RyanSmithTravel [01:19:00] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Ryan Smith on X Ryan's profile on Upgraded points Ryan Smith Email Upgraded Points Bluesky Thomas Kim on X Trevor Mountcastle on X Post Production Note: We discussed LCCs possibly working with Apple Tours to add odd routes; this was actually wrong, it was Alaska that started St Louis and Kansas City to Mexico and is further discussed on Dots Lines and Destinations: https://moredotsmorelines.com/2024/07/18/dld-492-whoopsie/

Franco Verona, Managing Partner of Foxmont Capital Partners and Jeremy Au discussed: 1. Foxmont Capital VC & BCG Report: Franco recounted Foxmont Capital Partners' journey since its founding in 2018, highlighting 40 investments across fintech, deep tech, and consumer goods. Their Philippine Venture Capital Report in collaboration with BCG has been instrumental in attracting global attention to the Philippines' potential as an emerging market. Analysis includes the rise of the middle class, which grew from 12% to 48% of the population within a decade, alongside consistent 6% GDP growth. This economic momentum has driven demand for local consumer brands like Pickup Coffee and Colourette. 2. Philippines Startup Opportunities: They explored how startups can address gaps between generational low-cost products and premium U.S. imports by targeting the young, experimental population with an average age of 25. Franco emphasized prioritizing profitability and creating Filipino solutions for Filipino problems. Examples included TPG's investment in BillEase, IFC's funding of Salmon, and the rise of B2B solutions like Sprout Solutions addressing HR and payroll inefficiencies. 3. 10 Year Predictions: Franco forecasted that the Philippines would mirror Indonesia's growth trajectory from a decade ago, with fintech, e-commerce, and logistics driving the next wave of investments. While trends like AI and crypto dominate globally, foundational sectors where the Philippines lags 5–10 years behind peers present the most immediate opportunity. Key investments such as General Atlantic's involvement in Kumu and MUFG's funding of GCash signal ecosystem maturity. They also discussed how geopolitical tensions with the U.S. and China could shape future growth and relations. The influx of Chinese goods and EVs was also noted as shaping competition and local demand. Additionally, they touched on the Philippines' dual colonial history and its cultural impact on business, the economic implications of the recent POGO ban, and the rise of tech-driven business models replacing BPO-led operations === Watch, listen or read the full insight at www.bravesea.com/blog/philippine-startups-rising Nonton, dengar atau baca wawasan lengkapnya di www.bravesea.com/blog/philippine-startups-rising 观看、收听或阅读全文，请访问 www.bravesea.com/blog/philippine-startups-rising Xem, nghe hoặc đọc toàn bộ thông tin chi tiết tại www.bravesea.com/blog/philippine-startups-rising Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea Spotify English: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TnqkaWpTT181lMA8xNu0T Bahasa Indonesia: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Vs8t6qPo0eFb4o6zOmiVZ Chinese: https://open.spotify.com/show/20AGbzHhzFDWyRTbHTVDJR Vietnamese: https://open.spotify.com/show/0yqd3Jj0I19NhN0h8lWrK1 YouTube English: https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyAu?sub_confirmation=1 Apple Podcast English: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/brave-southeast-asia-tech-singapore-indonesia-vietnam/id1506890464 Learn more about Nika.eco! Reach out to info@nika.eco if you are a geospatial data scientist or climate researcher who is interested to partner on a pilot or research opportunities

Welcome back to the People's Guild.  To round out our third season of TPG, we welcome back to the show, Splinterlands founder and CEO, @yabapmatt.In this episode Matt shares valuable insights into the game's current progress, challenges & exciting future plans. Covering a wide array of topics, from game design innovations and economic improvements to upcoming launches and community engagement, this conversation highlights the ongoing efforts to elevate the Splinterlands experience.Enjoy the show!************************************************************************* Follow us elsewhere: Peakd: https://peakd.com/@thepeoplesguild  Twitter: https://twitter.com/thepeoplesguild General: https://linktr.ee/thepeoplesguild

Join host Stewart Foley as he sits down with Doug Bouquard, Partner and Head of Real Estate Credit at TPG, to explore the evolving landscape of real estate debt. Doug shares his journey into the industry and highlights the current shifts in the market, including the retreat of banks from traditional lending and the growing role of private credit. He discusses how these changes create new opportunities for insurers to fill the gap and capitalize on asset-backed lending that aligns with their long-term liabilities.   The conversation dives into key trends driving real estate credit, from dislocations in specific sectors like office to opportunities in housing and industrial properties. Doug explains how scalable strategies in real estate debt can be customized to meet insurers' unique needs, offering attractive risk-adjusted returns and downside protection. With insights into market dynamics, borrower relationships, and the growing institutionalization of newer asset classes like build-to-rent, this episode delivers actionable perspectives for insurance investors.

This week on News Flash, Denker Wulf and Energie Engineering Nord are merging, Tata Power partners with the Asian Development Bank for $4.25 billion in clean energy projects, and TPG is considering buying Siemens Gamesa India assets. Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly email update on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard's StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Linkedin and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary Barnes' YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us! Pardalote Consulting - https://www.pardaloteconsulting.comWeather Guard Lightning Tech - www.weatherguardwind.comIntelstor - https://www.intelstor.comJoin us at The Wind Energy O&M Australia Conference - https://www.windaustralia.com Welcome to Uptime News Flash. Industry news lightning fast. Your hosts, Alan Hall, Joel Saxum, and Phil Totaro discuss the latest deals, mergers, and alliances that will shape the future of wind power. News Flash is brought to you by IntelStor. For market intelligence that generates revenue, visit www.intelstor. com. Allen Hall: Well, Phil, Tata Power has signed a 4. 25 billion memorandum of understanding with the Asian Development Bank for clean energy projects. And the agreement was signed during the ongoing COP 29 conference in Baku, Azerbaijan. The key initiatives coming out Out of this include a 966 megawatt solar wind hybrid project and a pump hydro storage project. Now the partnership will support India's target of 500 gigawatt renewable energy capacity by 2030. This is really important, Phil, because Tata plays a significant role in that. A role in India's economy. Philip Totaro: And not just in renewable energy project development and asset ownership and operations. Obviously they've got automotive, they've got steel making, they do any number of things. They're a pretty diversified industrial company. And what actually a lot of people may not know is Tata Power is actually one of the top five asset owners and operators of renewable energy assets in India already. So getting an additional, MOU signed for, for 4. 25 billion is, is not going to hurt. But keep in mind, they also have broader ambitions outside of India. They, they signed an agreement with a company in Bhutan recently to do a five gigawatt renewable project there. They've had ambition in Sri Lanka and, other kind of regional markets within the Asia Pacific region there that it gives them, they've been kind of quietly going about, spreading their influence. And I, again, I think this is a fantastic move for them and, and to be able to get this Asian Development Bank agreement in place, I think is, if they get 100 percent of that, that money that they're, they're talking about in this MOU, that, that's really gonna help push Tata Power forward. Allen Hall: Well, staying in India, TPG is in advanced talks to acquire the Siemens Gamesa Indian assets. And that deal could, well, it's valued at more than 300 million currently. Now, TPG has emerged as a front runner after outbidding industry players and a number of private equity firms. And Phil, this is a valuable asset. I know a number of companies in India were really shooting for this Siemens Gamesa business. Thank you very much. But TPG has really rocketed to the top. Philip Totaro: Yeah, and it's, it's fascinating because I wouldn't actually have expected private equity to win this one. Mainly because the, what Siemens is, is really offering in terms of their asset portfolio in, in India is their manufacturing facilities. Any operations and maintenance agreements that they have and, and that entire side of the business, I would have thought that, They would have either split off that side of the business. Maybe the Chinese were going to come in and take over the factory space. So this is,

AnalystsDon Kellogg and Roger Entner discuss new developments surrounding DirecTV's shaky deal with TPG, as well as T-Mobile's acquisition of Louisiana BEAD funding and its overall strategy.00:48 DirecTV's TPG deal falls through 02:55 Are TV satellites obsolete? 04:15 T-Mobile secures large BEAD grant 05:45 T-Mobile's capital allocation strategy 07:00 Episode wrap-upTags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, DirecTV, TPG, AT&T, EchoStar, Dish, Charlie Ergen, satellite, T-Mobile, BEAD, LLFC, rural, Conexon, Gigapower

שי גרינפלד הוא שותף-מנהל ב-Greenfield Partners, ויועץ בכיר בקרן ההון-סיכון האמריקאית TPG.את דרכו המקצועית החל כטייס F-16 בחיל האוויר, שם שירת במשך עשור, ולאחר מכן עבר לעולם העסקי בארצות-הברית.גרינפילד פרטנרס הוקמה בשנת 2016 כנציגות של קרן TPG Growth בישראל, והפכה לקרן עצמאית בשנת 2019 תחת הנהגת המייסדים שי גרינפלד ויהודה דורון, לצד שותפים נוספים. הקרן, המנהלת נכסים בהיקף של כמיליארד דולר, מתמקדת בהשקעות צמיחה בשלבי B ו-C, עם דגש על תחומי הסייבר, תשתיות, סייבר, תוכנה ובינה-מלאכותית.חברות הפורטפוליו של הקרן כוללות שמות בולטים כמו VAST Data, Coralogix, Exodigo, Silverfort, ו-Torq. בין הצלחותיה המשמעותיות נמנות מכירת Guardicore לאקמאי תמורת 600 מיליון דולר, ומכירת Avanan לצ'ק פוינט ב-300 מיליון דולר. הקרן נודעת במומחיותה בסיוע לחברות הפורטפוליו בפיתוח אסטרטגיות Go-to-Market ובבניית תשתיות ארגוניות יעילות.   (*) ללינקדאין שלי: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guykatsovich/ (*) לאינסטגרם שלי: https://www.instagram.com/guykatsovich/ (*) עקבו אחרינו ב"עוד פודקאסט לסטארטאפים" וקבלו פרק מדי שבוע: ספוטיפיי:https://open.spotify.com/show/0dTqS27ynvNmMnA5x4ObKQ אפל פודקאסט:https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1252035397 גוגל פודקאסט:https://bit.ly/3rTldwq עוד פודקאסט - האתר שלנו:https://omny.fm/shows/odpodcast ה-RSS פיד שלנו:https://www.omnycontent.com/.../f059ccb3-e0c5.../podcast.rssSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to the People's Guild.  In this episode, we welcome back our good buddy, @mondroid, for his second appearance at TPG.We reflect a bit on 2024, including Rebellion, the promo & rewards cards, overall development as well as discuss a bit around the recently announced *Survival Mode*.Lotta fun hanging out with Mondroid, as usual.  To everyone out there traveling & celebrating Thanksgiving this week, be safe and have a wonderful time with your loved ones!Enjoy the show!************************************************************************* Follow us elsewhere: Peakd: https://peakd.com/@thepeoplesguild  Twitter: https://twitter.com/thepeoplesguild General: https://linktr.ee/thepeoplesguild

Over 12 million people a month check The Points Guy for tips on making the most of their travel experiences. Brian Kelly, TPG himself, teams up with CBRE's Hotel Research lead Rachael Rothman to explore the latest trends in loyalty programs, what hotel brands can learn from airlines and credit cards, and how you can get into that airport lounge. Insights to Share: Loyalty programs are growing in importance to operators of hotels, airlines and credit cards, many of whom have partnered to increase brand awareness and reach.The proliferation of loyalty program participation is, in some cases, diluting the benefits, but savvy consumers can maximize points by having flexible travel dates and using websites such as point.me to compare redemption value at different airlines and hotels.One way to create brand loyalty is to provide flexibility and a customized experience. Instead of waiting until guests arrive, hospitality brands should reach out in advance and offer access to local guides, spas and restaurants.

Unlock the secrets of building a successful Dental Support Organization (DSO) with insights from our esteemed guest, Will MacInnis, founder and CEO of Cliffridge Specialty Partners. Will's fascinating journey from healthcare investment banking to the niche field of orthodontics and pediatric dentistry offers a rich tapestry of knowledge. This episode explores the divergent healthcare investment landscapes across the US and Europe, and how Will's experiences at TPG helped shape his innovative approach to physician practice management in dental specialties.Discover how Will transitioned from private equity to an executive role, leveraging technology to enhance operational efficiency in clinical trials and founding a doctor-centric DSO. We unravel the strategic decisions that empower doctors by aligning clinical autonomy with economic interests. Through engaging discussions, we explore how marketing technology and automated HR solutions can combat challenges such as rising costs and capped reimbursement rates, all while maintaining the vital human touch in patient care.As we navigate the complexities of building a sustainable DSO business, we emphasize the importance of mission alignment and cultivating a strong team culture. Will shares unexpected experiences and industry perceptions, providing valuable lessons on sustainable growth over rapid expansion. This episode is a treasure trove of insights for healthcare entrepreneurs and investors, highlighting the significance of focusing on fundamentals and establishing robust partnerships with specialists like orthodontists in a constantly evolving economic landscape.If you need help finding the perfect location or your ready to invest in commercial real estate, email us at admin@leadersre.com Sign up for a FREE vulnerability analysis and lease renewal services View our library on apple podcasts or REUniversity.org. Connect on Facebook. Commercial Real Estate Secrets is ranked in the top 50 podcasts on real estate

Tom Montag, CEO of Rubicon Carbon, joins us to discuss the world of carbon credits. Tom has had an illustrious career, previously serving as Chief Operating Officer at Bank of America, President of Global Banking and Markets, and a member of the executive management team. He joined Merrill Lynch as Executive Vice President and Head of Global Sales and Trading in 2008, just before its merger with Bank of America. Before that, he was with Goldman Sachs, co-heading the Global Securities Business and serving on its management committee. He currently serves on the board of directors of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and is a board member of Northwestern University, NYU Langone Medical Center, the Hispanic Federation, Deschutes Land Trust, and the Japan Society. He is also a former BlackRock board member.In this episode, we dive into why, after such an accomplished career, Tom chose to dedicate his next chapter to carbon markets. We have a fascinating conversation about the current state of voluntary carbon markets and how Tom views them in relation to the financial services industry when he started his career in the 1980s. We explore why carbon credits matter, the circumstances under which companies should use them, and the origin of Rubicon Carbon, including the role of TPG's Rise Fund. Tom also discusses Rubicon's approach to bundled credit offerings and addresses some of the trust challenges facing the carbon markets today, as well as where he believes they are headed.In this episode, we cover: [2:19] Tom's financial background and career pathway to Rubicon [5:21] The state of the voluntary carbon market, including its size and growth potential[7:41] Parallels between the early derivatives market and the current carbon markets[11:41] Challenges around additionality, financial hedging, and trust in the carbon markets[13:41] An overview of Rubicon Carbon[20:55] Regulatory and compliance considerations around carbon markets[26:30] The need for more standardization and risk adjustment in the VCM[33:44] Examples of Rubicon Carbon's projects and partnerships[36:08] Role of oil and gas in the future of VCM[40:12] Bull and bear cases for the future of carbon marketsEpisode recorded on Aug 22, 2024 (Published on Nov 11, 2024) Stay Connected with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedIn | XVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ NewsletterEnjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.

ANILU VAZQUEZ-UBARRI Anilu Vazquez-Ubarri is a Partner and Chief Operating Officer at TPG, based in San Francisco. She is a member of the firm's board of directors and executive committee. As COO, Anilu leads TPG's operational functions globally and is responsible for aligning these functions and strategy with the firm's strategic business and investment priorities. She previously served as the firm's Chief Human Resources Officer, responsible for creating and implementing a multi-year human resources strategy that institutionalized TPG's culture of inclusivity, transparency, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Anilu is a founding member and executive sponsor of TPG NEXT, the firm's strategy to seed and accelerate the growth of investment firms owned by underrepresented leaders. Prior to joining TPG in 2018, Anilu was with Goldman Sachs for more than 11 years, where she last served as the firm's Global Head of Talent and Chief Diversity Officer. She was an associate at Shearman & Sterling LLP in the Executive Compensation & Employee Benefits group from 2002 to 2007. Anilu currently serves on the boards of Greenhouse and Upwork, as well as on several non-profits and academic boards including The Vera Institute of Justice, Charter School Growth Fund, and the Fordham University School of Law Alumni Board. Anilu received an AB in History and Latin American Studies, cum laude, from Princeton University and a JD from Fordham University School of Law. RELATED LINKS TPG Profile Beyond Barriers (podcast) VC Changing Landscape (Fortune) Latino Majority (interview) Upwork (board profile) GENERAL INFO| TOP OF THE GAME: Official website: https://topofthegame-thepod.com/ RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/topofthegame-thepod/feed.xml Hosting service show website: https://topofthegame-thepod.podbean.com/ Javier's LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/javiersaade  SUPPORT & CONNECT: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/96934564 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551086203755 Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOPOFGAMEpod Subscribe on Podbean: https://www.podbean.com/site/podcatcher/index/blog/vLKLE1SKjf6G Email us: info@topofthegame-thepod.com   THANK YOU FOR LISTENING – AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PLATFORMS

In today's episode, Scott Becker highlights the top five market movers, including Palantir's impressive earnings, Astero Labs' stock jump, the Trump Media trade, Apollo Global Management's strong performance, and TPG's asset growth. Tune in as Scott provides insights into these high-performing stocks and private equity trends.

In today's episode, Scott Becker highlights the top five market movers, including Palantir's impressive earnings, Astero Labs' stock jump, the Trump Media trade, Apollo Global Management's strong performance, and TPG's asset growth. Tune in as Scott provides insights into these high-performing stocks and private equity trends.

Welcome back to the People's Guild.  The bus rolls back into California, USA to sit down with one of our favorite community members & one of the prominent names on [X/Twitter](https://x.com/Dejota_SPS), @dejota.  We discuss the success of the TPG challenge and the potential impact of X on the upcoming bull run, with a focus on the importance of social media in reaching new people. We also explore the idea of introducing land giants and rare variants into the game, and the need for a more accessible, beginner-friendly version of the game. Lastly, we talk to the upcoming Conclave Arcana set, the potential impact of card releases on sales, and the potential of a new card, Heloise.Enjoy the show!************************************************************************* Follow us elsewhere: Peakd: https://peakd.com/@thepeoplesguild Twitter: https://twitter.com/thepeoplesguild General: https://linktr.ee/thepeoplesguild

In this episode, Scott Becker highlights the top publicly traded private equity funds—Blackstone, Apollo, KKR, TPG, and The Carlyle Group—and their market outperformance compared to the S&P 500. He also discusses private equity’s “dry powder” reserves and the aggressive investment strategies these funds are deploying to maintain growth.

During The Lodging Conference, Glenn Haussman speaks with Rob Leven, Chief Investment Officer and Principal at TPG Hotels, to discuss the evolving hotel economy post-COVID and where real opportunity is uncovered. From shifting travel trends to capital investment strategies, Rob shares expert insights on how TPG Hotels & Resorts is navigating the new normal. Key Highlights: • Post-COVID hotel economy recovery: What's next for the industry? • How interest rates and market conditions are driving new opportunities. • The “new normal” in travel: How consumer behavior has shifted. • Capital investments and the role of leisure-focused properties. • TPG Hotels' strategy for growth in independent New England hotels. • Insight into management opportunities and leadership development at TPG. Don't forget to subscribe for more in-depth conversations from the hotel industry!   Sponsored by Unifocus: Streamline your hotel operations and elevate guest satisfaction with innovative technology solutions. Learn more at Unifocus.com.

Bridgewater Associates' Co-CIO Karen Karniol-Tambour describes where she's seeing opportunities for higher returns and the macro factors shaping today's investment landscape. To hear from more Great Investors, check out: Sequoia Capital's Roelof Botha on building enduring businesses, Blackstone's Joe Baratta on the outlook for private equity, and TPG's Jon Winkelried on the evolution of alternative markets.  The opinions and views expressed in this program may not necessarily reflect the institutional views of Goldman Sachs or its affiliates. This program should not be copied, distributed, published, or reproduced in whole or in part or disclosed by any recipient to any other person without the express written consent of Goldman Sachs. Each name of a third-party organization mentioned in this program is the property of the company to which it relates, is used here strictly for informational and identification purposes only, and is not used to imply any ownership or license rights between any such company and Goldman Sachs. The content of this program does not constitute a recommendation from any Goldman Sachs entity to the recipient, and is provided for informational purposes only. Goldman Sachs is not providing any financial, economic, legal, investment, accounting, or tax advice through this program or to its recipient. Certain information contained in this program constitutes “forward-looking statements”, and there is no guarantee that these results will be achieved. Goldman Sachs has no obligation to provide updates or changes to the information in this program. Past performance does not guarantee future results, which may vary. Neither Goldman Sachs nor any of its affiliates makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in this program and any liability therefore; including in respect of direct, indirect, or consequential loss or damage is expressly disclaimed. Important Disclosures

In this episode, Scott Becker covers five significant stories shaping the private equity landscape. From Morgan Stanley’s $750M climate fund to TPG’s role in the DirecTV-Dish merger, and Blackstone’s acquisition of Smartsheet, the episode highlights key trends in niche funds, secondary markets, and the resilience of large private equity firms.

Krysto Nikolic is a Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Real Estate at ICG.Before joining ICG, he was Head of European Real Estate at Starwood Capital Group, serving on its Global Investment and Operating Committees.Previously, Krysto was a Partner at TPG and started his career at Goldman Sachs International.Krysto has led over $14 billion of real estate acquisitions and served on the Board of Directors of multiple portfolio companies and real estate platforms.Links:ICG - https://icgam.com/Krysto on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/krysto-nikolic/Brandon on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bsedloff/Juniper Square - https://www.junipersquare.com/Topics:(00:00:00) - Intro(00:01:44) - Krysto's background and career(00:14:58) - 2012 market dynamics(00:17:31) - The transformation of European platform investing(00:19:38) - Experiences at TPG(00:25:54) - Joining Starwood(00:30:47) - Transitioning to ICG(00:35:54) - ICG's real estate platform(00:48:54) - The state of the European markets(00:57:09) - Undervalued asset classes & markets

US futures are pointing to a flat open. European equity markets are slightly higher and Asian equities mostly finished higher, led by sharp gains in Greater China and Japan's Nikkei. Risk appetite continues to lean positive, boosted by optimism around the technology sector and AI growth prospects. Market sentiment is also supported by encouraging US macroeconomic data and additional stimulus measures from China. The soft-landing narrative has gained traction, lowering expectations of a large Fed rate cut. In Europe, weaker economic data has increased the likelihood of a rate cut by the ECB in October, and the Bank of England may also ease policy by November. Meanwhile, the ongoing oil price selloff is attracting attention, with reports suggesting that Saudi Arabia may back away from its unofficial $100 price target.Companies Mentioned: Intel, Arm, Amazon, EchoStar, AT&T, TPG

Ashley Zaslav is the founder of Integrative Complexity, which is a high-performance coaching firm that works with made career high achievers ready to bet on themselves and test their potential. She's also on our coaching bench at Strong Skills, and I've been fortunate to refer some amazing people to Ashley and hear firsthand about the work that she does with them. Some of her clients include founders of investment firms, newly promoted partners, high potential investment professionals, search fund CEOs, first time CEOs, C-suite leaders, and executive directors. Ashley is an athlete, and she was a two-time captain of the Duke Women's Soccer Team that was a national finalist in 2011. She was the number five recruit in the nation coming out of high school. So, Ashley is absolutely a competitor, but we talk about her mindset and how it's shifted over the years from just competing and maximizing and being the best that she can be to blending that mindset with one of wisdom, one of slowing down, one of thinking and being a little more intentional with how she shows up, while still being her competitive self. She competed globally with the US Youth National Team until she finished her career due to injuries. Injuries are a big part of Ashley's journey; she tore her ACL three times when she was in college, and she'll talk about her resilient mind and how she thought about injuries, and I think it's something for all of us to take away from today's conversation. Her approach to coaching is informed by her experience and expertise in high performance that she developed competing as an elite athlete at the highest levels, as well as working within the finance world. She worked at places like Bridgewater (if you're unfamiliar with Bridgewater, perhaps you're familiar with their founder, Ray Dalio, who's got a TedTalk and has written a bestselling book and is really at the forefront of people and culture as it relates to the finance world), TPG, Brooklyn's Capital Strategies, and at Spencer Stewart where she worked with all kinds of different elements of people practices within organizations. She received her MBA from NYU Stern and she got her bachelor's from Duke University. She's also very proud of being the mother to 3 kids under 5. Ashley had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include: “On the outside someone can look one way and then have so many challenges on the inside” (8:45). “Everybody has a story” (9:00). “I do think that knowing I had faced these really hard things and gotten through them gave me this inner confidence when things would come my way” (14:20). “I have to learn how to be when things are good” (18:20). “I love making patterns of information” (22:45). “It's harder to speak up when you don't have conviction about what you're saying” (25:35). “I'm very open and flexible about who I need to be to get better” (28:30). “For me, what's felt more organic is to be fluid” (37:45). “There's nothing more honest than sitting in a film room watching yourself blow a play that leads to the other team scoring. There's no hiding from that” (41:40). “The best companies are always balancing short term and long term” (48:15). “One of my favorite things about succession planning is to do it well it requires almost going against all of the strong, natural impulses” (50:50). “That ability to integrate those two realities changed my world so much” (53:55). “[For me], success [looks] like doing work really well, doing work that I love, being present for the kids, having marriage and partnership, really enjoying life” (1:05:45). “I do think success 3 to 5 years from now is looking back on these last 3 years and feeling like I wasn't just striving” (1:12:15). Additionally, you can connect with Ashley on LinkedIn. Thank you so much to Ashley for coming on the podcast! I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers. Thanks for listening.

Today, Clark discusses the two main problems with gift cards and what one state is trying to do to prevent gift card scams. Also in this episode, the scourge of ATM fees. Learn where they are the highest, and how you can avoid paying them. Gift Card Problems & Reforms: Segment 1 Ask Clark: Segment 2 Avoiding ATM FEES: Segment 3 Ask Clark: Segment 4 Mentioned on the show: Gift Card Scams | Consumer Advice / Gift Cards - Clark.com The Nation's First Law Protecting Against Gift Card Draining Has Passed. Will It Work? TPG's guide to understanding EU261 flight compensation How to get compensation for delayed or canceled flights 5 of Clark Howard's Most Extreme Frugal Hacks Why Clark Thinks These Are the Best 2 Travel Rewards Cards Right Now Costco Travel: 5 Things To Know Before You Book Booking a Cruise? Here Are 5 Ways To Do It for Less Cancel for Any Reason Trip Insurance: Should You Buy It? This Mistake at the ATM Could Be Costing You More Than $248 a Year New York Post: ATM fees hit record high in US — cities where you'll pay the most Cash machines now cost more than ever to use Paying money to get your own cash: Some big retailers charge for cash-back requests How To Avoid ATM Fees Credit Union vs. Bank: What's the Difference? Automatic Bill Pay: How It Works and How To Do It Safely 6 Things To Know Before Contacting the National Foundation for Credit Counseling Clark.com resources Episode transcripts Community.Clark.com Clark.com daily money newsletter Consumer Action Center Free Helpline: 636-492-5275 Learn more about your ad choices: megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the rapidly evolving landscape of fintech, few stories stand out as vividly as that of Colin Walsh, founder of Varo Bank. He has had remarkable accomplishments, including raising over $1B and running a company with a team dispersed worldwide. Varo Bank has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Warburg Pincus, TPG, HarbourVest Partners, Lone Pine Capital, and Gallatin Point Capital.

Jeff Pedowitz is a pioneering leader in revenue operations, transforming the way businesses approach marketing and customer engagement. As the President and CEO of The Pedowitz Group (TPG), Jeff has dedicated his career to turning marketing teams from perceived cost centers into dynamic profit centers that drive growth and innovation.Additionally, Jeff is a Member and Contributing Author at Forbes Business Council, further solidifying his influence and thought leadership in the industry.Author of the influential book, “F the Funnel: A New Way to Engage Customers & Grow Revenue”, Jeff challenges the traditional funnel-based marketing approach, advocating for a more holistic, customer-centric model. His philosophy emphasizes the integration of digital transformation, business accountability, and advanced marketing technology to achieve sustained revenue growth.Under Jeff's visionary leadership, The Pedowitz Group has built an unparalleled reputation in the marketing community, working with over 1,500 clients, including Fortune 500 companies and leading global brands. TPG's innovative strategies have resulted in more than $25 billion in marketing-sourced and influenced revenue, demonstrating their effectiveness through over 10,000 successful campaigns that foster strong, lasting relationships between brands and their customers.With a robust team spread across 24 states, TPG continues to excel in driving business outcomes and setting new standards in marketing excellence. Jeff Pedowitz's commitment to reshaping the industry has made him a respected thought leader and a catalyst for change in the marketing world.Connect with Jeff - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffpedowitz/Support the Show.Follow me on Facebook ⬇️https://www.facebook.com/manuj.aggarwal❤️ ID - Manuj Aggarwal■ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manujaggarwal/ ■ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realmanuj■ Instagram: ...

Erika White is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Affirm. While she has experienced great success in her career, as a child, she was a rambunctious and highly social student who was told she was wasting her potential. However, one special teacher believed in her, challenged her, and got her to see the potential in herself. That lesson stuck with Erika as she obtained both her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Southern California and began to build an impressive resume. Erika got her start in marketing at Hilton, where she says another person saw her potential and took a chance on her. From there, she moved on to Director of Global Corporate Relations and Corporate Marketing at Visa, then to Pandora as their Corporate Communications Director, then to Director of External Affairs at TPG, a large private equity firm, before landing at Affirm. In her role at Affirm, she oversees the core functions of building the brand, including brand and partner marketing, creative, paid activations, social media, and communications. On the show today, Alan and Erika talk about Affirm's place in the ever-growing buy now, pay later market as a more honest, transparent, and flexible alternative to credit cards for over 17 million active consumers and over 290,000 merchants. Erika tells us about the role buy now, pay later has in the overall marketplace and where she believes the industry is headed. She also gives us an overview of how she and her team are driving growth and customer acquisition for their retail partners, what she sees as the role of marketing as a whole, and why marketers have to always be adapting, changing, and embracing fluidity. She drives this point home by identifying those as the same attributes she looks for in new hires and telling us how her team embraces those qualities to continuously find new opportunities for value creation. In this episode, you'll learn about:The key attributes that set Affirm apart and how they benefit merchantsWhat is next in the buy now, pay later category?The role of brand and cross-functional partnerships in marketingKey Highlights:[01:45] A special teacher that impacted Erika[06:35] The peak and valleys in her career path[11:30] The state of Affirm's businesses today[12:55] What is unique about Affirm?[15:45] How is this similar to and different from layaway?[17:45] What is next in the buy now/pay later category?[20:15] The value proposition for merchants [22:20] The role of marketing [24:45] How she learned smart risk-taking [27:15] The role of brand and last year's refresh[30:15] Speed, precision, and fluidity[32:25] Read more books and nurture relationships. [33:55] AI is a mandatory consideration. [37:55] A decline in the desire for 4-year degrees [41:25] The threat of lacking agilityLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.