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What matters more in today's market: the numbers or the story investors believe? This week, we debate crypto's rebound and why markets increasingly reward narrative, momentum, and massive future outcomes over traditional valuation. We also cover Hyperliquid vs Pump, Ethena's token overhaul, AI valuation mania, and the convergence of trading and social. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 01:07 Is Crypto Risk Worth It? 08:07 Are AI Assistants Overhyped? 13:40 Is Crypto Undervalued Again? 22:06 Why Pump Trails Hyperliquid 30:14 Ads (TOKEN2049, Avalanche Summit) 34:12 Ethena Fixes Its Tokenomics 42:33 How Does Ethena Keep Growing? 49:30 Can FOMO Onboard Normies? 56:10 Content Of The Week FOLLOW THE SHOW › Empire– https://x.com/theempirepod › Jason – https://x.com/jasonyanowitz › Santi – https://x.com/santiagoroel › Rob – https://x.com/HadickM › Telegram – https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh › Blockworks – https://x.com/Blockworks EVENTS › Join us at Digital Asset Summit 2026 Asia October 7th & Digital Asset 2026 London November 10-11th https://blockworks.com/events › Avalanche Summit NYC lands Sept. 16–17. Save 15% with code BLOCKWORKS15: avalanchesummit.com/registration DISCLAIMER Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Any views expressed are opinions, not financial advice. Hosts and guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
Plus: SK Telecom is creating an AI data-center company backed by KKR. And Thinking Machines Lab co-founder Barret Zoph rejoins Google. Imani Moise hosts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The discussion begins with the massive sale of the Seattle Seahawks and how it impacts the valuation of the Cleveland Browns and Jimmy Haslam's ownership. Mary Kay Cabot joins to break down the decision to start Deshaun Watson over Shedeur Sanders and the potential for a Dylan Gabriel trade. They analyze fan frustration regarding Watson's performance and the logic behind resting Sanders. 01:50 - Impact Of Seahawks Sale 06:00 - Evaluating Individual Ownership 12:20 - Showcasing Dylan Gabriel 14:45 - Mary Kay Cabot Interview 19:50 - The Watson Sanders Debate 25:45 - Analyzing Preseason Struggles 31:20 - Jerry Jeudy Safety Status 39:10 - Post Interview Reaction
Paul Walsh, Michelle Weaver and Daniel Blake discuss how thematic mapping can help investors separate true beneficiaries from market hype and identify risks hiding beneath the surface.Read more insights from Morgan Stanley.----- Transcript -----Paul Walsh: Welcome everyone to Thoughts on the Market. I'm Paul Walsh, Morgan Stanley's Head of Research in Europe. Michelle Weaver: And I'm Michelle Weaver, U.S. Thematic and Equity Strategist. Daniel Blake: And I'm Daniel Blake, Head of Asia Thematic Strategy. Walsh: And today we're discussing why thematic investing may be entering a new phase – moving from simply identifying big ideas to systematically measuring them.It's Tuesday, the 25th of August at 2pm in London. Weaver: It's 9am in New York. Blake: And it's 9pm in Singapore. Walsh: Daniel, let's kick our discussion off today. Thematic investing has become one of the most important ways for investors to think about long-term opportunities. But your latest work suggests the framework itself is evolving. So, what's changing? Blake: Well, if you look at where we've started. So thematic investing has been narrative-driven, focusing on identifying major structural trends for investors. So, at Morgan Stanley, we've identified core themes of artificial intelligence and tech diffusion, the future of energy, societal shifts, and the transition to a multipolar world. So, what's changing is that investment approaches are becoming much, much faster. So, we're now seeing clients deploy agentic AI to drive trade recommendations. And sure, AI can read a new 100-page thematic report from Morgan Stanley faster than humans. But for the right conclusions, it's important to connect these models with high-quality data sets. And we think that's going to be helpful for human investors as well. So, this is where the third phase of thematic investing comes in. The first phase was identifying secular trends that cut across markets and industries. The second phase was creating investable products around those themes. But this next phase is about measuring that exposure systematically in real time. So, this allows investors and their AI agents to identify whether a theme's importance is broadening or fading and to track individual companies' exposure to that theme over time. Walsh: So, the thematic investing is moving from narrative-driven to a higher velocity data-driven approach. And I guess that's where our thematic mapping exercise really comes in. So, Michelle, when investors hear the term thematic map, they may think it's just another screening tool. But it's much, much more than that, isn't it? Weaver: Absolutely. The easiest way to think about it is it's a research framework that sits on top of traditional sector and regional analysis. Historically, investors organize portfolios by country, sector, or industry group, and those verticals are still very important. But increasingly, the biggest investment forces cut horizontally across those boundaries. AI touches software companies, industrials names, healthcare, financials, and it's even had a huge impact on the utility sector.Thematic mapping helps us identify where those exposures exist across thousands of stocks, and importantly, how significant those exposures are – all with the help of our analyst experts. And the innovation isn't simply identifying if a company's exposed to AI, energy transition, or defense spending. It's determining whether that exposure is central to the investment thesis, just supportive or insignificant. And that's very different from traditional thematic baskets. Walsh: So, we identify the exposure, but the idea of significance seems particularly important because investors constantly hear companies talking about themes on earnings calls for example and in their public communications. But how do you separate genuine exposure from a more marketing-driven language around thematics, Daniel? Blake: This we see as the most valuable and ultimately human-driven part of the framework. So, as an example, we know that many companies are outlining their AI initiatives, and not all of them will end up being AI beneficiaries. So, the key question is how a given theme will impact revenues, margins, competitive positioning, and valuations. And this requires the deep knowledge of both the industry and the company, as well as where things are going. And so that's where our analysts come in. Across all countries, all sectors, mapping the materiality of their entire coverage, that's almost 4,000 companies, to every global theme in real time. Sp. our job in the thematic strategy team is to coordinate the framework, help identify emerging themes, and draw out the insights and recommendations. But the core insights are really coming at the analyst level, company by company. Walsh: And so, to your point, Daniel, it's about the analyst overlay in terms of significance that is really important. So, investors really shouldn't think of thematic exposure as a simple yes or no question… Blake: Exactly. That's really the new innovation in this framework, and most companies will sit somewhere along that spectrum for a given theme. And there's value in tracking how that position is changing over time. Walsh: Yeah, rate of change is clearly critical. And Michelle, one of the things I found particularly interesting is that the framework isn't just about identifying winners. It's also about identifying companies that may be challenged by structural change as well. Why don't you help our listeners understand why that's so important? Weaver: Because every major theme, yes, creates a lot of opportunity, but it also creates disruption. And I think investors naturally focus on beneficiaries. Where are we looking on the long side? But in many cases, understanding who might be negatively exposed can be just as valuable. If you think about AI, there are obvious beneficiaries, whether those are the big enablers or they're companies adopting the technology successfully. But there could also be companies facing pricing pressure, margin pressure, or broader disruption because of that same theme. And that's equally true whether we're thinking about the future of energy, societal shifts and big demographic realignments, or the multipolar world. And a complete thematic framework should help investors understand both parts of that equation. And this is becoming increasingly important as markets move from broad thematic enthusiasm towards more selective stock picking. Walsh: Absolutely. The ability of the thematic mapping to help us understand both sides the equation clearly incredibly important. Let's bring it back to investors' portfolios. Daniel, how should investors think about thematic mapping as part of portfolio construction rather than simply stock selection? Blake: If you're looking at that portfolio construction level, whether you're a retail investor or you're one of the largest asset owners of sovereign funds, one of the biggest benefits is for revealing and managing hidden exposures.So, an investor might believe that their portfolio is diversified with positioning across many sectors and markets. But when you use the thematic map to underline, to explore the underlying thematic exposure, you might find that many of these holdings are tied to the same structural trend. So, the thematic map allows investors to better diversify portfolios while retaining the best expressions of desired themes. And as you mentioned, it's not just a screening tool. But it's pretty useful as a screening tool as well if you want to take exposure to a given theme overlay with valuations and preferences. It's very helpful for that reason as well. Walsh: Yeah, understood Daniel. And Michelle, as we look stock markets right now, how are you seeing the opportunities via the thematic mapping work that we've done? Weaver: Flagging potential rotations is another key part of what this analysis offers. And if we think about your question from a valuation perspective, AI adopters currently look relatively inexpensive, but they still offer strong expected earnings growth. And we're also seeing analyst sentiment beginning to improve. You're seeing a growing number of companies having their earnings estimates revised higher. We're also seeing a similar opportunity across our societal shifts themes. Valuations here are well below their typical levels over the past decade. And at the same time, we're also seeing earnings expectations improve here. Walsh: So, perhaps the biggest takeaways are that thematic investing is becoming more measurable, more transparent, and more integrated into portfolio management. It's no longer just about spotting the next big idea. It's about understanding where that idea exists, how much it matters, and of course, how it's evolving. Michelle, Daniel, thanks so much for taking the time to talk. Weaver: Great speaking with you Paul. Blake: Thanks for having us. Walsh: Thanks for listening. If you enjoy Thoughts on the Market, please leave us a review wherever you listen and share the podcast with a friend or colleague today.
Plus: A flurry of tech companies will likely join this year's IPO bonanza. And Hyundai Mobis's robot parts business is poised for growth. Imani Moise hosts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
A company's true value isn't locked in a spreadsheet; it is built or destroyed at the intersection of strategy, leadership, and execution. On this episode of Behind the Numbers, host Dave Bookbinder sits down with Jay Weiser, founder of Jay Weiser Consulting, to unpack what it truly means to build a future fit organization. Together, they examine how hidden structural drag and subtle misalignments between strategy, organizational capability, and operations quietly erode enterprise worth long before the damage hits the balance sheet. Jay shares actionable insights for navigating market disruption, detailing his Five Leadership Superpowers framework: present futurist, experienced learner, accountable collaborator, prepared risk-taker, and strategic executor. He highlights why human capital must be treated as a core business driver, emphasizing the strategic alignment needed between the Board, CEO, and CHRO, while offering private equity investors tools to stress-test assumptions in a non-linear world. Listeners walk away with practical strategies to sense market signals early, make faster decisions under uncertainty, and eliminate executive friction. Jay also outlines three diagnostic questions leaders can use immediately to uncover hidden capability gaps, align team execution with long-term strategy, and safeguard enterprise value. Equip your leadership team with the vision and execution capabilities required to build an organization that thrives through disruption. About Our Guest: Jay R. Weiser is the Chief Catalyst & Navigator of Jay Weiser Consulting and a strategy and leadership advisor with more than 30 years of experience guiding and enabling boards and executive teams improve performance, navigate uncertainty and translate strategic potential into realized enterprise value. His work focuses on what lies behind business results: the capabilities and organizational conditions through which governance, leadership, culture and the external environment strengthen - or erode - adaptability, performance and long-term value. A LinkedIn Top Voice, Jay has advised organizations across multiple industries from financial services to luxury retail and life sciences ranging. They have ranged from Global Fortune 500 to PE-backed companies and midsize family-owned businesses. His articles and insights have appeared in Chief Learning Officer, Corporate Board Member, Reworked, The National CIO Review and CIGRE's Electra. He has spoken to international business, governance, and leadership audiences through organizations including the Good Governance Academy, the Private Directors Association, and the Virtual Advisory Board as well as industry and functional conferences. Jay holds a degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Emory University's Goizueta Business School. Jay is the creator of the Multiplicative Value Model™ and The Five Leadership Superpowers®. His current work examines why organizations with strong strategies, talented people and substantial resources still fail to convert their potential into realized enterprise value—and what capabilities make an organization genuinely future-ready. Connect with Jay at https://linkedin.com/in/jayrweiser. Email him at jay@jayweiser.com Learn more about Jay Weiser Consulting at https://www.jayweiser.com. About the Host: Dave Bookbinder is known as a trusted provider for independent business valuations, corporate asset appraisals, and exit planning advisory and he is the person that business owners and their advisors reach out to when they need to know what their most important assets are worth. Known as a collaborative adviser, Dave has served thousands of client companies of all sizes and industries. Dave is the author of two #1 best-selling books about the impact of human capital (PEOPLE!) on the valuation of a business enterprise called The NEW ROI: Return On Individuals & The NEW ROI: Going Behind The Numbers. He's on a mission to change the conversation about how the accounting world recognizes the value of people's contributions to a business enterprise, and to quantify what every CEO on the planet claims: “Our people are this company's most valuable asset.” Dave's book, A Valuation Toolbox for Business Owners and Their Advisors: Things Every Business Owner Should Know, was recognized as a top new release in Business and Valuation and is designed to provide practical insights and tools to help understand what really drives business value, how to prepare for an exit, and just make better decisions. He's also the host of the highly rated Behind The Numbers With Dave Bookbinder business podcast which is enjoyed in more than 100 countries.
Rushed methodology changes implemented mid-season by Nielsen have severely shaken the NFL's confidence in standard television ratings. NFL Chief Data Officer Paul Ballew explains how media fragmentation is forcing leagues and networks to demand radical transparency or switch to new transactional metrics. Key Highlights
In today's episode, Kyle Grieve and Shawn O'Malley analyze Domino's Pizza, the world's biggest pizza franchisor built on a royalty-driven, asset-light business model. They walk through Domino's shift toward franchising and away from Company-owned stores, and what that means for the company's future revenue mix and cash generation. Along the way, they dig into whether Domino's royalty engine can keep running at the pace investors have come to expect. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:09) Reviewing the Domino's royalty engine thesis (00:13:30) Why Domino's has moved away from Company-owned stores (00:26:05) The role of royalties versus supply chain revenue in Domino's earnings (00:33:21) How Domino's utilizes a fortressing strategy and its effect on store growth (00:41:16) The competitive landscape in delivery, carryout, and aggregator platforms (00:43:27) How the franchise model keeps Domino's asset-light and cash-generative (00:48:47) Domino's capital allocation and approach to share buybacks (00:56:47) International franchising and Domino's global store growth (00:58:30) Risks facing Domino's from labor costs, competition, and changing consumer habits (01:06:29) Valuation discussion of Domino's (01:07:40) Intrinsic value of Domino's (01:09:00) Whether Kyle & Shawn will add Domino's to the Intrinsic Value Portfolio Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Join the exclusive The Intrinsic Value Mastermind Community. Track The Intrinsic Value Portfolio. Learn more about how to join us in NYC for our Intrinsic Value Conference. Portfolio Review Submit Tool. Check out our previous Intrinsic Value breakdowns: Uber, Grab, Coupang. Buy yourself a copy of The Domino's Story. Follow Kyle on X and LinkedIn. Follow Shawn on X and LinkedIn. Related books mentioned in the podcast. Ad-free episodes on our Premium Feed. NEW TO THE SHOW? Get smarter about valuing businesses through The Intrinsic Value Newsletter. Check out The Investor's Podcast Starter Packs. Follow our official social media accounts: X | LinkedIn | Facebook. Try our tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance. Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts. SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors: Fiscal.AI References to any third-party products, services, or advertisers do not constitute endorsements, and The Investor's Podcast Network is not responsible for any claims made by them. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm
It is easy to hire the firm that quotes the highest number, and that one decision can cost you the sale. This episode covers the M&A advisor red flags that are easiest to miss: fees tied to nothing, a valuation built to win your signature, and a buyer list that does not exist. You will learn where business brokers, M&A advisors, and investment banks each actually operate, how to check a number before you sign a one-year exclusive, and what preparation to do yourself first. View the complete show notes for this episode. Want To Learn More? Business Broker and M&A Advisor Fees: A Comprehensive Guide Can a Business Broker's Success Rate be Accurately Measured? How to Navigate M&A Advisor Fees: Insights from an Investment Banking Expert Build the Right Deal Team to Avoid M&A Mistakes Additional Resources Selling your business? Schedule a free consultation today. Sign up for an Assessment and Valuation of Your Business. Courses: The Art & Science of Selling a Business Download The Art of The Exit: The Complete Guide to Selling Your Business Download Acquired: The Art of Selling a Business With $10 Million to $100 Million in Revenue If you have any topic or guest suggestions, please email them to podcast@morganandwestfield.com.
In today's episode, Kyle Grieve and Shawn O'Malley analyze Domino's Pizza, the world's biggest pizza franchisor built on a royalty-driven, asset-light business model. They walk through Domino's shift toward franchising and away from Company-owned stores, and what that means for the company's future revenue mix and cash generation. Along the way, they dig into whether Domino's royalty engine can keep running at the pace investors have come to expect. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:55) Reviewing the Domino's royalty engine thesis (00:15:26) Why Domino's has moved away from Company-owned stores (00:29:19) The role of royalties versus supply chain revenue in Domino's earnings (00:36:21) How Domino's utilizes a fortressing strategy and its effect on store growth (00:44:18) The competitive landscape in delivery, carryout, and aggregator platforms (00:46:29) How the franchise model keeps Domino's asset-light and cash-generative (00:55:47) Domino's capital allocation and approach to share buybacks (01:03:44) International franchising and Domino's global store growth (01:05:25) Risks facing Domino's from labor costs, competition, and changing consumer habits (01:13:19) Valuation discussion of Domino's (01:14:31) Intrinsic value of Domino's (01:15:52) Whether Kyle & Shawn will add Domino's to the Intrinsic Value Portfolio Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Join the exclusive The Intrinsic Value Mastermind Community. Track The Intrinsic Value Portfolio. Learn more about how to join us in NYC for our Intrinsic Value Conference. Portfolio Review Submit Tool. Check out our previous Intrinsic Value breakdowns: Uber, Grab, Coupang. Buy yourself a copy of The Domino's Story. Follow Kyle on X and LinkedIn. Related books mentioned in the podcast. Ad-free episodes on our Premium Feed. NEW TO THE SHOW? Get smarter about valuing businesses through The Intrinsic Value Newsletter. Check out The Investor's Podcast Starter Packs. Follow our official social media accounts: X | LinkedIn | Facebook. Try our tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance. Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts. SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors: Plaud Plus500 Netsuite Scribe References to any third-party products, services, or advertisers do not constitute endorsements, and The Investor's Podcast Network is not responsible for any claims made by them. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm
Bill Stone, Founder and CEO of SS&C How do you keep buying companies without eventually losing control of the company you built? SS&C Technologies founder and CEO Bill Stone has spent four decades avoiding exactly that. Rather than treating each acquisition as an isolated transaction, SS&C built a system around protecting ownership, using debt when the economics make sense, paying it down quickly, and creating enough value after close to preserve capacity for the next deal. Bill walks through the decisions behind acquisitions including FMC, GlobeOp, and Blue Prism, his experience taking SS&C private with Carlyle, and the discipline that has allowed the company to keep acquiring across changing markets. What You'll Learn How Bill Stone kept 15% of SS&C through 100 acquisitions The exact revenue-per-head and EBITDA thresholds SS&C screens for Why strategic buyers almost always outbid private equity How to tell a motivated seller from one just fishing for a premium When rollover equity can help retain the management team How Carlyle overruled Stone's own unanimous board vote The one rule that makes Stone walk from a deal every time Every financing decision changes what you can do on the next deal. If you're financing an acquisition and don't have a hard leverage ceiling you actually stick to, DealPilot, powered by M&A Science, has the deal guidance layer to help you set one before you're over-levered on the next deal. ____________________ This episode of M&A Science is presented by DealRoom. DealRoom is the AI-powered operating system for Buyer-Led M&A™ — one connected system for pipeline, diligence, integration, and reporting. No tool-switching, no manual updates, no data gaps. See how it works: https://hubs.ly/Q04mcGKy0 ____________________ Episode Chapters [00:00] Intro and Guest Bio Check [04:27] Protecting Ownership From Bankers [07:32] Pivoting to the Buy Side [12:12] Cutting a Client's Cost 91% [12:32] Technology Cycles From Excel to AI [15:14] First Acquisition and Going Public [16:26] Balancing Investors and Founder Control [20:08] The Carlyle Take-Private Story [27:23] Screening Deals and Cutting Costs Fast [32:02] Reading a Seller's True Motivation [35:29] Winning FMC Under Canadian Rules [42:10] Beating TPG for GlobeOp [45:22] The Leverage Ceiling and Debt Paydown [49:06] Topping Vista for Blue Prism [53:17] Walking Away From a Lying Seller [54:23] Diligence Speed and Trust But Verify [54:58] Valuations and Capital Abundance
In this episode we answer emails from Kelly and Jose (Joe). We discuss simple spreadsheet applications for organizing portfolios, review a planned risk-parity style portfolio, discuss issues with transitioning and international fund choices and proportions, and why you should not fear "high market valuations" because risk-parity portfolios already solve for that exact problem, unlike simplistic large-cap weighted portfolios. In fact, that is one of the main reasons risk-parity style portfolios make for better retirement portfolios with higher safe withdrawal rates.Links:Father McKenna Center Donation Page (please mention Risk Parity Radio in the comment section with your donation): Donate - Father McKenna CenterRisk Parity Chronicles Free Portfolio Tracker and Explanatory Video: How to use the RPC Capital Efficient Portfolio TrackerAfford Anything Risk Parity Portfolio Blueprint: Afford Anything frank-vasquez-risk-parity-portfolio-BluePrint.pdf - Google DriveJeremy Grantham on the Long-View Podcast: Jeremy Grantham ‘Almost Everything Looks More Attractive Than the US Equity Market' - YouTubeF. Vasquez EconoMe 2025 Slide Presentation: F. Vasquez EconoMe 2025 Presentation.pdf - Google DriveBreathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary:Retiring soon and staring at market charts that look “too high” can mess with your head, even if your plan is solid. We hear that anxiety loud and clear in today's mailbag, and we respond with what actually helps: better visibility across accounts, clear asset allocation targets, and a process you can follow when emotions spike.First, we tackle the nuts-and-bolts problem almost every DIY investor hits: holdings scattered across IRAs, 401(k)s, and a taxable brokerage account. We share a simple way to track everything on one page using a Google Sheet that updates prices automatically, and we talk about how AI tools like Gemini NotebookLM can organize raw account statements into a clean spreadsheet, even adding details like unrealized capital gains. The point is not fancy software, it's seeing your true portfolio mix so you can rebalance with confidence and avoid constant tinkering.Then we get into portfolio construction: equity levels that feel conservative vs aggressive in a risk parity style setup, when Treasury bond exposure may be on the high side, and how to think about diversifiers like gold (GLDM) and managed futures (DBMF). We also answer practical questions about VTI and VXUS, whether adding a dedicated growth fund matters, and how to split small cap value between AVUV and AVDV without over-optimizing.Finally, we address the big fear: what happens if you invest or rebalance near all-time highs right before retirement? We walk through why a diversified risk parity style portfolio can reduce peak-valuation risk, how safe withdrawal rates look when you test retirement start dates near major market peaks, and why a written execution plan often beats trying to time the perfect day. If this helped, subscribe, share the show with a friend who's nearing retirement, and leave us a review on your podcast app.Support the show
On the latest Mortcast Jeff talks about how the NBA chasing that big dollar with NBA team valuations and more (plus an incoherent CBA designed entirely to help inflate valuations) leads to the issues it's having right now. How the Lakers, Blazers, Suns and Clippers are an example of the NBA's chase of the dollar needing to be reigned in. Enjoy the show! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
This week, Paul and Sean begin with an update on the potential Skydance/Paramount WBD merger that has polarized Hollywood. While federal regulators have signed off on the deal, 12 states are suing to block it and a few major financial penalties hang in the balance. Next, they discuss a great week for sports franchises as the LA Lakers who were sold for the second time in 14 months as Bob Iger and Josh Kusher announced their 12.5B purchase while Sportico released its NFL team valuations for 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Is a luxury beachfront property with massive rental income always a slam-dunk deal for a note investor? Welcome back to another episode of 50 Note Deals in 50 Days!In today's episode, real estate investor Scott Carson takes you down to sunny Galveston, Texas, to analyze a high-end, waterfront short-term rental (STR) facing foreclosure. Featured on a popular wedding show on Netflix and operating as a premier event venue and Airbnb, this three-story coastal property boasts incredible ocean views and high-ticket revenue potential. However, behind the beautiful listing photos lies a 20-month default, a listing price disconnect, and a hedge fund seller eager to offload the paper off their balance sheet.Scott walks step-by-step through the numbers, comparing property values against the debt balance, evaluating foreclosure mechanics in Texas, and revealing why lenders often prefer selling the note over acquiring an REO asset on the water.Key Topics Covered:Property Overview & High-End Asset Profiling: Examining a three-story, waterfront short-term rental and luxury wedding venue featured on Netflix.The Default Timeline: Unpacking a 20-month payment default and analyzing why the borrower listed the home for sale during the foreclosure process.Sourcing Hedge Fund Tapes: How this asset was identified out of an 86-note tape direct from a institutional seller (and 1 of only 5 Texas assets in the pool).Valuation vs. Debt Exposure: Comparing current active listing prices, comparative market analysis (CMA) data, and the actual underlying mortgage debt.Foreclosure vs. REO Risk: Why lenders prefer to sell non-performing paper to note investors rather than taking back coastal real estate and managing property operations.Texas Foreclosure Advantage: Leveraging Texas' fast non-judicial foreclosure timeline to take control of defaulted assets quickly.Bidding & Exit Strategies: Determining maximum bid thresholds, workout opportunities with existing operators, and foreclosure execution plans.Whether you're looking to acquire paper on coastal real estate or just want to see how pros evaluate complex non-performing notes, this episode provides actionable due diligence strategies you can use in your own portfolio!If you want to submit an offer, partner on deals, or have questions about distressed paper, book a call directly at talkwithscottcarson.com or email Scott at scott@weclosenotes.com. Ready to master note investing? Join our upcoming Virtual Note Buying Workshop by registering at notebuyingfordummies.com!Watch the Original Video of this Episode HERE!Book a Call With Scott HERE!Sign up for the next FREE One-Day Note Class HERE!Sign up for the WCN Membership HERE!Sign up for the next Note Buying For Dummies Workshop HERE!Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here's How »Join the Note Closers Show community today:WeCloseNotes.comThe Note Closers Show FacebookThe Note Closers Show TwitterScott Carson LinkedInThe Note Closers Show YouTubeThe Note Closers Show VimeoThe Note Closers Show InstagramWe Close Notes Pinterest
Company culture is not a soft HR expense - it is a high-yield strategic asset that directly drives bottom-line profitability and enterprise value. In this episode of Behind the Numbers, host Dave Bookbinder sits down with Brett Hoogeveen, co-founder of BetterCulture and seasoned angel investor, to explore how organizational culture impacts business valuation. Together, they unpack why poor workplace environment quietly drains corporate cash flow through toxic management, quiet quitting, and high turnover. Key Takeaways & Strategies: Culture as a Value Driver: Shift the executive mindset from viewing culture as an expense (like office perks) to treating employee behaviors and attitudes as revenue-generating assets. Stars vs. Vacuums Framework: Learn how to shift your organization's performance distribution curve by protecting superstars, upskilling the middle majority, and removing energetic drains. Protecting Good Talent: Why leaders have a strict obligation to protect the right of top performers to work alongside other good employees, even when forced to confront toxic high-producers. The Accidental Manager: Bridge the decade-long gap between when employees are promoted into leadership and when they receive formal management training. Strategic Culture Planning: How to build a continuous improvement plan for culture that scales as your business expands beyond its early stages. Assuming Positive Intent: Lower internal friction and eliminate subtle innovation-killers by training teams to default to trust and curiosity. To protect your bottom line and build long-term value, stop treating people as line-item expenses and start actively managing your corporate culture as a strategic priority. About Our Guest: Brett Hoogeveen, CSP is a nationally recognized leadership expert and co-founder of BetterCulture, a leadership development and technology firm that helps companies build better leaders, stronger teams, and thriving workplace cultures. Brett helps organizations turn culture into a competitive advantage - using practical tools, proven strategies, and a contagious belief that better culture = better business. Over the past decade, Brett has trained thousands of leaders and partnered with hundreds of executive teams - from scrappy startups to Fortune 500s - on practical strategies to create winning cultures. One of fewer than 900 Certified Speaking Professionals (CSP) worldwide, Brett delivers engaging and actionable keynotes on leadership, culture, and workplace performance. He is also the host of The BetterCulture Podcast. Here is the URL to the free resource that Brett is offering listeners of this show. The resource is a complimentary AI-driven Executive Culture Strategic Plan. https://betterculture.com/behindthenumbers About the Host: Dave Bookbinder is known as a trusted provider for independent business valuations, corporate asset appraisals, and exit planning advisory and he is the person that business owners and their advisors reach out to when they need to know what their most important assets are worth. Known as a collaborative adviser, Dave has served thousands of client companies of all sizes and industries. Dave is the author of two #1 best-selling books about the impact of human capital (PEOPLE!) on the valuation of a business enterprise called The NEW ROI: Return On Individuals & The NEW ROI: Going Behind The Numbers. He's on a mission to change the conversation about how the accounting world recognizes the value of people's contributions to a business enterprise, and to quantify what every CEO on the planet claims: “Our people are this company's most valuable asset.” Dave's book, A Valuation Toolbox for Business Owners and Their Advisors: Things Every Business Owner Should Know, was recognized as a top new release in Business and Valuation and is designed to provide practical insights and tools to help understand what really drives business value, how to prepare for an exit, and just make better decisions. He's also the host of the highly rated Behind The Numbers With Dave Bookbinder business podcast which is enjoyed in more than 100 countries.
Watch the show on television by downloading the SuperCrowd.tv Channel app to your Roku or Amazon Fire TV or e360tv channel app to your Roku, LG or Amazon Fire TV. You can also see it on YouTube.Devin: What is your superpower?Tom: Passion is what fuels the fire in my belly… It gets me excited, keeps me up late, and helps me go after these investments.Glenn: My superpower is bringing people together, adding value wherever I can… I try to help founders after I invest by sending resources or opportunities their way.Regulated crowdfunding has leveled the playing field for investors, allowing almost anyone to back startups with significant growth potential. During this episode, I had the pleasure of discussing strategies with two veteran Reg CF investors, Tom J Wright and Glenn Burney, who've honed distinct approaches to choosing impactful investment opportunities.Glenn emphasizes the importance of early-stage research and trusted tools like KingsCrowd, a platform that evaluates crowdfunding opportunities. “I usually start there, and if they're rated at least a four, I start digging deeper,” he explained. Glenn's diligence doesn't stop there; he carefully evaluates the founders. “The most important things I look for before I invest are the founders and the total addressable market. If I believe in the founder and the product or service, that's when I invest.”Tom echoed many of Glenn's insights but with his own seasoned approach, placing a special emphasis on market size. “I love a big TAM (total addressable market) because a startup can grow as big as the market allows,” he said. Using a memorable analogy, Tom compared startups to goldfish, explaining that their growth often depends on the size of their environment: “A goldfish will be small in a small tank, but if it's in a lake, it can grow to a foot long.”Beyond market size and founder qualities, Tom also values passion and disruptive potential. “Is the founder full-time? Are they going to do whatever it takes to make this thing successful?” He noted that revolutionary technology is often his green flag: “I love revolutionary tech because it can reset an entire market.”Valuation also plays a critical role in their decision-making. Glenn shared his preference for startups with valuations under $20 million, explaining his goal of achieving at least a 10x return: “If I feel like I can get at least a 10x return, then I feel like the valuation is good.” Tom approaches things similarly but allows for higher valuations when the opportunity feels right. “You want in early… Low valuation and a big TAM? That's a powerful combination.”Their stories also highlight the importance of intuition and alignment. “Does it resonate with me personally?” Tom asked, reflecting on how his values influence his choices. Glenn concluded by sharing his proudest success: investing in a startup that became a unicorn, providing him with a 21x return.The insights shared by Tom and Glenn prove that regulated crowdfunding isn't just about profit—it's about backing great people with big ideas while making a difference in the world. For investors, their advice is invaluable: do your research, trust your instincts, and focus on opportunities that combine potential impact with strong fundamentals.tl;dr:Tom and Glenn share strategies for evaluating and investing in Reg CF startups for impact.They highlight tools like KingsCrowd and key criteria such as TAM and founder commitment.Glenn recounts his story of helping a startup raise $125,000 via a meaningful introduction.Tom and Glenn discuss aligning investments with personal values and market trends for success.Both emphasize the power of passion and networking in transforming investments into impact.How to Develop Passion and Networking As a SuperpowerTom's superpower is his passion, which fuels his mission to make the world more just. As he explained, “Passion is what fuels the fire in my belly… It gets me excited, keeps me up late, and helps me go after these investments.” Glenn's superpower is networking and connection. He shared, “My superpower is bringing people together, adding value wherever I can… I try to help founders after I invest by sending resources or opportunities their way.”Glenn shared a story that exemplified his networking prowess. After investing in a startup, he connected them with an accelerator program that ultimately helped them raise $125,000. His introduction led the company to win the program's grand prize, underscoring how impactful his connections could be for early-stage companies.Tips for Developing the Superpower:Continuously seek inspiration by surrounding yourself with motivational materials, like books and quotes.Look for examples of courage and perseverance from history and everyday life to reignite passion.Focus on adding value to others before asking for help in networking situations.Leverage social media platforms like LinkedIn to build meaningful professional connections.Look for ways to champion others' success through introductions and referrals.By following Tom and Glenn's example and advice, you can make passion and networking your superpowers. With practice and effort, you could develop these skills to do more good in the world through impactful investments and purposeful connections.Remember, however, that research into success suggests that building on your own superpowers is more important than creating new ones or overcoming weaknesses. You do you!Guest ProfileTom J Wright (he/him):Angel Investor/Unicorn Hunter/Crowdfunding Course Creator, Angel Investor, Crowdfunding Course CreatorAbout Online Angel Investing/Crowdfunding Courses for Investors: Tom Wright is currently preparing several online angel investing/crowdfunding courses for investors who want to learn how to take advantage of the INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITIES that now exist for every-day people, in start-up companies. These courses will be part of an amazing, informative and highly actionable group of ongoing courses available through Tom's Angel Investing Academy, available soon at Kajabi.comWebsite: Please look for his angel investing courses soon at KajabiOther URL: youtube.com/watch?v=yDjYw0mfRHcBiographical Information: Tom Wright is an accomplished angel investor and startup expert with a portfolio spanning 141 startup companies. An early investor in Cisco, Tom has built a reputation for identifying promising companies and supporting entrepreneurs at the earliest stages of growth.He was ranked #7 among startup investors worldwide on Wefunder, one of the world's leading equity crowdfunding platforms. His experience has also led him to become an angel investing expert and course creator, helping others understand startup investing and how to evaluate emerging opportunities.Tom's influence extends across the startup and investment community. At Wefunder, he is followed by Mr. Wonderful of Shark Tank, StartEngine, and more than 555 other angel investors, startup founders, and venture capital firms.With deep firsthand experience as both an investor and educator, Tom brings a practical perspective on startup investing, portfolio building, and finding high-potential companies before they become widely recognized.LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tom-wright-59a80324Glenn Burney (he/him):Accounting Manager, American UniversityAbout American University: American University is a student-centered research institution located in Washington, DC, with highly ranked schools and colleges, internationally renowned faculty, and a reputation for creating meaningful change in the world. Our students distinguish themselves for their service, leadership, and ability to rethink global and domestic challenges and opportunities.Biographical Information: Glenn Burney is an accounting professional and active angel investor based in Arlington, Virginia. He serves as an Accounting Manager at American University, where he leads a team responsible for financial reporting, reconciliations, endowment accounting, and other critical financial operations. Outside of his professional career, Glenn has built a diverse portfolio of early-stage investments across healthcare, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, energy, consumer products, and other emerging industries. He is especially passionate about identifying promising founders and companies before their potential is widely recognized. Glenn approaches angel investing with disciplined curiosity, combining detailed research, thoughtful founder engagement, and a willingness to support ambitious ideas that could create meaningful economic and social impact.LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/glenn-k-burney-jr-68a55842/Personal Facebook Profile: facebook.com/glenn.kevin.3Support Our SponsorsOur generous sponsors make our work possible, serving impact investors, social entrepreneurs, community builders and diverse founders. Today's advertisers include PurposeBuilt100™ Winners and supercrowd.tv. Learn more about advertising with us here.Max-Impact Members(We're grateful for every one of these community champions who make this work possible.)Brian Christie, Brainsy | Cameron Neil, Lend For Good | Carol Fineagan, Independent Consultant | Eric Coury, Arthia AI | John Berlet, CORE Tax Deeds, LLC. | Justin Starbird, The Aebli Group | Ken Steele, Rotarian | Lory Moore, Lory Moore Law | Marcia Brinton, High Desert Gear | Mark Grimes, Networked Enterprise Development | Mike Babbit | Coledger Solutions | Mike Green, Envirosult | Nick Degnan, Unlimit Ventures | Paul Lovejoy, Stakeholder Enterprise | Pearl Wright, Global Changemaker | Scott Thorpe, Philanthropist | Sharon Samjitsingh, Health Care Originals | Add Your Name HereUpcoming SuperCrowd Event CalendarIf a location is not noted, the events below are virtual.Join the SuperCrowd Impact League! You can be recognized for making impact investments via Reg CF. See how your activity compares to your peers. It's free. Win valuable prizes. Start now!SuperCrowd Impact Member Networking Session: Impact (and, of course, Max-Impact) Members of the SuperCrowd are invited to a private networking session on September 8th at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT. Mark your calendar. We'll send private emails to Impact Members with registration details. Upgrade to Impact Membership today!SuperCrowdHour, August 19, 2026, at 12:00 PM Eastern. Devin Thorpe, CEO and Founder of The Super Crowd, Inc., will lead a session on “How to Make Money As an Impact Investor Starting with $10.” Drawing on his experience as a former investment banker, impact investor, and crowdfunding expert, Devin will demonstrate how anyone can begin building wealth while investing in companies that create positive social and environmental impact—even with as little as $10. In this session, he'll explore how impact crowdfunding has opened investment opportunities to everyday investors, explain how to identify promising mission-driven companies, and share practical strategies for building a diversified portfolio over time. Attendees will learn how to get started with limited capital, manage risk, evaluate investment opportunities, and avoid common mistakes new investors make. Whether you're completely new to investing or looking for an affordable way to expand your impact investing portfolio, this SuperCrowdHour will provide actionable insights to help you invest with purpose, build long-term wealth, and make a meaningful difference. Register now!SuperCrowd26 featuring PurposeBuilt100™: This August 25–27, founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders will gather for a three-day, broadcast-quality global experience focused on disciplined capital formation, regulated investment crowdfunding, and purpose-driven growth. We're bringing together leading voices in impact investing, compliance, digital marketing, and circular economy innovation to deliver practical frameworks, real-world case studies, and actionable strategies. The event culminates in the PurposeBuilt100™ Showcase, recognizing 100 of the fastest-growing purpose-driven companies in the U.S. Register now to secure your seat and get all the details. August 25–27, streaming worldwide.Visit Our Complete Community Event CalendarIf you would like to submit an event for us to share with the 10,000+ changemakers, investors and entrepreneurs who are members of the SuperCrowd, click here.Manage the volume of emails you receive from us by clicking here.We share educational information—not investment advice. Some links may generate compensation. See our full disclosure.We use AI to help us write compelling recaps of each episode. Get full access to Superpowers for Good at www.superpowers4good.com/subscribe
Apple has emphasized privacy and on-device intelligence over launching a branded large language model or chatbot. Through 2024, Apple's AI features relied on the Neural Engine in A series and M series chips, while research and development expense reached about $29.9 billion in fiscal 2023. Microsoft overtook Apple in market value in January 2024 as investors priced in Azure's AI growth, and Nvidia's gains reflected demand for AI accelerators. Apple reported about $383.3 billion in fiscal 2023 revenue, including roughly $200.6 billion from iPhone and about $85.2 billion from Services. Developers face trade-offs between on-device and cloud AI, with Apple's chip roadmap supporting local inference and cloud providers offering larger models. Founders should design hybrid architectures and monitor Apple's software and hardware events for AI-related updates.Learn more on this news by visiting us at: https://greyjournal.net/news/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode, we discuss how BDC equities continue to trade at significant discounts to NAV, reflecting skepticism toward reported marks, a concern reinforced by valuation levels that have yet to fully reset, even as BDC bonds continue to outperform their stocks. The discussion and content provided within this podcast is intended for informational purposes only and may not be appropriate for all investors. Reliance upon information provided in a podcast is at the sole responsibility of the listener. The information included herein is not based on any particularized financial situation, or need, and is not intended to be, and should not be construed as, a forecast, research, investment advice or a recommendation for any specific PIMCO or other security, strategy, product or service. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. All investments contain risk and may lose value. Investors should speak to their financial advisors regarding the investment mix that may be right for them based on their financial situation and investment objective. Podcasts may involve discussions with non-PIMCO personnel and such content contain the current opinions of the speaker but not necessarily those of PIMCO. Other podcasts may consist of audio recording of an existing PIMCO article and such material contains the current opinions of the manager. The opinions expressed in all podcasts are subject to change without notice. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but not guaranteed. PIMCO as a general matter provides services to qualified institutions, financial intermediaries and institutional investors. This is not an offer to any person in any jurisdiction where unlawful or unauthorized. For additional important information go to CMR2026-0521-5513952-T
In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Peter Goldstein, entrepreneur, investor, CEO, and founder of Integrated CEO, shares lessons from nearly four decades of building, exiting, and advising companies. He explains why transferability matters more than short-term performance, how founders can prepare early for an exit without committing to sell, and what buyers actually evaluate when pricing risk. The conversation also explores SPACs, M&A integration, company culture, founder dependency, leadership bottlenecks, and the personal consequences of selling a business. For founders, CEOs, investors, and executives building companies for sustainable growth, this episode offers a practical framework for creating enterprise value without sacrificing purpose, health, or freedom.What You'll Learn• Why profitable businesses can still lose value when they depend too heavily on the founder.• How founders can build transferability, stronger leadership, and optionality years before an exit.• What buyers and investors evaluate when determining company valuation and acquisition risk.• When a SPAC or public-market strategy may make sense compared with other exit options.• The leadership habits that help founders reduce bottlenecks while building sustainable companies.Chapters00:00 Building a Transferable Business03:30 When to Prepare for Exit07:56 What Makes Companies Valuable13:53 Understanding SPACs20:38 Valuation and Market Reality22:12 Why M&A Deals Fail29:12 Life After Selling35:57 Rebuilding Through Adversity42:35 Founder Bottlenecks and Scaling48:50 Ego, Curiosity, and LeadershipFollow Avetis AntaplyanInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/avetisantaplyanSpotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0rOkUXDSQb6SVFE6LttWDeApple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tech-leaders-playbook/id1690263628Follow Peter GoldsteinLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/petergoldstein-exitandcapitalmarketstrategist/Website:https://petergoldstein.co/HIRECLOUT:https://www.hireclout.comThe Tech Leader's Playbook:https://www.podcast.hireclout.comLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/hirefasthirerightbusiness exit strategy, company valuation, business valuation, founder leadership, business succession planning, selling a business, exit planning, enterprise value, founder dependency, business transferability, mergers and acquisitions, M&A strategy, SPAC, special purpose acquisition company, IPO alternative, public markets, private equity, acquisition strategy, company culture, leadership development, scaling a business, founder bottleneck, CEO leadership, institutional capital, corporate governance, Peter Goldstein, Integrated CEO#BusinessExit #ExitStrategy #BusinessValuation #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #CEO #MergersAndAcquisitions #SPAC #ScalingBusiness #FounderLeadership #PrivateEquity #IntegratedCEO
In today's MadTech Daily, we discuss investors betting on a USD$2tn (£1.50tn) IPO valuation for Anthropic and Tencent's AI push sending capex soaring 176%.
Kalshi in talks to raise $750M at a $40B valuation. Prediction market Kalshi is in talks to raise $750 million at a $40 billion valuation, with Sequoia and Wellington eyeing the round. The company's annualized revenue hit $4 billion in July, nearly four times rival Polymarket. CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie hosts "CoinDesk Daily." - This episode is brought to you by RealFi, a smarter stablecoin, backed by real-world assets. Find out more at realfi.co. - This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie. “CoinDesk Daily” is produced by Jennifer Sanasie and edited by Victor Chen.
Scott and Eben are joined by Kurt Badenhausen to discuss an NBA bombshell, with the Los Angeles Lakers selling to Josh Kushner for $12.5 billion. They also talk about Kurt's latest NFL valuations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of The Restaurant Boiler Room, Managing Director Rick Ormsby will be going through a sample discussion from a theoretical client who calls in to ask about selling their company. We will go through the main questions, a sample first call valuation range, and the timing and process to sell their business. This is a very common phone call that we have many times each year, so we hope you find it insightful. Part 1 (S8E3) was a general discussion of the business, and Part 2 is a very detailed look at valuation with examples.Stay tuned for part 3 coming soon!
Full Court Press radio show as heard on 106.9 FM, 1390 AM The FAN with Eric Frandsen and Jason Walker. Topics for today's show included:A look at sports franchise valuations from Sportico. Where do local pro teams rank among all major sports teams in the U.S.?Debate on sports fandom and views on players leaving for other schools after spending 3-4 years at one particular school.
Reservoir has built an ultra-efficient water heater that can predict hot water demand, store energy, and detect plumbing leaks throughout a home. Also, Blacksmith says revenue has grown more than tenfold over the past year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Financial Times reported that some Anthropic investors are targeting a $2 trillion valuation in a record-setting IPO. Anthropic, led by CEO Dario Amodei and president Daniela Amodei, builds the Claude family of language models and emphasizes safety. Amazon announced a commitment of up to $4 billion in 2023 and Google invested in 2023, including a reported $2 billion convertible note, providing distribution and compute through their clouds. A $2 trillion debut would surpass Saudi Aramco's roughly $1.7 trillion listing by valuation and would test investor appetite for long-duration AI growth. The valuation case depends on revenue growth outpacing training and inference costs and on chip and cloud contract terms. Regulatory inquiries into big tech AI investments and ongoing copyright litigation could influence costs and market structure. Founders should watch cloud pricing, co-selling options, and procurement strategies as capital concentrates in AI.Learn more on this news by visiting us at: https://greyjournal.net/news/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Craig and Chris McGonagle react to the massive $12 billion valuation of the Lakers and the ripple effect on the New York Knicks' market value. They also brainstorm a "Dead to Me" social media platform before a caller shares insights on the New York Giants' training camp at The Greenbrier. 01:00 - Music Legends and Billy Preston 06:30 - NBA Franchise Valuations Surge 09:44 - Dead To Me Website Idea 14:18 - Greenbrier Resort History 16:08 - Giants Training Camp Update
Gene dives into a myriad of topcis surrounding the Bills, including DJ Moore's potential impact, injuries and who to watch for in the first preseason game. Plus, the NBA is in the midst of a pair of scandals and franchise sale prices keep rising.
Is Bucky Ball really 10th? Chip Howard is back on Weds. and they both are in baseball hell. Cowboys are still the most vaulable NFL franchise (Texans 13th).
On this episode, Harry Symeou turns his attention back to transfers. We discuss Arsenal's hopes of signing Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid, the gap between the Gunners' & Villa's valuations of Ezri Konsa, the interest in Gabriel Martinelli and more. To sign up as a Patreon, get additional episodes, ad-free episodes and become a part of our discord server, click the link below: https://patreon.com/thechroniclesofagooner?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink Enter the discount code 'SUMMER' for 50% off your first month! Listen to 'The Rise of Pafos FC' on Apple podcasts or Spotify: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rise-of-pafos-fc-with-harry-symeou/id1334407316?i=1000746012823 #arsenal #transfers #news
True operational scale requires more than expanding a business model—it demands scaling the human capital and personal leadership of the founder behind it. In this episode of Behind the Numbers, host Dave Bookbinder sits down with Luke Mickelson, founder of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, to explore how a humble garage project evolved into an international movement addressing an invisible community crisis. Luke shares the origin story of delivering his first bunk bed to a six-year-old girl named Haley—a single act of compassion that sparked a organization now spanning over 440 chapters, 130,000 volunteers, and 300,000 beds delivered to kids in need. The conversation dives into the business strategies and human capital dynamics behind managing a massive, decentralized workforce. Luke breaks down how coining the term "child bedlessness" brought clarity to a hidden problem to drive corporate support, how to maintain strict product quality across hundreds of autonomous chapters, and why high-touch assembly-line experiences turn casual sweat equity into lifelong brand loyalty. Luke also tackles the painful personal hurdles of rapid growth, pulling back the curtain on "Founder Syndrome" and identity fusion. He candidly shares how he recognized he was becoming an operational bottleneck, offering a preview of his Founder Syndrome Survival Course designed to help leaders navigate governance shifts, prevent burnout, and transition smoothly from frontline operator to strategic visionary. Listeners will gain actionable insights on evaluating success through a true valuation mindset—reframing ROI to include long-term developmental outcomes for children and deep psychological returns for volunteers. Whether you are scaling a business, leading a non-profit, or seeking to align purpose with execution, this episode delivers a masterclass on turning a simple act of service into a high-impact movement. About Our Guest: Luke Mickelson is the founder of Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP), the largest bed-building charity in the world, with a mission built on a simple but powerful truth: child bedlessness may not be a real word, but it's a real problem. In 2012, Luke built a bunk bed in his garage for a local family in need. What happened next changed everything. That single act of service sparked a movement—one that has since grown into a nationwide and international network of volunteers who have delivered hundreds of thousands of beds to children who would otherwise be sleeping on the floor. Luke's work has been recognized nationally, including being named a CNN Hero, and featured on Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, the Today Show, and Mike Rowe's Returning the Favor. But for Luke, the true reward isn't recognition—it's the impact created when ordinary people choose to act. Today, Luke brings that same message to stages across the country. His keynote, Making Passion Purpose, challenges audiences to recognize the “tiny moments” in their own lives—the small opportunities to serve, lead, and make a difference. Because those moments, when acted upon, don't just change someone else's world… they can change your own. In addition to his work with SHP, Luke speaks and teaches on the realities of the founder's journey, including the challenges of identity, growth, and letting go. His insights on Founder's Syndrome and leadership evolution help leaders move from building something meaningful… to building something that lasts. About the Host: Dave Bookbinder is known as a trusted provider for independent business valuations, corporate asset appraisals, and exit planning advisory and he is the person that business owners and their advisors reach out to when they need to know what their most important assets are worth. Known as a collaborative adviser, Dave has served thousands of client companies of all sizes and industries. Dave is the author of two #1 best-selling books about the impact of human capital (PEOPLE!) on the valuation of a business enterprise called The NEW ROI: Return On Individuals & The NEW ROI: Going Behind The Numbers. He's on a mission to change the conversation about how the accounting world recognizes the value of people's contributions to a business enterprise, and to quantify what every CEO on the planet claims: “Our people are this company's most valuable asset.” Dave's book, A Valuation Toolbox for Business Owners and Their Advisors: Things Every Business Owner Should Know, was recognized as a top new release in Business and Valuation and is designed to provide practical insights and tools to help understand what really drives business value, how to prepare for an exit, and just make better decisions. He's also the host of the highly rated Behind The Numbers With Dave Bookbinder business podcast which is enjoyed in more than 100 countries.
Heliostar Metals CEO Charles Funk joins Trevor Hall to break down a record Q2, including 14,800 ounces of gold production, rising cash balances and the company's all-in sustaining costs. They also discuss the production outlook at La Colorada, exploration upside, and the work underway at Ana Paula as Heliostar targets a path toward tripling production without shareholder dilution. Charles also explains why advancing Ana Paula through permitting, feasibility and project financing could become the next major re-rating catalyst for Heliostar.
The Appraisal Update - the official podcast of Appraiser eLearning
The Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) has released its Second Exposure Draft of proposed changes to the Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria—and if adopted, they could reshape the future of the appraisal profession. From reducing barriers to entry to rethinking long-standing qualification requirements, these proposals have sparked plenty of conversation across the industry.In this episode, Jeff Morley joins us to break down what's actually being proposed, why the AQB believes these changes are necessary, and what they could mean for aspiring appraisers and the profession as a whole. Whether you support the proposals or have concerns, this is a conversation every appraiser should hear.See the full exposure draft here: https://appraisalfoundation.sharefile.com/public/share/web-s39712a2b1f42469b91333e7714dcf860
What does it really take to build a successful startup—and what conventional wisdom about venture capital might be wrong? On this episode of The Silicon Valley Podcast, we sit down with Brian Mac Mahon, founder of Expert DOJO, to explore the realities of early-stage investing, startup valuations, venture capital, and the evolving global entrepreneurial ecosystem. Brian shares the story behind Expert DOJO and offers an insider's perspective on what he looks for in founding teams, why early-stage valuation matters, and the risks entrepreneurs face when a company is valued too aggressively too early. The conversation takes a candid turn as Brian discusses some of his more controversial views about the startup ecosystem, including accepted industry practices he disagrees with and predictions that have proven accurate. We also explore whether the traditional venture capital model is being disrupted, why the Venture Studio trend has cooled, and how family offices approach venture risk differently from traditional limited partners. With California continuing to navigate political and economic changes, Brian weighs in on how those factors may affect startup formation, talent, and the ability to retain companies locally. We also look beyond Silicon Valley to explore emerging international startup ecosystems and what regions may be building the next generation of entrepreneurial communities. In This Episode Brian Mac Mahon's journey to founding Expert DOJO What investors should look for in founding teams The importance—and risks—of early-stage startup valuations Why overvaluation can create problems for founders Whether traditional venture capital is being disrupted The rise and cooling of Venture Studios How family offices evaluate venture capital risk California's startup and economic environment Startup industry standards Brian challenges Controversial startup beliefs that proved accurate Regulatory changes that could benefit entrepreneurs Emerging international startup ecosystems How to think about defensible early-stage valuations About Brian Mac Mahon Brian Mac Mahon is the founder of Expert DOJO, an early-stage startup accelerator and investment platform. He works with entrepreneurs and investors across the startup ecosystem and brings a perspective shaped by experience in venture investing, entrepreneurship, and global startup communities. Connect with Brian: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmacmahon2/ Expert DOJO: https://www.expertdojo.com/ Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are for informational purposes only. They do not constitute financial, legal, tax, or investment advice, nor do they necessarily reflect the views of Finalis Inc. or Finalis Securities LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC. Discussions of startups, valuations, venture capital, private investments, and regulatory matters are for educational purposes only and should not be construed as a recommendation, solicitation, or offer to buy or sell any security. Listeners should conduct their own due diligence and consult qualified professional advisors before making investment or business decisions. #SiliconValleyPodcast #VentureCapital #Startups #Entrepreneurship #StartupInvesting #VentureCapitalInvesting #StartupValuation #AngelInvesting #FamilyOffices #Innovation
Multicoin Capital's Shayon Sengupta on why crypto is the most underpriced opportunity in tech, the firm's $319 HYPE base case, Solana vs Hyperliquid, and whether DePIN is dead.In one of his first interviews since being promoted to General Partner & Co-Head of Venture, Shayon joins Connor in New York to explain why Multicoin recommitted to crypto while peer funds expand into AI and robotics. They cover the two forces he believes the market is mispricing (infrastructure maturity and regulatory clarity), the everything exchange thesis behind Hyperliquid, why dual token-equity structures fail, the coming financialization of compute, and a candid Helium post-mortem. On DePIN: "You can call me delusional if you want. We are even stronger believers right now."Timestamps:00:00 - Cold Open00:42 - The Pod Returns with a Bang01:38 - What Changed Since the March Promotion03:25 - Inside Multicoin: Tushar, Spencer, Hedge Fund vs Venture06:08 - Favorite Memory: Breakpoint 2021, SOL at $25009:17 - Lessons from Three Cycles13:38 - AI in 2026 Is Crypto in 202114:19 - Why Multicoin Recommitted to Crypto18:35 - The Regulatory Unlock the Market Is Mispricing21:47 - Is Decentralization Still a Core Tenet?24:49 - Token Holder Rights and the Revenue Meta28:16 - The HYPE Thesis: $319 Base Case, the Everything Exchange30:53 - Are 99% Buybacks the New Standard?33:10 - Why Dual Token-Equity Structures Go to Zero37:33 - Solana vs Hyperliquid: Spot vs Perps42:10 - Request for Startups: Financializing Compute46:30 - Shayon Flips the Mic: Is AI Topping?48:53 - The Four-Year Cycle and Where the Bottom Is51:46 - Where the Next Bull Market Flows Go53:08 - Is DePIN Dead?56:40 - The Helium Post-Mortem59:14 - GEODNET, Grass, and DePIN's Next Five Years01:01:45 - Bear Market Wisdom: "Founders Remember"Follow Shayon: https://x.com/shayonsenguptaFollow Multicoin Capital: https://x.com/multicoinFollow Connor: https://x.com/richhomieconFollow Proof of Coverage: https://x.com/Proof_CoverageProof of Coverage is tech's creative agency. We make launch videos, brand films, founder stories, and event recaps for teams like Kalshi, MoonPay, and Solana.Work with us: https://proofofcoverage.xyzAlthough our guest is a General Partner of a registered investment adviser, nothing in this podcast should be considered an offer of Multicoin's investment advisory services or should otherwise be confused for investment, tax, legal or other financial advice. The hosts and guest, and the firms they represent, may hold positions in the companies and tokens mentioned in this episode and stand to gain in the event that the price of the tokens increase. Multicoin's HYPE valuation report discussed in this podcast can be found as a link in the show notes. The report includes important disclosures concerning the data and assumptions by Multicoin discussed today.Multicoin's Hype Analysis and Valuation report can be found HERE. The report includes important disclosures concerning the data and assumptions by Multicoin discussed today.Multicoin and the host may have interests in companies and tokens mentioned during the episode.
Coaching to Valuation: What Is Your Shop Really Worth?You may believe you own a million-dollar shop—but would the financials support that number if a qualified buyer examined your business today?In this episode of The Weekly Blitz, we introduce Coaching to Valuation, a new approach that builds on the proven principles of Coaching to Profits. The goal isn't just to improve this month's numbers. It's to create a more profitable, transferable, and valuable business.We discuss:The difference between Coaching to Profits and Coaching to ValuationWhy every owner should be prepared to sell—even if they never plan on sellingWhat “blue-sky” or goodwill value meansWhy a profitable shop may still be difficult to sellHow owner dependence can reduce business valueThe importance of clean, credible financial recordsHow staffing, systems, customer retention, marketing, and risk affect valueSetting a 24-month target and coaching toward itEvaluating a shop you may want to purchasePreparing your own shop for a possible saleTo begin the valuation process, you will need at least one full year of profit-and-loss statements and a matching balance sheet. Three years of both is preferred because it provides a clearer view of the business's performance and trends.An estimated valuation is not a formal appraisal or a guaranteed sale price. It is a practical starting point for identifying weaknesses, strengthening the business, and creating a measurable plan for increasing its value.This episode is brought to you by Shop Marketing Pros. Learn more at ShopMarketingPros.com.The Weekly Blitz is proud to be part of the Automotive Repair Podcast Network.The Weekly Blitz is brought to you by our friends over at Shop Marketing Pros. If you want to take your shop to the next level, you need great marketing. Shop Marketing Pros does top-tier marketing for top-tier shops.Click here to learn more about Top Tier Marketing by Shop Marketing Pros and schedule a demo: https://shopmarketingpros.com/chris/Check out their podcast here: https://autorepairmarketing.captivate.fm/If you would like to join their private Facebook Group, go here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/autorepairmarketingmastermindConnect with Chris:AutoFix-Auto Shop Coachingwww.autoshopcoaching.comwww.aftermarketradionetwork.com 940-400-1008Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AutoFixAutoShopCoachingYouTube: https://bit.ly/3ClX0aeEmail Chris: chris@autofixsos.comThe Automotive Repair Podcast Network: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/Remarkable Results Radio Podcast with Carm Capriotto: Advancing the Aftermarket by Facilitating Wisdom Through Story Telling and Open DiscussionDiagnosing the Aftermarket A to Z with Matt Fanslow: From Diagnostics to Metallica and Mental Health, Matt Fanslow is Lifting the Hood on Life.The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast with Kim and Brian Walker: Marketing Experts Brian & Kim Walker Work with Shop Owners to Take it to the Next Level.The Weekly Blitz with Chris Cotton: Weekly Inspiration with Business Coach Chris Cotton from AutoFix - Auto Shop Coaching.Business by the Numbers with Hunt Demarest: Understand the Numbers of Your Business with CPA Hunt Demarest.Speak Up! Effective Communication with Craig O'Neill: Develop Interpersonal and Professional Communication Skills when Speaking to Audiences of Any Size.
Plus: Lyft's bike-sharing business gains momentum. And the data center boom prevented hiring in July from slowing further. Julie Chang hosts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Your business can create wealth. But it should not be the only place your wealth exists. In this episode of The Level Up Podcast, Paul Alex breaks down why founders need to build financial security outside their companies instead of relying entirely on one future exit. Markets change. Industries get disrupted. Valuations rise and fall. If your entire net worth is tied to one business, one major setback can put years of work at risk. In this episode, you'll learn: • Why your business should be treated as an income vehicle, not your only savings plan• How relying on one future exit can create unnecessary financial risk• Why regularly moving profits into outside investments creates greater security• How external cash flow can give you the freedom to run your business by choice The truth is simple: Do not leave every chip on one table. Extract the profits. Build the portfolio. Create assets outside the company that can continue producing wealth independently. When your investments can support your lifestyle without depending on the business, you gain the ultimate form of freedom. Build more than one fortress. Your Network is your NETWORTH! Make sure to add me on all SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS: Instagram: https://jo.my/paulalex2024Facebook: https://jo.my/fbpaulalex2024YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGhDAD1JyGGzSQUPD9lc9HQLinkedIn: https://jo.my/inpaulalex2024 Looking for a secondary source of income or want to become an entrepreneur? Check out one of my companies below to see if we can help you: www.CashSwipe.com FREE Copy of my book “Blue to Digital Gold - The New American Dream”www.officialPaulAlex.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode, Heather Endresen, founder of Viso Business Capital, joins Jacob Orosz to break down what it takes to secure the best possible SBA financing when acquiring a business. You'll learn how to evaluate lenders, avoid common pitfalls in the SBA loan process, and structure a deal that keeps execution risk low and your odds of closing high. View the complete show notes for this episode. Want To Learn More? SBA Financing When Buying or Selling a Business Small Business Acquisition Financing M&A Seller Financing: A Complete Guide Additional Resources Selling your business? Schedule a free consultation today. Sign up for an Assessment and Valuation of Your Business. Courses: The Art & Science of Selling a Business Download The Art of The Exit: The Complete Guide to Selling Your Business Download Acquired: The Art of Selling a Business With $10 Million to $100 Million in Revenue If you have any topic or guest suggestions, please email them to podcast@morganandwestfield.com.
Tian Yang, head of research at Variant Perception and portfolio manager of the VPX ETF, explains how investors can use adaptive leading indicators, capital cycle analysis and behavioral signals to navigate a market shaped by AI spending, inflation and government intervention. He breaks down why the macro backdrop remains risk-on, what would signal a true market top, why a Federal Reserve rate hike may still be unlikely and how AI could reshape profits, jobs and portfolio construction.Variant Perceptionhttps://www.variantperception.com/Variant Perception Cycle Aware US Equity ETFhttps://etf.variantperception.com/Topics coveredHow first-principles thinking separates causal signals from noisy dataWhy static recession indicators and consumer sentiment have become less reliableHow Variant Perception combines growth, inflation, policy and liquidity into a Macro Risk IndicatorWhy AI capital spending and low savings rates are supporting economic resilienceHow AI profits could broaden from hardware bottlenecks to adopters and complementary assetsWhy the sovereign technology race may extend the AI investment cycleWhat savings rates, liquidity, leverage and cash settlement reveal about recessions and market topsHow potential SpaceX, Anthropic and OpenAI supply could affect public equity marketsWhat capital cycle and crowding signals say about semiconductors and hyperscalersWhy headline inflation may stay high without creating persistent core inflationHow the K-shaped consumer, labor market and Federal Reserve reform shape the policy outlookHow AI could widen economic inequality, compress wages and change investment researchHow the VPX ETF uses adaptive sector tilts, stock selection and active riskTimestamps00:00 First principles, causal data and leading indicators04:48 Why traditional recession indicators stopped working09:00 Building the Macro Risk Indicator13:02 How AI CapEx is keeping the economy resilient17:18 Is the AI boom different from past bubbles?21:32 Why rising savings rates often precede recessions26:11 Why the market-top warning is amber, not red30:58 Are semiconductors still cyclical?36:22 Why an oil shock may not force the Fed to hike42:12 How Kevin Warsh could reform the Federal Reserve46:50 The increasingly bifurcated economy51:11 How AI is changing investment research55:38 Active risk, playing the game and avoiding forced errorsLearn more about the Excess Returns podcast network:https://excessreturns.coNo information discussed in this podcast should be construed as investment advice. Securities discussed may be held by the hosts and guests, their firms or their clients.
Xbox prices in Europe jumped as much as 50%, and the console math now writes itself.The crew digs into a rough week for hardware and a strange one for puzzle. PS5 is suddenly the obvious pick while a global RAM crunch threatens the entire next console cycle. Capcom is printing money off seven-year-old games. Roblox got its stock cut 30% after guiding bookings down, and the fight over its algorithm change turns into a bigger argument about platform health versus shareholder duty. Then Phil and Kress go to war over whether Merge-2 is real innovation or the same mechanic in a new skin, while it quietly overtakes Match on downloads for the first time.Topics Covered:• Xbox price hikes of 30 to 50% across Europe• Why PS5 is now the obvious console pick this generation• The RAM crunch that could break the next console cycle• Capcom's back catalog driving 90% of unit sales• Roblox stock crashing 30% after earnings• Retention thresholds and the collapse of viral hits• What the child torture games actually are• Roblox platform health vs fiduciary duty• Japan slowly opening up to foreign capital• Merge-2 climbing to 20% of the US puzzle market• Merge downloads overtaking Match for the first time• Whether Merge is innovation or reskinned mechanics• China flooding UA channels and taking Western shareCHAPTERS: 00:00 Cold Open Introductions00:45 Headlines And Banter02:48 EA Deal Layoff Rumors03:51 Creator Tools And Events07:22 Netflix FIFA Studio Shutdown10:39 Sony Earnings Xbox Prices13:33 Memory Crunch Console Future20:22 Capcom Catalog Dominance27:43 Roblox Earnings Slump35:17 Algorithm Chaos Fallout37:08 Retention Threshold Reality40:00 Child Torture Games Explained42:41 Profit vs Platform Health44:37 Valuation and Downside Risk47:38 Scopely Bets on Japan52:16 Merge 2 Takes Over Puzzle54:46 Is Merge Actually Innovation56:39 Meta Systems Drive Growth01:05:04 China Floods UA Channels01:06:17 Wrap Up and Goodbye
ONDE ENCONTRAR VALOR NUM MUNDO CADA VEZ MAIS DISRUPTIVO Neste episódio do Stock Pickers, Lucas Collazo recebe Dato Netto, CIO da Tuesday Capital, para uma conversa sobre investimentos, valuation, mercados ilíquidos, inteligência artificial e as estratégias de quem opera dos EUA a Tóquio sem passagem de volta. Um convidado que esteve no episódio 9 de Stock Pickers, em 2019, e retorna agora na edição 336. Com uma carreira que começou nos anos 1990, Dato mergulhou na tesouraria, trabalhou com M&A nos Estados Unidos, participou da venda do Modal para a XP e fez um IPO na última leva de aberturas de capital no Brasil, em 2021. Hoje, à frente da Tuesday Capital, ele busca oportunidades em mercados maduros, com acesso a capital e teses que atravessam fronteiras. Na conversa, Dato fala sobre como encontrar espaço num mercado com o futuro previsivelmente delicado, com volatilidade e disrupção constantes. Ele explica como avalia empresas - inclusive num pedaço de guardanapo, como estrutura investimentos ilíquidos fora do Brasil, onde o acesso a capital é maior, e como traz essas teses para um mercado mais desafiador como o brasileiro. Um papo sobre mercado, mas também sobre olhar para onde ninguém está olhando.
Mindy Diamond on Independence: A Podcast for Financial Advisors Considering Change
Ryan Belanger — Founder & CEO, Claro Advisors Most firms are adding AI to existing workflows. Ryan Belanger chose a different path, acquiring a fintech company and rebuilding Claro Advisors around an AI-native platform. He explains why he believes the future belongs to firms that rethink how they operate, not just the tools they use. In Summary Most firms view AI as another technology investment. Ryan Belanger sees it as a business strategy. Louis sits down with the Founder & CEO of Claro Advisors to discuss why his $1.5 billion RIA acquired a fintech company, built an AI-native operating platform, and believes the firms that gain the biggest advantage won't simply adopt new technology—they'll rethink how their businesses are built. The conversation also explores the broader philosophy behind that decision. Ryan shares why he's consistently chosen unconventional paths—from recruiting younger advisors and embracing a partnership model built around ownership to investing in proprietary technology instead of relying on third-party solutions. For advisors, the bigger question isn't simply how AI will change their workflow. It's how it may change what it takes to build a durable, differentiated advisory firm. The Storyline Every generation of wealth management has been shaped by a different competitive advantage. For some, independence paved the way to build unique branding and a bespoke client experience. Inorganic growth and M&A gave many firms access to scale and growth. Today, many believe the next advantage will come from artificial intelligence. But simply adopting AI may not be enough. Ryan Belanger has spent his career challenging conventional thinking. He left Morgan Stanley in 2012, well before independence became mainstream. He built Claro Advisors by investing in younger advisors instead of competing for established producers. He embraced a partnership model centered on advisor ownership rather than restrictive employment structures. And when AI began reshaping the industry, he made another unconventional decision: instead of licensing another technology platform, Claro acquired a fintech company and built its own AI-native operating system. Louis explores the reasoning behind each decision and the philosophy that connects them. Ryan explains why he believes proprietary technology will become a defining competitive advantage, how Claro's AI platform, Claire, is changing advisor workflows, and why the biggest opportunity isn't replacing advisors; it's giving them more time to do the work clients value most. The conversation also tackles practical questions facing every advisory firm: how to integrate AI responsibly, where human judgment continues to matter most, and why the firms best positioned for the future may be the ones willing to redesign their businesses instead of simply adding another layer of technology. Topics Covered AI-native advisory firms Acquiring a fintech versus licensing technology Building proprietary advisor technology Advisor productivity and workflow automation Recruiting and developing younger advisors 1099 partnership model and advisor autonomy Enterprise building and long-term differentiation AI governance and advisor trust The future of wealth management technology > Download a transcript of this episode… Listen and Learn Highlights for Advisors Why did Ryan launch independently long before it became common? (7:30) Ryan explains why leaving Morgan Stanley in 2012 wasn't simply about independence—it was about creating a better business model while betting on himself. Why recruit emerging advisors instead of established producers? (15:00) Ryan shares why investing in younger advisors has become one of Claro's greatest competitive advantages and succession strategies. Why would an RIA buy a technology company? (23:45) Rather than licensing another platform, Ryan explains why Claro acquired NDVR to build proprietary technology that could fundamentally change advisor workflows. How does Claire actually help advisors day-to-day? (33:00) From meeting preparation and client follow-up to portfolio management and workflow automation, Ryan walks through how AI is saving advisors meaningful time. Will AI replace advisors—or make them better? (36:30) Ryan discusses where AI belongs, where human advice remains essential, and why he believes technology should enhance – not replace – the advisor relationship. What does the advisory firm of the future look like? (38:20) Ryan shares his long-term view of how AI, proprietary technology, and advisor expectations will reshape wealth management over the next decade. Key Takeaways Ryan believes firms that build AI into the foundation of their businesses will create greater long-term differentiation than those simply adding new software. Claro's acquisition of a fintech company reflects a strategy of owning core technology rather than relying exclusively on third-party vendors. AI is most valuable when it eliminates administrative work, allowing advisors to spend more time serving clients. Recruiting younger advisors and investing in long-term talent has become a defining part of Claro's growth strategy. Advisor autonomy, equity participation, and technology can create stronger retention than restrictive employment models. Human relationships remain central to wealth management, even as AI becomes increasingly capable. The firms that adapt fastest may be those willing to rethink their operating model—not just their technology stack. https://youtu.be/7XvSXi0PzXI Quotable Moments “I wanted to build something that was integrated instead of just layering another tool on top.” “We're trying to make really good advisors become super advisors.” “Clients still want advice from a person—but they're going to expect that person to know how to use AI.” “The firms that win won't necessarily be the ones using the most technology. They'll be the ones building differently.” FAQs Why did Claro Advisors acquire a fintech company? Ryan believed owning proprietary technology would create greater long-term differentiation than licensing another collection of third-party tools. What is Claire by Claro? Claire is Claro Advisors' AI-powered chief of staff, designed to automate advisor workflows, prepare meetings, organize client information, and streamline operational tasks. How is Claro using AI differently than many RIAs? Rather than layering AI onto multiple disconnected applications, Claro built an integrated operating platform where AI has access to the advisor's workflow, planning, portfolio, and client information. Will AI replace financial advisors? Ryan believes AI will automate much of the administrative work advisors perform today, but that clients—particularly those with more complex needs—will continue to value human advice and relationships. How does Claro recruit advisors? The firm emphasizes advisor ownership, partnership, equity participation, technology, and operational support instead of relying primarily on acquisition-based recruiting models. What does Ryan believe will differentiate advisory firms in the future? He believes proprietary technology, integrated AI, and the ability to improve advisor productivity will become increasingly important competitive advantages. Ryan believed owning proprietary technology would create greater long-term differentiation than licensing another collection of third-party tools. Claire is Claro Advisors' AI-powered chief of staff, designed to automate advisor workflows, prepare meetings, organize client information, and streamline operational tasks. Rather than layering AI onto multiple disconnected applications, Claro built an integrated operating platform where AI has access to the advisor's workflow, planning, portfolio, and client information. Ryan believes AI will automate much of the administrative work advisors perform today, but that clients—particularly those with more complex needs—will continue to value human advice and relationships. The firm emphasizes advisor ownership, partnership, equity participation, technology, and operational support instead of relying primarily on acquisition-based recruiting models. He believes proprietary technology, integrated AI, and the ability to improve advisor productivity will become increasingly important competitive advantages. Related Resources Why AI Matters Now: Filling the Estate Planning Gap with Wealth.com Emotional Intelligence: The “Untouchable” Differentiator in an AI World Diamond Consultants Annual Advisor Transition Report Ryan BelangerChief Executive Officer & Founder Ryan founded Claro Advisors in 2012 after seven years at Morgan Stanley. He named the company after a Latin phrase “to make clear in the mind.” All Claro advisors strive to give their clients clarity and transparency, core tenants of the firm. Claro is continuously recognized within industry for its growth and thought leadership. In 2004, Ryan received a BA in Economics from The College of the Holy Cross and in 2009, he earned the Certified Financial Planner™ distinction. He is most proud of his philanthropic activity. Along with his wife Rachel, they started a foundation that raises money for genetic research in the name of their late daughter, Bella. Their focus is on extreme rare disease. Ryan resides in Boston’s Back Bay with his wife Rachel and their three children. He enjoys exercising, golfing, reading and spending time with his family. He has been featured in numerous magazines and industry publications and is regularly on television sharing his market thoughts. NOTE: The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Diamond Consultants. Neither Diamond Consultants nor the guests on this podcast are compensated in any way for their participation. View the transcript of this episode… Why AI Matters Now: How a $1.5B RIA is Building the Firm of the Future A conversation with Louis Diamond and Ryan Belanger, Founder & CEO of Claro Advisors. Louis Diamond: Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast series for financial advisors. Today’s episode is Why AI Matters Now: How a $1.5B RIA is Building the Firm of the Future. It’s a conversation with Ryan Belanger, the Founder and CEO of Claro Advisors. I’m Louis Diamond, and this is the Diamond Podcast for Financial Advisors. Mindy Diamond: At Diamond Consultants, we help elite advisors identify the right environment for their businesses to thrive, whether that’s at a wirehouse, boutique, or independent firm. With nearly three decades of experience, we’ve guided thousands of advisors and represented more than a quarter of a trillion dollars in assets transitioned. And each year, one in four advisors managing a billion dollars or more who change firms are our clients. Our process is education driven, and based on building relationships, starting as your strategic partner well before you’re even thinking of a move. To schedule a confidential conversation, call us at (908) 879-1002. Wondering why advisors change firms and where they’re headed? Are transition deals going up or down? Those very questions and more inspired us to create our annual Advisor Transition Report. It’s the award-winning data-driven resource designed for advisors that connects the dots between the motivations around movement and the firm’s appetite for top talent. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to make smart decisions. Download your copy at diamond-consultants.com/transitionreport. Louis Diamond: Artificial intelligence has quickly become one of the biggest topics in wealth management in the world. Almost every firm is experimenting with new tools, looking for ways to automate tasks, improve efficiency, or help advisors serve clients more effectively. But what if AI isn’t just another technology to plug into your business? What if it becomes the foundation for how your business is built? That’s exactly why I wanted to have Ryan Belanger on the show. Ryan is the Founder and CEO of Claro Advisors, a billion and a half dollar RIA that’s taken a very different path than most firms in the industry. Rather than simply adding AI to an existing tech stack, Claro acquired a FinTech company and is building its own AI native operating system designed specifically for advisors. What’s interesting is that this isn’t really a conversation about software, it’s about strategy. Ryan has consistently gone against the grain from leaving Morgan Stanley to launch an independent firm in 2012 before it became commonplace, to recruiting younger advisors when others chased established producers, to betting that proprietary technology will become one of the biggest competitive advantages an advisory firm can have. If AI is going to reshape wealth management, and I think it will, the firms that benefit most may not be the ones using the most tools. They may be the ones rethinking how the entire business operates. Ryan shares what that looks like in practice, what he’s seeing from advisors today, and why he believes the next generation of advisory firms will look fundamentally different from the firms we’ve known over the last two decades. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s get to it. Ryan, thanks for joining us today. Ryan Belanger: Yeah, nice to see you. Louis Diamond: You too, good to see you again. For those who aren’t familiar with you and your firm Claro, why don’t you walk us through your background and how you found your way into the industry to set the table. Ryan Belanger: Yeah, sounds good. So background was after college, I got a job at Morgan Stanley. I’d done an internship while in college and that gentleman, Morgan Dewey, said you should look at the Morgan Stanley. So I applied, got a job immediately, and just a couple weeks after graduating, I began as a financial advisor in a training program at Morgan Stanley and spent a good amount of time there and was able to develop skills necessary that really I had all along just growing up, a lot of entrepreneurial spirit I think is important in this business, how to relate to people, some competitiveness. I just happened to luck out and get into a profession that rewarded some of those skill sets. Louis Diamond: I’d say it was the right choice for you. So I think you started at Morgan Stanley in 2004. You were 21, 22 years old, just cutting your teeth, but the financial crisis happens a handful of years later. So what was it like being a relative newbie and seeing client accounts falling, the world crumbling every day? What did living through that crash teach you that’s shaped how you’ve built your business or serve clients now? Ryan Belanger: I did learn a tremendous amount at Morgan Stanley and I do still tell people if they’re looking to start at a big shop with big training programs and resources and really try to figure out what you like and then you can go off and get more specialized. But I do feel like it was a great place to get trained. They would post how many cold calls we were making every day. So on the board every morning you’d walk in and say, “Okay, where did you fall?” And I’m a competitive person, and I just want to make sure I was first every single day. So it was those type of things that really propelled me to keep interested in this business but also see the benefits. It’s really hard to get clients and that’s what people underestimate the most is to build the level of trust with someone that they’ll allow you to manage their retirement nest egg is it takes time. And I was 22, I looked really young, I had no experience, but I was fortunate to have two great mentors at Morgan Stanley, a gentleman named Todd Wetzel. He was brilliant at developing relationships, really caring for people. And then the gentleman that I had done an internship with went to Morgan Stanley as well, and he allowed me to work on some small accounts and really cut my teeth with some customers. And I was very fortunate to have done that, but you’d asked about the crash, and I think what I learned from that when people were literally weeping when their account values were down by 50%, 60% was that money is really emotional, and you have to understand how much it means to people, it’s not just the number on your screen. So having some empathy towards someone who’s really in a period of distress is now a critical skill that those of us have been around for this long understand. And there’s a whole generation, Louis, of advisors that have never experienced a real bear market, and I do fear for them at some point because when you go through that, it really changes the perspective that you have. But for me, it happened, I was four or five years into the business at that point, so I’m thankful that it happened just for my own personal development and I’ll never forget it. Louis Diamond: Yeah. Things have a way of happening for a reason and then the best advisors, best humans, they learn from them, and they’re better off for it. You’re very much right. I like that perspective about how the empathy around the emotions of money was something that you still carry and wear as a badge of honor today. So you left Morgan Stanley in 2012. I think you were 30 years old I read. One, that’s very young to consider leaving a firm like that nonetheless to go independent when in 2012, it wasn’t like everyone was going independent. There weren’t as many infrastructure providers or tech vendors or as much capital available as there is today. It definitely wasn’t a path that was as well-worn as it was. So two-part question, what pushed you to leave the firm presumably without a huge book of business? And second part, how’d you think about risk and reward at that age? Ryan Belanger: Yeah, what drove me was ultimately I felt like I was not seeing the value from the firm I was at, Morgan Stanley at the time. They were just taking an exorbitant amount of the revenue I felt. And I would see product managers strolling through and going to steak dinners, and I’m thinking, geez, I’m here every night on weekends. I’m busting my butt, and I should be creating more value to myself. And so that was one kind of thing. And I think there was a right level of naivete just to think that I could pull this off. I did believe that I had a small number of clients. I was hopeful that they would come because I had to hit a minimum for the custodian platform to start the RIA, which I was able to do. But I felt that they would come with me and that I had developed enough trust with them that I could be their advisor for a long time. And so for me, it felt like the technology wasn’t great. I was just told the mother-in-law is an expression. She says to my kids sometimes, “You get what you get and you don’t get upset.” Have you heard that expression? Louis Diamond: I have. My daughter reads a book where that line is repeated frequently. Ryan Belanger: Yeah, okay. So that’s how I felt then. I was like, “This is what you have and deal with it.” And to me, it just felt like there had to be a better way, but I didn’t have any capital backing, so I bootstrapped it. I Craigslisted an office from an estate planning attorney. I cold called Fidelity at the time they were our only custodian. I called to get some compliance help and I just thought that there’d be other people that would want to join. I named the firm, it’s a Latin phrase, it’s Claro Advisors, and it means to make clear in the mind. And I felt like not only was I trying to do that for clients, but I was trying to push advisors to challenge the norms here. There are other solutions out there. So I purposefully did put my name on it, I knew that there’d be other people that might feel the same way. I’ve always been a team sport guy. I like being around other people and collaborating. And I did have a good friend and credit to him. He said, “If you put this together, I’ll come with you.” And so just a couple weeks after I did, we talked and I said, “It’s up and running.” He came and Dana was our first, he’s still with us. And then a couple of months later, another guy I used to work with called and said, “Hey, I’m at this bank, and it looks like what you’ve done is interesting.” And I said, “We like it if you’d like to give it a try.” And so he came, his name’s Mike. He’s still with us. And so teams started to get put together. But I met someone in 2014, so I was two years in at that point and I was doing legitimately everything, not only as an advisor, but just all the stuff that you have to do to run the business. And it was becoming too much, especially the compliance. And I think nowadays starting an RIA, the threshold is so much higher. That’s why you see better than anyone else. You just see a lot more tuck-ins. But Jen Street was someone that I met and she really allowed me to catapult the business and scale it, so she took over all the operations and compliance and that really freed me up to be an advisor. And I really was just an advisor moonlighting as someone running. I would recruit a little bit or just be introductions, very soft. All that has changed based on what we’ve done in the last couple of years. Louis Diamond: Amazing. So thinking about risk spectrum, obviously now if you look back and say, “Hey, I had 30 million or whatever it was, I didn’t have anything to lose.” Right? But when you’re in it and you had income, you had recurring revenue, you had a paycheck versus the dynamic of, “I’m going to incur a bunch of expenses. I’m not positive who’s going to come with me. I’m not going to have a paycheck for a period of time.” Did the fact that your business was relatively small and you were just getting up and running, do you think it made it easier for you to reconcile that risk, or in some ways it was harder because your dispersion, if someone didn’t come, was that much higher? Ryan Belanger: I think it was easier for me, I knew I could always go to another firm. They would take me and whatever clients I had. I did it at a time when I had little personal risk, no kids, no mortgage. I didn’t have a wife at that point. So for me, it felt like the right time to take a risk. And I had been entrepreneurial in my life. I mean, I had a business in high school and my parents and grandparents were entrepreneurial. So that was in me, even if I didn’t really recognize it, was that I was okay with a good level of risk. And I do say this now to anyone that I’m hoping to partner with is that if you want to bet on yourself, I’ll go all in on you too. But you’ve got to be able to take that jump. I won’t let you fail, but you’ve got to be the one. I think that inertia is what a lot of advisors are like, “Geez, I don’t know, I got to give something up.” And that’s why the data’s important and you have all the data. The clients overwhelmingly go with the advisor. These days it’s just much harder to try to establish a new relationship with a trusted advisor than it is to just DocuSign some forms and move your account somewhere. So to me, it’s just trying to support people, and really push them to the edge and say, “No, this is possible. You should definitely explore this.” And I get it’s totally different, and you might be at a different life stage, but you know the numbers. I mean, tens of thousands of advisors are moving every year and not all of them have a small book like I did when I did it. Louis Diamond: Right, exactly. On one hand, making this entrepreneurial move as early in your career as you did, it was a benefit, right? Because you didn’t have as much to lose, like you said, the stage of life you’re in allowed you to absorb more risk. On the other end of the spectrum, if someone who has a massive business with immense value, they’re well situated financially, maybe their kids are through college, et cetera. And then most people are somewhere in the middle. So it’s interesting hearing that dynamic in real time. Let’s talk about Claro today. So you launched the business, like you said, you had to work hard to meet a minimum custodial threshold. So started from a very small base in 2012, but where is it today as far as assets, team size? Just give us some stats or perspective on what you’ve built in the last decade and a half or so. Ryan Belanger: Yeah, sure. So we enjoyed a tremendous amount of organic growth, Louis. We are not capital-backed. We don’t buy books of businesses, so I would recruit or partner with advisors that were coming from all the various places that you could think of that were finding us to be a very friendly place to work where you had a high level of autonomy, freedom, control, just great economics. We stayed out of people’s ways. We were just good people trying to help other good people, and it was just that friendly environment that allowed us to grow. And of course, we can’t discount market. I think markets had a tremendous growth for everybody in the business. And so the business as it stands right now, we’re about 1.5 billion in assets, 15 to 20 advisors. We got a 40-person team based primarily at a Boston headquarter, but we have advisors all over. And I think as we’ll get to, we’ve just gone through a really exciting new chapter for us where the next 15 years are going to look a lot different than the previous 15 years. Louis Diamond: Very cool. That’s amazing, and I’m in the recruiting businesses and doing recruiting yourself, it’s not easy to tell your story, get in front of the right people, the right like-minded people too, who are willing to take the leap to you, especially if you don’t have the capital backing and you can’t pay big deals or write big checks like others could, so that’s a massive testament to you and your vision. I know the average age of an advisor at Claro is around 40, yet the average advisor in the industry is 59, 60, 61, depending upon what data source you look at. What do you think you figured out about attracting, training, and really cultivating younger advisors that the rest of the industry either gets wrong or ignores? What’s been your hack in that regard? Ryan Belanger: I’ll just take a chance on people that others might not. And typically what that really means is someone with nothing, I’ll make them a deal and I’ll say, “Look, I believe in you. I think you’d be a great advisor. Let’s work on an arrangement where you feel like you can do this and I’ll support you.” And so our specialty was growing advisors from 20 million or 30 million into hundreds of million of client assets. And some of it was just being willing to look where others wouldn’t possibly want to spend their time. But when I was 22, someone took a chance on me, and so I owe it to the next generation to do that as well because there’s some great talent out there that really just isn’t getting the attention they deserve because they don’t have big books of business yet. But one of my core values is long-term thinking, and so that’s the way I frame my decisions is it doesn’t have to be a win today, but it can be a championship tomorrow or down three or five years from now. And so that’s how I’ve positioned it. I think that’s why we tend to get younger advisors. And then what happens when you get a lot of younger advisors, you have some older advisors say, “Hey, look, that’s an attractive bench of talent. I needed a succession plan. You guys seem to have a bunch of guys and gals that know how to do really great work and serve clients.” But I think that’s probably one of the things that I just was willing to take some chances on people at an earlier stage. Louis Diamond: Yep. I love it. I mean, once again, you said in the beginning, you developed an empathy for the emotional side of money and what people were going through that you carry through to this day. So not losing touch with the fact that you started. I mean, everyone starts in this business at some time, but I feel like once you’re successful or you’re through the first few years, you forget what it was like to be a newbie. So keeping that perspective and appreciation for the mentors you had, et cetera, is great. And honestly, from a business building standpoint, to me in this environment, unless you take on private equity capital, or you have capital from a BD or from a wirehouse behind you for recruiting, it’s really hard to win advisors with large books of business. So going in the blue part of the ocean instead of the red ocean, if anyone’s read that book, is very smart, looking under rocks that others don’t or really buying into or leaning into folks that you see something in that you know you can cultivate is a brilliant way. And it’s honestly more scalable, cheaper, you build a better business as well doing it the way that you do, but still, it’s hard. And my guess is the ROI is shorter. I’m sure you’ve made some hires that don’t pan out. So you have to have the tolerance and the demeanor to really invest in people. So long-winded way to say I love what you’re doing. How much of your recruitment of advisors and the retention of that talent as they become successful would you tie to how you compensate them, or equity if that’s available versus the culture of the firm and the mentorship that you and your team provide? Ryan Belanger: Yeah, I mean I’ll speak to what we’re offering now just because that’s more relevant, and so we are positioning ourselves now as the best home for advisors in the country and we really believe that’s the case, but our problem is we’re just a secret. We’ve just come to the market after our deal and all the technology that I know we’ll talk about. So we’re now marketing this message to advisors that want to partner with us. Economics will help them grow. We have a really interesting growth program. We’ll give them equity and Claro. I firmly believe that we should tie each other, just get in the same boat, so to speak. So our success is their success, but allowing them to operate in a 1099 model, which I know is not a popular strategy. I know everyone wants to buy books and own the assets and own the clients, but I feel there’s a tremendous amount of advisors that do not that probably should not be monetizing their businesses so quickly. And so I’m trying to foster a home for those like-minded advisors that want the autonomy to own their clients, maybe even still have a brand, but partner with a firm that’s got really credible technology, just unbelievable back office support and a firm of the future so that they can grow at 10X to what they could have on their own and then they could monetize. That’s what we’ve tried to put together here with our partnership model. Louis Diamond: Love it. Yeah, I mean it is definitely going against the grain a little bit, leaning into growing a 1099 model versus more of an acquisition model where everyone coming over as W-2s. So do you think about those trade-offs when it comes time to raising capital down the line or if you want to sell the business or even just an advisor wants to leave, that would stink if that happened. How do you think about those trade-offs? The ability to let advisors keep control and ownership. And honestly, in my view, probably win many people that you wouldn’t otherwise versus the stickiness, and the enterprise building abilities of owning the books of business. Ryan Belanger: Yeah, it’s a paradox because I understand why you want to own the client, but that’s a different business model. And frankly, I think it attracts different type of people. I had to really look myself in the mirror a couple years ago. We had enjoyed a tremendous amount of success, high growth and all organic, growing at 30% more per year on a CAGR basis. Nothing could stop us. But what happened was when private equity entered the space, everyone wanted to buy Claro. And to me, it didn’t feel like I did a lot of due diligence. I talked to a lot of firms. I didn’t see any differentiation in the market, Louis. To me from a technology perspective, everyone was doing the same thing. They’re using six to 12 different tools. We all know who they are. And now there’s a bunch of AI tools they’re layering on. And to me, it just didn’t feel like that was going to be any… There was no differentiation in the market. But admittedly, I had a couple of friends who I’d brought in at very low levels of AUMB that wanted to leave. And they said, “Look, I want to go to a firm that has more resources.” And so I had to just make a business decision and say, “Where do I want to take this?” And so it was only after some real adversity because you get emotionally attached to these people that you’ve developed friendships with and they still are friends, no doubt, but they can leave and they’re not captive. So we have to plan for that at Claro now, and I think we’ve got two ways that we’ve done that where it really ties the advisors to us, but in a way where they want to be here because we have something that’s really different. Louis Diamond: I like it. I’m sure we’ll get into that. But before we do, we’ll get into what you’re doing on the technology side, which is very cool and unique. How do you balance being an advisor and being a CEO? And what percentage of your time is advisor versus CEO and has that fluctuated or changed over time? Ryan Belanger: Drastically changed in the last year, two years or so. So the first 10, 12 years, I was really an advisor first and foremost. That’s inverse at this point, I’m strictly running the business. I have a great team here that deals with our clients, and I’ll still attend the client meetings and such, but I’m really laser-focused on running the business, trying to develop new partnerships with advisors, running an engineering team, sales and marketing. So the change for me has definitely occurred, and I’ll miss not keeping up with planning as much. I’m a CFP, but I just recognized that for me, I had to make a clear change and commit all my time to running the business, and so that’s the decision that I’ve made. Louis Diamond: It is a hard balance. I mean, there’s some people that try to do both, run a business, be an advisor, be a rainmaker, and something breaks. You’re not able to give all yourself to one thing. Then there’s others that would much prefer to be an advisor over a business owner. Others who say, “I’m over being an advisor. I want to be a business owner.” So I think the cool thing about doing what you’ve done is you get to choose, right? Some of it might be circumstances, but you really got to decide which elements of the business you personally want to invest your time in. And you really push your chips in the middle of the table. So let’s get into what you did in November of 2025. I read that you acquired a tech company of all things called NDVR. I’ve done this podcast for a while, speak to a ton of people. I can’t really think of anyone, any advisor or RIA that’s actually bought a tech company. So what made you puck the trend, buy a tech company and not just license all the FinTech that’s available today? Ryan Belanger: Yeah, that was the decision I had to make was do I really want to be different, or do I want to just say that I’m different? And so I was fortunate enough to get introduced to a gentleman named Michael Simon about 18 months ago, two years ago. And him and I immediately could see that we were both trying to solve the same problem, and we had perfectly mirrored image skills of one another so I had this deep wealth experience and he had a deep tech experience. And sometimes it’s just about timing in life, about catching someone at the right time. And I think we each caught each other at a really good time where we could see that coming together, we could create something really magical. And this AI wave was cresting. And I could see when I was talking to all the national PE firms or RIA firms about what people wanted to do, no one had quite figured out how AI was going to come into the technology mix, and it appears as though it’s just going to be another add-on tool to everything else. And for me, I wanted to try to build something that was integrated an all- in-one platform for an advisor so they didn’t have to use a ton of different tools. And I thought if you could do that, couldn’t you have AI that’s really much more rich and purposeful to help the clients? And so I felt like here’s an opportunity to elevate financial advice throughout the country, really give the clients all the value. And so what we’ve built allows advisors who are really good advisors to become super advisors because they’ve got this technology cape that no one else has that is allowing them to save a bunch of time and do all these really cool things for their clients. But it just felt like right time, right place. I’d been through a little bit of adversity and I felt like taking another swing just like I did 15 years ago going for it. I’ve really never been averse to risk, and so this felt like it was too good to pass up and so we went for it. Louis Diamond: Interesting. So that makes sense on the build or acquire versus rent dynamic, wanting to own the IP that makes you actually different. What does NDVR actually do? Ryan Belanger: Yeah, so everything’s all integrated. So we’ve kept the Claro Advisors name. We feel like clients really want to know that they’re still getting a person to deliver the advice. And so having the advisor’s name in our brand is important, but we have a Claro Intelligent Hub, and that’s where it’s an AI native operating system for the advisors. They spend their entire day in there, Louis. So they’re not toggling between 10 different Chrome tasks to perform all their business. And so what that allows them to do is not only it’s CRM, calendar, contacts, emails, messages, but we also have all the portfolio information. So trading history and we can do tax loss harvesting and factor-based investing. So we’ve got institutional grade portfolio management, and that’s really what Endeavor had created through their R&D was the hyper-personalized portfolios where you have a customer’s financial plan directly tied to their account. So there’s never any de-linking between the two. It’s really sophisticated technology that we can provide to our clients. So that’s all integrated as well. And so we’ve since continued to build the build upon that layer of integrated proprietary technology. Louis Diamond: It’s very interesting. And we have to imagine part of you maybe now or in the future is, okay, we’ve built this amazing technology mousetrap for our advisors, but do we become a FinTech? Is there any thought of eventually licensing what Endeavor is doing for your business and your clients to other RIAs? How do you think about that dynamic of just building something unique and different for Claro that advisors can latch onto versus making what you and your partners have developed into something that someone else can take and license themselves? Ryan Belanger: Yeah, it’s a fair question. We get it a good amount. While there might be a possibility that we license this to some other businesses, our main goal right now is to keep it captive to RIAs that want to partner with Claro. And so we feel like this gives them a true level of differentiation in the market, and so that’s the approach that we’re taking right now. Being a FinTech company, there’s a lot of different skills. The setup and tear down of getting someone to use the platform and I think all that time and resources we want on sales and marketing to try to attract new advisors and continue to develop just jaw-dropping technology for the existing advisors. Louis Diamond: Very cool. Let’s talk a little bit about your partnership model. So it does sound unique in that you have people that are 1099, but you don’t usually also hear partner. So how does it work? Ryan Belanger: Yeah, so we’re offering advisors to come and use Claro as a back office so you can have your own brand if you want or you can just be a Claro advisor. We have both here and you’ll be a 1099 advisor so you’ll still own the business that you’ve owned. So if you were at a wirehouse or something, you would actually now be creating some enterprise value for yourself. But if you’re an existing REA, you’d be coming to us because you’re tired of doing tech vendor due diligence all the time or you’re tired of the compliance, the AI regulations. That’s just coming. So that’s going to be a huge challenge for REAs, so we’re seeing a lot of interest from REAs saying, “Look, you’re not asking me to give up really anything except the stuff that I hate to do anyway, so this sounds great.” So they partner with us. In return, they get all access to our technology And we’ll provide all the back office support, office space, dedicated resources, planning, everything you could want to have to operate a business. We do have a growth program that’s really interesting. And then we’ve got this equity in Claro. As you’re a partner with Claro, you should get equity so we give stock options to our advisors who are here and every year thereafter. And naturally, that’s a way to stay connected with the advisor. So hopefully they never want to leave, and I do believe that once you experience our technology, you never want to go back to trying to do it the way you were doing it before. Louis Diamond: It’s like instead of building the most enclosed box that you keep people in with sticks and with locks and keys like a lot of firms do, it’s we’re going to keep advisors here, but not by force, but because they have the stock options, because you’re delivering value, because they have this amazing technology. To me, that’s the dynamic that so many firms across the industry get wrong is that they try to keep advisors where they are by restrictive covenants and by fear, and by retribution rather than if we just do good work for people, we add value, we make ourselves indispensable to the advisor. To me, it creates a healthier dynamic. I think firms would actually retain more even if it’s a gentler approach. And I love what you’re doing there. I think it’s the exact right way to think about we have advisors that are 1099, so yeah, they could leave us, but we’re doing things that make it that they don’t want to leave us. And that’s your charge as the owner to create the infrastructure and the structure where people could go out on their own, but there isn’t an advantage to do so. Ryan Belanger: Yeah, I think the culture is a big thing for us. And if you have people here that don’t want to be here, that’s a problem. And I think that’s what you see in a lot of the wirehouses. Frankly, they scare people and they don’t. It’s like, oh my God, if I leave. And for us, it’s like personally, life is too short. I want to work with people that want to work with me. I’ve got other things going on in my life and these things are just work things. And so I want to enjoy being in the office every day with people that want to be here. And if you think you’ve found a different place, you should go explore that. It’s really a soft approach. I know it’s not the most popular approach, but that’s just the style that I have. Louis Diamond: Yeah. I mean, it sounds like the trend in your career and in launching Claro was we’re going to do things that aren’t popular, but that work for us, like hiring younger advisors that may not have a book or have a small book, buying a tech company instead of licensing it, being 1099 when you’re recruiting instead of owning books of business. There’s a series of decisions you’ve made as the business owner that they’ve worked out, they’ve paid off, but they’re definitely against the grain. And I very much respect that. Ryan Belanger: I really have never been afraid to be a little different, and so I think typically you find other people that might be interested, but it’s a big pool out there. There’s 300,000 advisors so there’s something for everyone, which is awesome. Louis Diamond: Totally agree. Let’s get back to the AI platform that you’ve built, or that you’re building. Maybe give a real tangible example. If I’m a Claro advisor, how has my life changed now that I’m using this platform versus before? So the old model was I log in, like you said, to 10 different Chrome tabs. I’m meeting with clients, doing planning, et cetera. What is the day in the life? How does it look different from what an advisor’s actually doing today versus before this platform was rolled out? Ryan Belanger: Yeah. All right. I’ll just give you a couple examples. So a client will send you a request and say, “Louis, I need $25,000.” And so a typical advisor would either write a note down, go drop it off at the CSA’s desk, or maybe forward that email to the CSA and then that person would have to input it into their CRM, and they go perform the task. And then the advisor would want to know where things are in that process so that there’s a lot of back and forth. With our system, Claire, our intelligent chief of staff, AI chief of staff, you just forward that task to tasks@claroadvisors.com. It recognizes the email address that the client is emailing from, it knows the account number. It talks to our portfolio engineer. It knows which account to raise the cash from because it knows the tax jurisdiction, and otherwise, and it performs the task. And the last push of a button is that CSA just moving money from the custodian. So all along the way, the advisor can check on the task and see where it is in the process. It’s beautifully integrated in the intelligent hub, but you could see how that would save a tremendous amount of time and it’s a better customer experience. The mistakes get limited. So it really allows the advisor to get things done at a much higher level. So we’re raising productivity quite a bit. First of all, she’ll establish your meetings, Claire will. So she’ll schedule them for you. She’ll prep them for you. So we have a button, say prep the meeting because we have all the notes, emails. If you’re texting portfolio data, because she has all that information in about 30 to 45 seconds, she’s going to present to the advisor a really nice meeting summary that, “Hey, here’s the things that we should talk about.” She’s going to surface things that the advisor’s forgotten about because she doesn’t forget things. And so she’s prepped the meeting for you, so you’ve saved a couple hours there. She joins the meeting, she takes all of your notes, stores them in the system. She’ll give you a follow-up email. She knows your writing style, so she’ll know that you like to call this client this, and you send these emails typically at this time. And so she’ll deliver a nice follow-up email instantly for the advisor. They click that button, that’s done. So there’s just a lot of things that where she’s efficiency-wise where on 20, 30 hours a week that we’re saving advisors just on the productivity tools alone, so that’s where we’re seeing advisors seeing a ton of value in this. Louis Diamond: It’s very cool. Ryan Belanger: And then there’s a whole portfolio management capabilities, sweeping idle cash and tax loss harvesting and rebalancing that gets done while advisors are having a cup of coffee. They don’t have to think about these things. It just gets done for them. Louis Diamond: It’s so cool because it’s like I think I can conceptualize or think of building in Claude any one of those functionalities for the most part, but the way that the flow of things works and the journey of it is unique. I think every advisor would be interested in that type of promise of saving that much time. So how do you think now in the future, how do you think about the human advisor interaction, and what the human and the advisor will do versus what can be offloaded to AI? Ryan Belanger: Yeah, certainly a lot of the non-client-facing activity can be unloaded and that’s where advisors spend, according to recent studies, almost 60% of their time non-client-facing. So we’re trying to take all that off of their plates for them. We strongly believe clients still want the message to come from a person that has a level of experience and understands them. But at the same point, I think there’s a growing curiosity about, geez, what could it do for me? And so shouldn’t my advisor know how to use it? And so I think you’re seeing a lot of advisors put their head in the sand and say, “I don’t know. I’m just going to hope people don’t really want to use this and adopt it.” They’re a little bit shortsighted there. Our bet is that clients are going to want an advisor that knows how to use tech, has really sophisticated tech, but it isn’t just another tool layered on top that now my data is in that tool. The reason our system is so beautiful and integrated is because it captures everything in a structured and secure way. So all of the compliance is in there. We whitewash all the PII that’s sensitive information, so we’re not layering another tool on, because it’s integrated, we have an AI governance committee that really takes it seriously. How are we using this information? And so we’ve got an approach and we’ve put guardrails around what it can do and what it can’t do. Might there be a generation, Louis, that wants an AI advisor? I don’t know, that could happen. A twin, a digital twin where you say, “Look, I want to talk to Louis.” It’s 10 o’clock at night. He might be in a different time zone than me. He’s got little kids, but I do have this question. And so we’re iterating ideas on how we can surface that for an advisor to be advisable 24/7 without actually having to be available 24/7. Louis Diamond: Seven. It’s amazing to think about. I mean, obviously you’re deeply in this. You have a front row seat into the power of AI, how it’s transforming your business, doing due diligence on acquiring this technology five years from now, 10 years from now, what does the industry look like as a result of AI? What’s your big bet? Ryan Belanger: A lot of the big firms are going to try to figure out how to layer in tech. It’s going to be very difficult to do that. It’s built on extremely old legacy technology. They’ll be slow. They’ll figure out how to do some things. What we’re already seeing from advisors is the wow factor. Wow, I didn’t know this was even possible, and so I think just given our size and where we are, we have an advantage that we can build things from the ground up very quickly. I mean, what used to take an engineer a couple of months or years can be done in a couple of days or weeks, so things have really sped up in terms of the development. It’s much easier to build it than buy it. And so I think you’ll see a lot of firms trying to do what we’ve done, really build proprietary technology. And I think there’ll be a few winners that are able to do that, but being tech forward and aligned with someone who’s thinking about it, I think is what a lot of advisors are going to want to be. That’s the type of firm people would want to partner with, I think. Louis Diamond: What about the dynamic of, like you said, the digital twin thing is equal parts cool as it is terrifying, how do you see, we’ll say the threat of AI impacting the profession of being a financial advisor? Do you look at it as the entire pie is going to grow because everyone’s more efficient? Or do you look at it as it’s going to take out a lot of the advisor capacity we have because it’s no longer necessary? Where do you fall on that spectrum? Ryan Belanger: So robo-advisors came and went, you remember those. I mean, not that they went, but they never took off the way that it was projected. They’re still great businesses, but the human advisor won that battle. Clients do want an advisor, particularly at the higher end, and so I think at the lower end of the market, you’re going to see some AI solutions where people are perfectly comfortable just talking to someone in AI, and they’ll figure out if there’s a hallucinization or not. But I think there’s definitely going to be a market for it, and so I think it just depends on where the clients are and what level of complexity they have. On the higher end, I do feel like the advisors will continue to have a huge advantage there. But we’re building tools to give optionality to advisors. There might be some advisors who say, “Look, I’ll charge half the fee that I used to charge so you can get my digital twin. And that’s a win-win situation for everybody.” Louis Diamond: Yep, that’s fair. So do you look at your competitive ecosystem now? Not for recruiting advisors, let’s say for winning clients. Do you look at Farther and Savvy and different AI or FinTechs as your competition or do you still look at it as the wirehouses and other traditional RIAs? Ryan Belanger: I mean, Farther and Savvy have done a great job of going after this market. I think we’re not as well known yet as they are. We’ve certainly built out what we think is tremendous technology second to none. There’s a huge market of the IBD space that is just these guys and gals are stuck on these old platforms and things are okay, but they’re not super compelled to switch until maybe they see something like this, and so we have a massive pipeline of advisors and I’ve been recruiting for a long time. I’ve never had a pipeline like this. So I know it feels different to me. People really are interested in this. It’s enough for them to want to see tech demos and come visit us and really understand, okay, this is a firm that is challenging what’s possible and that’s someone that maybe I want to be aligned with, and so I think that there’s a lot of places where we can get the talent. And so for us, it’s just trying to find the right people that we want to partner with for the long term. Louis Diamond: Very cool, I got two more questions for you. It’s pretty remarkable that to get from where you started to now, the recruiting you’ve done, buying a FinTech, integrating it, that you still don’t have private equity investor outside capital. So you think it’s on the roadmap, whether it’s a certain size or you’re looking for personal liquidity where the business will just need it because it’s expensive to operate a FinTech platform and to scale up and to keep growing the firm. Do you think there’s a world in which you take on external capital to fuel your growth? Ryan Belanger: Most certainly. I mean, things have developed for us very quickly here, and outside capital and venture particular is a space that we’re actively in discussions with firms that believe in our vision, understand the value that we can create, and there’s just no doubt that you have to have some wind at your back to get to the market, and so while we’re not a household name right now, I’m confident in two years we will be, and our plan is to grow to hundreds and thousands of advisors across the country. Louis Diamond: Wow, big vision, but I love it. Last question for you. If you were 30 years old again, which I think everyone would kill for that opportunity, leaving Morgan Stanley today instead of in 2012, what do you think you would do differently knowing what you know now? Ryan Belanger: At that point, interest rates were near zero, Louis. Valuations you remember were two to three times revenue. It felt expensive then. Obviously things have changed quite a bit. So I would’ve begged, borrowed, and stole all the money I could from friends and family and said, “I need to buy as many businesses as I could at two times, three times revenue and pay, I don’t know, 3% loan.” Just in hindsight, that’s what everyone should have done. That’s not the path that we chose, but I think there’s a huge opportunity in front of us to elevate financial advice across the country, make really good advisors even better by putting that super cape on them. And so we’re very excited about the future, what we’ve got in store, and what we’re going to deliver to the market. And it seems like just yesterday that I walked out of Morgan Stanley with very little assets and tried to start this RIA, but I’m very thankful for all the people that have been supporting me throughout this journey. Louis Diamond: Amazing. And that’s a great spot to end, but let me ask the inverse of that question. Let’s say you leave in 2026, so leave today, you’re 30 years old, but you have the benefit of hindsight. You know what you know now. What would you do differently around the transition or building the firm other than of course be amazing if you can buy businesses for a fraction of what they cost today? Ryan Belanger: I would want to make sure that I’ve got an integrated solution. I don’t want to be picking a bunch of different vendor tools. I know that’s going to become way too time-consuming for me. So I would really try to figure out how you can get something that’s integrated that can scale, but I wouldn’t change anything about the people. I think you got to be able to connect with people that are like-minded and you still take the risk. What I can’t believe, Louis, is that people that sit at the wirehouses take a home team discount and they’re so fearful of leaving Morgan Stanley or Merrill Lynch or UBS, but why are they taking that? The market says you should be paid double what you paid. And it’s not just like that’s 20, 30 years of data here that show that. And so I just would keep pushing people to bet on yourself. Your clients will come with you. Yes, that firm that you love will be the first ones to try to steal your clients. They’re going to call them, and that’s one way, loyalty. Another thing I don’t understand, but that’s the way the business is structured. I think there’s a huge opportunity to just educate advisors about what’s out there and I would take the risk. Louis Diamond: Love it. Ryan, this has been very fun. What you’ve accomplished, like I said earlier, gone against the grain at every turn. Leaving on the younger side without a huge business, buying and integrating a technology company, recruiting younger advisors without books of business. Every single thing you’ve done has been a different playbook. So I’m pumped to watch how we make Claro a household name and how this approach is going to pay off in spade. So I appreciate hearing this different perspective, and I know our listeners did as well, so much appreciated today. Ryan Belanger: Well, thanks for having me on. I know it’s a long time coming. Thanks for your patience. I wanted to make sure we had something really exciting to talk about when we finally did this, and hopefully I can come back in a couple years and catch up. And congratulations on everything you guys have built. You guys are just a premier name out there, and it’s been fun to watch your success as well. Louis Diamond: Thank you, Ryan, I appreciate it. Mindy Diamond: As a financial advisor, you hold yourself to the highest standards of integrity, honesty, and credibility. You are successful because you take your professional responsibilities seriously and are dedicated to your clients. But are you living your best business life? Are your goals aligned with your firms or could a better option exist? Should I Stay or Should I Go? is a book written with you in mind. It’s a self-guided journey that walks you through the key steps that we take with our advisor clients. This strategic thought process and roadmap to professional self-discovery is designed to help you ask the right questions and think critically and objectively whether you’re considering change or not. Learn how to get your copy at diamond-consultants.com/thebook. Why AI Matters Now: How a $1.5B RIA is Building the Firm of the Future A conversation with Louis Diamond and Ryan Belanger, Founder & CEO of Claro Advisors. Louis Diamond: Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast series for financial advisors. Today’s episode is Why AI Matters Now: How a $1.5B RIA is Building the Firm of the Future. It’s a conversation with Ryan Belanger, the Founder and CEO of Claro Advisors. I’m Louis Diamond, and this is the Diamond Podcast for Financial Advisors. Mindy Diamond: At Diamond Consultants, we help elite advisors identify the right environment for their businesses to thrive, whether that’s at a wirehouse, boutique, or independent firm. With nearly three decades of experience, we’ve guided thousands of advisors and represented more than a quarter of a trillion dollars in assets transitioned. And each year, one in four advisors managing a billion dollars or more who change firms are our clients. Our process is education driven, and based on building relationships, starting as your strategic partner well before you’re even thinking of a move. To schedule a confidential conversation, call us at (908) 879-1002. Wondering why advisors change firms and where they’re headed? Are transition deals going up or down? Those very questions and more inspired us to create our annual Advisor Transition Report. It’s the award-winning data-driven resource designed for advisors that connects the dots between the motivations around movement and the firm’s appetite for top talent. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to make smart decisions. Download your copy at diamond-consultants.com/transitionreport. Louis Diamond: Artificial intelligence has quickly become one of the biggest topics in wealth management in the world. Almost every firm is experimenting with new tools, looking for ways to automate tasks, improve efficiency, or help advisors serve clients more effectively. But what if AI isn’t just another technology to plug into your business? What if it becomes the foundation for how your business is built? That’s exactly why I wanted to have Ryan Belanger on the show. Ryan is the Founder and CEO of Claro Advisors, a billion and a half dollar RIA that’s taken a very different path than most firms in the industry. Rather than simply adding AI to an existing tech stack, Claro acquired a FinTech company and is building its own AI native operating system designed specifically for advisors. What’s interesting is that this isn’t really a conversation about software, it’s about strategy. Ryan has consistently gone against the grain from leaving Morgan Stanley to launch an independent firm in 2012 before it became commonplace, to recruiting younger advisors when others chased established producers, to betting that proprietary technology will b
In this episode, Micah and Trey sit down with Colby Allen, an M&A advisor, valuation and exit planning consultant. Colby deep dives on the current state of compensation, valuations, and perpetuation, but from the producer side of things. They talk post-acquisition golden handcuffs, how lift-outs actually get done, what it really means to vest into your book......Resources & Links:
Shawn O'Malley and Kyle Grieve explore Intuit (ticker: INTU). In this episode, you'll learn what narratives have underpinned the company's more than 60% selloff, as Intuit claims the undesirable title of “worst performer in the S&P 500” this year. But is this a bargain price for a high-quality SaaS business, or a value trap? That's the key question that Shawn & Kyle discuss, plus so much more! IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: (00:00:00) Intro (00:03:08) How Intuit's accounting software became so popular (00:11:54) What makes QuickBooks such a great business (00:19:58) Why Intuit is the worst performing stock in the S&P 500 this year (00:23:10) How to think about Intuit as either a value trap or bargain (00:36:57) Whether Intuit's TurboTax business is resistant to AI disruptions (01:11:21) Valuation discussion of Intuit (01:13:13) How to model Intuit's intrinsic value (01:14:22) Whether Shawn & Kyle add Intuit to The Intrinsic Value Portfolio Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Join the exclusive The Intrinsic Value Mastermind Community. Track The Intrinsic Value Portfolio. Learn more about how to join us in NYC for our Intrinsic Value Conference. Portfolio Review Submit Tool. See Shawn's financial model for Intuit. The Finance Corner: "Deep Dive Into Intuit". Business Breakdowns Podcast — Intuit (2022). Intuit's 2025 Investor Day Presentation. Intuit's 2026 latest Investor Day Presentation. Check out our previous Intrinsic Value breakdowns: Wix, Microsoft, Kelly Partners Group. Related books mentioned in the podcast. Ad-free episodes on our Premium Feed. NEW TO THE SHOW? Get smarter about valuing businesses through The Intrinsic Value Newsletter. Check out The Investor's Podcast Starter Packs. Follow our official social media accounts: X | LinkedIn | Facebook. Try our tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance. Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts. SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors: Fiscal.AI References to any third-party products, services, or advertisers do not constitute endorsements, and The Investor's Podcast Network is not responsible for any claims made by them. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm
In this episode of Behind the Numbers, host Dave Bookbinder sits down with Nicole Grinnell - founder of Bosun Solutions and Mic'd Up Booking - to break down the exact financial and operational mechanics of scaling a small business. They pull back the curtain on payroll optimization, calculating the true opportunity cost of doing your own admin work, and why high-performing executive assistants are revenue multipliers, not expenses. Nicole walks through the spreadsheet arbitrage of fractional staffing, explaining how shifting from fixed W2 payroll overhead to variable fractional support insulates profit margins during market volatility (a model battle-tested during COVID-19). They dig deep into the hidden financial cost of a bad hire, the exact vetting processes needed to protect cash flow, and why Net Profit is the ultimate metric every scaling founder must track. Plus, Nicole outlines how to turn podcast guesting into a low-effort, high-ROI B2B sales engine that drastically shortens sales cycles.
Shawn O'Malley and Kyle Grieve explore Intuit (ticker: INTU). In this episode, you'll learn what narratives have underpinned the company's more than 60% selloff, as Intuit claims the undesirable title of “worst performer in the S&P 500” this year. But is this a bargain price for a high-quality SaaS business, or a value trap? That's the key question that Shawn & Kyle discuss, plus so much more! IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: (00:00:00) Intro (00:03:48) How Intuit's accounting software became so popular (00:12:49) What makes QuickBooks such a great business (00:20:54) Why Intuit is the worst performing stock in the S&P 500 this year (00:24:05) How to think about Intuit as either a value trap or bargain (00:38:45) Whether Intuit's TurboTax business is resistant to AI disruptions (01:17:02) Valuation discussion of Intuit (01:18:55) How to model Intuit's intrinsic value (01:20:04) Whether Shawn & Kyle add Intuit to The Intrinsic Value Portfolio Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Join the exclusive The Intrinsic Value Mastermind Community. Track The Intrinsic Value Portfolio. Learn more about how to join us in NYC for our Intrinsic Value Conference. Portfolio Review Submit Tool. See Shawn's financial model for Intuit. The Finance Corner: "Deep Dive Into Intuit". Business Breakdowns Podcast — Intuit (2022). Intuit's 2025 Investor Day Presentation. Intuit's 2026 latest Investor Day Presentation. Check out our previous Intrinsic Value breakdowns: Wix, Microsoft, Kelly Partners Group. Follow Kyle on X and LinkedIn. Related books mentioned in the podcast. Ad-free episodes on our Premium Feed. NEW TO THE SHOW? Get smarter about valuing businesses through The Intrinsic Value Newsletter. Check out The Investor's Podcast Starter Packs. Follow our official social media accounts: X | LinkedIn | Facebook. Try our tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance. Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts. SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors: Plus500 Netsuite Shopify Plaud References to any third-party products, services, or advertisers do not constitute endorsements, and The Investor's Podcast Network is not responsible for any claims made by them. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm
Daniel Mahncke and Shawn O'Malley take a deep dive into DLocal (NASDAQ: DLO), the first Uruguayan unicorn and the emerging markets payment provider for companies like Amazon, Uber, Spotify, Netflix, and many more. DLocal is trading at attractive multiples while growing payment volumes at over 70% and printing cash due to high operating leverage and a high-margin business model. That cash is given back to shareholders in the form of dividends and buybacks. Daniel and Shawn discuss whether the high customer concentration and the declining take rate justify the cheap valuation or whether the market is not understanding the full potential of this emerging market jewel. In the end, Daniel values the business and decides whether DLO deserves a spot in The Intrinsic Value Portfolio. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:04) How DLO became the leading player in emerging markets (00:06:16) What makes DLO's business model stand out (00:14:20) What two megatrends DLO benefits from (00:26:41) Whether there is a race to the bottom with take rates (00:50:37) How DLO compares to Western competition (00:56:58) How DLocal distributes cash to shareholders (01:13:26) Valuation discussion of DLO (01:16:05) Whether DLO is valued attractively (01:17:44) Whether Shawn and Daniel add DLO to the Intrinsic Value Portfolio Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Join the exclusive The Intrinsic Value Mastermind Community. Track The Intrinsic Value Portfolio. Learn more about how to join us in NYC for our Intrinsic Value Conference. Portfolio Review Submit Tool. Value Investors Club Pitch on DLO. Interview with the CEO, Pedro Arnt. DLocal Investor Relations Podcast. Founder and CEO Interview by Stratechery. Check out our previous Intrinsic Value breakdowns Uber, Nike, Reddit, Nintendo, Airbnb, AutoZone, Alphabet, Ulta, John Deere, Madison Square Garden Sports. Related books mentioned in the podcast. Ad-free episodes on our Premium Feed. NEW TO THE SHOW? Get smarter about valuing businesses through The Intrinsic Value Newsletter. Check out The Investor's Podcast Starter Packs. Follow our official social media accounts: X | LinkedIn | Facebook. Try our tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance. Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts. SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors: Fiscal.AI References to any third-party products, services, or advertisers do not constitute endorsements, and The Investor's Podcast Network is not responsible for any claims made by them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm
Daniel Mahncke and Shawn O'Malley take a deep dive into DLocal (NASDAQ: DLO), the first Uruguayan unicorn and the emerging markets payment provider for companies like Amazon, Uber, Spotify, Netflix, and many more. DLocal is trading at attractive multiples while growing payment volumes at over 70% and printing cash due to high operating leverage and a high-margin business model. That cash is given back to shareholders in the form of dividends and buybacks. Daniel and Shawn discuss whether the high customer concentration and the declining take rate justify the cheap valuation or whether the market is not understanding the full potential of this emerging market jewel. In the end, Daniel values the business and decides whether DLO deserves a spot in The Intrinsic Value Portfolio. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: (00:00:00) Intro (00:03:01) How DLO became the leading player in emerging markets (00:07:14) What makes DLO's business model stand out (00:19:08) What two megatrends DLO benefits from (00:28:18) Whether there is a race to the bottom with take rates (00:56:10) How DLO compares to Western competition (01:00:30) How DLocal distributes cash to shareholders (01:19:00) Valuation discussion of DLO (01:21:41) Whether DLO is valued attractively (01:23:19) Whether Shawn and Daniel add DLO to the Intrinsic Value Portfolio Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Join the exclusive The Intrinsic Value Mastermind Community. Track The Intrinsic Value Portfolio. Learn more about how to join us in NYC for our Intrinsic Value Conference. Portfolio Review Submit Tool. Value Investors Club Pitch on DLO. Interview with the CEO, Pedro Arnt. DLocal Investor Relations Podcast. Founder and CEO Interview by Stratechery. Check out our previous Intrinsic Value breakdowns: Visa, Amazon, Sea Limited, Mercado Libre, Shopify. Related books mentioned in the podcast. Ad-free episodes on our Premium Feed. NEW TO THE SHOW? Get smarter about valuing businesses through The Intrinsic Value Newsletter. Check out The Investor's Podcast Starter Packs. Follow our official social media accounts: X | LinkedIn | Facebook. Try our tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance. Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts. SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors: Plus500 Netsuite Shopify Plaud References to any third-party products, services, or advertisers do not constitute endorsements, and The Investor's Podcast Network is not responsible for any claims made by them. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm