Today, we will be diving into Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager. Founded in 1985 as a boutique M&A advisory business with $400,000 of seed capital. The firm now manages over $600 billion across private equity, real estate, credit, and hedge fund strategies. In this breakdown, we will start by discussing Blackstone’s business model and ... Show More
Jan 30
Games Workshop: The World of Warhammer - [Business Breakdowns, EP.239]
Today we are breaking down Games Workshop. This episode is another examination of the business of IP. Whether it's Disney, Electronic Arts, or Nintendo, there are so many businesses built around core IP. And while Games Workshop and its Warhammer franchise may not be as familiar ... Show More
39m 35s
Jan 8
Databricks: From Data to Decisions - [Business Breakdowns, EP.238]
Today we’re breaking down Databricks, a $130B private company that helps companies collect, store, and process very large amounts of data, and then use that data to run analytics and train machine learning models. Databricks sits in the middle of modern data systems, connecting r ... Show More
1h 14m
Dec 12
Amadeus: The IT Backbone of Travel - [Business Breakdowns, EP.237]
Today we are breaking down Amadeus, the dominant infrastructure powering global travel bookings. If you've used a travel agent or corporate booking system, you've likely interacted with Amadeus's technology—though most of what they do happens behind the scenes in airline operatio ... Show More
47m 49s
Jul 2021
Steve Mandel - Investing Behind Change - [Invest Like the Best, EP. 235]
My guest today is Steve Mandel, founder of Lone Pine Capital, one of the most successful hedge fund and investment firms of this generation. In our conversation, we discuss how the investing business has evolved since Steve’s start in the 1980s, why it’s so difficult to drive alp ... Show More
1h 12m
Nov 2021
Roelof Botha - Sequoia’s Crucible Moment - [Invest Like the Best, EP. 250]
My guest today is Roelof Botha, a partner at one of the world’s oldest and most successful venture firms, Sequoia Capital. A few days ago before I sat down with Roelof, he announced Sequoia’s boldest innovation since the firm was founded by Don Valentine in the early 1970s. Going ... Show More
1h 10m
Apr 2021
Mike Kerns and Jesse Jacobs - Content to Commerce - [Invest Like the Best, EP. 220]
My guests this week are Jesse Jacobs and Mike Kerns, co-founders and partners at The Chernin Group, TCG, a multi-stage investment firm dedicated to building consumer businesses. Many think of TCG as some of the best media investors in the world, and in this discussion, you’ll qui ... Show More
1h 13m
Sep 2023
Will England - A Primer on Multi-Strategy Hedge Funds - [Invest Like the Best, EP.342]
My guest today is Will England, the CEO and Co-CIO of Walleye Capital. Walleye is a multi-strategy hedge fund headquartered in Minnesota that manages around $5 billion. Our conversation is a primer on multi-strategy hedge funds, which have become a force in markets through the su ... Show More
1h 21m
May 2022
Tobi Lütke - Embrace the Unexpected - [Invest Like the Best, EP. 278]
My guest today is Tobi Lütke, co-founder and CEO of Shopify. Having first spoken to Tobi at the beginning of the pandemic, just two months into it, this felt an opportune moment to revisit Shopify and the world through Tobi’s eyes. Among many things, we discuss Shopify’s evolutio ... Show More
1h 27m
Nov 2023
Brad Jacobs - Think Big and Move Fast - [Invest Like the Best, EP.352]
My guest today is Brad Jacobs. Brad’s resumé is remarkable. He has founded seven companies, all of which are billion-dollar or multibillion-dollar businesses. He has done 500 M&A transactions and raised $30 billion dollars of debt and equity capital. Currently, he is the Executiv ... Show More
1h 26m
Jan 2022
Geoffrey Moore - Building Gorilla Businesses - [Invest Like the Best, EP. 261]
My guest today is the renowned tech author, consultant, and venture partner at Wildcat Ventures, Geoffrey Moore. Geoffrey has spent his career focused on the dynamics surrounding disruptive innovations and his book, Crossing the Chasm, has become a canonical work for young busine ... Show More
1h 17m
Jan 2024
Erik Serrano - Investing in Investment Firms - [Invest Like the Best, EP.358]
My guest today is Erik Serrano. Erik is the CEO of Stable Asset Management, which he started 14 years ago in his early 20s and has scaled to over $3 billion in AUM. Unusually, Stable’s strategy focuses on other investing firms. They look to back the Blackstone's of tomorrow and p ... Show More
1h 27m