Jared Kushner, former senior advisor to President Trump and current CEO of Affinity Partners, shares his multifaceted journey in real estate, diplomacy, and private equity. He dives into the complexities of negotiating peace in the Middle East and the strategic lessons learned from the Great Recession. Joining him is Katie Ellenberg, who discusses streamlining investment operations. The conversation touches on resilience, personal growth, and the significance of relationships in navigating both business and geopolitical challenges.

Dylan Field, co-founder and CEO of Figma, shares his vision of design's future while navigating the evolving landscape of AI. He passionately discusses the underappreciated aspects of AI reasoning and emphasizes that great design still requires human creativity. Joining him is Katie Ellenberg from Geneva Capital Management, who shares insights on implementing innovative investment management platforms. Together, they explore the intersection of technology and design, highlighting the importance of long-term thinking and ethical considerations in entrepreneurship.

Jack Kokko, CEO of AlphaSense, reveals how his AI-driven market intelligence platform started by unifying fragmented financial data and evolved with large language models. He discusses the recent acquisition of Tegus, which expands their services beyond investment firms. The conversation delves into building user trust amidst rapid AI advancements, cultural integration during mergers, and navigating startup growth. Kokko's enthusiasm for the future of AI and its potential to revolutionize business decision-making is palpable!

Scott Wu, co-founder and CEO of Cognition, discusses his groundbreaking AI software engineer, Devin, which is evolving to complete comprehensive coding tasks. He envisions AI democratizing software creation, tackling the bottlenecks in development, and potentially outperforming top programmers soon. Alongside Katie Ellenberg from Geneva Capital Management, they explore how Ridgeline is reshaping investment operations. The episode also features Scott showcasing an impressive card trick, adding a fun twist to the tech talk!

Graham Duncan, founder of East Rock Capital, is renowned for his exceptional talent selection in investments. He discusses the importance of empathy in hiring and recognizing candidates' motivations, which can transform traditional recruitment practices. The conversation also dives into fostering creativity through thoughtfully designed workspaces and highlights effective strategies for building strong investment partnerships. Katie Ellenberg adds her insights on the significance of operational efficiency in investment management, enhancing the listener's understanding of modern finance.