Every successful family business has a good story behind it, but today's guest has an extraordinary one, that's all about innovation, creativity, and loving what they do.Today we're sitting down with Joe Hand Jr., President of Joe Hand Promotions, the global leader in live sports for bars, restaurants, and cinemas. In his role, Joe focuses on fostering lasting relationships and delivering exceptional experiences for commercial customers, helping them drive revenue for their business.For over 35 years, Joe has guided the business, which is now the largest independent distributor of closed circuit TV and pay-per-view programming in the world. Prior to joining his father in the family business, Joe began his career in professional sports as a 10th round draft pick of the Philadelphia 76ers.In 1980, he joined Joe Hand Promotions as a part time team member before going on to create Cable Sports Network, a company that provided fresh sports programming to growing cable systems. He then assumed the role as President of Joe Hand Product Promotions in 1987. In addition to his role at Joe Hand Promotions, Joe's  distinguished philanthropic work includes opening the Joe Hand Boxing Gym in Philadelphia in 1995. The gym is a nonprofit organization which provides a variety of boxing classes to men and women of all ages and ability levels. They offer programs dedicated to disabled veterans, those diagnosed with Parkinson's disease as well as adults and children with disabilities.Highlights:Joe gives some background on the business, what they do for their clients and how they originally partnered with some of the biggest companies in the business (3:10)How Joe Hand Promotions started with Joe Frazier and boxing over 50 years ago (7:09)How the company approaches innovation and how it has evolved since 1971 (10:05)What Joe Hand Promotions brings to the table for their customers (11:23)Analytics and data that help their clients (13:17)The bread and butter of their business (14:23)Going beyond sports events (15:57)How Joe narrows down the events they want to pursue and what their growth strategy should be (17:26)How they think about M and A (18:43)The other companies they have partnerships with (20:33)How COVID affected the business (21:37)Joe tells the story of being an NBA draft pick (24:20)Joe’s non-profit boxing gym and how and why he started it (26:58)Links:Joe Hand Jr. on LinkedInJoe Hand Promotions on LinkedInJoe Hand Promotions WebsiteICR LinkedInICR TwitterICR WebsiteFeedback:If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.

When you're just starting out as a business, getting the right support during those crucial early stages plays a pivotal role in whether a good idea can reach its full potential. Today's guest has been providing that expert guidance for many years.On this episode we're sitting down with Ross Fubini, founder and managing partner of XYZ Ventures. XYZ was founded in 2017, making investments in 105 companies across seed and growth stages, and as an organization, they look to support founders who have uncovered a unique insight and show immense velocity in their execution.XYZ is primarily focused on enterprise, FinTech infrastructure, climate, and the public sector. Ross sits on multiple boards, including Sardine and Legion Technologies, and has made several successful early investments currently valued in the billions, including public sector focused Anduril, security provider Verdaka, InsureTech company, and New Front Insurance. Previous to XYZ, Ross co founded Village Global and was an investor at Canaan and Kapor Capital. He is currently an advisor to executives at Palantir with XYZ backing over 20 Palantir alumni as founders across the public sector enterprise and fintech. Highlights:Ross describes where the name 'XYZ' came from (3:05)Ross explains how he decided to focus primarily on early-stage companies (4:29)Financing and investment sizes behind early-stage startups (8:04)Ross describes how XYZ chooses and values companies they invest in (10:02)How XYZ approaches and works alongside changing economic environments (13:28)The importance of transparency and sharing your story with investors (16:41)Current trends in the early-stage start-up market (19:01)Ross gives advice to founders raising capital for the first time (22:00)Ross describes companies XYZ have invested in whose outcome has surprised him (23:47)Lessons Ross has learned from start-ups that didn't reach their full potential (26:36)Links:Ross Fubini on LinkedInXYZ Ventures on LikedInXYZ Ventures WebsiteICR LinkedInICR TwitterICR WebsiteFeedback:If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.

Embracing a challenge and going after the big prize is something that today's guest knows all about.We're sitting down with Maud Brown, who is a partner at PAI Partners. PAI is a private equity firm that invests in real economy businesses and manages over 25 billion in assets. Maud heads the firm's U. S. team and oversees investment activity in North America. She's involved in fundraising, deal sourcing, and portfolio company management, including the iconic juice company, Tropicana.Maud joined PAI in 2019 after 18 years at Investcorp where she was a managing director and a member of the investment committee. While at Investcorp, she led the acquisitions of Pro Unlimited, Nobel Learning, and The Wrench Group,. Maud started her career in M& A at Salomon Brothers and Merrill Lynch in London. She grew up in France and holds a degree in business administration from ESCP Business School and a Master’s in Corporate Law from the University Paris XI.Highlights:Maud's upbringing and path to corporate work (2:38)Maud describes what drew her to becoming a professional investor (4:20)Her start at Investcorp and experiencing its growth first-hand (5:10)Maud explains what drew her to the opportunity at PAI (6:52)PAI's history and their mission (10:03)Maud discusses the PAI deal with PepsiCo and Tropicana (13:34)Growth strategy and plan for the recent PepsiCo deal (16:03)Maud expands on a new deal in the Pet sector (18:29)Maud's involvement with acquisition pipelines for investments (20:09)Maud describes the differences in her approach to her work at PAI vs. Investcorp (21:29)PAI's approach to ESG (23:04)Maud's outlook on the current exit environment, and the future of the field (24:55)Where PAI will continue to invest, and what sectors they hope to expand to (26:39)Links:Maud Brown on LinkedInPAI Partners on LinkedInPAI Partners WebsiteICR LinkedInICR TwitterICR WebsiteFeedback:If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.

Sometimes the most innovative business concepts are born from immense industry stress. Today's guest created a ground-breaking platform in response to the economic pressure cooker of the 2000's.On this episode, we're sitting down with Gary Beasley, who is a co-founder and CEO of Roofstock, an award winning real estate investment as a service platform for the 4 trillion dollar single family rental sector. The company is backed by Blue Chip roster investors, including Cosla Ventures, Light Speed Venture Partners, Bain Capital Ventures, and SoftBank. Roofstock has completed over $6 billion worth of transactions since its founding in 2015.Previously, Gary was the co-CEO of publicly traded Starwood Waypoint Residential Trust, now part of Invitation Homes, and is known as a pioneer in the development of the single-family rental sector as an institutional and asset class. Gary also served as CEO of boutique hotel company Joie De Vivre Hospitality, and award-winning solar technology startup GreenVolts.Between 2001 and 2007, Gary was the CFO of Zip Realty where he led the internet-based residential brokerage through its IPO before eventually being named its President. Gary also spent six years with KSL resorts where he was instrumental in acquiring and integrating over 800 million worth of resort properties.Gary earned a BA in economics from Northwestern University and an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business where he serves as a regular guest lecturer.Highlights:What inspired Gary to follow his educational path into business (3:22)Gary's first role in the business sector, and how it influenced his outlook (4:23)Gary describes what interested him in Stanford University, and his journey to getting there (5:38)Gary's first job after business school (6:57)Waypoint Homes and how Gary was introduced to the real estate sector (8:47)Technology to facilitate the business, and how the industry has become an asset class (10:34)Where Gary and his partner saw value in the market, and their approach to starting the business (13:20)Roofstock's business model, and how it has changed over time (14:48)How Roofstock works together with brokers and agents (17:41)Gary explains their proprietary asset management software (19:28)How COVID impacted Roofstock's business and business model (21:10)How the current economy is influencing their approach to business at Roofstock (22:54)Gary explains what drew their impressive group of backers to Roofstock (24:20)Gary's thoughts on the company's future market opportunities and the possibilities of going public (27:16)Incorporating AI and staying attuned to new tech in real estate (28:30)Links:Gary Beasley on LinkedInRoofstock on LinkedInRoofstock WebsiteICR LinkedInICR TwitterICR WebsiteFeedback:If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.

Building a thriving business certainly has a lot to do with hard work, but it's just as much about having a strong network and leveraging those relationships. Today's guest has gathered incredible insights and connections in his long career  to build a platform that facilitates these critical partnerships. Today we sit down with Chad Cardenas, Founder and CEO of The Syndicate Group. The Syndicate Group is pioneering a new evolution of venture capital investing, helping startups scale faster by organizing exclusive investment access for strategics who commit capital, and support a company's go-to-market strategy.With 25 years in the enterprise technology sector, Chad maintains a wealth of experience in sales, leadership, business transformation, innovation, distribution channels, investing and go-to-market strategies. He previously co-founded Trace3 where he served as President and Chief Innovation Officer studying macro trends and their effects in the IT industry. He helped build the tech reseller and integrator to 400 people and over $500 million in revenue before a private equity event in 2017. The Syndicate Group was born out of these experiences based on the realization that startup founders need more than just capital. They need partners who can deliver economies of scale by selling or buying the startups, products, and services. The Syndicate Group aggregates those partners, and gives them skin in the game with pre-IPO investment access. The company's investment portfolio includes high flyers such as AppDynamics, CrowdStrike, Nutanix, Abnormal Security, and Cohesity, where Chad played a key role in driving an aggregate market value of over $30 billion.  Highlights:How TSG developed their unique business model (3:30)How The Syndicate Group's network opportunities are valuable to businesses (5:39)Chad describes the relationship between TSG and a startup in their network (7:53)Chad explains what came first: building syndicate or attracting deal flow (11:52)How TSG attracted initial investors to their business (13:15)How The Syndicate Group vets their potential investment companies (14:39)More about the specific sectors and business TSG focuses their work on (16:21)How TSG manages cap tables with startups that have numerous investors (17:53)Why investors are attracted to TSG's deal flow (19:52)How TSG maintains scaling and growth despite the complexity of the business (21:08)The growth and potential of TSG's business model and unique software platform (23:27)Chad describes the state of competition in the field (24:21)Chad explains the effects of a choppy economy and social climate on business in the VC sector (25:30)Up and coming companies in the Syndicate Group portfolio (27:27)Future pursuits and goals (28:42)Links:Chad Cardenas on LinkedInTSG on LinkedInTSG WebsiteICR LinkedInICR TwitterICR WebsiteFeedback:If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.

Innovation is about creation, but it's also about finding new spaces where those creations can be used. Today's guest has applied a centuries-old scientific process to solve a global industry problems. Today's guest is Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech. Under Jennifer’s guidance, LanzaTech is developing a variety of platform chemicals and fuels, including the world’s first alternative jet fuel derived from industrial waste gases. She is also the Director and Chair of the LanzaJet Board of Directors. Prior to LanzaTech, Jennifer was VP and General Manager of the Renewable Energy and Chemicals business unit at UOP LLC, a Honeywell Company. While there, she was a key driver of their leadership in low carbon aviation biofuels. Jennifer has authored or co-authored 50 U.S. patents and more than 30 scientific publications and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering. Jennifer sits on multiple boards and advisory councils, including  the Governing Council for the Bio Energy Research Institute in India, the Board of Directors of the U.S.- India Strategic Partnership Forum, the Advisory Council for the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment at Princeton University, the National Academies' Board on Energy and Environmental Systems and the Founder Advisory for The Engine, a venture capital fund built by MIT that invests in early-stage science and engineering companies. Jennifer holds a B.Sc. from Harvey Mudd College, a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from the University of Chicago.Highlights:How LanzaTech's biorefinery systems work (3:23)LanzaTech's background, and how their investment process has grown over time'(5:02)How Jennifer was introduced to LanzaTech, and her work history before joining the company (5:45)The science and technology behind LanzaTech, and its protection status (7:35)What products LanzaTech produces, and some of their product partners (8:39)LanzaTech's addressable market (10:17)How LanzaTech's technology differs from other direct air capture technologies (11:00)Jennifer describes who LanzaTech's customers are, and where their technology is currently being deployed (12:32)Jennifer breaks down how the company's business model works (13:53)LanzaTech's expansion plan (17:21)Jennifer explains LanzaTech's LanzaJet project, and where the idea came from (18:20)LanzaTech's plan to grow their product offerings and develop new systems for different chemical compounds (22:39)How the company is managing the fluctuating economy and stock market as a public company (25:44)Additional resources for listeners (28:48)Links:Jennifer Holmgren on LinkedInLanzaTech on LinkedInLanzaTech WebsiteICR LinkedInICR TwitterICR WebsiteFeedback:If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.

When you're a founder, you need creative ways to grow your business. Today's guest recognized that need, and built her company on it.We're sitting down with Keri Findley, Founder and CEO of Tacora Capital. Keri has two decades of experience in structured credit investing at leading firms, and as a private investor. She founded Tacora in 2022, securing a $250 million investment from renowned venture capitalist Peter Thiel.From 2009 to 2017, Kerry ran the structured credit portfolio for Third Point, the multi-billion dollar hedge fund founded by Dan Loeb. She was the first woman and the youngest person to be made partner at Third Point. Prior to that, she held a similar position at D.B. Zwirn, and began her career at Morgan Stanley.Keri currently serves as an advisor to Firework Ventures and 8VC, and is on the boards of Hearth, Karus, Point Digital, and Architect.Highlights:Keri summarizes her introduction to finance (2:51)Falling into the industry, and growing up as a 'math person'(3:22)Keri describes what it was like to begin in the finance industry in the late 2000's (4:28)Types of assets in the payment processing platform (6:10)Leaving her job, and how Keri came to found Tacora Capital (7:21)Working with Peter Thiel, and more about their partnership (9:14)Keri describes the audience, and kinds of investors that are attracted to Tacora Capital (10:10)Tacora's unique approach and structure in venture capital (11:14)Keri discusses whether she would rather Tacora be at a later-stage (12:50)Tacora's reason for focusing on Fintech and Insuretech fields (14:37)Keri gives an example of the opportunities Tacora has provided to one of their portfolio companies (16:00)Where Tacora's pipeline for new deals is sourced from (16:52)How the current financial and economic climate effects the work done at Tacora (18:22)How Tacora avoids risky situations and maintains discipline in their work (20:16)Keri predicts the future of the venture capital market based on recent history (21:37)'Non-dilutive capital' and Tacora's approach to companies facing down-rounds (25:15)Why Keri decided to settle the company in Austin, Texas (27:07)Keri predicts how the banking model will change in the near future (30:04)Tacora's short-term goals and plans (31:22)Links:Keri Findley on LinkedInTacora Capital WebsiteICR LinkedInICR TwitterICR WebsiteFeedback:If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.

As the economy shifts, and interest rates rise, there's an extraordinary opportunity right now for lenders who pay attention and lean in.Today we get to sit down with Warren de Haan, Founder, Managing Partner, and CEO at ACORE Capital. ACORE is one of the largest credit managers focused on commercial real estate lending, with approximately $20 billion of assets under management for the past three years.ACORE originates, acquires and manages first mortgages, bnot, mezzanine, debt, and preferred equity throughout the us. They are ranked in the top 20 of the Real Estate Debt 50, according to private equity real estate, the leading industry trade publication for real estate fund and investment managers. Since its inception in 2015, ACORE has closed almost 500 transactions worth almost $40 billion. Prior to ACORE, Warren held C-Suite leadership positions in the commercial real estate finance industry, and capital markets, including Starwood Property Trust, Countrywide Commercial Real Estate Finance, and Coastal Capital Partners.For the past 6 years, The Commercial Observer has ranked Warren in the top 15 of their annual listing of the 50 most important figures of commercial real estate finance.Highlights:Warren describes his path to the hospitality industry, and what drew him to it (3:16)Warren discusses how the economic climate influenced the buildup to founding ACORE (3:57)The commercial real estate debt market and its current addressable market (6:44)How ACORE scales their business while assuring 'white glove service' to their customers (8:15)Warren describes how the company handles ever-changing regulations and political interference (15:22)How Warren approaches and resolves the complexity, and risk factors in the field (18:22)Warren describes where the opportunity lies in different parts of the real estate market (22:13)The change in capital spending and loan status over time, and the state of the current market (25:18)Warren gives his theory on why businesses should pinpoint their focus on credit (28:11)ACORE's short-term and long-term goals for the future (30:50)Links:ICR LinkedInICR TwitterICR WebsiteWarren de Haan on LinkedInACORE Capital on LinkedInACORE Capital WebsiteFeedback:If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.

Sleep apnea affects a billion people worldwide and can cause serious medical problems, and yet its most widely prescribed therapy can be intolerable for many sufferers. My guest today has identified and jumped on a huge need for an alternative therapy.We're sitting down with Len Liptak, founder and CEO of ProSomnus Sleep Technology, which trades under the symbol O S A. He's a board member and the co-inventor of the company's flagship product. Prior to starting ProSomnus, Len was President of MicroDental Laboratories, where he led the commercialization of multiple award-winning products and directed the expansion of the company's digital supply chain. During Len's tenure, the company grew three times faster than the industry average and set company records for profitability. At MicroDental, Len was named to Exec Rank's list of Top Executives for privately held companies in 2012 and 2013.Len also spent 10 years at 3M and Stryker in strategic business development, business unit management and product development capacities. While at 3M, he was awarded the company's Golden Step Award, Circle of Technical Excellence Team Award and Global Sales and Marketing Leadership Award.  Len has an MBA from University of Minnesota and a BA from Brown.We had a great conversation about the important work ProSomnus is doing to solve a widespread medical problem.Highlights:What ProSomnus does, and Len’s background that started him on this path (3:10)The problem of sleep apnea (5:05)The total addressable market for ProSomnus  (7:18)ProSomnus’ flagship product and how it differs from traditional treatments (8:33)How it’s delivered to patients (10:45)The economics of expanding the sales force (12:47)Len shares some fascinating survey data about their market (13:51)ProSomnus’ manufacturing expansion (15:44)How ProSomnus manages quality assurance and their use of AI (18:28)ProSomnus’ partnerships for driving innovation forward (20:39)How they gather feedback from healthcare providers (23:10)Len discusses their growth rate and how that translates through their P & L (25:15)Len talks about the great team at ProSomnus (27:14)Links:Len Liptak on LinkedInProSomnus Sleep Technologies on LinkedInProSomnus Sleep Technologies WebsiteICR LinkedInICR TwitterICR WebsiteFeedback:If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.

After a couple of turbulent years, there are still a lot of unknowns in the market. But today's guest is sharing his insights based on a wealth of experience, grounded in his firm's excellent reputation. Today we're sitting down with Tom Schadewald, who is a Managing Director working on Baird's Equity Capital Markets Team. Tom is focused on technology and on the technology and services sectors. He joined Baird in 2022 from UBS, where he was a Director in their equity capital markets group responsible for, among other things, growing out the firm's capital markets advisory business.Tom started his career at Deutsche Bank in the Equity Capital Markets Group, focused on financial institutions and permanent capital. He brings a decade of experience and investment banking across both equity capital markets and corporate finance advisory, and he holds a Bachelor's degree in economics from Harvard.Highlights:Tom's background and how the Baird opportunity came to him (2:38)All about Baird, and the value of being employee-owned (3:58)How Tom got into focusing on technology services (7:07)Tom discusses the performance of tech stocks in the past few years (8:14)Tom's playbook for positive market performance (9:44)Commonalities with companies that are lagging (11:10)Indicators that impact tech stocks most today (12:31)Bull or bear? What's in store for the rest of 2023 (14:15)The capital market sentiment today for tech companies (15:51)The increase in demand for IPO's (21:01)Tom's position on where the IPO window is (23:38)When to prepare for going public (24:07)How the election might effect things (25:20)Tom talks about his mentors and the best advice he's gotten (26:26)Links:Baird websiteBaird LinkedInTom Schadewald LinkedInICR LinkedInICR TwitterICR WebsiteFeedback:If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.