Funds that Won

Todd Recknagel, Managing Partner of Three20 Capital Group, brings a wealth of knowledge on franchise investments. He discusses his family office's strategic operations and collaborative efforts with private equity firms. Todd emphasizes the importance of active involvement in management and deal creation. He also shares insights on navigating liquidity challenges and balancing organic growth with acquisitions. His journey from banking to franchising highlights key learnings and the critical role of operational excellence in enhancing portfolio value.

For today's episode, I sit down with David Mullings from Blue Mahoe Capital. David shared insights on bridging investors with the Caribbean's vibrant markets, particularly leveraging Jamaica's stellar stock market performance. By emulating the business models of Berkshire Hathaway and Blackstone, Blue Mahoe Capital offers diversified investments across real estate, private equity, and public equities, aiming to make Caribbean growth accessible to global investors. Bowlings highlighted the company's dedication to educating investors and promoting a global perspective among its portfolio companies.David also shared personal success habits, including maintaining life balance, mindfulness, continuous education, and philanthropy. He criticized the industry's common pitfalls, such as under-appreciating marketing, hoarding equity, and unfair negotiation practices. His commentary not only illuminates the untapped opportunities in the Caribbean but also emphasizes the importance of ethical investment practices and personal development in achieving business success.

For today's episode, I sit down with Thomas Wilkinson, the founder of Ollin Ventures. Tom describes Ollin Ventures as a culmination of his life's experiences, with a focus on seizing the current favorable market conditions that present significant discounts on valuations in the venture capital space. Wilkinson's strategy is centered around early-stage, pre-seed, and seed investments, with a particular interest in technology transfers from universities, aiming to commercialize innovations developed in academic settings. His personal investment experience, marked by successful outcomes, has inspired friends and family to join him in this venture, laying the groundwork for Ollin Ventures.Wilkinson details the operational model of Ollin Ventures, emphasizing the fund's aim to invest in 50 companies, primarily sourced from tech transfer offices, to optimize the fund's impact and returns. Ollin Ventures also supports startups through an incubator program, offering comprehensive assistance including free legal and accounting services, mentorship, and a focus on entrepreneurs under 35. Wilkinson's passion for venture capital, his belief in Utah's potential as an innovation hub, and his commitment to impactful investments underscore the promising outlook for Ollin Ventures.

For today's episode, I have the pleasure of sitting down with Clay Gordon from Stout Street Capital. Stout Street Capital, based in Denver, focuses on early-stage investments with sensible risks and outsized returns, mainly targeting "flyover" states and Canada. Having made 80 investments since 2017, they've shifted to a single check strategy for higher initial ownership, diverging from the typical VC practice of doubling down on winners. This method is based on their data analysis, suggesting a larger ownership in winning investments without following on in later rounds.They plan to scale, potentially increasing their AUM to enhance their capacity to support companies and adjust investment sizes. Initially sparked by the structured investment gap among high-net-worth individuals, the founders aimed for a systematic, scalable approach akin to a franchise model. This ensures anyone could replicate their investment success. Alongside initiatives like the Unmet Conference, this strategy underpins their broader aim to offer more than financial returns, aiming for a significant ecosystem impact.

In today's episode of Funds That Won, I have the privilege of sitting down with Jim Falbe from Saguaro Capital. Jim talks about starting his own investment firm, Saguaro Capital, after working in humanitarian aid. He explains how the firm uses advanced technology and AI to make better investment choices. Jim shares the challenges of creating a high-quality investment firm, and the importance of having a supportive board of directors to guide the firm. Additionally, Jim discusses an innovative strategy he uses to raise money for his company, which is offering a share of the business in return for financial support. This approach helps them get the funds they need without giving away too much control. He highlights the importance of learning and growing, both for himself and his team. Jim's journey shows his commitment to blending traditional investing with new technologies to improve his firm's success.

Trent Mano from Convoy Ventures joins us for todays episode to talk about his funds unique investment approach. Convoy Ventures focuses on early-stage startups in Utah, aiming to be the first investors in technology companies. Their investments mainly include SaaS and FinTech, but they also explore consumer tech, marketplaces, and Web3/crypto ventures. This strategy highlights Convoy's commitment to nurturing innovative ideas and founders within Utah's tech ecosystem.Convoy Ventures employs a diversified investment approach, supporting both sought-after founders in oversubscribed rounds and those less recognized. They prioritize the potential of founders and their ideas, maintaining an open-door policy to build a supportive startup community. By leveraging a network of founders and operators, Convoy ensures startups receive substantial support and strategic introductions. This approach demonstrates Convoy's active and supportive venture capital model, focused on early engagement and ongoing assistance to foster successful startups in Utah.

Join us in this episode of Funds That Won as we dive into structuring an investment thesis with special guest Nick Singleton from Aim Ventura. Discover how successful funds identify and articulate their unique investment theses, and learn how this crucial strategy has propelled Aim Ventura to success.Nick is responsible for sourcing deals, tracking status of each deal, company analysis, due diligence, investment relations, oversight of associates and interns, transaction management, networking and maintaining key referral relationships, creating marketing material, work with external vendors and advisors, and other day-to-day fund tasks.Prior to joining AIM in January 2020 Nick spent 6 years working for sell-side boutique investment banks in Salt Lake City, UT and Tacoma, WA. He has advised and executed many M&A transactions with both private equity and strategic buyers in multiple sectors and industries. Nick is a Series 82 and 63 Registered Representative, a licensed real estate agent in the State of Utah and received a B.S. in Finance from Utah State University. He is an avid fan of the 49ers, Utah State Aggies, and Manchester United. In his free time he enjoys hiking, playing golf, road biking, and watching or attending any sporting event.

Today on Funds that Won, I sat down with Krista Morgan of Stage. Stage is an exciting private equity fund that focuses on acquiring early-stage companies that need an alternative path to success. They help companies realize their full potential by providing a comprehensive set of business services including financing, restructuring, and operational oversight. Excellent conversation with Krista, don't forget to rate and review!

In this episode of Funds That Won, I explore the fascinating story of Apollo Global Management, one of the largest private equity VC firms in the market. I delve into how the firm brought different asset classes into the mix, their growth strategies, and core structures. I also provide insights from one of the founders, Marc Rowan, and how he built a winning fund. Tune in to learn more about this influential investment fund.Learn more about Fund Launch Partners: https://www.fundlaunchpartners.com/?sl=podcast

Today I sat down with Ryan Gibson, president and CIO of Spartan Investment Group. Ryan and his business partner have built an excellent self-storage company with retail investors across America. Wonderful conversation with Ryan. We discuss the benefits of internal property management, patience in business, the benefits of syndications versus funds, investor preferences, and a whole lot more. Ryan Gibson is the President, Chief Investment Officer, and Co-Founder of SIG. He has organized over $200M of private equity for Spartan’s projects. Ryan has experience managing the development of SIGs projects in challenging markets.For SIG, Ryan is responsible for investor relations and capital raises for projects. Ryan is also a highly experienced commercial airline pilot. Ryan graduated from Mercyhurst University with a bachelor’s degree in Business, with concentrations in Marketing, Management, and Advertising.[00:02:13] Targeting retail investors.[00:06:43] Different investment products offered.[00:08:11] Growth fund and construction capabilities.[00:11:18] Debt facility and capital positions.[00:15:23] Private credit product structure.[00:21:03] Background and starting the business.[00:23:45] Scaling self-storage business.[00:29:26] Syndication and scaling the business.[00:30:10] Fund vs. Single Asset Indication.[00:35:05] Scaling with the right people.[00:38:40] Funds That Won.[00:41:41] ECRIs and self-storage profitability.[00:44:57] Knowing the score.[00:48:10] Misleading information on social media.