Smart Humans with Slava Rubin

Dr. Nicole Paulk is the CEO, Founder, and President of Siren Biotechnology and has dedicated her career to advancing the field of gene therapy. With nearly two decades of expertise, Nicole has been at the forefront of developing cutting-edge advances to propel the field of gene therapy forward for a wide range of diseases. Nicole has held various leadership positions in academia and industry and most notably was an Assistant Professor of AAV Gene Therapy in the UCSF Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics before leaving to found Siren. Nicole has a B.S. in Medical Microbiology, a Ph.D. in Viral Gene Therapy and Regenerative Medicine from OHSU and completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship and Instructorship in Human Gene Therapy at Stanford University prior to starting her lab at UCSF. Nicole is a pioneer in the development of next-generation AAV platforms for gene repair, gene transfer and gene editing, directed evolution for novel engineered capsid evolution, and comparative multi-omic approaches to interrogate translational AAV biology.

Mark Klein is the Chairman, President, and CEO of SuRo Capital, a publicly traded investment fund that seeks to invest in high-growth, venture-backed private companies. A director of Learneo (formerly Course Hero) since 2020, Mr. Klein is also a current board member of a New York Stock Exchange-listed special purpose acquisition company (“SPAC”), Churchill Capital Corp VII, for which he has served since February 2021. Additionally, since 2012, he has been Managing Member and Majority Partner at M. Klein & Company, LLC, an investment banking and advisory firm. Before joining SuRo, Mark held positions including Chairman and CEO at several public and private companies and served on a variety of corporate boards. He earned a bachelor’s degree with high distinction in Business Administration from Emory University and an MBA from the J. L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Blake Hughes is currently Managing Director at InfraHub Compute and Vice President of Investment Sales at NexGen Cloud.

Originally recorded on 4/22/25Slava Rubin of Vincent, Josh Kampel of Worth Media, and Jan-Erik Asplund, co-founder of Sacra, discussed how investors should approach the emerging AI ecosystem and its most promising companies.

Atish Davda is the co-founder and CEO of EquityZen, a marketplace for private investments, where he has driven product development, built the leadership team, and led operations since its founding 12 years ago. Previously, he was VP of Product at Ampush, launching its New York office, and began his career at AQR Capital Management, helping manage the firm’s $4B Global Stock Selection strategy.

Marcelo Ballvé from Sacra joins Vincent founder Slava Rubin to dissect Stripe's meteoric rise. They dive into Stripe's unique business model and revenue streams, revealing how the company has transformed the digital payments landscape. The conversation explores the potential of stablecoins and AI to shape Stripe's future, along with a bullish outlook on its IPO prospects. Christine Healey also shares insights on investment opportunities, making the case for why accessing shares in Stripe is essential for savvy investors.

Christine Healey is the Founder of HEALEY PRE-IPO, a concierge Pre-IPO broker service helping people invest in private tech stocks – the simple, personal way. Previously, Christine was the Head of Private Markets at Destiny and the Portfolio Manager of Destiny’s Pre-IPO fund (NYSE:DXYZ), as well as early employee and Senior Director at Forge (NYSE:FRGE), working in both San Francisco and Hong Kong. Christine has closed ~$600m+ of private tech unicorn transactions to date and has spent close to a decade specializing in Pre-IPO investments. See healeypreipo.com for more information or to sign up for mailing list.This discussion is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an affiliation with or endorsement of any company, and does not constitute a recommendation, offer to sell, or solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities. Investments in private companies are offered only through appropriate offering materials and accreditation requirements apply as defined under SEC Regulation D. Investments in private companies involve high risk, including the risk of complete loss of capital. These investments are illiquid, through a variety of structures including SPVs, may be difficult or impossible to resell, and may not ever result in an IPO or other liquidity event. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The speaker may receive compensation in connection with certain transactions discussed. There is no guarantee these private companies will achieve any specific valuation, and returns can vary widely and may underperform public markets. They may also involve additional risks not present in public market investments.

Vincent founder Slava Rubin and Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund discuss Klarna, a leading buy now, pay later (BNPL) company, exploring its business model, revenue streams, competitive landscape, and future outlook as it approaches a potential IPO.

Recorded 3/18/25Vincent founder Slava Rubin and Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund break down CoreWeave, the AI infrastructure powerhouse about to IPO at a $35B valuation. They discuss that upcoming IPO, the competitive landscape, and CoreWeave’s future prospects. They also analyze the company's rapid growth, its relationship with NVIDIA and its unique market position.‍Since the discussion CoreWeave has gone public and seen its share price rise by 160% as of August 4.

James Altucher, a serial entrepreneur and bestselling author, shares his journey from losing $15 million to thriving through his 'choose yourself' philosophy. He delves into the volatile world of cryptocurrency, discussing Bitcoin's future and the rise of stablecoins and Tao, a new crypto aimed at enhancing AI. Altucher también predicts how AI will transform economies and job markets. His insights on resilient investing, especially in Ethereum and decentralized finance, provide listeners with actionable strategies for navigating this evolving landscape.