Investors & Operators

On this episode of Investors & Operators, Jordan sits down with BRIAN BANK, Strategy & Client Development, Investment Funds Group at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Together, they discuss:The current fundraising environment is challenging. Why? How LPs (including family office, endowment, pension, etc.) functionMistakes GPs might make in fundraising Who to hire / how to build an effective team to fundraise ...and so much more.Brian Bank has more than 20 years of experience within the investment funds universe as both an institutional limited partner and as a placement agent. As an LP, Brian committed to funds across private equity, venture capital, debt, real estate, and credit strategies, served on numerous Limited Partner Advisory Committees (LPACs), executed and managed co-investments, sold assets in the secondary market, analyzed over 1,000 partnerships, attended several hundred annual meetings, and established a very deep and broad network across the private investment funds community.At Kirkland, Brian leverages his deep knowledge and relationships to provide clients strategic and tactical advice and perspectives on commercial and business issues related to fundraising, messaging, investor relations and market conditions.Prior to joining Kirkland, Brian headed US PE origination for First Avenue Partners, a UK-based independent placement agent. He has more than 17 years of experience advising private equity firms, including 15 years as a private funds limited partner and portfolio manager. Brian has managed LP commitments in more than 50 general partnerships and served on numerous Limited Partner Advisory Committees across private equity, real estate, venture capital, and energy, and has identified, diligenced and executed direct investments, co-investments, and secondary transactions.

On this episode of Investors & Operators, Jordan sits down with Drew Brantley, Managing Director of Frisch Capital Partners. Together, they go deep into all things independent sponsors:The different types of independent sponsorsHow (and why) to develop a thesis How much cash should an independent sponsor have before closing on its first deal “How much do I have to put into this? Does it have to be my cash?”How do independent sponsors get paid (a very detailed calculation)...and so much more.==Drew is a serial entrepreneur having started 5 businesses, sold a few and still owns some. He knows what it’s like to be in your shoes. He sees the Independent Sponsor model as the method executives and industry experts can take to own and run already established businesses. He now dedicates his career to helping individuals buy companies, find greater success and live life on their own terms.==Since 1996, the dedicated team of finance professionals at Frisch Capital Partners (FCP) have raised over $1 Billion of capital from lenders, private equity shops, family offices, etc. for its Independent Sponsors clients to buy companies in the middle market. In addition to raising capital for Independent Sponsors' acquisitions, FCP offers creative strategic advice for refinancings and other unique transactions.

On this episode of Investors & Operators, Jordan sits down with Russ D'Argento, Founder & CEO of FINTRX. Together, they discuss:How he bootstrapped FINTRX and his journey of raising $9M Series AHis advice to tech founders Finding vision, mission & value in the finance industry How his previous experience of a baseball player & a poker player has led to where he is today...and so much more.###Russ D’Argento founded FINTRX in 2014 as a bootstrapped solo founder. He now oversees a team of more than 100 individuals. Russ has recently been recognized as one of the top 100 CEOs to work for in Boston. This prestigious list, compiled by Comparably, a leading workplace culture and compensation monitoring site, highlights exceptional CEOs who are recognized by their employees for their outstanding leadership, vision, and work culture.FINTRX is the preeminent resource for private wealth data and research. Its platform features millions of data points on the global Family Office and Registered Investment Advisor ecosystem. Today, FINTRX serves hundreds of customers globally, which include top tier hedge funds, private equity and venture capital firms, real estate firms, institutional investors, investment banks, consultants and service providers.In November of 2021, FINTRX closed its Series A round of funding, raising $9M.

On this episode of Investors & Operators, Jordan sits down with Doug Pick, Founder & CEO, DAP Ventures. Together, they discuss:How Doug went from a photographer for Motley Crue at 13, to getting into an industry he basically had no knowledge of, to distributing 500M state of art ear plugs worldwide through known brand stores Riding the market tides of manufacturing consumer products Advice he had for entrepreneurs interested in selling ...and so much more.===For 26 years, Doug Pick lived the American dream as the CEO of a leading vertically integrated consumer packaged goods (CPG) company. Having successfully exited, he’s now thrilled to be able to apply his experience, expertise and network to help others turn their dreams into reality.

On this episode of Investors & Operators, Jordan sits down with Tarrus Richardson, Founder & CEO of IMB Partners. Founded in 2010, IMB Partners is a private equity firm with 8 platform companies, $1 billion+ portfolio revenue, and 100+ years of investment experience across the team.Discussion Topics:- The 4 pillars of growing to $1 billion of portfolio company revenue- 27x return on Lafata investment - Customer concentration- How IMB uses EOS across its portfolio- How to balance the tension of your vision and your team’s vision for the future- Defining success and failure- Why to go slow in order to go fastInvestors & Operators is a production of 51 Labs, the #1 provider of video and LinkedIn content to the lower-middle market M&A community.

Why is “thank you” important? Heather Madland, Partner and Head of Business Development at Huron Capital, on the key role that team culture has in professional development and how to leverage your emotions.Heather also touched on the importance of emotions and listening to your body to decipher them. Feeling your emotions humanizes you and is a necessary skill to balance responding and reacting to feedback in a productive way. Knowing how your body will respond to different emotions is critical for discovering your authentic self and in turn developing your intuition. By doing so, Heather is able to bring a dose of reality and vulnerability that allows her to have an edge in the workplace. With an already established and positive reputation in the industry, Huron’s current team is looking toward the future and shaping the next generation of the 20 year old firm. When “looking in the mirror” and asking who they want to be, the young team focused on fostering a candid and honest environment. Heather spoke on the importance of getting uncomfortable with your team by asking the hard questions while maintaining a safe space to express challenging opinions. Huron’s people and culture had a tremendous impact on accelerating Heather’s career. When reminiscing on impactful memories, she described in detail the importance of responding rather than reacting while giving and receiving feedback and attributes a lot of her growth in this area to Gretchen Perkins, Partner at Avance Investment Management. By being unapologetic for her values, Heather balances being a working mother and prides herself on bringing home joy for her job/team.

On this episode of Investors & Operators, Jordan sits down with Chiara Bell, CEO of Care Heroes. Together, they discuss:Chiara Bell’s commitment in healthcare and her journey to becoming an entrepreneurLack of attention on the home healthcare industry in today’s societyWhat it takes to become a successful entrepreneur ...and so much more.While home healthcare is one of the most vital workforces, our society is not giving it the same gratitude as it should be. In this episode, Chiara Bell, CEO of Care Heroes, and Jordan had an interesting discussion about the overview of the home healthcare industry and the difficulties and investment opportunities underneath it. With 20+ years of experience in healthcare, Chiara shared her personal journey,  from a graduate of Albany Law School in 1994 to devoting her career to home healthcare. They also discussed topics such as balancing the long-term vision and execution as entrepreneurs, strategies on pricing, and their entrepreneurial journey and stories. Being an entrepreneur is not an easy task, however. Chiara revealed the lowest point on her entrepreneurial journey and how she still held firmly to what she initially believed through the hardest times. Let’s tune in and check it out!Chiara Bell's Bio:Chiara Bell is CEO of Care Heroes. Care Heroes is a platform for communicating, supporting and incentivizing the caregiver workforce. Paid caregivers, home health aides and family members are  integral parts of the healthcare delivery system. They combine reported caregiver insights with clinical data to drive an innovative health and wellness engagement program for anyone connecting with caregivers in the home.Prior to Care Heroes, Chiara Bell was CEO and founder of Careticker. Careticker was the world’s first web and mobile platform that helped caregivers track and earn incentives for the caregiving activities they provided to their loved ones. They worked with Medicare Advantage Plans and Medicaid Managed Care Organizations to engage with the most overlooked population affecting patient outcomes - the caregiver.Prior to Careticker, Ms. Bell founded ENURGI, the first on-line marketplace for private, in-home caregiving services. In December 2008, ENURGI was acquired by Univita Health, a private equity backed independent aging platform led by industry leaders Ben Lytle and Hugh Lytle.

On this episode of Investors & Operators, Jordan sits down with Luke Redman, CEO of Hospital Internists of Texas. Together, they discuss:The transformation of the operations, structures, and strategies at Hospital Internists of TexasThe challenges Luke had undergone over the past 5 years of being the CEO at HITThe key equity investment dynamics across the healthcare industry...and so much more.Luke Redman, CEO of Hospital Internists of Texas, and Jordan had an interesting discussion about healthcare and recent investment dynamics in the PE and M&A community. Luke, who comes from a military background, shared his thoughts on problem-solving and leadership styles in the healthcare industry. They also discussed topics such as leadership development, industry dynamics, the outlooks of healthcare and its subsectors, and the career path of transitioning into different industries. While investment opportunities in areas such as the emergency room and anesthesia are drying up, Luke saw significant upside potential in some other areas. Tune in to find out!Luke Redman’s Bio:Luke Redman has substantial experience in healthcare strategy as a provider and payer consultant in insurance group business strategy and accountable care. and now as the CEO of an MSO physician group serving acute and post-acute patients throughout the Austin metropolitan region.Luke's professional experience includes payer contracting, BPCI, ACO, DCE, I-SNP/D-SNP, Medicare Advantage, risk adjustment, revenue cycle, SNF, home health, health policy, and healthcare informatics.In addition to his professional accomplishments, Luke is also committed to serving underserved populations and veterans, having served two tours in Baghdad in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Jordan interviews Dana Cavalea, a very successful high-performance coach, about his new book and the importance of high-performance teamwork. They also discuss the significance of incorporating 'micro off seasons' to avoid burnout and the impact of COVID-19 on mental fatigue.

On this episode of Investors & Operators, Mike Alberts, Vice President at Cohere Capital flip interviewed Jordan and Jing. Together, they discuss:How Ironman and other endurance competitions motivate people to overcome challenging obstacles that at first appear completely impossibleJing’s first marathon - “register first, then figure it out”The upcoming LA Marathon that both Jordan and Jing would participate...and so much more.Jordan and Jing talked about the amazing journey they had preparing for their endurance competitions. Neither Jordan nor Jing come from an endurance sports background. However, when Jordan saw Chris Nikic, the first person with Down Syndrome to complete an Ironman, overcome the seemingly unbearable challenge in Florida back in 2019, he decided to sign up for this challenge himself. Not wanting to just sit on the sideline, Jing also embarked on her journey to race in marathons, then Ironman 70.3.