Absolute Return Podcast

On today’s show we welcome special guest, dMY Squared Technology Group Chairman Harry You. dMY Squared Technology Group is a SPAC that recently announced a merger with Horizon Quantum, a developer of advanced software development tools for quantum computers. On the show we discuss:

• His lessons learned from working at Morgan Stanley, Oracle, and Broadcom, while working with tech luminaries Larry Ellison and Hock Tan
• What characteristics he looks for in technology investments
• Why he is bullish on quantum computing
• His advice for long-term investors trying to navigate today’s technology landscape
• And more!

On today’s show, we welcome special guests, Brandon Sun, Cohen’s Managing Director and Head of SPAC Investment Banking, and Christian Lopez, Cohen’s Managing Director and Head of Blockchain and Digital Assets. Cohen is a full-service boutique investment bank focused on advising leading and emerging companies across sectors to address their strategic and financial opportunities. On the show, we discuss:

• Dynamics driving the momentum in the IPO market
• Trends in digital asset capital formation and crypto treasury companies
• The evolution of digital assets within the capital markets
• What investors can expect for the back half of the year
• And more

On today’s show we welcome special guests, ReserveOne’s CEO Jaime Leverton and President Sebastian Bea. ReserveOne is a newly formed, first-of-its-kind digital asset management firm inspired by the proposed U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile. On the show, we discuss:

• Their “bitcoin moment” and what initially got them interested in crypto
• ReserveOne’s digital asset investment strategy
• How ReserveOne differentiates itself from other crypto treasury companies
• Reasons why an investor would choose a crypto treasury company over an ETF or holding crypto directly
• And more!

On today’s show we welcome special guest, Meteora Capital Founder and CIO Vik Mittal, his second time on the podcast. Meteora Capital is an investment firm specializing in SPAC-related instruments in both public and private companies.

On the show, we discuss:

• What has happened in the SPAC market over the past 24 months
• Meteora’s approach to investing in the SPAC market
• A look into Canna-Global Acquisition (CNGL)
• What he thinks is next for the SPAC market
• And more

December 17, 2023 - On today’s episode we welcome special guest, Hodes Weill Managing Partner and Co-founder, Doug Weill. Hodes Weill is a leading, global capital advisory firm focused on the real estate and real assets investment and funds management industry. On the show, we discuss:

• How real estate plays a role in investment portfolios
• Which segments of the real estate market are most favourable, and which investors should avoid
• The biggest risk facing real estate investors currently
• His real estate “top pick”
• And more!

October 24, 2023 - On today’s show we welcome special guest, Zapata AI Co-Founder and CEO Christopher Savoie. Zapata AI is an industrial generative AI software company developing solutions and applications to solve enterprises’ hardest problems.On the show we discuss:

• How Christopher went from getting his PhD in a medical field to founding several tech startups
• A deep dive into what artificial intelligence is and what it can accomplish
• Some use cases for industrial generative AI
• How the company offers faster, cheaper, and more accurate generative AI
• And more

 

August 14, 2023 -  On today’s show we welcome special guest, Bitcoin Depot CEO Brandon Mintz. Bitcoin Depot operates the largest bitcoin ATM network in the world. On the show, we discuss:

• Brandon’s “bitcoin moment” and what initially got him interested in the cryptocurrency
• His entrepreneurial journey and where he got the idea to start the company
• Why their customers use ATMs instead of online exchanges to buy bitcoin
• Bitcoin Depot’s growth initiatives, including their approach to M&A
• What he believes is in store for the future of bitcoin

February 27, 2023 - On today’s show we welcome special guest and the 2022 Dealmaker of the Year, Danny Rice. Danny was the CEO of Rice Acquisition 1, which merged with Archaea Energy in a $1.15 billion deal and then subsequently sold to BP for $4.1 billion. Danny is now the CEO of Rice Acquisition 2, which recently announced a $1.5 billion merger with NET Power, a clean energy technology company.

On the show, Danny discusses:

• Key lessons learned from the Archaea Energy SPAC merger and subsequent sale to BP
• A primer on NET Power’s innovative clean energy technology
• The case for U.S. shale gas powering reliable, clean and low-cost power
• What inspires him as an entrepreneur and business leader
• And more

January 6, 2023 - On today’s show we welcome special guest Phil Bak, CEO of Armada ETF 

Advisors. Phil has been innovating in the ETF industry for over 15 years. He has previously served as Founder/CEO of Exponential ETFs, an ETF issuer and sub-advisor acquired by Tidal ETF Services in 2020. Phil has also served as Chief Investment Officer at Signal Advisors, a venture-backed startup in Detroit and Managing Director at the New York Stock Exchange. On the show, Phil discusses:

 

• Characteristics of ETFs that make them a great tool for investors
• Some major innovations in ETFs over the past 15 years
• The bull case for residential real estate
• What is happening in the private REIT space
• The major risk investors face in private REITs
• And more

On today’s show we welcome special guest, David Friedberg, Founder and CEO of The Production Board. Dave is an entrepreneur, business leader and investor who founded The Climate Corporation, which was sold to Monsanto for $1.1 billion. He now leads The Production Board, a holding company of businesses established to solve the most fundamental problems.

 

On the show, Dave discusses:

- His early experiences in investment banking, Google, and what it was like working with Larry Page

- The founding, growth and sale of his first venture, the Climate Corporation

- High potential investment themes that he is focused on

- Insight into one of his latest deals: Lavoro, Brazil’s largest agricultural inputs retailer

- And more