Financial Perspectives

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On this episode of the CFA Society San Francisco Podcast, we had the pleasure of speaking with Stan Rudoi, CFA, Vice President of Growth and Analytics at Pollen VC. Stan is an expert in finance, product management, and marketing, with a focus on the mobile gaming, fintech, and SaaS industries.

At Pollen VC, Stan plays a key role in developing cutting-edge revenue-based lending products, managing client relationships, and leading the design of specialized financial models, calculators, and dashboards. He advises and invests in mobile companies, helping them optimize capital efficiency, select debt funding partners, fundraise, and develop user acquisition strategies.

Listen to the full interview, where Stan discusses mobile gaming and venture capital.

If you'd like to learn more about the show, have a topic or speaker to suggest, or would like to leave us a comment, email [email protected].


This podcast is produced by CFA Society San Francisco, a not-for-profit professional association, providing professional learning and career resources to over 13,000 investment industry professionals worldwide. To learn more about CFA Society San Francisco, visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn.

The information contained in this podcast does not constitute financial or investment advice. Please consult your own financial advisor for information concerning your specific situation.

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On this episode of the CFA Society San Francisco Podcast, we had the pleasure of speaking with Nicholas Borst, CFA, Vice President and Director of China Research at Seafarer Capital Partners. Prior to joining Seafarer, he was a senior analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, covering financial and economic developments in Greater China.

Nicholas moderated the "U.S. & China Economic Conflict: Implications for Investors and the Business Community" webinar from October 2022.

Listen to the full interview, where Nicholas discusses all things China including recent economic policies, opportunities for investors, and stock volatility.

If you'd like to learn more about the show, have a topic or speaker to suggest, or would like to leave us a comment, email [email protected].


This podcast is produced by CFA Society San Francisco, a not-for-profit professional association, providing professional learning and career resources to over 13,000 investment industry professionals worldwide. To learn more about CFA Society San Francisco, visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn.

The information contained in this podcast does not constitute financial or investment advice. Please consult your own financial advisor for information concerning your specific situation.

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On this episode of the CFA Society San Francisco Podcast, we had the pleasure of speaking with Dominic Bilotti, CFA, CFP, Vice President and Regional Consultant with State Street Global Advisors/SPDR ETFs.

Dominic works with Broker Dealer Financial Advisors regarding portfolio construction, business development, and client messaging. He is an active CFA Society San Francisco member and sits on the Society's Young Leaders Council, guiding programming for young professionals in the greater Bay Area. 

Listen to the full interview, where Dominic discusses the history and future of ETFs, as the US's first ETF celebrates its 30th year.

If you'd like to learn more about the show, have a topic or speaker to suggest, or would like to leave us a comment, email [email protected].


This podcast is produced by CFA Society San Francisco, a not-for-profit professional association, providing professional learning and career resources to over 13,000 investment industry professionals worldwide. To learn more about CFA Society San Francisco, visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn.

The information contained in this podcast does not constitute financial or investment advice. Please consult your own financial advisor for information concerning your specific situation.

Send us a message!

On this episode of the CFA Society San Francisco Podcast, we had the pleasure of speaking with John Ailanjian, CFA, General Partner and CIO for Next Play Capital. John has been instrumental in expanding the firm’s quantitative models to screen and perform due diligence on company investments. He also plays an integral role in the programming and education of Next Play Capital’s Fellowship program. 

Prior to joining Next Play Capital, John was the CEO and Founder of Aspen Highland Management, an entity that provided investment advisory services to several high-net-worth families. John currently serves as a Board Member at CFA Society San Francisco and as an Alumni Board Member at Serra High School. He also serves as an Advisor for the Special Olympics of Northern California and several startups, including Obivi, Lightbrite, and Lumen Global Investments.

Listen to the full interview, where John discusses tech innovations and their impact on global markets, staying afloat through market shockwaves, and venture as an asset class. 

If you'd like to learn more about the show, have a topic or speaker to suggest, or would like to leave us a comment, email [email protected].


This podcast is produced by CFA Society San Francisco, a not-for-profit professional association, providing professional learning and career resources to over 13,000 investment industry professionals worldwide. To learn more about CFA Society San Francisco, visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn.

The information contained in this podcast does not constitute financial or investment advice. Please consult your own financial advisor for information concerning your specific situation.

Send us a message!

On this month’s episode of the CFA Society San Francisco Podcast, we had the pleasure of speaking with Christopher Browne, CFA, Chief Investment Officer and Partner at Democracy Investments. The Democracy International Fund assesses democratic factors in countries and allocates based on these criteria with the intention of increasing economic growth for democratic countries.

Prior to joining Democracy Investments, Chris was a Solutions Portfolio Manager for Franklin Templeton Investments, where he advised institutions and family offices on multi-asset portfolio construction. Before his employment at Franklin Templeton, Chris was a fixed-income portfolio manager at California Investment Trust (now Shelton Capital), where he managed all fixed income for the firm. He received his MBA in International Business from Thunderbird, the American Graduate School of International Management, and has a BA in English from the University of California – Santa Barbara.

Listen to the full interview, where Chris discusses how capital flow can potentially impact a country’s political environment. 

This episode discusses ESG, international equity indexes, impact investing, ETFs, the spread of democracy, and sovereign wealth funds.

If you'd like to learn more about the show, have a topic or speaker to suggest, or would like to leave us a comment, email [email protected].


This podcast is produced by CFA Society San Francisco, a not-for-profit professional association, providing professional learning and career resources to over 13,000 investment industry professionals worldwide. To learn more about CFA Society San Francisco, visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn.

The information contained in this podcast does not constitute financial or investment advice. Please consult your own financial advisor for information concerning your specific situation.

Send us a message!

On the September episode of the CFA Society San Francisco Podcast, we had the pleasure of speaking with Yanrong Chen, PhD,  Business Analyst at EasyAUM. Yanrong is a current Level III candidate in the CFA Program. 

Prior to moving into finance, Yanrong was a history lecturer at KU Leuven in Belgium and was a post-doc researcher at the University of San Francisco. Her research was on communication between Europe and East Asia during early modern globalization. Already a published author and translator in her academic field, Yanrong took a career shift by self-studying finance and software engineering. In addition to pursuing the CFA designation, she is acquiring technical skills in data analysis, quants, and product management. She believes in perpetual learning. That commitment is driving her new career to take off in the industry. 

Listen to the full interview, where Yanrong discusses mid-career industry changes, her experience taking the CFA exam, and how the CFA Program helped her transition into the finance industry. 

This episode discusses career transitions and the CFA Program exam.

If you'd like to learn more about the show, have a topic or speaker to suggest, or would like to leave us a comment, email [email protected].


This podcast is produced by CFA Society San Francisco, a not-for-profit professional association, providing professional learning and career resources to over 13,000 investment industry professionals worldwide. To learn more about CFA Society San Francisco, visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn.

The information contained in this podcast does not constitute financial or investment advice. Please consult your own financial advisor for information concerning your specific situation.

Send us a message!

On the Season 3 premiere of the CFA Society San Francisco Podcast, we had the pleasure of speaking with Octavio Sandoval, CFA, CAIA, Director of Investments at Illumen Capital. Illumen Capital is an alternative investment firm, working to reduce racial and gender bias and help its managers identify, evaluate, and invest in entrepreneurs who have been overlooked and underestimated. 

Prior to Illumen Capital, Octavio was a leader at MassMutual Life Insurance Company in building the emerging fund manager program, which allocated $50 million to a wide variety of BIPOC-led funds that invest in BIPOC-led startups. He earned a BS in Applied Economics & Management at Cornell University and holds an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management. Octavio formerly served on the alumni advisory council of the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP). 

Listen to the full interview, where Octavio discusses alternative investing and the impact of diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

This episode discusses alternative investing, diversity and inclusion, professional designations, volunteerism, and education.

If you'd like to learn more about the show, have a topic or speaker to suggest, or would like to leave us a comment, email [email protected].


This podcast is produced by CFA Society San Francisco, a not-for-profit professional association, providing professional learning and career resources to over 13,000 investment industry professionals worldwide. To learn more about CFA Society San Francisco, visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn.

The information contained in this podcast does not constitute financial or investment advice. Please consult your own financial advisor for information concerning your specific situation.

Send us a message!

Hear from Society Board President-Elect, John Jordan, CFA in this special featured episode of the CFA Society San Francisco Podcast.

If you'd like to learn more about the show, have a topic or speaker to suggest, or would like to leave us a comment, email [email protected].


This podcast is produced by CFA Society San Francisco, a not-for-profit professional association, providing professional learning and career resources to over 13,000 investment industry professionals worldwide. To learn more about CFA Society San Francisco, visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn.

The information contained in this podcast does not constitute financial or investment advice. Please consult your own financial advisor for information concerning your specific situation.

Send us a message!

On the Season 2 Finale of the CFA Society San Francisco Podcast, we had the pleasure of speaking with Lana Ariue, CFA, Senior Manager of Insights and Intelligence at Splunk. Splunk is a software firm, specializing in data visualization and machine learning. 

Prior to her transition into the Technology industry, she held positions at various asset management firms including BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, and Parnassus.

Listen to the full interview, where Lana discusses business intelligence, data analytics, professional designations, and career transitions.

This episode discusses professional designations, SQL, career transitions, business intelligence, data visualization, data analysis, and the CFA designation.

If you'd like to learn more about the show, have a topic or speaker to suggest, or would like to leave us a comment, email [email protected].


This podcast is produced by CFA Society San Francisco, a not-for-profit professional association, providing professional learning and career resources to over 13,000 investment industry professionals worldwide. To learn more about CFA Society San Francisco, visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn.

The information contained in this podcast does not constitute financial or investment advice. Please consult your own financial advisor for information concerning your specific situation.

Send us a message!

On this episode of the CFA Society San Francisco Podcast, we had the pleasure of speaking with Reggie Sanders, CFA, CAIA, Managing Director of Investments at W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and Board Member of Rock the Street, Wall Street. He was previously Manager of Pension Investments for Eastman Kodak Company.  Mr. Sanders is a graduate of Florida A&M University and Harvard Business School, where he was a Robert A. Toigo Fellow. He currently sits on the State of Michigan Investment Board and on the Investment Advisory Committee of the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation.  

Listen to the full interview below, where Reggie discusses the impact of diversity, equity, and inclusion and its foundational role in finding success. 

This episode discusses diversity, equity, and inclusion, investing, pensions, endowments, and career growth.

If you'd like to learn more about the show, have a topic or speaker to suggest, or would like to leave us a comment, email [email protected].


This podcast is produced by CFA Society San Francisco, a not-for-profit professional association, providing professional learning and career resources to over 13,000 investment industry professionals worldwide. To learn more about CFA Society San Francisco, visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn.

The information contained in this podcast does not constitute financial or investment advice. Please consult your own financial advisor for information concerning your specific situation.