Our teacher today is Jan Mohr, CEO of Chapters Group, a publicly traded serial acquisition holding company with ambitions of becoming one of Europe's technology champions.

Chapters' origins date back to a small software startup founded near Frankfurt in 1998. Twenty years later, the core business was sold to a strategic buyer, consolidating the market with the proceeds of the sale in 2018. With Jan's influence, the company embarked on a new chapter, pivoting to build the preferred home for mission-critical businesses across the old continent.

Over the last five years, they have been on an absolute tear, having founded four distinct acquisition platforms that collectively acquired around 60 operating companies, demonstrated the ability to build a prolific M&A machine, while also improving the operations of the companies they acquire.

Virtually every company in the world today is, on some level, thinking about AI in terms of threats, opportunities, and implications for their business. Perhaps nowhere is that discourse more animated right now than in the software industry. And as you'll hear from Jan, AI's potential to be a transformative force driving not only efficiencies, but also TAM expansion and most importantly, tangible customer value, is already evident throughout their business.

We hope you enjoy class today with our good friend and Chapter CEO, Jan Mohr.

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.

—--

This episode is brought to you by ⁠Portrait Analytics⁠ - your centralized resource for AI-powered idea generation, thesis monitoring, and personalized report building. Built by buy-side investors, for investment professionals. We work in the background, helping surface stock ideas and thesis signposts to help you monetize every insight. In short, we help you understand the story behind the stock chart, and get to "go, or no-go" 10x faster than before.

Sign-up for a free trial today at ⁠portraitresearch.com⁠

—--

Joys of Compounding is a property of Pine Grove Studios in collaboration with Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Joys of Compounding, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. 

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).

Follow us on Twitter: @Buhrman_Rick  | @PaulBuser | @JoinColossus

Show Notes

(00:00:00) Welcome to The Joys of Compounding

(00:04:48) The Rise of Artificial Intelligence

(00:07:28) Jan's Vision for Chapters Group

(00:12:01) The Importance of Talent and Co-Founders

(00:15:48) Centralized Vision and Decentralized Operations

(00:18:59) AI's Impact on Business Efficiency

(00:27:42) AI in Public Sector and Enterprise

(00:43:02) Mission Criticality and Public Sector Focus

(00:45:57) Recruiting Talent for Clusters

(00:48:11) Cybersecurity and AI Integration

(00:50:09) European Market Dynamics

(00:55:43) Deal Making vs. Deal Doing

(01:14:11) Incentive Systems and Ownership

(01:21:05) Future Vision and Talent Development

Today's teacher is ⁠David Senra⁠. David is an absolute force of nature who is taking the world by storm with his podcast "Founders." In class today, we enjoy access to the full spectrum of learnings from his decade-long study of history's greatest entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, and leaders.

The library David built reflects a range of study that is boundless. From Alexander the Great to Catherine Graham to Alexander Graham Bell, from Warren to Jimmy Buffett, and from J. Gould all the way to Jay Z. He helps us gain an understanding of why virtually all of the greats in history devote themselves to the study of those that came before them. Please enjoy today's class with David Senra.

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page⁠ ⁠⁠here.⁠

Joys of Compounding is a property of Pine Grove Studios in collaboration with Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Joys of Compounding, visit⁠ joincolossus.com/episodes⁠. 

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (⁠https://thepodcastconsultant.com⁠).

Follow us on Twitter: ⁠@Buhrman_Rick⁠  | ⁠@PaulBuser⁠ | ⁠@JoinColossus⁠

Show Notes

(00:00:00) Welcome to Joys of Compounding

(00:05:23) Understanding the need to devote oneself to something

(00:09:10) The profound and helpful insights gained from learning about historical figures

(00:17:05) Advice for a 22-year-old about the value of relentless effort

(00:27:14) Hard work as a prerequisite for achieving greatness

(00:32:37) How time and effort influence the compound interest equation

(00:41:34) Factors that hinder the pursuit of greatness

(00:47:40) Seeking voices that guide you toward the right path

(00:56:02) Curiosity as an innate talent or a cultivated skill

(01:00:44) Letting go of interests that obstruct your goals

(01:08:45) Striking a balance between work and family for a fulfilling life

(01:14:50) Basic steps within our control to become the person we aspire to be

(01:19:10) The unique appeal of podcasting as a business

(01:24:19) Turning information from biographies into actionable knowledge.

Our teacher today is Steve Mandel, founder of Lone Pine Capital, one of the defining investment firms of our time. For starters, Steve is, without question, among the most important leaders in the investment management industry. Consider that Seth Klarman once called him, “the best industry analyst I've ever met, who became the best long short hedge fund manager of his generation.”

In our opinion, the magic of Lone Pine resides in the principles that form its foundation and the people that animate its culture. But to understand the organization, you really need to first understand its master builder, a man of unusual integrity whose reputation across every dimension of his life and at every chapter of his life is so consistent and compelling when it comes to investing.

Steve has an infectious Buffett-like love for the craft, and he's someone who seems more rooted in an orientation of service than any investor we've ever met. And one of the great paradoxes of this story is that from day one, Steve deliberately architected Lone Pine so that it would always be about more than just him.

Beyond Lone Pine, we also discuss the value of having heroes and mentors, how relationships can enrich an education and a career, the art of doing great research, and what is important when investing in periods of accelerated change.

John Gardner once said, “There are men and women who make the world better just by being the kind of people they are.” It's truly an honor to bring this conversation to you with one of those kinds of people. Please enjoy class with the one and only Steve Mandel.

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.

—--

Joys of Compounding is a property of Pine Grove Studios in collaboration with Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Joys of Compounding, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. 

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).

Follow us on Twitter: @Buhrman_Rick  | @PaulBuser | @JoinColossus

Show Notes

(00:00:00) Welcome to the Joys of Compounding

(00:02:15) The Evolution and Principles of Lone Pine Capital

(00:05:15) Steve's Early Life and Influences

(00:06:45) The Dartmouth Experience and Liberal Arts Education

(00:09:07) Harvard Business School and Early Career Lessons

(00:12:58) Mentorship and Learning from Industry Giants

(00:17:28) Founding Lone Pine Capital: Vision and Business Plan

(00:29:20) The Importance of Duration and Flexibility in Investing

(00:37:57) Early Days of Lone Pine: Building a Lasting Culture

(00:42:56) Retaining Talent: Key Factors

(00:43:34) Evolving Leadership and Team Development

(00:44:38) Portfolio Management Evolution

(00:47:05) Cross-Functional Growth and Development

(00:48:09) The Role of Analysts and Portfolio Managers

(00:50:39) Adapting to Market Changes and Technology

(00:54:04) Investment Strategies and Firm Philosophy

(00:57:43) Challenges and Future Directions

(01:08:45) Valuation and Investment Decisions

(01:11:17) Mentorship and Analyst Development

(01:20:07) Future Outlook

 We've got just the class to help you get back into that learning machine mode. We're stoked to be joined by our good friend Chris Begg, founder of East Coast Asset Management and adjunct Associate Professor at the Helibrunn Center for Graham and Dodd investing at Columbia Business School. He teaches security analysis, perhaps the most legendary investing course in higher education.

In today's class, we offer some historical context on the legacy of the adjunct investing professor, addressing why the practitioner teacher has played such a formative role for so many of the world's greatest investors. 

We also share our own teaching journey and the curriculum and guests that have helped make our respective classes so impactful. We even include a preview of our brand new class at Notre Dame, Investing in the Good Life, which is in partnership with the Shedi Family Program in Economy, Enterprise, and Society, and the College of Arts and Letters.

Please enjoy our Back to School Special with our friend and the dawn of compression, Chris Begg. 

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.

—--

Joys of Compounding is a property of Pine Grove Studios in collaboration with Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Joys of Compounding, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. 

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).

Follow us on Twitter: @Buhrman_Rick  | @PaulBuser | @JoinColossus

Show Notes

(00:00:00) Welcome to The Joys of Compounding

(00:03:23) Summer Highlights and Personal Reflections

(00:08:24) Music and Podcasts: Inspirations and Reflections

(00:16:43) The Art of Songwriting and AI

(00:21:48) Season Two Reflections and Guest Highlights

(00:33:18) The Legacy of Practitioner Teachers

(00:48:00) Influential Teachers and Their Impact

(00:50:24) Value Investing Principles and Classroom Dynamics

(00:52:32) Personal Teaching Journeys and Early Influences

(00:57:14) Memorable Teaching Experiences and Guest Lecturers

(01:11:57) The Role of AI in Education

(01:26:23) Future Plans and New Beginnings

 Our teacher today is Will Thorndike, co-founder of Compounding Labs and author of the acclaimed book, “The Outsiders.” In our opinion, Will has emerged as one of the most influential and innovative investor minds of the past few decades. And if you care about long-term value creation and the art of capital allocation, chances are you've also benefited from some of his ideas. 

In 1994, he founded Housatonic Partners, a pioneering private equity firm known for its unusually long holding periods and its leadership in the search fund space alongside his mentor and Stanford professor Irv Grousbeck. Will helped to originate the modern search fund model, backing early career CEOs to buy and grow businesses with long-term horizons and radically aligned incentives.

Since then, he has invested in the majority of the top 20 search fund outcomes to date, including Asurion, which he recently profiled on his podcast 50X. 

We explore Will's full arc from the research that led to “The Outsiders” to his decades as an investor to the new frontier he's now helping to shape. We talk about what makes a business truly enduring, why great leadership and resource allocation remain so misunderstood, and how the right people, structure, and alignment enable companies to compound over time. Please enjoy this class with Will Thorndike.

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.

—--

Joys of Compounding is a property of Pine Grove Studios in collaboration with Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Joys of Compounding, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. 

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).

Follow us on Twitter: @Buhrman_Rick  | @PaulBuser | @JoinColossus

Show Notes

(00:00:00) Welcome to The Joys of Compounding

(00:00:57) Introducing Will Thorndike

(00:03:35) The Rise of Long Duration Serial Acquisition Holding Companies

(00:07:25) The 50X Podcast Journey

(00:16:29) The Origins of Will's Investing Career

(00:18:11) Stanford's Influence and Key Mentors

(00:23:48) The Search Fund Model Explained

(00:39:18) The Outsiders: From Concept to Acclaim

(00:46:33) The Influence of Leverage and Share Buybacks

(00:47:30) Personal Reflections on the Book's Impact

(00:52:54) Experiments in Public Markets: CNX and Perimeter

(00:58:35) The Evolution of Inorganic Growth Models

(01:02:52) The Power of Long-Term Ownership

(01:14:52) The Importance of Relationships and Learning

Our teacher today is Katie Koch. Katie is the President and CEO of the TCW Group, a storied firm with over 200 billion in assets under management and a fascinating 50-year legacy as a pioneer in the investment industry. Katie just took the TCW reins in 2023 after more than 20 years at Goldman Sachs. She joined Goldman right after college as the self-proclaimed least capable person in the firm and rose to become chief investment officer of their 300-billion-dollar public equity business. 

Please enjoy our class with the wonderful force multiplier, Katie Koch.

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.

-----

Joys of Compounding is a property of Pine Grove Studios in collaboration with Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Art of Investing, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. 

Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.

Follow us on Twitter: @ArtofInvest | @Buhrman_Rick  | @PaulBuser | @JoinColossus

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).

Show Notes

(00:00:00) Welcome to Art of Investing

(00:02:38) First Question - ‘What Choice Would You Make If You Knew You Would Not Fail?’

(00:05:00) Katie's Childhood and Lessons from Parents

(00:13:24) Her Experience at the University of Notre Dame

(00:24:15) Katie's 20-Year Career at Goldman Sachs

(00:36:16) The Importance of Mentorship and Sponsorship

(00:41:18) Building Meaningful Relationships for Career Growth

(00:43:24) The Transition from Goldman to TCW

(00:48:15) The Importance of Humility and Collaboration in Leadership

(01:01:35) The Significance of Diversity in Investment Firms

(01:07:30) The Role of a CEO and Building a Successful Team

(01:10:42) Transitioning from Investor to Operational Leadership

(01:12:06) Differentiating an Investment Organization

(01:15:59) Balancing Family and Career

 Our teacher today is Sebastian Mejia. He combines intellectual range with emotional depth and is the co-founder of Rappi, the on-demand delivery platform that has become one of Latin America's most influential tech companies.

 In this episode, we discuss resilience, identity, intuition, and building companies with a sense of urgency and wonder. We will go from Sebastian’s immigrant hustle in New York to billion-user ambitions in India, from early-stage chaos to the challenge of scaling a tech company across hundreds of Latin American cities.

Now, Sebastian is entering a new chapter, one that blends investing with company building. He's been asking bigger, more personal questions like what's enduring, what's authentic, and where can I bring my full self to the table? Please enjoy our class with Sebastian Mejia.

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.

—--

Joys of Compounding is a property of Pine Grove Studios in collaboration with Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Joys of Compounding, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. 

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).

Follow us on Twitter: @Buhrman_Rick  | @PaulBuser | @JoinColossus

Show Notes

(00:00:00) Welcome to The Joys of Compounding

(00:01:22) Sebastian's Early Life and Influences

(00:11:15) The Turning Point: Loss and Resilience

(00:17:06) Adventures in Spain and Beyond

(00:36:52) Building Rappi: From Concept to Reality

(00:46:06) Building a Multicultural Team

(00:53:30) The Intersection of Operating and Investing

(01:01:43) Building Tako: A Payroll Infrastructure Company

(01:06:46) The Impact of AI on Business

(01:17:45) Balancing Speed and Quality in Startups

(01:21:10) Zeal: Integrating Interests and Talents

(01:28:20) The Importance of Kindness and Purpose

 Our teacher today is Chad Cascarilla, co founder and CEO of Paxos, the leading regulated blockchain infrastructure company that is reimagining a complete technological replatforming of our global financial markets. Paxos aims to democratize finance by enabling instant global asset movement, partnering with industry leaders like PayPal, Stripe, MasterCard, and others. For those confused by crypto speculation, Chad offers a grounded perspective on blockchain's potential to solve fundamental financial system problems—informed by his experience as an early Bitcoin adopter who started buying at just three cents.

This conversation was a ton of fun for us, mainly because Chad is one of the most fascinating and compelling people we've had the privilege of knowing and learning from.He's a highly introspective, integrated, and ridiculously well read thinker and someone who just gets a lot of stuff done. He's a skeptic and a dreamer, a rigorous research analyst and a visionary builde, an aspiring mystic and an absolute animal. Please enjoy our conversation with Chad Cascarilla. 

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.

-----

This episode is brought to you by EightSleep, the temperature-controlled mattress cover that heats or cools your mattress to transform your sleep. The Pod 4 Ultra is the new gold standard in intelligent sleep systems. It can be added to your current mattress like a fitted sheet and is been clinically proven to give you up to an hour more quality of sleep every night. The cooling capability can cool your side of the bed to 20 degrees below room temperature, all managed by the pod's autopilot feature, which adjusts the temperature throughout the night. Go to eightsleep.com/joys for $350 off. 

—--

Joys of Compounding is a property of Pine Grove Studios in collaboration with Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Joys of Compounding, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. 

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).

Follow us on Twitter: @Buhrman_Rick  | @PaulBuser | @JoinColossus

Show Notes

(00:00:00) Welcome to Joys of Compounding

(00:05:32) Chad's Early Life and Career

(00:09:50) The Journey to Notre Dame

(00:19:45) The Path to Wall Street

(00:27:16) Launching Cedar Hill

(00:35:30) Navigating the Financial Crisis

(00:46:35) Notable Companies and the Origin of Paxos

(00:48:34) Creating Liberty City Ventures

(00:54:55) Challenges in Financial Services

(00:59:21) The Promise of Blockchain

(01:10:59) Regulatory Landscape and Future Prospects

(01:21:51) Advice for Consumers, Companies, and Investors

Today’s teacher is Jacqueline Morby. She may well be the greatest investor you've probably never heard of. For anyone who invests in software or participates in the now nearly trillion dollar global growth equity industry, chances are Jackie helped to shape and give rise to the professional world you inhabit. In 1978 at the age of 40, and with her only professional experience to date being a few years of substitute teaching, Jackie joined TA Associates, the largest venture capital firm in the world at that time.

Within just a few years, she would revolutionize her industry, effectively originating the concept of cold calling profitable bootstrap technology companies not actively looking for funding. While the concept seems so simple, this truly was a radical innovation and in effect pioneering the art of looking for talented people in companies that don't necessarily want to be found, sparking a movement that created what we now know as growth equity. As if that's not enough, Jackie was also one of the very first investors of any kind to recognize the inherent business quality of software companies.

Over the next two decades, as software would begin to eat more and more of the world, Jackie would have a front row seat as one of the most important capital partners to the industry. This is Jackie's first podcast of any kind, and we feel so honored to bring this conversation to you, mainly because hers is a story that merits so much more attention.

Please enjoy this class with the queen of software, Jacqui Morby.

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.

-----

This episode is brought to you by EightSleep, the temperature-controlled mattress cover that heats or cools your mattress to transform your sleep. The Pod 4 Ultra is the new gold standard in intelligent sleep systems. It can be added to your current mattress like a fitted sheet and is been clinically proven to give you up to an hour more quality of sleep every night. The cooling capability can cool your side of the bed to 20 degrees below room temperature, all managed by the pod's autopilot feature, which adjusts the temperature throughout the night. Go to eightsleep.com/joys for $350 off. 

—--

Joys of Compounding is a property of Pine Grove Studios in collaboration with Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Joys of Compounding, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. 

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).

Follow us on Twitter: @Buhrman_Rick  | @PaulBuser | @JoinColossus

Show Notes

(00:00:00) Learn About EightSleep

(00:05:00) Introduction to Jacqueline Morby: The Queen of Software

(00:06:35) Early Life and Education

(00:07:44) Jacqui’s Family Life and Early Career

(00:11:04) Joining TA Associates and Industry Innovations

(00:13:13) Early Days at TA Associates

(00:15:17) Impact of Teaching and Overseas Experience

(00:16:52) Pioneering Cold Calling in Venture Capital

(00:19:05) Cold Calling Success Stories

(00:23:17) Missed Opportunities and Big Wins

(00:25:45) Investing in Software: A Revolutionary Idea

(00:40:07) Philanthropy and Cure Alzheimer’s Fund

This is Rick. Today's teacher is Rich Wells, managing director of Insight Partners, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this month. I've known Rich for 20 years since our time as section mates in business school, where he was consistently recognized as the smartest person in the room. Rich is universally regarded as one of the preeminent private market software investors of the last 20 years, helping drive Insight's success through agility and excellence. While achieving the highest heights in his career, Rich has also faced profound personal challenges, including the tragic loss of his wife Rachael.

This vulnerable conversation offers critical wisdom about resilience and moving forward through life's darkest moments. No matter what life throws at you remember that you've got to find a way to keep going. Please enjoy class with my dear friend and software savant, Rich Wells.

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.

-----

This episode is brought to you by EightSleep, the temperature-controlled mattress cover that heats or cools your mattress to transform your sleep. The Pod 4 Ultra is the new gold standard in intelligent sleep systems. It can be added to your current mattress like a fitted sheet and is been clinically proven to give you up to an hour more quality of sleep every night. The cooling capability can cool your side of the bed to 20 degrees below room temperature, all managed by the pod's autopilot feature, which adjusts the temperature throughout the night. Go to eightsleep.com/joys for $350 off.

----

Joys of Compounding is a property of Pine Grove Studios in collaboration with Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Joys of Compounding, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. 

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).

Follow us on Twitter: @Buhrman_Rick  | @PaulBuser | @JoinColossus

Show Notes

(00:00:00) Learn about EightSleep

(00:02:57) Meet Today's Teacher: Rich Wells

(00:10:04) Early Career Challenges and Lessons

(00:14:59) Joining Insight Partners

(00:17:20) Reflecting on TCV and Moving to Business School

(00:19:11) Experience at Business School and Joining Insight

(00:26:05) Insight's Growth and Strategy

(00:30:38) Evolution of Software and Investment Strategies

(00:34:48) Impact of SaaS and Cloud on Software Development

(00:36:41) Investment Philosophy and Market Insights

(00:39:01) Empowerment and Team Dynamics

(00:43:05) Majority Stakes and Mindset Shifts

(00:45:14) Evolution from Value to Growth Investing

(00:47:49) Shopify: A Generational Company

(00:51:39) Expanding TAM: The Role of Payments

(00:55:02) Personal Struggles and Triumphs

(00:59:25) Rachel's Legacy and Life Lessons

(01:10:06) Future of Software