Unlimited Partners

Unlimited Partners

By Thomas McGannonBusinessInvesting
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Unlimited Partners episodes

  • Tom Shea, Adgile Media Group | Selling Trust First

    Today's Unlimited Partner is Tom Shea, Co-Founder & COO of Adgile Media Group. Adgile boasts itself as the leading data-driven truck-side media company. Tom is a detail-oriented tech wiz with experience as a full stack developer and operations manager. He graduated from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Tom holds a degree in Finance, Computer Science, & Chinese from Boston College’s Carroll School of Management.

    We get to hear about how Tom came up with the idea while at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. The original idea involved digital screens that displayed ads on the sides of the trucks. And they could display ads specific to businesses geotagged to mile markers along the highway. However, the feedback was that this was too expensive. Listen to the episode to see how Tom and his team solved this problem...

    Topics include:

    • Tom's ideation of Adgile Media Group while at UofC Booth School of Business
    • Getting people onboard who knew more about marketing and advertising
    • Progress 15 months into their newest iteration
    • Using statistics and geotagging to isolate what type of traffic they were driving for clients
    • Diagramming who their customers are
    • Pricing your product & services
    • Shea family values from Tom & Jerri Shea (sister is Katie Shea of Divergent Capital)

      • Guest:

      Tom Shea, Co-Founder and CRO of Adgile Media Group

      Host:

      Thomas McGannon, CFA

      Links

      Linked In Tom Shea

      @tomshea Twitter

      Thomas McGannon LinkedIn

      Creator Ventures

      Follow us on social media:

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      @uppodpod Instagram

      UP YouTube Channel

      up-pod.com

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      1 hr
    • Sasha Kaletsky, Creator Ventures | Shares His Unconventional Journey to Enabling Creatives Around the World with His Cousin, YouTube Icon, Caspar Lee

      Hey it's our 10th episode! Thanks for listening. 

      Today's Unlimited Partner is Sasha Kaletsky, Co-Founder of Creator Ventures along with his cousin Caspar Lee, a YouTube sensation. Sasha's unconventional story on how he got into venture capital involves passing out club fliers to Oxford students, choosing to launch Uber in Birmingham, England instead of London, getting his masters at Harvard Business School, to working with his cousin Caspar Lee who after many years of trial and error, emerged as a social media star. They then decide to build companies together. Their latest is Creator Ventures, which invests in early-stage consumer-internet companies. It closed its first fund, at $20M. We do a deep dive into lessons they've learned along the way.

      Topics include:

      • Sasha's background
      • Caspar starts influencer.com
      • How they were able to build a marketplace for influencers and brands
      • Bringing investment opportunities to creators 
      • Launching Creator Ventures with $20M initial fund
      • Their 4 themes for investing 
      • Tips for posting on social media
      • Sasha's favorite song (New pod question)


        • Guest:

        Sasha Kaletsky, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Creator Ventures (Caspar Lee)

        Host:

        Thomas McGannon, CFA

        Links

        LinkedIn Sasha Kaletsky

        Thomas McGannon LinkedIn

        Creator Ventures

        Follow us on social media:

        Like and subscribe and all that stuff...stay in touch as we will have exciting updates and content soon...

        @uppodpod Twitter

        @uppodpod Instagram

        UP YouTube Channel

        up-pod.com

        Email us:

        1 hr 2 min
      • Jessica Lyons and Tamara Hills, Brooks Running | Best Friends on Billion Dollar Brand-Building, Special-Needs Parenting and Being Like Water

        Oh wow where to start with this one! Get your tissues ready. We get to hear the amazing story of best friends, Tamara Hills and Jessica Lyons. How they met working at Brooks Running, became best friends and running partners. But it turns out that was just the beginning.

        Tamara then shares the story of her son Benton (16). He was born with a rare condition called Bainbridge-Ropers Syndrome, a rare genetic condition affecting a range of issues including Intellectual disability, Autism spectrum disorder or autistic like behavior, feeding difficulties as a baby and in early childhood, developmental delay, speech and language difficulties or absent speech, breathing. He's a great kid with a funny personality according to Jess. His younger brother Iron is his advocate and protector. 

        Oh and did we mention Benton runs marathons! Tamara and Jess and a team push him 26.2 miles and then Benton walks across the finish line. He's now done 8!

        We also hit on turning negatives into positives. And we end on a great revelation by Tamara that Tamara and Jess never know who is pushing whom when they run and that maybe that's a microcosm of their friendship.

        My gosh this one really gets you feeling thankful for all the things you have in life. Tamara and Jess live life on the motto "just be water" and "run happy", a Brooks motto. Please enjoy and let us know how we're doing with all of this.


        Guests:

        Tamara Hills, Chief of Staff, Office of the CEO at Brooks Running

        Jessica Lyons, Senior Marketing and Project Manager at Brooks Running

        Host:

        Thomas McGannon, CFA


        Links

        Tamara Hills Linked In


        Jessica Lyons Linked In


        Bainbridge-Ropers Syndrome wiki


        Running With a Purpose by Jim Weber, CEO Brooks


        Thomas McGannon LinkedIn


        Follow us on social media:


        Like and subscribe and all that stuff...stay in touch as we will have exciting updates and content soon...

        @uppodpod Twitter


        @uppodpod Instagram


        UP YouTube Channel


        up-pod.com


        Email us:



        1 hr
      • Julian Posada, CEO at LiftUp Enterprises

        Today's Unlimited Partner is Julian Posada, CEO at LiftUp Enterprises. Julian has over 19 years of experience in building, transforming and leading a variety of organizations in media, professional sports, digital start-ups and professional services in addition to extensive community involvement. He has a heavy focus on generating revenue and creating culture for success with specific expertise of the Hispanic market. 

        LiftUp Enterprises is a for-profit social enterprise based in Chicago, that creates, grows, and scales profitable entities. Julian discusses how they're making an impact in the local community. They are very committed to creating a liveable job that offers: basic benefits, career building opportunities and a fair & engaging workplace. They also leverage their partners including social services agencies to provide wraparound services to support the overall well-being of their employees.

        Links

        https://liftupchicago.org/


        Julian Posada LinkedIn


        Thomas McGannon LinkedIn


        For more info on our project visit up-pod.com. There, you can find out more about new initiatives we're working on, sign up for our UP Feed to get access to special content, lengthened episodes, and become an Unlimited Partner. 


        Email us at [email protected] to get in touch regarding bookings, sponsorship and all things Unlimited Partners



        up-pod.com


        @uppodpod


        57 min
      • Gerard Ramos, CEO at Revelry Labs

        This week's episode is with Gerard Ramos, CEO at Revelry. Revelry is a digital innovation lab based in New Orleans with satellite offices in Chicago and Dallas. Revelry's Innovation Stack is a suite of cloud-native intelligent automation tools enabling businesses to rapidly deliver innovative products to market. Specialties: Product Delivery, Agile, Cloud, IoT, SaaS, PaaS, Marketplace, Blockchain, E-Commerce, Idea Acceleration, Design Thinking, Angel Investing, Ecosystem Building.

        We join Gerard in Western North Carolina, as he's onsite helping to build one of Revelry's newest ventures, Roam. Roam is an eco-conscious, tech-enabled campgrounds platform for remote workers and families on the road. As Thomas has recently agreed to join its board of directors, they really dive into hearing about what it takes to get a campsite online. This is the merging of tech and nature that truly encapsulates what he and Thomas are trying to build, bringing the future forward.

        But Gerard took many years to get to this point. We get into his coding/engineering past, how he was told he couldn't build a VC company in New Orleans, and the struggles it took him to prove them all wrong. This is a very cool guest. And we are excited to share it!


        Links

        https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerardramos/


        https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-mcgannon-cfa-4a56034/


        https://roamcampgrounds.com/


        https://revelry.co/


        up-pod.com


        @uppodpod



        56 min
      • Tripp Jones From Uncork Capital
        Thomas is delighted to have Tripp Jones of Uncork Capital on the Unlimited Partners pod today. He discusses his investing philosophies, and Uncork's ability to make a name for itself in the VC marketplace. Most of his investments are a focus on digital transformation. They also discuss Uncork's Founder, Jeff Clavier (formerly SoftTech VC) who is a legend in the VC world. He shares his passion for "investing against his phone" which Thomas dives into a little deeper. This brings up companies like Hipcamp.com and Roamadventureco.com.
        Tripp knew he wanted to be a VC even as a young kid. He enjoys being an enabler, to help companies reach fantastic outcomes. He believes the team behind the company is the number one criterium for investing, but that even more importantly is getting behind macro trends. They also go into risk and how Tripp loves knowing he can take bigger swings knowing his firm has a great core B2B portfolio. He also shares that he learned early to assess trends in the American woman, who statistically do a lot more of the buying in US households.
        Uncork Capital is a seed-stage venture capital firm with over $500 million under management. 
        Links:
        https://uncorkcapital.com/
        Tripp Jones LinkedIn
        Jeff Clavier Bio
        Susan Liu LinkedIn
        Roamadventureco.com
        Thomas McGannon LinkedIn
        Showlinks:
        up-pod.com
        @uppodpod 
        Sponsors:
        https://www.tegus.com/
        https://mymarketplacebuilder.com/
        1 hr
      • Special Episode: Andy Trattner (The Andy Pod) Interviews Thomas McGannon
        In this episode, Thomas McGannon joins Andy Trattner on his podcast as his guest. We are reposting in our feed. Andy is a great dude and recent friend of Thomas. He's an MIT grad, living in Ecuador, building a Venmo-type company. Please enjoy!
         
        Topics:
        -Thomas attending Creighton University
        -His views on religion
        -The Three-Body Problem (book) and how it shaped his thoughts on religion
        -His move into software investing
        -Capitalism
        -Relationship building
        -Waldorf method
        -Stop Stealing Dreams
        -Tegus Expert Network
        Links:
        https://andytrattner.com/
        https://theandypod.com/
        up-pod.com
        Twitter: @uppodpod
        Instagram: @uppodpod
        54 min
      • Bruce Felt, CFO Domo
        Episode 105 of Unlimited Partners features Bruce Felt, CFO of Domo, a data refinement SaaS company.
        Bruce brings more than 25 years of financial operations and management excellence to Domo. For almost six years, he was CFO of SuccessFactors, guiding the company through a public offering, six acquisitions, and its $3.4 billion sale to SAP. Bruce has served as CFO for LANDesk Software, Auction.com, and Qualix Group. While at Qualix Group, he led its public offering and merger into Legato Systems, a company that was later acquired by EMC. An entrepreneur in his own right, Bruce founded Renaissance Software, serving as its CFO and head of sales. He serves as the audit committee chair of various private and public companies. Being Domo’s CFO gives him an added perk of getting to spend more time with his family at their Park City ski home.
        Thomas dives into how Bruce turned Domo around, helping to lead the company through the pandemic using war time leadership. 
        Topics Include:
        Bruce's background as a Navy brat, living in 18 places in 18 years
        Starting a software company in Silicon Valley
        SuccessFactors
        Why he took the job at Domo
        Difficulties with marketing their product, realizing they needed to educate IT departments
        How to stop their cash burn
        Their mid-March 2020 earthquake during their Analyst Day
        Domo's capabilities and moat
        Bruce hates quitting
        Leading through tough times
        Links:
        up-pod.com
        Thomas McGannon LinkedIn
        Bruce Felt LinkedIn
        Twitter @uppodpod
        Instagram @uppodpod
        56 min
      • Amanda Groves From PLUS Capital
        Amanda Groves is a General Partner at PLUS Capital, leading the due diligence team and spending a majority of her time on structuring, sourcing, investor and client relations, and portfolio management. Amanda was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list for venture capital in 2019.
        Amanda joined PLUS from J.P. Morgan, where she worked most recently on the LA-based investment desk. Amanda completed her bachelor’s degree at UC Berkeley in the Haas Undergraduate Business program, where she was also a D1 athlete with the Bear’s women’s soccer team.
        Outside of the office, she’s a member of national non-profit Jumpstart’s Southern California Advisory Board and serves as secretary and board member for the axeALS Foundation, a California-based nonprofit focused on encouraging research and raising funding and awareness for patient-centric treatment and cure of ALS.
        PLUS Capital is a full-service venture advisory firm for celebrities. They work with top-tier celebrities and their teams across entertainment, sports, and more to facilitate investments and equity-based partnerships in transformative businesses. By placing their celebrities with top entrepreneurs and venture-backed companies, they can help accelerate growth through financial and/or sweat equity - turning celebrities'​ influence into financial returns.
        Our conversation with Amanda discussed the following:
        Growing up in the Bay area, playing soccer for UC Berkeley
        "How did you become a hustler?"
        Finding a "badass chick" for a mentor at JP Morgan
        Meeting Adam Lilling and taking the job at PLUS
        How harnessing celebrity can be an efficient tool to try and create outsized returns
        Finding the overlap of interests, passions, and causes of their clients and celebrities 
        BetterUp and Prince Harry, Shaun White
        Shaun White's discussion with BetterUp CEO, Alexi Robichaux 
        SmartSweets
        Pachama
        How their deals work and co-investing
        The future of PLUS and scaling
        Links:
        Amanda Groves Linked In
        Thomas McGannon Linked In
        Betterup.com
        Smartsweets
        Pachama
        Shaun White's discussion with BetterUp CEO, Alexi Robichaux 
        UP Pod Twitter
        UP Instagram
        UP Youtube
        1 hr 11 min
      • Brent Beshore, Founder & CEO of Permanent Equity
        My guest today is Brent Beshore, Founder & CEO of Permanent Equity.  Permanent Equity invests - with no intention of selling - in family-held companies headquartered in North America. With 9 portfolio companies and a current capital base in excess of $300 million, the firm seeks opportunities to invest in and partner in companies with $2.5 million to $15 million in annual owner earnings and durable value propositions. The firm's current portfolio includes companies in aerospace, niche construction, manufacturing & distribution, consumer products, recruitment, and niche professional services.
        Brent and I discuss the unique qualities of Permanent Equity – it is a private equity firm in the sense that they buy equity in private companies, but the reality is they operate completely differently from a traditional firm.  Permanent Equity’s investments value the following: 
        Long-Term Hold: Investing out of 27-year committed funds Debt: Typically fund transactions without debt
        Legacy: Maintain independence, the brand, and rarely publicize our investments
        Growth: Help companies get bigger by augmenting the skills and resources of the existing leadership team 
        Cultural Continuity: Uphold strong cultural values and maintain a strict no assholes policy
        Permanent Equity invests in good businesses and works to make them better.  They optimize for sturdy success, not exit. Their sellers care what happens after close, valuing organizational stability and long-standing relationships with employees, customers, suppliers, and their community. They want a fair deal with people they can trust, and for their people to be taken care of.
        My conversation with Brent takes an unexpectedly deep turn as we discuss family, messy lives, pain, and tragedy.  But the overall message is to live life well and find joy and happiness in the moment.
        The Unlimited Partners podcast is hosted by me, Thomas McGannon. I’m an investor with a genuine interest in how others are thriving and succeeding in whatever partnerships they are fostering. Join me for future episodes that will feature movers and shakers in the financial world and other industries, with a focus on how and why they have been successful, life lessons, and shared wisdom that you will no doubt find inspiring.  You’ll find our archives and a way to get notified of future episodes at up-pod.com.
         
        Discussion Points:
        Cal Ripken and career loyalty
        How did you discover your superpower and your path to Permanent Equity?
        Don’t put an expiration date on relationships
        The team at Permanent Equity - women, and diversity
        The role of PE in the community, esp. Columbia MO, its home
        How do you decide which problems to run toward, or to avoid?
        1 hr 17 min

      About Unlimited Partners

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      Join Thomas McGannon on his journey to learn - what makes great partnerships? We explore stories of people working together throughout business building, investing, community and family. While much of…