Smart Humans with Slava Rubin – Details, episodes & analysis

Vincent founder Slava Rubin and Marcelo Ballvé of Sacra discuss the evolution and current state of Stripe, the $90 billion payments company. They explore Stripe's business model, revenue streams, competitive landscape, and future growth potential, including the impact of stablecoins and AI on its operations. The discussion also includes Christine Healey of Healey Pre-IPO who discusses investment opportunities in Stripe and the dynamics of accessing shares in the company.

Christine Healey is the Founder of HEALEY PRE-IPO, a concierge Pre-IPO broker service helping people invest in private tech stocks – the simple, personal way. Previously, Christine was the Head of Private Markets at Destiny and the Portfolio Manager of Destiny’s Pre-IPO fund (NYSE:DXYZ), as well as early employee and Senior Director at Forge (NYSE:FRGE), working in both San Francisco and Hong Kong. Christine has closed ~$600m+ of private tech unicorn transactions to date and has spent close to a decade specializing in Pre-IPO investments. See healeypreipo.com for more information or to sign up for mailing list.

This discussion is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an affiliation with or endorsement of any company, and does not constitute a recommendation, offer to sell, or solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities. Investments in private companies are offered only through appropriate offering materials and accreditation requirements apply as defined under SEC Regulation D. Investments in private companies involve high risk, including the risk of complete loss of capital. These investments are illiquid, through a variety of structures including SPVs, may be difficult or impossible to resell, and may not ever result in an IPO or other liquidity event. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The speaker may receive compensation in connection with certain transactions discussed. There is no guarantee these private companies will achieve any specific valuation, and returns can vary widely and may underperform public markets. They may also involve additional risks not present in public market investments.

Louisa Klouda is the CEO and Founder of Fenchurch Legal, and is responsible for overseeing all business operations. Louisa founded Fenchurch Legal in 2020 after an interest in the litigation finance market sparked an idea to apply a secured lending model to litigation finance. She discovered a market largely dominated by funders focusing on high-value, complex cases such as class actions, however, there was a lack of support for smaller claims. This insight led to the creation of Fenchurch Legal. Before launching Fenchurch Legal, Louisa operated the broking and dealing desk for a corporate brokerage and finance firm in London. In this role, she gained extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and investment product structuring.

Charles Clinton is the CEO and co-founder of EquityMultiple, an online platform that enables individuals to invest in institutional-grade commercial real estate. Before launching EquityMultiple in 2015, Charles was a real estate attorney at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York City, where he advised major private equity clients such as Blackstone and KKR on transactions exceeding $10 billion, including Blackstone’s acquisitions of the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Motel 6, and Hilton’s restructuring ahead of its IPO. Charles earned his JD and Business Law Certificate from Berkeley Law and holds a BA from Amherst College, where he captained the swimming and water polo teams. He is FINRA Series 7 and 66 certified and resides in New York City with his wife and two daughters.

Alan Feld is the founder and managing partner of Vintage Investment Partners. Prior to founding Vintage, Alan Feld was a General Partner at Israel Seed Partners and at Vertex Ventures. Prior to Vertex, Alan was the Managing Director of Evergreen Capital Markets/Robertson Stephens Israel. Alan received an MBA from York University in Toronto, an L.L.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto and a B.A. in Commerce and Finance from the University of Toronto.

Kyle Reidhead is Co-Owner & Head of Research at Milk Road, a leading crypto investing media company, and Founder of Impact3, a crypto-native marketing agency helping top protocols and brands in crypto grow.

Vincent founder Slava Rubin and Sacra co-founder Jan-Erik Asplund did a deep dive into Glean, the multi-billion dollar AI startup helping to companies get the most out of their enterprise data. They looked at Glean’s growth trajectory, the competitive landscape and a possible IPO timeline.

Kenny Rose is the founder and CEO of FranShares, the first platform to package income-producing franchise assets into diversified, SEC-regulated funds for everyday investors. A Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) and former franchise broker, Kenny worked with over 600 franchise brands in more than 100 industries. Kenny’s views on franchising have been featured in Business Insider, Forbes, ABC, The Hustle, American Express, the Amazon feature book, “More Than Just French Fries,” and other publications worldwide, in total reaching over 300 million people throughout the world, making him a sought-after voice for RIAs, family offices, and institutions seeking durable, inflation-hedged cash flow.

Vincent founder Slava Rubin and Sacra co-founder Jan-Erik Asplund looked at Neuralink, the Elon Musk-founded neurotechnology company. They talked about the company’s growth, strengths, challenges, IPO prospects, and much more.

Jim McCann is an entrepreneur, author, and philanthropist, renowned for transforming a single flower shop into the billion-dollar omni-channel retailer, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM. His entrepreneurial journey began with a deep belief in the importance of social connections, which inspired him to create a company dedicated to helping people build meaningful relationships.

The company’s portfolio includes well-known brands such as Harry & David®, PersonalizationMall.com®, Cheryl’s Cookies®, The Popcorn Factory®, Things Remembered®, and SmartGift Inc., along with its newest additions, Card Isle®, an innovative greeting card company, and Scharffen Berger®, a premium chocolate company.

Jim is also dedicated to philanthropy, with a particular focus on supporting individuals with developmental disabilities. He founded Smile Farms, Inc. a not-for-profit organization in 2015 that provides meaningful work opportunities for people with disabilities. 

In addition to his role as Founder and Chairman of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc., Jim serves as Chairman of Worth Media Group. He also holds various other positions, including Vice-Chairman and Lead Independent Director for International Game Technology PLC, and serves on several private and not-for-profit boards.