In the world of wealth management, working with clients is a deeply personal endeavor that requires more than just financial expertise. By looking inward first, and prioritizing a strong team culture and personal and professional development, companies can cultivate a strong trust and connection with clients. Today's guest has made this approach the foundation to his business.

Today we're sitting down with Rob Skinner, who is a founding partner and the co-CEO of IEQ Capital. He has served as a financial advisor to wealthy families and institutional investors for over two decades. Rob began his career at Fidelity Investments in 1995 before joining Merrill Lynch as first vice president of investments.

In 2008, he co-founded Luminous Capital, an independent registered investment advisory firm where he served as Chief Investment Officer, Co-Head of Investment Research, and Co-manager of Portfolio Construction. Luminous Capital was acquired by First Republic Bank in 2012.

Active in the community, Rob serves on the Board of Directors for the First Tee of Monterey County, the Board of Directors of the Pebble Beach Company Foundation. He's a Trustee of PGA REACH, the charitable foundation associated with PGA of America, as well as the Naval Postgraduate School Foundation. Rob and his wife actively support numerous foundations and charities in and around the Monterey peninsula.

Rob holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Connecticut, which, if you haven't heard has won national championship titles, back to back in men's basketball. Go Huskies!

Highlights:

• Rob's early influences and beginnings in wealth management (4:15)
• Founding Luminous Capital (5:52)
• Background on IEQ Capital, and company mission (6:37)
• What differentiates IEQ from competitors (7:13)
• IEQ's ideal client profile (8:34)
• How the IEQ team works with clients on wealth management (9:30)
• Rob walks us through IEQ's client screening process (10:18)
• The value of culture at IEQ (11:10)
• The use of technology at IEQ (12:00)
• How being a founder has informed Rob's work with his clients (13:30)
• How Rob approaches liquidity planning with clients (14:41)
• Rob breaks down IEQ's partnership with Stone Point Capital (15:33)
• The benefits for smaller firms (18:37)
• What Rob has learned from entrepreneurs during his time in wealth management (19:19)
• The importance of fostering a fun and enjoyable environment and culture (20:43)

Links:

Rob Skinner on LinkedIn

IEQ Capital on LinkedIn

IEQ Capital Website

ICR LinkedIn

ICR Twitter

ICR Website

Feedback:

If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.

Venture Capital is all about the cash — but in a crowded field, money is a commodity. To truly stand out, you have to go above and beyond for your portfolio companies. Today's guest has set themselves apart by providing exceptional support.

We're sitting down with Seth Spergel, who is a managing partner of Merlin Ventures, where he's responsible for identifying cutting-edge companies for Merlin to partner with and invest in. Seth has more than 20 years of experience building, selling, and investing in software and startups.

Prior to Merlin Ventures, Seth was VP for Infrastructure Technologies at In-Q-Tel, a strategic investment firm that invests in startups that meet the mission needs of government customers. There he led a team of technology experts to evaluate companies and identify novel uses of their technology within the In-Q-Tel customer set.

Before In-Q-Tel, Seth was the VP of engineering for ThinkGeek, an online seller and manufacturer of geeky toys and clothing. He also spent 12 years at IBM in roles ranging from software developer to sales manager.

Highlights:

• Merlin's background and evolution into VC (3:44)
• What differentiates Merlin in the VC market (7:32)
• What an ideal portfolio looks like for Merlin (8:38)
• Seth walks us through the support system Merlin provides their companies (9:21)
• The unique guidance Merlin offers on compliance and political relations (12:57)
• Seth tells the story of one of Merlin's successful exits (14:52)
• Seth's advice for founders seeking funding (17:59)
• Current trending market opportunities (18:50)
• How cloud computing and migration are affecting the cybersecurity space (20:35)
• Seth describes the current state of Israel's funding environment (22:00)
• Values and culture at Merlin (25:35)
• Seth's predictions for the future of Merlin and the VC market (26:55)

Links:

Seth Spergel on LinkedIn

Merlin Ventures on LinkedIn

Merlin Ventures Website

ICR LinkedIn

ICR Twitter

ICR Website

Feedback:

If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.

In the effort to recover from the impact of the pandemic, the hospitality industry has had a surge of innovation, ideas, and new technologies. And while the boost has been essential to getting the industry back on its feet, it has also intensified the competition. Today's guest is setting their company apart with a consumer-focused approach.

We're sitting down with Matt Tucker, who is the head of Tock, a technology driven hospitality business owned by Squarespace, and trading under the symbol SQSP.

Matt oversees commercial success and growth of the Tock business, which includes a reservation system, table management, carry-out operations and events for operators across 33 countries. Matt came to Squarespace after nearly two decades of experience building teams and operating companies of all sizes and has a strong background in hospitality tech and the startup world.

Most recently, Matt served as President and COO of Olo, the leading provider of SaaS solutions to the chain restaurant industry, serving almost 90,000 locations. He spent nearly nine years there, taking the company from 10 people and one product to a public company with over 700 team members, six core products and nearly 200 million in revenue.

Prior to Olo, Matt was on the founding team of LendingTree and was also the founder of Rely Software. He has an MBA from Georgetown and a BA in Political Science from the University of Michigan.

Highlights:

• Matt's background and path to restaurant software (4:09)
• Matt describes Tock's founding and current work (5:11)
• How Tock works in the restaurant to optimize reservations (7:01)
• Matt explains how Tock targets customers, and ROI agreements (8:35)
• Data captured through Tock, and what makes Tock's approach to data optimization unique (10:34)
• Matt talks about recent economic hurdles and how Tock has navigated the atmosphere (14:04)
• Matt discusses Tock's versatility in the restaurant industry (16:11)
• How Squarespace and Tock's work interconnect (17:49)
• Field competition and the state of the restaurant technology market (20:00)
• Tock's senior team and their history in hospitality (22:57)

Links:
Mathew Tucker on LinkedIn
Tock on LinkedIn
Tock Website
ICR Twitter
ICR LinkedIn
ICR Website

Feedback:
If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.

In a landscape where standing out demands both innovation and accessibility, finding ways to connect with a broad audience is crucial. Today's guest has been on a career-long quest to revolutionize the culinary world by blending tradition with modernity, creating products that not only appeal to diverse audiences but also prioritize health and taste.

Today we are lucky enough to sit down with Chef Ming Tsai, who is not only an Iron Chef, he's also a James Beard and Emmy Award winner, and a Chef-partner at BABA at the Yellowstone Club in Big Sky, Montana. He's also President of the National Advisory Board for Family Reach and the author of five cookbooks.

Chef Ming was the host and the Executive Producer of the longest-running cooking series on PBS, Simply Ming, and just received acclaim for his new mini-series titled Simply Ming: Better for You. He founded MingsBings, a consumer packaged goods startup bringing chef quality, better-for-you, convenient food to the frozen food aisle.

Beyond being the first East meets West option of its kind, MingsBings supports the mission of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Family Reach. To date, Chef Ming has helped raise $12 million for Family Reach.

In 2022, Chef Ming became Iron Chef Ming Tsai as he joined the cast of five world-class chefs in the Netflix series, Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend.

Highlights:

• Chef Ming's first cooking experiences, and introduction to the culinary world (4:21)
• Chef Ming's favorite dishes from childhood (7:19)
• What Chef Ming learned from his family's restaurant (7:46)
• How Chef Ming adjusted from Chef to businessperson (8:44)
• Early mistakes and lessons from running a restaurant (10:54)
• Chef Ming explains his East meets West cuisine style and influence (11:45)
• Work in the TV and entertainment industry (14:35)
• Chef Ming discusses his time on Iron Chef (16:50)
• Chef Ming's approach to writing cookbooks (18:07)
• The inspiration behind MingsBings (19:17)
• Philanthropic work for Family Reach (21:54)
• Chef Ming tells stories about his famous friends in the culinary world (25:21)

Links:

Ming Tsai on LinkedIn

MingBings on LinkedIn

MingBings Website

ICR LinkedIn

ICR Twitter

ICR Website

Feedback:

If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.

In the current macro environment with growing inflation and financial uncertainty, it's no wonder companies are actively seeking alternative solutions to safeguard their businesses. But today's guest is more than just an alternative; he's a game-changer for his clients, helping them maximize their financial outcomes.

Today we're sitting down with Raj Imteaz, who serves as the Head of ICR Capital's Convertible and Equity Derivatives Advisory Team, where he focuses on complex capital markets transactions across all industry verticals. Raj advises boards and management teams on structuring and executing convertible debt transactions, convertible preferred and mandatory offerings, structured share repurchases, cap calls and call spreads, hedging and monetization strategies, and warrant management solutions.

Raj joined ICR Capital from Matthew South, where he was the Head of Technology origination, advising clients on multiple convertible and equity derivatives transactions. Previously, Raj spent 15 years at Barclays, where he was a Managing Director in the equity-linked and hybrid solutions team and led the origination efforts across several sectors.

During his career, Raj has advised on and executed more than 200 convertible and equity derivative transactions, totaling over a hundred billion dollars of deal value.

Highlights:

• Raj gives us an overview of the current economic environment (4:03)
• What a convertible is and the role of advisors (6:01)
• How advisors can save businesses time and money (8:45)
• What makes Raj's team of advisors unique (10:18)
• Raj describes some of his team's stand-out deals (13:41)

Links:
Syed Raj Imteaz LinkedIn

ICR LinkedIn

ICR Twitter

ICR Website

Feedback:
If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.

This week we’re looking back at one of our most popular episodes of the last 6 months: our conversation with Charles Baker.

Every investment comes with plenty of responsibility, but in a multifaceted market like sports and entertainment with varied revenue streams and worldwide integration, navigating this complex landscape can be overwhelming. Today's guest is helping his clients make sure that all the bases are covered. Literally.

We're sitting down with Charles (Chuck) Baker, who chairs Sidley Austin's Entertainment, Sports, and Media Group. Chuck represents investors in professional sports, businesses and teams, and advises on sports and entertainment transactions. He has decades of experience in the sports industry and has represented sports franchise purchases across multiple leagues, including the NFL, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the NBA, the NHL, the National Women's Soccer League, and multiple European football leagues.

Recently, Chuck represented Genius Sports in its multi-year strategic partnership with the NFL and the Canadian Football League, and also advised on the acquisition minority interest in the Los Angeles Lakers, the Charlotte Hornets, as well as the 6+ billion dollar purchase of the Washington Commanders.

Chuck has been highly recognized in the field of sports and entertainment law by multiple national publications. Most recently, the National Law Journal named him to its 2022 list of sports gaming entertainment law trailblazers. The Sports Business Journal also named him to their 2021 Power Players list, and Law 360 added him to their 2020 Sports Betting MVPs.

Chuck is an active board member for the March of Dimes and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He is also an adjunct professor and advisory board member at the University of Miami School of Law, and a distinguished lecturer at NYU's Tisch Institute for Sports Management, Media and Business.

Chuck was also an associate for former Senator, Dollar Bill Bradley, one of Tom's all time favorite Knicks!

Highlights:

• Chuck's work background and how he came across his opportunity at Sidley Austin (4:34)
• Secular trends currently driving the sports and entertainment investment market (7:56)
• Chuck describes the investor audience specific to sports and entertainment (9:54)
• Current sports markets with high deal flow (12:58)
• Chuck tells the story of the Chelsea FC deal and his role in the transaction (15:14)
• The current trend and future of sports investments going international (17:53)
• Chuck describes Sidley Austin's recent partnership with Arctos (20:10)
• Market competition, industry saturation, and the market's outlook (23:11)
• How streaming and entertainment consumption affect media rights (25:17)
• Women's sports and growing investment markets (27:17)
• How market developments and investments affect fan experience (28:54)
• Chuck's most recent wins with his own sports teams (29:45)

Links:

Charles Baker

Charles Baker on LinkedIn

Sidley Austin on LinkedIn

Sidley Austin Website

ICR LinkedIn

ICR Twitter

ICR Website

Feedback:

If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.

Lithium-ion batteries are playing a big part in clean energy development, but making the battery itself clean and efficient will be crucial for the future of this technology. Today's guest is right at the center of making that happen.

We're sitting down with Ajay Kochhar, who is President, CEO, and Co-Founder of Li-Cycle, a leading global lithium-ion battery resource recovery company that trades under the symbol LICY. Before founding Li-Cycle in 2016, Ajay gained extensive technology and project development experience through progressive roles with Hatch's industrial clean tech and advisory practices.

While working in that space, he garnered in-depth engineering and project management experience through clean technology development in the lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, gold, lead, zinc, molybdenum, and rare earth metals industries. His technical expertise spans the entire project life cycle from conceptual and pre-feasibility studies to construction and commissioning.

Highlights:

• Ajay describes the use and benefits of lithium-ion batteries (3:50)
• What makes lithium-ion battery recycling unique (4:19)
• Ajay's career history and how he spotted a gap in the market (6:42)
• Ajay describes Li-Cycle's IP portfolio (8:31)
• What it means for companies to be 'environmentally friendly' (9:46)
• The benefits of domestic production and infrastructure (11:36)
• Economics and dual-revenue business model at Li-Cycle (12:49)
• Ajay discusses competition in the industry (15:50)
• Ajay's thoughts on the electric-vehicle adoption (18:05)
• Current and short-term priorities for Li-Cycle (20:00)
• Relationship with China in the lithium-ion industry (21:51)
• How the Inflation Reduction Act impacts businesses like Li-Cycle (23:00)
• Ajay's opinion on what investors miss when measuring company value (24:01)

Links:

Ajay Kochhar on LinkedIn

Li-Cycle on LinkedIn

Li-Cycle Website

ICR LinkedIn

ICR Twitter

ICR Website

Feedback:

If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.

To be a great consultant, a deep understanding of an industry is table stakes, but you also have to connect with the needs of the employees that work within it, while helping a business grow and change appropriately. It's not an easy formula to master, but today's guest has figured it out.

Today we're sitting down with long-time FOICER - that stands for friend of ICR - Fred LeFranc. Fred is the Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Results Thru Strategy, a consulting firm focused on the hospitality industry. Fred and his team help companies improve their strategic planning, organizational development, marketing, and performance management, as well as enhance their technology-based systems. They also help with executive coaching.

Fred's four decades in the hospitality industry include stints as COO, CEO, Board Member, and President of a number of hospitality and technology brands, including Flat Rock Grill, Ruby's Diner, Fishbowl Marketing, and Louise's Trattoria. Inc. Magazine actually featured his corporate turnaround from Louise's which included design, concept development, food production, IT systems, and operational executions as a great milestone in his career.

Highlights:

• Fred's introduction to the hospitality industry (4:09)
• How Fred transitioned from hospitality to consulting (5:07)
• Fred's outlook on the current state of the hospitality industry (7:16)
• Common challenges for businesses in the hospitality landscape (8:30)
• Fred describes what it takes to be a great CEO in hospitality (9:48)
• Areas where companies are under-investing in their business (11:32)
• Fred describes his approach to technology integration in hospitality (13:20)
• How technology can amplify branding and business (15:26)
• Businesses that are excelling in their take-out and delivery services (16:40)
• The importance of understanding service channels (17:53)
• Most common mistakes made by early-stage companies (18:50)
• Biggest mistakes made by mature companies (20:03)
• Fred talks about his time as CEO of Engelman's Bakery (22:02)
• How Fred advises businesses amidst labor and inflation challenges (24:32)
• What Fred is seeing in M & A in the industry (26:13)
• Fred's projected future trends in hospitality (26:57)
• Most gratifying client engagements in Fred's portfolio (28:05)

Links:
Fred LeFranc on LinkedIn
Results Thru Strategy on LinkedIn
Results Thru Strategy Website
ICR Twitter
ICR LinkedIn
ICR Website

Feedback:
If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.