SEASON 2 PREMIERS AUGUST 14TH:
Every Thursday, two childhood friends & startup investors - Robert Harary and Sol Betesh - go head-to-head on the hottest headlines in business, media, and tech then interview some of the industry’s most impactful people over a glass of their favorite cocktail.
Robert is an entrepreneur and venture capitalist with 100+ portfolio companies. Sol is an angel investor and growth strategist, launching and acquiring consumer brands across the globe.
"The Guy Who Keeps Giving David Dobrik Cars" with Ian Borthwick
Ian Borthwick - Head of Influencer Channels at SeatGeek - joins Robert and Sol for a conversation about influencer marketing, working with leading internet personalities, how creators are making money, and the future of content creation. Ian shares his stories working with creators like David Dobrik, Casey Neistat, and more.
First, Robert and Sol talk about Epic Games' suit against Apple for their massive fees on in-app purchases and how larger companies are using their marketplaces to compete with their own customers.
13 Aug 2020
"The Prick to Productivity Ratio" with Kara Swisher
SEASON 2 PREMIERE
Kara Swisher - Founder of Recode, Host of Recode Decode, Host of The Award Winning Pivot Podcast, and world-renowned tech journalist - sits down with Robert and Sol to talk about what some of the world's top tech executives are like when the cameras aren't rolling. Kara talks about interviewing Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and Bill Gates + shares her thoughts on how technology impacts a number of industries.
First, Robert and Sol talk about Tik Tok's impending ban in the United States and which companies could potentially buy the business.
13 May 2020
Why Uber Wants a Big Bite of Grubhub
Mixing it up this week!
This episode is all Robert and Sol so hopefully, you like them enough to bear with them. The guys have a drink and talk through Uber’s potential acquisition of GrubHub, Beyond Meat’s stock price’s sudden surge, and the major financial fraud scandal at Luckin Coffee that lead to the CEO and COO being fired.
5 May 2020
What Journalists Actually Care About
Erin Griffith, Domestic Correspondent at the New York Times covering Venture Capital and Startups, joins us for a conversation about getting media attention for your company, what it takes to be a journalist, and what tips she has to recognize the truth in every story.
First, we’ll talk about Elon Musk’s Twitter rant, its affect on the company stock price, and his role as CEO of Tesla. Afterwards, we’ll catch up with Justin Lafazan - Co CEO of NextGen HQ - to talk about how the networking and events industry is responding to COVID-19. After our interview with Erin, we’ll discuss Spotify’s growth through 2020, how COVID has affected the type of music we listen to, and how Spotify stacks up next to Apple Music.
28 Apr 2020
How to Not Get Fat During Quarantine
Josh Bonhotal, VP of Operations at Future Fit, Zooms in to talk about how technology is making it easier than ever to work out from home. Future connects individuals with personal trainers over video chat and through their app, making working out from home easier than ever.
First, we’ll discuss whether major tech companies like Amazon and Facebook are getting too big. After that, we’ll have Nina Stepanov and Amir Tehrani in for Casual Calls.
Nina Stepanov: Principal at Acceleprise
Amir Tehrani: Founder and CEO of Our Place
21 Apr 2020
How to Make it Big Inside a Bigger Company
Mike Kurzeja, Senior Manager of Corporate Strategy, Innovation, and Sustainability at Exelon (and Sol’s former boss) sits down with us to talk about how to make a name for yourself at and how to make an impact in an enormous, global company. Mike fills us in on how huge companies like Exelon make decisions, why corporations operate the way they do, and how in-trepreneurship works.
First, we’ll talk about AirBnb’s $2B raises split into two $1B tranches following a 96% dip in bookings through COVID-19. After our drink with Mike, we’ll discuss the $2 Trillion stimulus package and what reopening the economy could look like.
14 Apr 2020
How to Get Celebrities to Give You Money
Eman Pahlavani, Cofounder of HUNGRY, sits down with us to talk about how to raise money from A-List celebrities. HUNGRY has raised $30,000,000+ from investors like JAY-Z, Jay Brown, Usher, Kevin Hart, and more. Their platform connects independent chefs with companies looking to cater for their workplace (and, during COVID-19, their home offices).
First, we’ll talk about WeWork’s $3 Billion lawsuit against SoftBank and how we feel about both of those companies. After our interview with Eman, we’ll talk about Hollywood’s response to COVID and what streaming platforms stand to gain the most from the sudden change in the way people are streaming due to sheltering in place.
Our Friends this Week for Casual Calls:
Kara La Forgia: Founder and CEO of KAZ Konsulting
Michael Bethoney & Natanel Malkoukian: Heads of New Development at Nest Seekers, The Serhant Team
7 Apr 2020
So Does Quibi Suck? Yep.
Emil Davityan, Former Cyber Security Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister of Australia and the Founder of Bluedot, has a (pre-recorded before Coronavirus) drink with us to talk about Geofencing - what it means, how it works, and all of the ways we’ll interact with it in our day to day. He’ll also share some lessons he learned building a team, partnering up with one of his best friends, and rising to the occasion of leading a growing company.
First, we’ll talk about how we felt after using Quibi (if the episode title didn’t give it away - not great), how it stacks up next to other streaming platforms, and what they can do to compete. After our drink with Emil, we’ll break down a class action lawsuit against Zoom for allegedly giving user information to Facebook without user permission.
Our Friends This Week:
Marcus Stroud - Founding Partner @ TXV Partners
Oliver D’Abo Hurwitz - Founder of Logos News
Steve Fletcher - Venture Capital & Real Estate Investor
31 Mar 2020
Coronavirus in the Age of Memes
Looks like Quarantine Week just turned into Quarantine Month! The US is still sheltering in place so we’ll be continuing our episodes over Zoom until the guidance clears.
Rowan Winch and Lewis Weed jump on a Zoom call with us to talk about how to make money off of memes.
Rowan and Lewis both run viral meme accounts that have landed them on the front page of the New York Times and have allowed them to make a way better living than you would think.
First, we’ll talk about how the world is going to change after the Coronavirus crisis passes - what our relationship with companies and tech is going to look + how we’ll respond as a society moving forward.
After our chat with Rowan and Lewis - we’ll talk about stock buybacks, how they work, and how we feel about them.
Our Friends This Week:
Luv Tulsidas - CEO of Techolution and Founder of Faceopen
Joseph Beyda - Financial Analyst for Google’s Data Center Real Estate Division
Abie Sarway - Founder of the Sarway Group within Douglas Elliman Real Estate
24 Mar 2020
We’re All Quarantined!
It’s Quarantine Week! We’re recording Casual Pour from our homes over Zoom. This week, Brett Harrison - Founder and CEO of Roomie - joins us for a conversation about how to be an entrepreneur in college without sacrificing your life as a college student. Roomie takes in your typical dorm room twin bed and rents out comfortable, full-size mattresses to students across 20+ universities and growing.
First, we’ll talk about how our companies are fairing during Coronavirus and then bring in a few of our friends to talk about how their businesses, industries, portfolio companies, etc. are being impacted by the virus.
Our friends this week:
Eman Pahlavani - COO of HUNGRY Marketplace
Dan Fleischmann - VP at KitchenFund (By Chloe, Sweetgreen, Gregory’s Coffee, and more)
Majd Maksad - CEO of Status Money
Kendrick Kho - Investor at Global Founders Capital (Facebook, Slack, LinkedIn, Canva, HelloFresh, and more)
After our conversation with Brett, we’ll talk through the Casino stocks getting hammered and what the future of gambling looks like.
17 Mar 2020
Who Is Making Money Because of Coronavirus
Majd Maksad, CEO of Status Money, sits down with us for a drink to talk about the future of banking and how we spend money in general. Status money is the first social finance app that helps you make financial decisions using people in your peer group, giving you more data than any bank has access to.
First, we’ll talk about how companies are being affected by Coronavirus and which companies stand to gain the most from it. After our drink with Majd, we’ll talk about Outdoor Voices, a Direct-to-Consumer brand that’s in trouble, and whether or not Direct-to-Consumer businesses are or ever have been viable.
10 Mar 2020
The Music Industry Deconstructed by an Industry Veteran
Andy Blacker, Co-Founder and CEO of Songclip, sits down with us to unpack the entire music industry and share his thoughts on where music is going. Songclip is a new kind of streaming service that lives in other apps - think adding music to your photos, custom singing emojis, and so much more.
First, we’ll talk about Jack Welch - CEO of GE - passing away and some of our favorite CEOs right now. After our interview with Andy, we’ll talk about Kia and Hyundai’s $110,000,000 investment in Arrival and what the future of the electric vehicle market looks like.
5 Mar 2020
How Small Companies Sell to Major Retailers
Kara La Forgia has a drink with Sol and Robert to about how retail works under the hood, the nightmare that is starting a company, and what brands she’s super excited about right now. Kara is the founder of Kaz Consulting and an angel investor from New York. Kara built her career on getting startups and new brands into major retail stores. You name the retail store, she’s built a relationship with them.
First. we'll talk about HQ Trivia shutting down after a failed acquisition and what's in store for the viral social trivia app. After our drink with Kara, we'll talk about Virgin Galactic and how it stacks up next to all of the other private space programs.
2 Mar 2020
LGBTQ+ Representation in Tech
Lorenzo Thione, Broadway producer (Hadestown, Allegiance, Mrs. Doubtfire, American Idiot, and more) and Managing Director of Gaingels, sits down for a drink with Robert and Sol to deconstruct the Broadway industry and talk about LGBTQ+ representation in tech.
First, we’ll talk about Disney’s CEO, Bob Iger, stepping down after 15 years at the helm and why over 1,300 CEOs have stepped down this year alone. After our drink with Lorenzo, we’ll talk about Coronavirus.
10 Feb 2020
Young People Are Doing Some Incredible Sh*t
This week, the guys have a drink with Justin Lafazan -- Cofounder and Co-CEO of NextGen HQ, a global community of over 20,000 entrepreneurs and investors under 25 -- to talk about how the global culture around entrepreneurship has changed for our generation (Millennials, Gen Z, etc.) and some young entrepreneurs he knows today that are launching some incredible businesses.
First, we'll talk about Macy's closing 125 stores while laying off 2,000 employees and what that means for department stores in general. After our drink with Justin, Sol is going to catch us up on Twitter's stock.
3 Feb 2020
The Companies That Will Define the Decade
Gregg Smith, Founder and CEO of Evolution VC Partners, sits down with Robert and Sol for a roundtable discussion about which companies we'll interact with every single day over the course of the next decade. Gregg is an early investor in 100+ portfolio companies including Juul, SweetGreen, Beyond Meat, and much more.
First, we talk about TikTok's explosive growth over the course of 2019. After Gregg, we'll catch up on Peacock - NBC's newest streaming service.
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