Ever wonder what it takes to leave a "dream job" in high finance managing billions to build something from scratch? What do you learn at the highest levels of investing that can be applied to solving messy, real-world problems? This episode is a masterclass in exactly that.
Meet Daniel Schoenbrun. After a 13-year career at institutions like Michael Dell's family office and a $73B hedge fund, he walked away to fix one of the most broken parts of healthcare. He founded Exceptional, a fast-growing software company that is making waves by solving problems most founders would never even see.
In this deep-dive conversation, Meny Hoffman sits down with Daniel to uncover his playbook for finding true product-market fit, building an elite team of "drivers," and applying the principles of high-stakes investing to the world of startups.
You'll discover:
👉 The real, unvarnished difference between VC, Private Equity, and Hedge Funds.
👉 A critical warning about the hidden dangers of taking venture capital money.
👉 How to find genuine Product Market Fit (PMF) by listening for pain signals (The "Mom Test").
👉 Daniel's "Drivers vs. Passengers" framework for building a high-performance team with zero managers.
👉 Actionable advice on when and how to raise capital for your startup without derailing your product.
If you're a founder trying to solve a real problem, a leader building a team, or anyone curious about what it takes to bring structure to chaos, this conversation is essential listening.
👉 Subscribe for more deep-dive conversations with real builders and leaders.
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🎥 Watch & Connect:
🔗 Listen to the Full Episode Here: https://youtu.be/z-jK-coU1mo
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🔗 Episode Links (Daniel Schoenbrun):
👤 Connect with Daniel Schoenbrun on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-schoenbrun
🏢 Exponential (Daniel's Company): https://www.exponentialcare.ai/
📘 Book That Inspired Daniel ("Amp It Up"): https://amzn.to/4lgRPfA
📘 Book That Inspired Daniel ("Atomic Habits"): https://amzn.to/45Gx2xP
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💡 Practical Pointers from this Episode (Meny Hoffman's Takeaways):
1. Fix real problems, not trends. Daniel built Exceptional not to chase tech, but to solve a broken process in real people's lives. The market rewards clarity.
2. Ask "where's the friction?" Every manual task, especially in legacy industries like healthcare, is an opportunity for software. Start by asking what slows people down.
3. Complexity is the enemy of adoption. Daniel focused on making the product so simple and intuitive that everyone could use it. That's what makes it scalable.
4. Choose your early clients carefully. Instead of chasing everyone, Exceptional picked early adopters who wanted to innovate with them. That feedback loop made all the difference.
5. Your job as CEO is to create clarity. In a fast-growing company, confusion spreads quickly. Daniel's main job is to keep everyone aligned on what matters most.
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⏱️ Key Episode Moments (Timestamps):
1:34 – Welcome Daniel Schoenbrun, CEO of Exponential
2:56 – Daniel's Journey: From a $73B Hedge Fund to Startup Founder
7:29 – The Real Difference: VC vs. Private Equity vs. Hedge Funds
10:10 – A Founder's Warning: The Hidden Dangers of Taking VC Money
13:11 – The Problem He's Solving: Fixing Healthcare's Broken & Messy Backend
16:12 – Transferable Skills: How High-Finance Experi