The LionTree Podcast

On a special episode of The LionTree Podcast, we explore how prediction markets are repshaping the way we understand uncertainty, truth and decision-making. In partnership with Boardroom, the media brand at the intersection of sports, business and entertainment, we present a conversation between Tarek Mansour, Founder and CEO of Kalshi, and Rich Kleiman, Founder and CEO of Boardroom.

In order of appearance, the predictions ...

To start the year off right, Alex Michael sits down with Scott Belsky, founder of Behance, seed investor, and now partner at A24 and founder of A24 Labs, to walk through his predictions for 2026. Scott, who previously led product strategy and design at Adobe, has spent his career at the intersection of creative work and emerging technology.

In the episode, the pair explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping creativit...

LionTree’s James Lindsay visits the massive studio complex of Merwas in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (the world’s largest music studio, according to Guinness) to converse with Danny Townsend, CEO of SURJ Sports Investment. Danny, who began his career playing football (a/k/a soccer) for Australia’s Sydney United Team, had a 26 year-long career on the business side of sport prior to his 2023 appointment as CEO of SURJ. The pair hone...

LionTree’s Alex Michael chats with journalist Tara Palmeri, who, after reporting for everyone from the New York Post, CNN, Politico, Puck and ABC News, has struck out on her own with her substack, “The Red Letter,” as well as “The Tara Palmeri Show” on YouTube. The pair explores the entrepreneurial landscape for journalists, and how the confluence of media influencers and hard news is shifting the center of power in the ne...

Join Rachel Kraus and Caryl Stern as they examine the intersection of purpose and business. In this episode, our hosts hear from James Turk, CEO & Founder of The Turk Group. With more than 25 years of experience developing leaders at companies such as Spotify, Squarespace, and Goldman Sachs, James helps people move from managing tasks to truly inspiring others. Tune in to hear insights from James’s recently published b...

LionTree’s Louis Kenna is joined in the company’s UK office by Lionel Assant, Global Co-Chief Investment Officer of Blackstone. Lionel came to Blackstone in 2003, four years prior to the firm going public; in that time, their AUM has risen from ~$27 Billion to around $1.1 Trillion. Executing on 70 plus strategies across four divisions, Lionel details how Blackstone’s scale enables them to make bold investments, and, via th...

Join Rachel Kraus and Caryl Stern as they examine the intersection of purpose and business. In this episode, we hear from Raj Vinnakota, the President of the Institute for Citizens & Scholars. The organization's goal is to "equip young people with the civic skills necessary to navigate a divided country and become effective leaders," and Raj's first-hand experience in the corporate and non-profit world is a c...

LionTree’s Antal Runneboom sits down with FJ Labs Founding Partner Fabrice Grinda, whose long and successful career in the tech space includes co-founding wireless mobile company Zingy as well as global marketplace OLX. Fabrice gives fascinating perspective into the opportunities around vertical-specific marketplaces; the process by which he and his FJ Labs partners select the hundreds of start-ups they’ve invested in; why...

Two-time NBA champion and Duke University mainstay Shane Battier checks in with LionTree’s resident sports expert, Alex Michael, to share his philosophy on what makes teams - and businesses - great. Shane discusses his experiences under Duke’s renowned Coach K (most recently lionized on “The Bear”), and reflects on the importance of the “glue guys” who help all of their colleagues shine. 

This podcast is for informatio...

In the latest installment of his series examining private equity in the tech sector, LionTree’s Antal Runnebom speaks with Reed Rayman, a Partner in Private Equity at Apollo Global Management. Making his first-ever podcast appearance, Reed discusses his 15-year career at Apollo, and the “value on the buy, growth once we own” philosophy that has guided the firm’s deals with companies including Western Digital, Intel, Shutte...

Join Rachel Kraus and Caryl Stern as they examine the intersection of purpose and business. In this episode, they hear the colorful life story of Luis Duarte, a serial entrepreneur whose career has taken him from facing down gun-toting cartel members to founding Amoofy - which stands for “A Moment of You” - a platform that enables you to document and share your family’s history ethically and privately, while owning 100% of...

LionTree’s James Lindsay chats with music blogger turned startup CEO Andy Apple, whose company Mellomanic provides artists and labels a unique, integrated platform for hosting listening parties, exclusive live streams, interactive chat rooms and more. In an era where artists are taking more direct ownership of how they market themselves, Mellomanic offers new ways to engage, and eventually monetize, superfans for the long ...

In this episode, LionTree’s James Lindsay gets the lowdown on Jen Music AI from co-founder and music industry vet Shara Senderoff. Earlier this year, Jen launched an ethically-trained AI music platform for text-to-music creation, and Shara details the platform’s commitment to transparency, compensation and copyright identification. It’s a glimpse at how content creators can utilize generative AI to enhance their vision, an...

Today, join LionTree Managing Director Rosie Kurmaniak as she engages in an illuminating conversation with communications guru Maha Abouelenein (https://www.mahaabouelenein.com/). Over her three decade career, Maha has crafted strategies for global corporations, startups, governments and CEOs, as well as managing comms for major tech companies in the Middle East. She’s just published her first book, “7 Rules of Self-Relian...

Join Rachel Kraus and Caryl Stern as they examine the intersection of purpose and business. In this episode, they speak with Misha Vitels & Peter Frelinghuysen, the co-Founders of Earth Brands. Recent Williams College grads and varsity tennis teammates, the pair turned their dismay at the red plastic cups littering their campus into inspiration - and created a thriving company dedicated to making sustainable alternativ...

LionTree Managing Director and resident sports expert Alex Michael chats with MOGL CEO and co-Founder Ayden Syal to discuss how the company enables brands and college athletes to partner in the wake of the 2021 NCAA decision that allows these athletes to monetize their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL). By taking the pain out of the process - and making sure schools are in the loop - MOGL projects that they’ll be profitable b...

The youth sports market is exploding, and there’s no better example of that growth and opportunity than GameChanger, the ubiquitous app that parents, family members and friends use to stream, score and stay up on all the games being played at schools nationwide. Join LionTree Managing Director Alex Michael as he and Sameer discuss the company’s growth in the wake of their 2016 acquisition by DICK’s Sporting Goods, GameChan...

Listen in for a fascinating exploration of how private equity has evolved over the last few decades as LionTree Managing Director Antal Runneboom sits with Brian Ruder, Partner, Head of Investment Committee and Co-Head of Technology at Permira, a worldwide investment firm with over $80B of assets under management. A long-time leader in tech and consumer internet investing, Permira’s portfolio includes Allegro, Genesys, Zen...

Powerhouse of the business world Lisa Borders shares her life story from being childhood playmates with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s children, to the roles she's held throughout her storied career including President of the WNBA, Vice President of Global Community Affairs at Coca-Cola, and Vice Mayor of Atlanta.

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