Mathew D. Focht is the Founding Managing Partner of EMERGING, a growth equity and concept development firm helping best-in-class restaurant and entertainment operators scale nationally. With over 25 years of experience, Mathew has worked with hundreds of restaurant and entertainment founders and CEOs, guiding early-stage concepts and technology investments from inception to national recognition.
Mathew is the founder of EMERGING, Emerging Concepts, Consolidated Concepts, Acutely, and FB Insights. He has created operating companies focused on capital, real estate, supply chain, technology, and cost optimization. His portfolio includes prominent concepts such as Puttshack, F1 Arcade, Flight Club, Batbox, Blue Sushi, Federales, Silverspot Cinema, Pour House, City Works, Doc B’s, The PUB, Levity Live, Improv Comedy Club, Bar Louie, Cheesecake Factory, Brio, Bravo, Blue Martini, Hyde Park Steakhouse, Lucky Strike, and Houston’s.
Prior to founding EMERGING, Mathew served as Vice President and executive at RKF Retail Property Advisors, Sierra Advisors, Pyramid Companies, and Steiner & Associates, providing leasing, marketing, and consulting services to developers and emerging chains. He holds an MBA in Finance and Real Estate and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.
Podcast Chapters:
02:23 The Evolution of Experiential Social Entertainment
05:15 Data-Driven Approach to Scaling Concepts
08:02 Leveraging AI and Technology in Entertainment
12:00 Licensing, Avatars, and the Future of Guest Experiences
16:10 Growth Capital and Investment Strategy
20:05 Key Success Factors: Location, Team, Corporate, Technology
24:30 Sports Entertainment Districts and Global Expansion
29:35 Advice for Founders and Emerging Operators
33:21 Conclusion and Key Takeaways
Mathew D. Focht:
🏠 Website:https://emerging.com/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathew-d-focht-89bb88b/
Andrew Petcash:
🏠 Website: https://profluence.com
🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Ruthie's Table 4
For more than 30 years The River Cafe in London, has been the home-from-home of artists, architects, designers, actors, collectors, writers, activists, and politicians. Michael Caine, Glenn Close, JJ Abrams, Steve McQueen, Victoria and David Beckham, and Lily Allen, are just some of the people who love to call The River Cafe home. On River Cafe Table 4, Rogers sits down with her customers—who have become friends—to talk about food memories. Table 4 explores how food impacts every aspect of our lives. “Foods is politics, food is cultural, food is how you express love, food is about your heritage, it defines who you and who you want to be,” says Rogers. Each week, Rogers invites her guest to reminisce about family suppers and first dates, what they cook, how they eat when performing, the restaurants they choose, and what food they seek when they need comfort. And to punctuate each episode of Table 4, guests such as Ralph Fiennes, Emily Blunt, and Alfonso Cuarón, read their favourite recipe from one of the best-selling River Cafe cookbooks. Table 4 itself, is situated near The River Cafe’s open kitchen, close to the bright pink wood-fired oven and next to the glossy yellow pass, where Ruthie oversees the restaurant. You are invited to take a seat at this intimate table and join the conversation. For more information, recipes, and ingredients, go to https://shoptherivercafe.co.uk/ Web: https://rivercafe.co.uk/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/therivercafelondon/ Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/therivercafelondon/ For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iheartradio app, apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com