With the rise of crowdfunding sites such as Republic, WeFunder, and NetCapital, small-time investors can now at least feel like they're part of something much bigger.

We pride ourselves on not only answering questions but uncovering questions that haven’t yet been asked. Questions that can transform companies, sectors, and entire industries. We look at things differently and use new perspectives to create valuable change across our portfolio.

In short, the shipping pallets industry is big business (just ask CHEP and PECO), but one that hasn’t made the leap into the future … yet.

The rise of Jony Ive – like Dieter Rams before him – has taken industrial design from a bespoke fringe carrier relegated to the dusty backrooms of large manufacturing companies into a level of “cool” status shared with that of rockstars, celebrities, and athletes. Now, you’ll find Instagram feeds filled with the latest efforts of up-and-coming product designers, books dedicated to the typography of NASA, and articles in national magazines wondering just what these industrial artists eat for breakfast.

There was a time when kids (and uninformed parents) would head into a video game store like GameStop and ask for recommendations, tips, and industry news from the dialed-in employees. But with the rise of Twitch and the proliferation of video game reviews online, the need for in-store gaming experts is vastly outdated.

Private Equity requires looking at atypical data to assess the viability of business operations. This same empirical analysis of businesses has been adopted by hedge fund managers and VC firms but has yet to see wide-scale use in private equity.

We often look at Moore’s Law – that being the number of transistors on a microchip is doubled while the cost of microchips is halved every two years – as an exponential measurement for the speed of technology. But the real beauty lies in how the acceleration of things like computational power, sensors, and networks affects industries, society, and people.

How to quantify - and reward - virtuous behavior; to celebrate those who go out of their way to improve the lives of others.

The private equity world is - rightly - concerned about creating value for their companies, but they often neglect to transform and modernize their own business. However, we are at an inflection point - one where an abundance of technology can reshape the private equity landscape by providing incredible advances that streamline operations with intelligence, insight, and informed analytics. And those firms that don't seek out these technologies will soon see their ability to efficiently and effectively manage their funds wither on the vine.

Amidst a global pandemic and social distancing because of it, my morning Starbucks visitations like just about every other aspect of life, have changed greatly. With vaccines far off, and winter coming, I started looking at other options. And with my digital transformation hat on, I found something intriguing (and, admittedly, satisfying): the rise of the bespoke coffee truck.

We are shifting away from a “car-as-possession” society to a “car-as-service” society. And with this transformation comes radical adjustments to the automotive industry as a whole. Soon, gas stations will be obsolete, car rental companies will fall into antiquity, and parking garages will become empty skeletons of concrete.