EPISODE
Nico Wittenborn, Scott Keogh, Mitchell Green, David Rosenthal & Ben Gilbert, Faraj Aalaei
00:01:00 Nico Wittenborn discusses his journey from growing up in Germany and selling refurbished iPhones to founding Adjacent, a solo-GP venture firm. He shares his investment strategy across consumer subscriptions, AI, hardware, and European technology, highlighting investments such as Speechify, Oura, Revolut, and Bending Spoons.
00:02:00 Scott Keogh, CEO of Scout Motors and an automotive industry veteran, discusses reviving the iconic American SUV brand as a modern manufacturer of rugged electric vehicles. He outlines Scout’s U.S. manufacturing expansion, direct-to-consumer sales and service strategy, and plans to deliver durable, driver-focused SUVs and trucks beginning in 2028.
00:03:00 Mitchell Green, founder and managing partner of Lead Edge Capital, discusses the resilience of enterprise software, AI-driven disruption, and the importance of strong balance sheets for continued innovation. He also explores America’s accelerating wealth creation, booming luxury-asset markets, AI regulation and cybersecurity risks, and opportunities to acquire mature, overcapitalized technology companies.
00:04:00 David Rosenthal discusses how he and Ben Gilbert research companies for *Acquired*, focusing on Home Depot’s extraordinary growth and status as the best-performing U.S. public stock since its 1981 IPO. He highlights its scale, employee ownership culture, professional customer base, e-commerce strategy, and resilience through leadership challenges and changing retail trends.
00:05:00 Faraj Aalaei discusses his four decades in semiconductors and his role as founder and CEO of Cognichip, following two successful semiconductor startups. He explains how Cognichip’s specialized AI aims to dramatically reduce chip development time, cost, and risk by automating routine engineering tasks and enabling designers to focus on innovation.