Absolute Return Podcast Accelerate Financial Technologies Inc.

March 13, 2024 - On today’s podcast we welcome special guest Carson Block of Muddy Waters. Carson is an activist short seller who conducts in-depth fundamental short analysis focused on business fraud, accounting fraud, and fundamental problems. On the show, we discuss:
His fortuitous path to short selling as a profession
Sino Forest and the short that put him on the map
The thesis behind his bearish view on Fairfax Financial
His approach to risk management
And more

December 17, 2023 - On today’s episode we welcome special guest, Hodes Weill Managing Partner and Co-founder, Doug Weill. Hodes Weill is a leading, global capital advisory firm focused on the real estate and real assets investment and funds management industry. On the show, we discuss:
How real estate plays a role in investment portfolios
Which segments of the real estate market are most favourable, and which investors should avoid
The biggest risk facing real estate investors currently
His real estate “top pick”
And more!

October 24, 2023 - On today’s show we welcome special guest, Zapata AI Co-Founder and CEO Christopher Savoie. Zapata AI is an industrial generative AI software company developing solutions and applications to solve enterprises’ hardest problems.On the show we discuss:
How Christopher went from getting his PhD in a medical field to founding several tech startups
A deep dive into what artificial intelligence is and what it can accomplish
Some use cases for industrial generative AI
How the company offers faster, cheaper, and more accurate generative AI
And more
 

August 14, 2023 -  On today’s show we welcome special guest, Bitcoin Depot CEO Brandon Mintz. Bitcoin Depot operates the largest bitcoin ATM network in the world. On the show, we discuss:
Brandon’s “bitcoin moment” and what initially got him interested in the cryptocurrency
His entrepreneurial journey and where he got the idea to start the company
Why their customers use ATMs instead of online exchanges to buy bitcoin
Bitcoin Depot’s growth initiatives, including their approach to M&A
What he believes is in store for the future of bitcoin

February 27, 2023 - On today’s show we welcome special guest and the 2022 Dealmaker of the Year, Danny Rice. Danny was the CEO of Rice Acquisition 1, which merged with Archaea Energy in a $1.15 billion deal and then subsequently sold to BP for $4.1 billion. Danny is now the CEO of Rice Acquisition 2, which recently announced a $1.5 billion merger with NET Power, a clean energy technology company.
On the show, Danny discusses:
Key lessons learned from the Archaea Energy SPAC merger and subsequent sale to BP
A primer on NET Power’s innovative clean energy technology
The case for U.S. shale gas powering reliable, clean and low-cost power
What inspires him as an entrepreneur and business leader
And more

January 6, 2023 - On today’s show we welcome special guest Phil Bak, CEO of Armada ETF 
Advisors. Phil has been innovating in the ETF industry for over 15 years. He has previously served as Founder/CEO of Exponential ETFs, an ETF issuer and sub-advisor acquired by Tidal ETF Services in 2020. Phil has also served as Chief Investment Officer at Signal Advisors, a venture-backed startup in Detroit and Managing Director at the New York Stock Exchange. On the show, Phil discusses:
 
Characteristics of ETFs that make them a great tool for investors
Some major innovations in ETFs over the past 15 years
The bull case for residential real estate
What is happening in the private REIT space
The major risk investors face in private REITs
And more