6 × 6lock Podcast

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6 × 6lock is a short-form podcast designed for senior leaders across private equity, fund administration, treasury, security, and fintech. Each episode features one guest and six tightly moderated, six-minute topics — creating a focused ~36-minute episode that respects time and delivers substance. Why We Built It Private markets leaders have insights worth sharing — but not unlimited time. 6 × 6lock removes the fluff and delivers crisp, thoughtful conversations on what actually matters right now. Conversations We Care About Private markets operations and scaleRisk, fraud, and securityTreasury and capital movementTechnology adoptionLeadership lessonsWhat’s changing (and what isn’t) Who It’s For? PE and credit firm leadersFund administratorsCFOs, COOs, Heads of TreasuryFintech and infrastructure operators serving private markets Why 6lock As the Verified Money Movement platform purpose-built for private equity, 6lock sits at the intersection of identity, security, and trust. This podcast enables conversations that extend our mission by spotlighting leaders who are shaping the future of private market value creation.

  1. Aug 31

    16 Years as an LP: The Fundraising Truth First-Time GPs Need to Hear

    Before Brian Bank ever set foot inside a law firm, he spent 16 years as an institutional limited partner — committing capital to funds, sitting on LPACs, and reviewing more than a thousand fund pitches. Today he's the head of Strategy and Client Relations for the Investment Funds Group at Kirkland & Ellis, the highest revenue-generating law firm in the world. That combination is rare. And in this conversation, he holds nothing back. Brian joined 6lock CEO Todd Sorrel and Mike Langford to cover the full arc of what it takes to launch and grow a private equity fund, including: The rookie mistakes that kill first-time fund managers before they ever reach a first close (including the non-compete clause trap no one talks about)What LPs are actually thinking when you walk in to pitch — and why your deck is probably too longWhy showing up in person still matters — the Alaska Permanent Fund / Juneau testContinuation funds and why they now account for roughly 25% of all private equity liquidityThe retail and wealth channel opening up to private markets — and the cautionary tale that comes with it Chapters: 3:55 He Sat Through 1,000+ LP Pitches — Now He Helps GPs Launch Their Funds 24:10 The Firm That's Seen More Fund Launches Than Anyone Alive 31:55 Rookie Mistakes: What Many First-Time GPs Overlook 40:20 What Makes LPs Say Yes? 50:27 The $30 Trillion Wealth Channel Is Opening to Private Markets — Are You Ready?​

  2. Aug 24

    The Cybersecurity Wake-Up Call Private Markets Can't Afford to Ignore with Ray Mitchell, CISO of Sigma Information Group

    Ray Mitchell has seen it all from the front lines. As CISO of Sigma Information Group, he gets the calls nobody wants to make — companies that just got hit with ransomware, funds that wired money to a fraudster, executives whose email was silently compromised for months before anyone noticed. In this episode, Ray joins host Mike Langford and 6lock CEO Todd Sorrel for a conversation that's equal parts eye-opening and practical. Ray breaks down exactly how attacks happen — from the 800-pound gorilla nobody wants to deal with (email) to double extortion ransomware to AI-powered voice cloning that can fool every single person in your office. He also shares what firms are still getting catastrophically wrong, the two security measures that stop 99% of account takeovers, and why your most vulnerable link might not be inside your firm at all. In this episode: Why bad actors go to work every day with a suitcase — and have performance reviewsThe sales meeting where Sigma's prospect got hacked in real time, mid-pitchEmail is still the 800-pound gorilla — and most firms are running payments straight through itPhishing-resistant MFA and trusted device enrollment: the two things that actually workHow Ray's team used an AI voice agent to trick client employees — and what it revealedThe pizza place hack: why attackers always go after the weaker linkDouble extortion ransomware, whether to pay, and what to have in place before it happens"Data is the new oil" — and what that means for how you use AI in your business today Chapters: 05:26 - A CISO's Origin Story 14:01 - The Front Lines of Cybersecurity 18:34 - Email - The 800-Pound Gorilla 25:37 - AI as a Double-Edged Sword 35:00 - Practical Defense / Weak Links 36:46 - Data as the New Oil

  3. Jul 30

    The M&A Advisor Who Knows When It's Time to Exit - Robert Koven of JEGI LEONIS

    If you're a founder, a GP, or a portfolio company CEO, this is the episode you didn't know you needed. Robert Koven has helped hundreds of companies navigate one of the hardest decisions in business — when to exit, who to sell to, and how to find the right partner. He's doing it at exactly the moment AI is rewriting the rulebook on valuations. Robert is Co-CEO and Managing Director of JEGI LEONIS, one of the country's leading middle-market technology M&A advisory firms. He built Leonis Partners from scratch after stints at JPMorgan, Lehman Brothers, and Lazard Frères — then merged it with the 37-year-old powerhouse JEGI CLARITY to form one of the most respected M&A shops in the game. He's been named M&A Investment Banker of the Year three consecutive years running. In this episode, host Mike Langford and 6lock CEO Todd Sorrel — who personally hired Robert to sell his last company — sit down for an honest, unscripted conversation about what private markets really look like from the deal table. Chapters 00:00 Teaser — The Party Analogy 02:22 Segment 1: The Man Who Sold Todd's Company 10:50 Segment 2: From the Big Banks to Building Something 18:28 Segment 3: How Deals Actually Get Done 33:12 Segment 4: Reading the Market — AI and Crypto 49:53 Segment 5: Knowing When It's Time to Exit 59:06 Segment 6: Finding the Right Partner

  4. Jul 9

    Tax Planning, QSBS, & Keeping More of What You've Built with John Mark Prewitt

    What does it actually mean to put planning first — before compliance, before tax prep, before anything else? John Mark Prewitt, CPA and Founder and Managing Member of Cohesion, joins Mike Langford and Todd Sorrel for a conversation that every founder, operator, and private markets leader needs to hear. John Mark built Cohesion around a simple but rare idea: that the most valuable thing an accounting and advisory firm can do for its clients is plan first — and let compliance follow. In this episode he breaks down what that looks like in practice, why most firms aren't doing it, and what's sitting on the table for the clients who haven't had a real planning partner yet. In this episode: Why estate tax is the tax most founders aren't planning for — and why John Mark calls it "not your problem, but your responsibility"The major changes to QSBS and Section 1202 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — including the increase from $10M to $15M exclusion per original issuer and the new partial exemptions at the 3 and 4 year hold marksHow to make smart multi-year tax plans when the code keeps changingThe most common (and costly) mistakes John Mark finds when a new client comes in after years of going it alone — including Section 461 loss limits, net investment income tax, and balance sheet blind spotsThe story behind building Cohesion — and why culture and empathy are at the center of everything the firm doesWhy trust is the foundation of every client relationship, and how AI-enabled fraud is raising the stakes for everyone moving money Connect with John Mark Prewitt and Cohesion: John Mark Prewitt on LinkedInCohesion — cohesionco.com Questions or guest suggestions? Reach us at podcast@6lock.com CHAPTERS 0:00 - Welcome & The Moose Story 7:38 - What "Planning First" Actually Means 14:12 - The Estate Tax Wake-Up Call 20:30 - QSBS & Section 1202 Explained 24:24 - Planning When the Tax Code Keeps Moving 32:50 - The Most Common (and Costly) DIY Mistakes 36:47 - Building Cohesion & Why Trust Is Everything

  5. Jun 30

    The Banker's Inside View on Wire Fraud, Identity, and Building Two Banks from Scratch

    What happens when a $64 million wire is ready to go out the door and you can't verify the account it's going to? Jeff Wilkinson has lived that moment — not once, but repeatedly — as the founder and CEO of two community banks he built from scratch and grew past $1 billion in assets each. Jeff just closed the sale of Keystone Bank to Third Coast Bank in January 2026. Days before this recording, he sat in a Federal Reserve banker roundtable and told the room something that should concern every private equity firm, fund administrator, and CFO moving large amounts of money: the big banks have deliberately architected their systems to push fraud liability downstream — to community banks, to businesses, and ultimately to you. And the callback procedure everyone relies on? Voice cloning just killed it. This is one of the most candid conversations we've had on this show. Jeff holds nothing back. In this episode: — Why the big banks won't pick up the phone when you need to validate a recipient account — The $64M wire story that illustrates exactly what's broken — How fraud is up 33% year over year — and why only 12% of it gets reported — Why "your voice is your password" went from innovation to liability in two years — What Jeff told the Federal Reserve about 6lock — How hiring for fit (not for need) made Keystone more profitable faster than Pioneer — What Jeff would do differently if he started a bank today Chapters 00:00 Cold Open 01:00 Introduction 02:48 The Build, The Sale, and Doing It Twice 06:39 Community Banking vs. The Big Banks 19:04 Talent: Hire for Fit, Not for Need 27:44 The Banker's Inside View: Wire Fraud Is a Feature, Not a Bug 44:23 Identity Is the Answer 51:27 If You Were Starting a Bank Today Connect with Jeff Wilkinson LinkedIn | Keystone Bank | Third Coast Bank | Banking on Community Podcast Questions or guest suggestions: podcast@6lock.com

  6. May 8

    Not a Kid in a Basement: How Nation-State Actors Are Targeting Private Equity with Vivek Ahuja from Persona

    What if the biggest threat to your firm's next capital call isn't a hacker — it's a nation-state intelligence operation running enterprise-grade AI? On this episode of the 6 x 6lock Podcast, Mike Langford and Peter Steppe are joined by Vivek Ahuja, Director of FinTech & Financial Institution Partnerships at Persona — the identity verification platform that powers 6lock's KYC, KYB, and fraud prevention infrastructure. Vivek's path to this conversation is unlike anyone else's in the space. He started as a nuclear submarine officer, went on to co-found a payments company in Southeast Asia, built fraud systems at Affirm when buy-now-pay-later had no rulebook, worked inside Marqeta, and led revenue at SentiLink — one of the country's most respected synthetic identity fraud detection companies. What he learned along the way: fraud has first principles, and most private equity firms are violating all of them. In this episode: Why every new payment method creates a new fraud vector — and why AI is accelerating that cycle faster than everThe first principles of fraud that nobody teaches in school (because there's no PhD program for this)Why private equity sits at the most dangerous intersection in all of financial services: high dollar, high frequency, high urgency — and critically under-protectedHow 6lock and Persona work together to tie identity to every transaction before a dollar movesThe shift from fooling humans to fooling the humans' AI — and what that means for agentic commerceWhy the adversary targeting your firm isn't a teenager in a basement — it's an organized, state-sponsored operation thinking in ROI and probability of capture Mike also references a recent episode with Stanton Ray of Columbia Threadneedle on the operational realities of moving billions in private credit — worth a listen if you haven't caught it yet. And if you've ever been tempted to mess with a scammer who's texting you, Vivek has a word of warning. Mike references the legendary James Veitch TED Talk — funny as it is, Vivek explains exactly why engaging with bad actors, even sarcastically, is handing them data they'll use against you. Connect with our guests: Vivek Ahuja on LinkedIn | Persona Peter Steppe on LinkedIn | 6lock Have a question or a topic suggestion? Email us at podcast@6lock.com Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 02:30 - From Nuclear Submarines to The Fraud Lab 07:49 - First Principles of Fraud Protection 15:53 - Why Private Equity Firms Are Prime Targets for Fraud 20:17 - Identity Is the Infrastructure: How 6lock and Persona Work Together 25:10 - Are We Moving from Fooling the Human to Fooling the Human's AI? 34:24 - Nation-State Threats Are Private Equity's Problem Too

  7. Apr 30

    Column's Employee #1 on Building Championship Culture in Banking

    Alex Du dropped out of Stanford GSB five months before graduation to become employee #1 at Column. Six years later, he's COO of a nationally chartered bank that's rebuilding banking infrastructure from scratch. In this episode, Alex and Todd Sorrel (CEO of 6lock) dive deep into what it takes to build a championship culture in an industry that's never been known for it. From owning 100% of your infrastructure stack to understanding why that 0.001% of edge case payments creates 90% of the value, this conversation is essential listening for anyone building in fintech or serving private markets. Topics covered: Why Alex left Stanford 5 months before graduation The TAM + Team + Problem framework for early-stage companiesHow Column bought a bank and rebuilt the core from scratchBuilding championship culture: "Culture eats strategy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner"The 0.001% game — why edge cases create all the value in paymentsColumn's approach to AI in banking infrastructure Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 02:50 - The Stanford Dropout Story: When Plaid's Co-Founder Calls, You Show Up 09:44 - No One Likes Their Banking Partner And That's a Huge Opportunity 12:51 - Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner 32:29 - Why Column Had to Own the Entire Stack 42:16 - The 0.001% Game: Why All the Value in Payments Lives in the Edge Cases 48:57 - How is Column Approaching AI?

  8. Apr 23

    Finance Is the Lifeblood of Every Industry | Legendary Investor Britt Harris on Trust, Private Markets & Life After Success

    What is finance, really? Britt Harris gave an unforgettable answer on the Scholars of Finance podcast — finance isn’t the most important industry, but it is the lifeblood of every other one. That idea kicks off one of the most wide-ranging, wisdom-packed conversations in 6 × 6lock Podcast history. Britt Harris is the founder of On Eagles Wings Advisors and a 6lock advisor. He is the only investor in the world to have served as CIO or CEO for a top-5 fund in all four major investment categories: endowments (UTIMCO, $68B), public funds (Teacher Retirement System of Texas, $155B), private/hedge funds (Bridgewater Associates), and corporate funds (Verizon Investment Management). He has mentored 1,100+ students through his Titans of Investing program at Texas A&M and UT Austin, collectively launching 43 companies worth $6 billion. In this episode, Britt, host Mike Langford, and 6lock CEO Todd Sorrel cover: •      Why the trust culture of private markets has quietly become its biggest security vulnerability •      Why money movement is still stuck in the telegraph era — and what it will take to change it •      What LPs of the future are going to demand from their GPs •      The “Success to Significance” framework: why the second half of a career is more important than the first •      The Three Cheeseburger Life Plan — Britt’s surprisingly practical framework for a full life •      Why Britt — after 40 years in the industry — put his name behind 6lock Britt also shares the story directly from his time running UTIMCO: capital calls were arriving at 10x, even 100x, the expected amounts — and the industry had no reliable way to verify where the money was actually going. That unsolvable problem is exactly why 6lock exists. The lifeblood quote that opened this episode came from Britt’s appearance on the Scholars of Finance podcast with @scholarsoffinance911. Watch that episode to hear more of Britt’s perspective on the purpose of finance. CHAPTERS 00:00 — Intro & Teaser 02:28 — The Ethos of Finance Being: The Lifeblood of All Industries 10:49 — The Handshake Economy: How Trust Became a Risk for Private Markets 18:24 — Money Movement in Private Markets Is Stuck in the Telegraph Era 28:19 — What the LP of the Future Is Going to Demand from Their GPs 36:13 — Success to Significance: What the Second Half of a Career Is Really For 42:17 — The Three Cheeseburger Life Plan 48:15 — BONUS: A Principled Approach to Business CONNECT & LEARN MORE 🔗 Learn more about 6lock: 6lock.com 💼 Learn more about On Eagles Wings Advisors: oewadvisors.com 📧 Questions or suggestions for the show: podcast@6lock.com 🎬 Britt on the Scholars of Finance podcast: Watch here

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6 × 6lock is a short-form podcast designed for senior leaders across private equity, fund administration, treasury, security, and fintech. Each episode features one guest and six tightly moderated, six-minute topics — creating a focused ~36-minute episode that respects time and delivers substance. Why We Built It Private markets leaders have insights worth sharing — but not unlimited time. 6 × 6lock removes the fluff and delivers crisp, thoughtful conversations on what actually matters right now. Conversations We Care About Private markets operations and scaleRisk, fraud, and securityTreasury and capital movementTechnology adoptionLeadership lessonsWhat’s changing (and what isn’t) Who It’s For? PE and credit firm leadersFund administratorsCFOs, COOs, Heads of TreasuryFintech and infrastructure operators serving private markets Why 6lock As the Verified Money Movement platform purpose-built for private equity, 6lock sits at the intersection of identity, security, and trust. This podcast enables conversations that extend our mission by spotlighting leaders who are shaping the future of private market value creation.

Information

  • Creator
    6lock
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 6lock
  • Show Website
    6 × 6lock Podcast