Join David Drapkin as he speaks to Westrock Coffee CEO Scott Ford. Westrock Coffee is going public company via a $1.1B deal with Riverview Acquisition Corporation (RVAC).
The Know Who Drives Return Podcast
Blair LaCorte, CEO of AEye, On Why Now is the Time to Look at LiDAR
Blair LaCorte, CEO of AEye (NASDAQ:LIDR), provides his take on Autonomous Driving, why a lidar shakeout is coming, and what the carmakers really want.
Why Companies Should be Focused on ESG in 2022, with Rob Main
We talk to Rob Main, a longtime Vanguard veteran, who’s now Managing Partner and COO of Sustainable Governance Partners, a corporate ESG advisory firm.
Coffee Company or Lifestyle Brand? Black Rifle Coffee Set for Vote on SPAC Deal with SBEA
Tom Davin, Co-CEO of Black Rifle Coffee, and Joe Reece, the exec chair of SilverBox Engaged (SBEA) join to discuss the company, the merger, and their vision.
Tal Keinan on Sky Harbour Creating a Home-Base for Private Aviation
Sky Harbour CEO Tal Keinan on why he started the company, why it is set for success, and going public via SPAC with YSAC.
Rangeley’s Chris DeMuth Jr. on Value Investing and SPACs
For the latest Know Who Drives Return episode, David Drapkin talks to Rangeley Captial founder Chris DeMuth Jr. on SPAC and Value investing.
Sonder’s Francis Davidson on Re-Designing Hospitality and Merger with GMII
For the latest Know Who Drives Return episode, we sat down with Francis Davidson, the founder and CEO of Sonder, a hospitality company that leases and manages travel properties. Sonder is valued at nearly $2B and is going public through Gores Metropolous II. Francis, at just 29 years old, has been able to rapidly scale the company that he founded 8 years ago as a student at McGill University in Quebec. Will Sonder succeed in grabbing a larger share of the lodging space? Have a listen and read our full report on the Sonder deal.
Amy Nauiokas on FinTech VC, SPACs, Diversity, and Anthemis Digital (ADAL)
We were fortunate to sit down with Amy Nauiokas, the Co-Founder, Co-Chair, and Co-CIO of fintech investing platform Anthemis ($1.2B in AUM), who has been a leading fintech investor for nearly 15 years. Though she has a career that us regular folks might find astounding given she also runs a film and television production company, Archer Gray, which promotes story telling from diverse individuals.
Dave CEO Jason Wilk on Saving Customers Billions and their SPAC Deal with VPCC
Dave CEO Jason Wilk joins Boardroom Alpha’s David Drapkin to discuss how DAVE has already saved customers billions, how it is shifting its business as it matures, and how its SPAC deal with VPC Impact Acquisition Holdings III (VPCC) will help fuel that shift.
HotelPlanner CEO Tim Hentschel on Their 3-Way SPAC Merger with Reservations.com and Astrea Acquisition (ASAX)
HotelPlanner and Reservations.com are going public in a three-way merger with Astrea Acquisition Corp (ASAX) $567M deal announced in August 2021.
Brivo CEO Steve Van Till on Cloud-Based Access Control and SPAC Merger with CPTK
Brivo Founder & CEO Steve Van Till talks merger with Crown PropTech Acquisitions (CPTK) and why access control is more important now than ever.
Greenbox POS Talking Blockchain and Stablecoin Coyni
Greenbox POS (GBOX), a fintech that utilizes block chain technology to create custom payment solutions co-founded by Ben Errez. The company up-listed to Nasdaq earlier this year, and its newly created stablecoin, Coyni, will be a separately publicly traded entity led by Paul Levine.
SPAC Sponsor Spotlight: Live Oak Merchant Partners
Investment firm Live Oak Merchant Partners is one of the leading “serial” SPAC sponsors, with views of maintaining a long term presence in the asset class. Led by Rick Hendrix and Gary Wunderlich, Live Oak brings both extensive capital markets and advisory experience with an investment track record.
BM Technologies’ (BMTX) Luvleen Sidhu on Becoming a Bank and FinTech Evolution
BM Technologies (BMTX) is a digital, mobile-first FinTech that was born out of BankMobile and boasts ~2M accounts. BankMobile was originally founded by Luvleen Sidhu and developed at parent Customers Bank (CUBI), before ultimately separating and going public via SPAC Megalith Financial Acquisition in January 2021. BMTX recently announced a strategic merger with First Sound Bank and now has plans to become a FinTech bank.
Will SeatGeek’s Primary Strategy Propel them to Ticketing Victory?
SeatGeek CEO Jack Groetzinger joins the podcast to discuss SeatGeek’s potential to grab market share in the ticketing landscape by focusing on primary (enterprise) clients, improving its tech stock and ramping up brand awareness.
Why Navitas Semiconductor (NVTS) Is the Next Big Thing in Chips with CEO Gene Sheridan
Veteran semi executive and Navitas Founder & CEO Gene Sheridan joins the Know Who Drives Return Podcast to discuss the future of GaN and future prospects for Navitas (NVTS), who recently went public via SPAC (Live Oak II).
Chad Rigetti on why Superconducting and Rigetti is the Best Bet on Quantum Computing
agreed to a SPAC merger with Supernova Partners Acquisition Co II (SNII). Quantum computing leaders are very bullish on the technology and are projecting that in 5-10 years every company will have quantum computers that can solve problems today’s computers cannot.
Is Planet Labs (PL) Ready for Primetime as it Goes Public via DMYQ?
Earth Data company Planet Labs is going public thru dMY Technology IV (DMYQ) via a SPAC transaction. Founder and CEO Will Marshall, CFO Ashley Johnson, and dMY CEO Niccolo de Masi join us on the podcast to discuss Planet’s prospects and the SPAC transaction.
CUBI: New Customers Bank CEO Sam Sidhu on Digital Assets, Crypto Banking, and Leadership
Sam Sidhu is the new President and CEO of tech-focused regional bank Customers Bank. He joins the podcast to discuss the bank’s digital-first mindset and crypto.
Super Group / SEAH Aim for Global Online Gaming & Betting Wins, with CEOs Neal Menashe and John Collins
SPAC SEAH is taking Super Group public in a $4.6B deal that investors are hoping will close in the 4th quarter of 2021. Listen in to learn more about John and Neal’s backgrounds, why Super Group may be the right bet for investors, and their expectations on deal close timing, what will happen with warrants, and more.
Wejo CEO Richard Barlow on why Connected Vehicle Data is the Future (SPAC: VOSO)
Data veteran Richard Barlow joins the podcast to discuss why he founded Wejo and the prospects for the company amid what he expects to be a boom in connected vehicle data.
Codere Online (SPAC: DDMX) and the Gaming / Betting Landscape in LatAm
Martin Werner, CEO of DD3 Acquisition Corp II (DDMX) and Moshe Edree of Codere Online join David Drapkin to discuss their SPAC transaction and the future of gaming in LatAm.
ESG, Diversity & Activism with Olshan’s Elizabeth Gonzalez-Sussman
Now more than ever Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) are top of mind for management teams. Olshan partner Elizabeth Gonzalez-Sussman sits down on our podcast to discuss many of these trends, and what companies should be focused on.
CompoSecure / DBDR Going Beyond Metal Cards into Crypto w/ CEOs Jon Wilk & Don Basile
Listen in to hear why CompSecure CEO Jon Wilk and DBDR CEO Dr. Don Basile believe that the metal cards business is still in the early innings and their move into crypto will pay off for investors.
DWAC and Trump / TMTG Make SPACs Great Again
In this quick hit episode, David Drapkin talks to Matthew Tuttle from Tuttle Capital on the unprecedented action in DWAC as it breaks all SPAC and MEME records following its announcement to merge with Trump Media & Technology Group.
Inspirato’s CEO, Brent Handler, on their $1.1B SPAC Deal with Thayer Ventures (TVAC)
Brent Handler, and CFO, Web Neighbor, join Boardroom Alpha’s David Drapkin for a deep dive on Inspirato and the deal.