In this episode of Preferred Return, we sit down with Cait Brumme, CEO of MassChallenge, to discuss how startups are tackling global challenges and why social capital is just as crucial as venture funding.
Cait reveals how MassChallenge is reshaping the accelerator model, focusing on connecting ambitious founders with the right resources, networks, and mentors. She shares stories of unexpected partnerships, like a biotech startup working with NASA to develop an artificial retina, and discusses the power of building a supportive founder community that helps entrepreneurs navigate the unpredictable startup journey.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction to Cait Brumme
(05:55) The role of social capital in supporting startup success
(12:09) How MassChallenge nurtures first-time and frugal founders
(16:43) The challenge of adopting AI and innovation within companies
(23:52) The growth mindset: Balancing risk and security in organizations
(31:50) The power of peer networks in entrepreneurial resilience
(40:06) The global expansion of MassChallenge and new industry focuses
(49:12) How alumni networks stay connected after MassChallenge programs
(52:31) Advice for founders: Take risks, find support, and build a community
Resources:
More from Altvia: https://altvia.com/
Connect with Cait Brumme💡 LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlin-reimers-brumme/
In this episode of Preferred Return, we sit down with Craig Wortmann, Founder of Sales Engine, to discuss the habits, systems, and mindsets that define standout salespeople.
Drawing on three decades of experience as a founder, educator, and investor, Craig shares how deliberate practice, discipline, and relationship-building drive success in high-stakes conversations like fundraising and enterprise sales. He also opens up about a personal chapter—losing his leg to cancer—and how it reshaped his understanding of resilience, performance, and what it means to bounce back better.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction to Craig Wortmann
(02:23) Wearing three hats: Sales Engine, Kellogg, and venture partner
(09:20) Self-disqualifying: Why cultural fit matters in sales
(16:02) How to stand out in a sea of 35 weekly meetings
(24:23) Asking better questions: Start the conversation, not a pitch
(32:55) The power of a handwritten thank-you note in sales
(36:58) Hiring for growth: Why coachability beats experience
(45:11) Deliberate practice: What separates good from great
(49:12) Lifequake to learning: Craig’s cancer and resilience journey
(53:44) The Bounce Back Better framework for adversity
(59:08) Master Course Academy and why teaching is still learning
Resources:
More from Altvia: https://altvia.com/
Connect with Craig Wortmann💡 LInkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigwortmann/
If you're interested in learning more about the services at Sales Engine, please visit their website at www.salesengine.com.
In this episode of Preferred Return, we’re joined by Lauren Schirle, Senior Manager - Strategic Initiatives at VIRIDIS Fund Solutions, where she reveals how to maximize the true potential of data.
With a career that bridges the worlds of archival sciences, technology, and finance, Lauren explains how organizing and presenting data is essential for both business decision-making and making historical stories accessible. She talks about her journey from working with archival data to helping companies manage financial information better, showing how well-structured data can tell powerful stories.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction to Lauren Schirle
(02:33) From history and economics to managing $30 billion
(05:16) Data as storytelling: Making historical information accessible
(06:49) Building systems for accessible data in business contexts
(12:50) Information literacy: Asking better questions in business
(17:12) User interaction as a series of questions
(18:45) Lessons from operational roles and historical data work
(37:16) The evolving role of information literacy across industries
(48:20) Advice for GPs: Ensuring data quality and understanding data tools
(52:57) Trends in portal technology and future directions
(55:27) Personal growth through questioning and diverse perspectives
Resources:
More from Altvia: https://altvia.com/
Connect with Lauren Schirle💡 LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-schirle/
In this episode of Preferred Return, we sit down with Usamah Khan, Vice President of Data & Technology at White Star Capital, to explore the intersection of technology, venture capital, and data-driven decision-making.
Usamah shares his unconventional journey from engineering and startups to venture investing, revealing how his background in data analytics and product development helps White Star assess and support portfolio companies.
He breaks down the role of technical due diligence, the challenges of AI adoption, and the unique CTO-to-CTO conversations that set White Star apart in venture investing.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction to Usamah Khan
(01:11) From engineering to venture capital
(04:08) Early startup lessons in data analytics
(05:51) Building smart city tech at Umbrellium
(08:33) The COVID pivot that changed everything
(10:24) Finding his way to White Star Capital
(12:07) Pitching his own role and making it fit
(13:58) How White Star evaluates technology
(17:45) Spotting red flags in early-stage startups
(20:41) Unifying portfolio insights with data
(24:54) Using AI signals to track investments
(29:57) The real challenge with AI adoption
(40:04) What CTO-to-CTO talks really uncover
(45:52) Supporting founders beyond capital
(55:08) Advice for breaking into venture capital
Resources:
More from Altvia: https://altvia.com/
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Connect with Usamah Khan💡 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/usamahk/
In this episode of Preferred Return, we sit down withJack Boudreau, Co-Founder & CEO ofHabits, to explore the challenges and triumphs of building a fintech startup from the ground up. Jack shares his journey from JPMorgan to launching Habits, a platform that connects young professionals with financial advisors, breaking down the barriers to financial guidance. He opens up about the realities of fundraising, the lessons learned from hearing ‘no’ hundreds of times, and how resilience and adaptability have shaped his approach to building Habits.
In this episode you'll learn:
Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction to Jack Boudreau
(01:13) Raising $1.1M pre-seed with Atlanta Ventures
(03:16) Why trust in finance is shifting to digital communities
(05:25) The rise of YouTube and TikTok as financial educators
(07:16) Leaving JPMorgan: The moment Jack took the leap
(09:31) Spotting an untapped market for financial guidance
(11:18) Bootstrapping Habits to $100K ARR before raising
(13:19) Fundraising realities: Hearing ‘no’ 99 times out of 100
(16:23) Pitching investors at 6:30 AM while on the road
(22:24) How pitching an angel vs. a VC is completely different
(26:28) Learning how to pivot while keeping investors aligned
(30:49) Staying close to customers and evolving the product
(42:41) The mental toll of entrepreneurship and resilience
(53:44) Advice for taking the leap: Chase the hard things
(01:00:32) Why Habits is just getting started
Resources:
More from Altvia:https://altvia.com/
Connect with Jack Boudreau
💡 LINKEDIN:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack--boudreau/
In this episode of Preferred Return, we sit down with Altvia’s very own Head of Engineering, Jef Rice, to explore the evolving world of data strategy and its impact on the alternative investment industry.
Jef shares how engineering teams and tech providers are helping to shape innovative, scalable solutions for firms to win in private capital markets. Jef dives into the power of data lakes, the importance of experimentation, and how de-codifying your data can transform the LP experience.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction to Jef Rice
(01:55) Jef’s background: From startups to Altvia
(03:48) Startup vibes at Altvia: Moving fast and staying innovative
(05:53) Rapid experimentation and customer-focused data strategies
(07:53) The phase of technology: AI’s role in rapid innovation
(10:00) Harnessing data to inform decisions and democratize innovation
(12:41) Jef’s approach: Saying yes, experimenting, and enabling teams
(14:33) Lessons from ZipRecruiter: Data-driven tools for impact
(17:00) Defining a data strategy: Turning data into a strategic asset
(18:54) Data lakes vs. data warehouses: Flexibility vs. structure
(22:22) Data lakes as enablers of discovery and experimentation
(26:20) Data lakes’ modularity and ability to scale innovation
(29:31) The role of AI: Context and the importance of a strong data foundation
(32:10) Connecting internal and external data for customer impact
(35:05) Data’s role in creating better customer experiences
(40:40) Jef’s vision for making data strategy accessible and impactful
Resources:
"AI and data quality are coming into play. AI isn't going to be any good if your data's rubbish. And data quality has always been a big issue on Salesforce." - Ben McCarthy, Founder of Salesforce Ben
In this episode of Preferred Return, we hear from Ben McCarthy, also known as Salesforce Ben, about the journey of building Salesforce Ben into the leading media company within the Salesforce ecosystem. Ben shares how his passion for Salesforce and creating content turned into a thriving business, now celebrating 10 years and a team of 23. Ben explores the evolution of the Salesforce platform, the role of AI, and the need for niche expertise in consulting.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:18) Welcoming Ben McCarthy, the story behind Salesforce Ben
(04:05) Early days of Salesforce Ben and initial traction
(07:10) Transition from blog to a full media company
(10:32) Ben’s early encounters with Salesforce and his initial experiences
(13:52) How the Salesforce ecosystem has evolved over the years
(16:24) Exploring Salesforce’s approach to multi-cloud and acquisitions
(19:45) Ben’s take on Salesforce’s AI advancements
(22:37) The importance of quality data for AI effectiveness
(25:03) The unique flexibility and customization of Salesforce
(28:10) Common challenges in Salesforce implementations
(31:19) The role of Salesforce’s ecosystem and niche solutions
(35:22) Discussing Salesforce’s new features like Data Cloud
(38:47) How industry experience impacts Salesforce consulting success
(41:15) The evolution and future of specialized Salesforce solutions
(44:03) Final thoughts on the growth and future of Salesforce
Resources:
Learn more about Salesforce Ben: https://www.salesforceben.com/
More from Altvia: https://altvia.com/
Connect with Ben McCarthy🐦 X: https://x.com/salesforceben💡 LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/salesforceben/
"We grow apples and sell to apple buyers—don’t waste time convincing orange buyers." - Gui Costin, Founder & CEO of Dakota.
In this episode of Preferred Return, we revisit former host Jeff Williams’ conversation with Gui Costin, Founder and CEO of Dakota. Together, they explore the art of capital raising and how Dakota became a leading data platform for investment firms. Gui dives into Dakota's journey, the importance of consistency in sales, and why building a transparent, high-performance culture matters as much (if not more) now as it did when this conversation was originally recorded. Gui also shares the story behind the creation of Dakota Live, their unique content-driven sales tool, and how it revolutionized capital raising.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction to Gui Costin
(01:05) Gui's background and how Dakota was founded
(04:17) The challenges of fundraising in today’s market
(06:52) The philosophy behind "every day is a great day to sell"
(09:34) Core principles: Building a culture of transparency and accountability
(11:47) The creation of Dakota Live and its impact on capital raising
(15:10) "We grow apples and sell to apple buyers" – avoiding the convincing game
(17:45) The role of consistency in successful sales
(20:12) How Dakota's culture of kindness drives high performance
(23:03) Understanding the importance of knowing your buyer
(25:35) Gui’s perspective on the future of investment sales and tech
(28:48) Collaborating with teams to maximize effectiveness
(32:01) Final thoughts on culture, consistency, and scaling
Resources:
Learn more about Dakota: https://www.dakota.com/
Connect with Jeff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffwms/
More from Altvia: https://altvia.com/
Connect with Gui Costin
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guicostin/
In this episode, we sit down with Coloradan, Duncan Mendelsohn, the founder of Goodseed Capital, to explore his fascinating career journey from mortgage banking in NYC to launching a cannabis-focused real estate investment and advisory firm in Colorado. Duncan shares his insights on the evolving cannabis industry, the "Green Rush" era, and how Goodseed Capital offers a unique, low-risk, high-yield investment opportunity in this space. Tune in to learn how strategic structuring and a deep understanding of real estate and cannabis are driving Goodseed's success in a rapidly changing market.
Join Ray Grant, VP of Client Success at Altvia, and Don Stewart, Chief Financial Officer at Spire Capital, for an insightful conversation. Don shares his illustrious journey as a c-suite executive, his impactful tenure at Spire since 2006, and Spire's proactive tech and compliance-first mindset.
In this engaging discussion, Don sheds light on Spire's strategic investments, highlighting their innovative approach to leveraging technology for continued success. Ray and Don also explore Spire's approach around transparency and responsiveness to investor queries, which differentiates their ability to develop best-in-class relationships. Gain exclusive insights into Spire's future plans, including their collaboration with Altvia for an upcoming fundraise.
While performance is objective and can be benchmarked against peers, we’re hearing from investors that they want to clearly understand GPs’ people, process, and philosophy from the outset. GPs need to work at building conviction in their investments by building trust with their investors both during and between raises through transparent communications and frequent updates.
The GPs who stand out during fundraising are the ones who listen, do their homework, and show that they understand an LP organization’s priorities and mission.
What seems to be proving effective is a “show, don’t tell” approach, with data backed by qualitative reporting on both the successes of portfolio companies and also their headwinds and challenges. For example, one GP we spoke to recently recounted a strategy they employed during COVID where they produced whitepapers on each of their portfolio companies that outlined the individual challenges the pandemic created and how each company was planning to tackle them. It was so well received by her investors it’s become a permanent part of her firm’s communications strategy.
As a GP, you need to excel at pitching your competitive edge alongside your track record. It’s crucial to prove why your strategy will be successful not only in the current market, but also in future market conditions. The deciding factor for an investor could be whether you can convince them your performance is down to skill and not just luck, especially in a down market.
We’re joined by our expert panelists who are going to give us insight into both sides of this LP/GP story: Murielle Dawdy, Director at 50 South Capital, and Erin Musgrave, VP of Investor Relations at Bow River Capital.
Season 3 of the Preferred Return podcast is here! We are thrilled to kick off the first episode with a special edition featuring a Salesforce celebrity guest.
Being purpose-built atop force.com, Altvia’s platform benefits from Salesforce’s powerful infrastructure and ecosystem, which allows us to focus on solving the daily workflow challenges that plague alternative asset professionals. It also gives us access to Salesforce thought leaders and partners to better understand how to properly leverage the powerful platform.
We are excited to share that we had the privilege of sitting down with one of the more well-known name in this arena, Salesforce Ben, for a conversation about how we are leveraging Salesforce to provide a best-in-class experience within the private capital market. The conversation between Salesforce Ben’s founder, Ben McCarthy, and Altvia’s Chief Strategy Officer, Jeff Williams, explores the ethos that has driven Salesforce Ben’s success today, the power of the Salesforce ISV and OEM ecosystem, the crucial role of domain-specific providers with industry expertise, and, of course, the hot topic of AI.
Listen to the recording of Altvia and Dakota's, "Data-Driven Excellence," webinar that showcases the seamless integration between Altvia and Dakota. The powerful integration provides fund managers with proprietary data to accelerate their fundraising efforts.
Whether you’re an institutional investor, fund manager, family office professional, or an aspiring dealmaker, this webinar will equip you with the knowledge and strategies needed to unlock deal flow success and stay ahead in today’s competitive investment landscape.
Listen to Altvia’s webinar that explores what becomes possible when firms have a strategic vision on how to leverage data and technology as a firm differentiator in the eyes of LPs and other key stakeholders.
Don’t miss the opportunity to hear the SVP & Head of Investor Relations at IVP, Kelly O’Kane, and Partner and Chief Financial Officer at Brighton Park Capital, Monica Romano, discuss their firms’ strategies on leveraging data and technology as a competitive advantage with their LPs.
In this episode of Altvia’s Preferred Return Podcast, Jef Rice (aka 1 F Jef), Altvia’s Head of Engineering, sits down with podcast host, Jeff Williams, to discuss the significance of data in creating a better customer experience and fostering innovation. They discuss the potential of data-driven solutions solving complex challenges, which unlocks a world of positive change for not only GPs and LPs but for the world at large.
The two explore the flexibility of data lakes, emphasizing experimentation over upfront structuring and how to leverage data to improve strategic decision-making. By doing so, businesses can save time, reduce costs, and focus on deploying capital in meaningful ways that drive positive change. Tune in to learn how centralized data drives customer experiences, fosters innovation, powers meaningful investments, and maximizes the most valuable commodity of all - time.
In this episode of Altvia’s Preferred Return Podcast, Harold Klett, Altvia's SVP Global Services, discusses the benefits of partnering with a solutions provider that offers technical account management for private equity firms — improving investor confidence and strengthening the relationships between GPs and LPs with a private equity platform backed by expert-level support.
Harold also discusses his career in the support industry, what it takes to build a world-class support team, and his and Jeff's shared love of Jimmy Buffet.
In this episode of Altvia’s Preferred Return Podcast, Gui Costin, founder and CEO of Dakota, returns to discuss Dakota's upcoming partnership with Altvia, integrating Dakota Marketplace with Altvia's Private Equity CRM: AIM.
Gui also offers his insights on the current market trends, how leveraging a CRM for private equity and venture capital can grow your pipeline, and the limitations of AI in alternative investments.
Welcome back to Altvia’s Preferred Return Podcast! In this episode, our host and Chief Strategy Officer, Jeff Williams, sits down with Tim Flannery, co-founder and CEO of Passthrough, to discuss our recent launch of OnboardingBridge powered by Passthrough.
Tim and Jeff also discuss some of the last industry trends: investor onboarding integrations with private equity CRMs, AI's use in sourcing lookalike investors, and the new SEC regulations.
This is a must-listen episode introduces, OnboardingBridge, the first solution to fully integrate a CRM with an investor onboarding solution — leveraging the power of Passthrough and Altvia combined.
Welcome back to Altvia’s Preferred Return Podcast! In this episode, our host and Chief Strategy Officer, Jeff Williams, sits down with Gui Costin, founder and CEO of Dakota, to chat about the strategic partnership between Altvia and Dakota and the importance of providing premium customer service.
Gui and Jeff also offer up some industry projections including: technology automation advancements, delivering higher quality investment strategies at lower investment minimums, and increasing efficiency for transaction facilitation.
This is a must-listen episode that shines a light on how both Altvia and Dakota leverage data and a customer-centric ethos to establish a competitive advantage.