Forged in America

E41: Victor Ciardelli - Angry Kid to $500B Mortgage Empire

In this episode of Forged in America, Victor Ciardelli tells Ravin and Al didn't grow up looking like a future CEO. He describes himself as an angry kid with a chip on his shoulder, a problem with authority, and an unshakable belief that he was destined for something bigger. That mindset helped him survive near-bankruptcy, the dot-com crash, the 2008 financial crisis, COVID, and every challenge in between. Today, Victor is the founder and CEO of Rate, the third-largest mortgage lender in America. Over the last five years alone, the company has funded more than $500 billion in mortgages while remaining privately held. In this episode, Victor shares the mindset, mistakes, and principles that helped him build one of the largest financial services companies in the country. Disclaimer: The Forged in America podcast features personal stories, experiences, and opinions from hosts Al Goldstein and Ravin Gandhi. This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not investment advice, financial advice, solicitation of investments, or any form of professional recommendation.We strive for accuracy, but mistakes can happen and are unintentional. Nothing discussed should be relied upon for making financial, business, or personal decisions. Always consult qualified professionals before acting on anything you hear.Past performance or results mentioned do not guarantee future outcomes. Listeners are responsible for their own choices.

E40: Mitchell Green's $9B and Why Persistence Beats Intelligence

How does a kid with ADD, average grades, and an obsession with persistence build one of the world's most unique growth equity firms? In Episode 40 of Forged in America, Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein sit down with Mitchell Green, founder of Lead Edge Capital, a $9B growth equity firm built on an unconventional idea: world-class entrepreneurs and executives can be more valuable than institutions. Mitchell explains how cold calling 10,000 companies shaped his philosophy, why persistence beats intelligence, why AI may reward EQ more than IQ, and why America still remains the greatest place in the world to build something meaningful. This episode explores entrepreneurship, AI, education, wealth inequality, persistence, investing, and what young people should do if they want to succeed in the next twenty years. 00:00 Introduction to Mitchell Green and Lead Edge Capital 03:15 Building a $9B firm with entrepreneurs instead of institutions 08:45 Why persistence became Lead Edge's superpower 14:10 The cold-calling lessons that shaped Mitchell's career 19:45 What young people should do if they want to get rich 22:00 Why trades, entrepreneurship, and sales skills matter more than ever 24:30 Why AI may make EQ more valuable than IQ 30:10 Wealth inequality, manufacturing, and why many Americans feel left behind 36:20 Politics, opportunity, and preserving the American dream 41:00 Lightning round: leverage, founder optimism, AI bubbles, and investing 47:30 Why reading still matters in an AI world 51:00 Cars, skiing, persistence, and living life fully * Persistence may be the single most underrated competitive advantage * AI will likely reward communication, sales, and EQ more than raw intellect * Building networks creates enormous compounding advantages * Entrepreneurship remains one of the best paths to opportunity * Many economic frustrations in America are real—but solutions are complicated * You do not need the perfect background to build something extraordinary Mitchell Green is the founder and managing partner of Lead Edge Capital, a growth equity firm with over $9 billion under management. Lead Edge has invested across software, internet, fintech, and consumer businesses using a unique network-driven investment model powered by hundreds of executives, founders, and operators. Disclaimer: The Forged in America podcast features personal stories, experiences, and opinions from hosts Al Goldstein and Ravin Gandhi. This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not investment advice, financial advice, solicitation of investments, or any form of professional recommendation.We strive for accuracy, but mistakes can happen and are unintentional. Nothing discussed should be relied upon for making financial, business, or personal decisions. Always consult qualified professionals before acting on anything you hear.Past performance or results mentioned do not guarantee future outcomes. Listeners are responsible for their own choices.

E39: AI, Socialism & Ideas You’re Not Allowed To Question

This week Ravin and Al tackle one of the most important—and uncomfortable—concepts shaping modern society: the idea of the Overton Window. Why do certain topics suddenly become impossible to discuss? Why do cultural norms seem to shift overnight? And what happens when institutions stop rewarding curiosity and start rewarding conformity? The conversation spans AI, economics, politics, media, culture, and technological disruption as Ravin and Al debate whether we are living through one of the fastest societal shifts in modern history. Topics include: • Why some AI leaders believe massive white-collar job destruction is coming—and why others think the future is far more optimistic • The OpenAI math breakthrough and what happens when machines start solving problems humans cannot solve themselves • Are companies genuinely replacing workers with AI—or simply blaming AI for overhiring? • Why productivity explosions historically create more opportunity rather than less • The rise of socialism, changing political coalitions, and whether America’s cultural center is moving • Media incentives, institutional trust, and why some stories dominate headlines while others disappear • The debate around “weaponized empathy” and whether good intentions can create bad outcomes • Affirmative action, meritocracy, and why younger generations increasingly disagree on basic facts • Why both hosts remain optimistic despite technological, political, and cultural volatility Disclaimer: The Forged in America podcast features personal stories, experiences, and opinions from hosts Al Goldstein and Ravin Gandhi. This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not investment advice, financial advice, solicitation of investments, or any form of professional recommendation.We strive for accuracy, but mistakes can happen and are unintentional. Nothing discussed should be relied upon for making financial, business, or personal decisions. Always consult qualified professionals before acting on anything you hear.Past performance or results mentioned do not guarantee future outcomes. Listeners are responsible for their own choices.

E38: The Venture Capitalist Advising World Leaders

On this episode of Forged in America, Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein sit down with venture capitalist, author, and entrepreneur Michael Eisenberg for a wide-ranging conversation spanning venture capital, geopolitics, entrepreneurship, parenting, and the future of America and Israel. Michael shares his remarkable path from growing up in New York to moving to Israel and building Aleph into one of the country’s leading venture firms with over 1B in AUM. He explains why he believes traditional venture capital may be entering a period of major disruption, why liquidity has changed the game, and how the rise of giant funds and AI spending could reshape the industry permanently. The conversation expands far beyond venture. Michael discusses why America and Israel have historically produced outsized numbers of entrepreneurs, introducing his concept of “agency at scale” — the idea that societies thrive when individuals are taught responsibility and encouraged to solve problems rather than wait for institutions to act. Ravin and Al also explore patriotism, immigration, education, parenting, national service, and why Michael believes modern society risks losing some of the grit that built previous generations. The episode closes with a lightning round on AI, Elon Musk, robotics, Mars, and advice for young people entering adulthood. Disclaimer: The Forged in America podcast features personal stories, experiences, and opinions from hosts Al Goldstein and Ravin Gandhi. This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not investment advice, financial advice, solicitation of investments, or any form of professional recommendation.We strive for accuracy, but mistakes can happen and are unintentional. Nothing discussed should be relied upon for making financial, business, or personal decisions. Always consult qualified professionals before acting on anything you hear.Past performance or results mentioned do not guarantee future outcomes. Listeners are responsible for their own choices.

E37: Billionaire Husband & Wife Traders Built an Empire at PEAK6

Jenny Just and Matt Hulsizer built Peak6 from a $1.5 million trading bet in 1997 into a multi-billion-dollar fintech empire spanning trading, clearing, insurance, venture investing, esports, and AI. But this episode goes far beyond markets and money. It’s a masterclass in probabilistic thinking, founder psychology, marriage under pressure, and adapting during technological disruption. Jenny and Matt explain to Ravin and Al how a visit to Wendy’s inspired the operational architecture behind Peak6’s trading systems, why they believe AI is the greatest opportunity of our era, and how “working yourself out of a job” became a core cultural principle inside their companies. They discuss the evolution from floor trading to AI-driven markets, how poker shaped their decision-making frameworks, and why self-awareness—not certainty—has been their biggest edge as investors and operators. The discussion also dives into how they evaluate founders, what they learned from wins like Robinhood and CoreWeave, mistakes they made deploying capital outside their circle of competence, and how they navigate disagreements while running a business together as husband and wife. Along the way, they share candid insights on raising children around wealth, why they nearly took Peak6 public, what they think about today’s political and economic environment, and why they remain aggressively optimistic about the future despite widespread fear surrounding AI and markets. Disclaimer: The Forged in America podcast features personal stories, experiences, and opinions from hosts Al Goldstein and Ravin Gandhi. This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not investment advice, financial advice, solicitation of investments, or any form of professional recommendation.We strive for accuracy, but mistakes can happen and are unintentional. Nothing discussed should be relied upon for making financial, business, or personal decisions. Always consult qualified professionals before acting on anything you hear.Past performance or results mentioned do not guarantee future outcomes. Listeners are responsible for their own choices.