Forged in America

E38: The Venture Capitalist Advising Netanyahu

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.

E36: Ravin & Al On Kind Lies Vs. Unkind Truths

On this episode of Forged in America, Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein tackle politics and culture using this lens: the conflict between “kind lies” and “unkind truths.” The conversation spans the economy, AI, tariffs, immigration, media bias, socialism, crime, race, education, and the coming midterms. They debate whether America’s institutions, media, and political parties are increasingly rewarding comforting narratives over difficult realities — and what that means for the future of the country. They discuss why markets continue to surge despite predictions of collapse, the manufacturing revival underway in America, the growing divide between progressive and conservative worldviews, and the rise of socialism inside the Democratic Party. The episode also explores topics ranging from the Spirit Airlines collapse and California politics to voter ID laws, mental health trends among young Americans, and why capitalism has lifted more people out of poverty than any system in history. Throughout the discussion, the hosts argue that resilience, personal responsibility, free enterprise, and honest debate — even when uncomfortable — remain essential to the long-term success of both America and the next generation. 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.

E35: Gay, Conservative, and 2.5B: How an Outsider Won in Silicon Valley

In this episode, David Blumberg shares his wisdom about agentic AI, venture capital, and being politically discriminated not for sexual orientation in SF, but for being a conservative. The power of America, and capititalism is discussed along with breakthroughs in medical science and productivity due to artificial intelligence. Peter Thiel, Jordan Peterson, and many other luminaries are also discussed along with the power of religion and the Bible. 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.

E34: Inside El Salvador’s Turnaround — with Bukele’s Intelligence & Economy Ministers

This episode features El Salvador's cabinet members, Peter Dumas and Maria Luisa Hayem, discussing the country's remarkable transformation under President Bukele with Ravin and Al. Topics include crime reduction, economic reforms, Bitcoin adoption, and regional geopolitics. The entire geopolitical situation is discussed, and how wokism is seeping into many other major countries. The philosophy of getting crime "99 percent versus 100 percent right" is debated. 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.