Episode
#79 with Alexa von Tobel - From Dropping Out of Business School to a $375M Exit
55:27
Published: Fri May 29 2020
Description
Joined our private FB group yet? It's a page where people share each others million dollar ideas or what they're already working on: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourfirstmillion. Shaan Puri (@ShaanVP) and Sam Parr (@theSamParr) interview Alexa von Tobel (@alexavontobel), founder and former CEO of LearnVest, a fintech company that sold to Northwestern Mutual for $375M five years after launch. Today's topic include: Alexa talks about her background (0:20), Alexa talks about studying happiness at Harvard (3:40), Alexa breaks down the business plan and evolution of LearnVest (9:00), Alexa describes what it was like to be a classmate at Harvard with Mark Zuckerberg and the advent of Facebook (16:02), Sam asks Alexa, “why sell the business?” (23:08), Alexa explains the strategy behind her VC firm, Inspired Capital, and what’s interesting to her today (30:06), Shaan asks Alexa to explain her contrarian views about the future of work (32:52), Alexa explains how her roots give her an advantage in the fintech space (36:24), Sam asks Alexa what a “self-driving wallet” is (40:10), Shaan talks with Alexa about crypto projects that are streaming money (42:10), Alexa explains how friction is making it more difficult for people to grow their wealth (52:10). See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Chapters
Alexa von Tobel, founder of LearnVest, discusses the company's mission to democratize financial planning and offers insight into the future of the industry.
00:00 - 00:59 (00:59)
Summary
Alexa von Tobel, founder of LearnVest, discusses the company's mission to democratize financial planning and offers insight into the future of the industry.
Episode#79 with Alexa von Tobel - From Dropping Out of Business School to a $375M Exit
PodcastMy First Million
The founder of LearnVest, an entrepreneur and Harvard graduate, talks about how her experiences led her to building a financial planning software company with a simple mission.
00:59 - 05:29 (04:30)
Summary
The founder of LearnVest, an entrepreneur and Harvard graduate, talks about how her experiences led her to building a financial planning software company with a simple mission.
Episode#79 with Alexa von Tobel - From Dropping Out of Business School to a $375M Exit
PodcastMy First Million
Enthusiasm is often overlooked as a means of gaining happiness and success while it is in fact a powerful and infectious emotion.
05:29 - 09:13 (03:43)
Summary
Enthusiasm is often overlooked as a means of gaining happiness and success while it is in fact a powerful and infectious emotion. However, some see it negatively and associate it with low status.
Episode#79 with Alexa von Tobel - From Dropping Out of Business School to a $375M Exit
PodcastMy First Million
The founder of a financial planning startup discusses how the company began with a focus on content before branching out to include tools and advice for clients, including financial planning software.
09:13 - 12:57 (03:44)
Summary
The founder of a financial planning startup discusses how the company began with a focus on content before branching out to include tools and advice for clients, including financial planning software.
Episode#79 with Alexa von Tobel - From Dropping Out of Business School to a $375M Exit
PodcastMy First Million
The Internet has had a profound impact on personal growth and entrepreneurship, with the success of companies like Facebook showcasing its power and potential.
12:57 - 19:50 (06:53)
Summary
The Internet has had a profound impact on personal growth and entrepreneurship, with the success of companies like Facebook showcasing its power and potential.
Episode#79 with Alexa von Tobel - From Dropping Out of Business School to a $375M Exit
PodcastMy First Million
The speaker reflects on the difficulties of building a business and how this made him realize he was an even scrappier entrepreneur than he thought.
19:51 - 27:14 (07:22)
Summary
The speaker reflects on the difficulties of building a business and how this made him realize he was an even scrappier entrepreneur than he thought. He also shares how a company wanted to acquire his business after learning about its success.
Episode#79 with Alexa von Tobel - From Dropping Out of Business School to a $375M Exit
PodcastMy First Million
The CEO's role in an acquisition is to gather different opportunities and bring them to the board to make the best decision on everyone's behalf.
27:14 - 30:44 (03:29)
Summary
The CEO's role in an acquisition is to gather different opportunities and bring them to the board to make the best decision on everyone's behalf. Staying private can also be a positive decision, as it was for North Barksham Mutual.
Episode#79 with Alexa von Tobel - From Dropping Out of Business School to a $375M Exit
PodcastMy First Million
The gig economy is transitioning into an intermittent work economy and household roles are becoming more communal due to COVID-19, creating a potential shift in the future of work.
30:44 - 35:46 (05:02)
Summary
The gig economy is transitioning into an intermittent work economy and household roles are becoming more communal due to COVID-19, creating a potential shift in the future of work.
Episode#79 with Alexa von Tobel - From Dropping Out of Business School to a $375M Exit
PodcastMy First Million
The speaker advocates for self-driving wallets that can automatically allocate funds to different pockets effectively.
35:46 - 42:11 (06:24)
Summary
The speaker advocates for self-driving wallets that can automatically allocate funds to different pockets effectively.
Episode#79 with Alexa von Tobel - From Dropping Out of Business School to a $375M Exit
PodcastMy First Million
The podcast discusses the advantages of real-time payments rails and how it's possible to send money to each other's bank accounts without using services like Venmo.
42:11 - 46:46 (04:34)
Summary
The podcast discusses the advantages of real-time payments rails and how it's possible to send money to each other's bank accounts without using services like Venmo. Additionally, paying one's credit card bill nightly can potentially help save money for the average American family, which carries between nine thousand and sixteen thousand dollars of credit card debt.
Episode#79 with Alexa von Tobel - From Dropping Out of Business School to a $375M Exit
PodcastMy First Million
The future of money management may involve instant streaming money, but currently many people are not proactive in managing their money and prefer to have software make decisions for them.
46:46 - 53:08 (06:22)
Summary
The future of money management may involve instant streaming money, but currently many people are not proactive in managing their money and prefer to have software make decisions for them.
Episode#79 with Alexa von Tobel - From Dropping Out of Business School to a $375M Exit
PodcastMy First Million
This podcast discusses the importance of innovating in the fintech industry without taking advantage of customers.
53:08 - 55:29 (02:21)
Summary
This podcast discusses the importance of innovating in the fintech industry without taking advantage of customers. The speaker expresses their frustration with the current state of logging into bank accounts and expresses support for companies that prioritize customer experience.