Forged in America
by Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein
Forged in America is a conversation between longtime friends & entrepreneurs Ravin Gandhi (GMM Nonstick Coatings) and Al Goldstein (Avant, Stoic Lane, Pangea) who have founded, built, and exited numerous businesses in addition to investing in dozens of successful startups. This podcast is about how consequential decisions actually get made under pressure—across business, investing, and the institutions shaping the USA. We break down how capital gets allocated, how leaders think in moments of uncertainty, and where smart systems—markets, companies, or political movements—develop blind spots.
Episodes
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E62: Silicon Valley's Biggest VCs Have Lost Their Way
David Hornik & Eric Carlborg: Why Silicon Valley's Biggest VCs Have Lost Their Way Is venture capital still about backing great entrepreneurs—or has it become a giant money-moving machine? This week on Forged in America, Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein sit down with David Hornik and Eric Carlborg…
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E61: Congressman Andy Barr - Can the GOP Survive After Trump?
Congressman Andy Barr: Can the GOP Survive After Trump? What happens to the Republican Party when Donald Trump is no longer its defining figure? Can the GOP build a lasting coalition around capitalism, opportunity, and the American Dream—or will it drift toward the same big-government policies it...
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E60: a16z's Alex Rampell: Why the Best Founders Are Sociopaths
Alex Rampell: AI, Billion-Dollar Founders, and the Future of American Capitalism What happens when artificial intelligence can outperform the smartest people in the room? And why does America keep producing the world's most valuable companies while other countries struggle to replicate Silicon...
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E59: I Worked Inside DOGE...Here's What Really Happened.
What really happened inside Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)? And did its effort to overhaul Washington actually work? This week on Forged in America, Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein sit down with Tyler Hassen, former Acting Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and…
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E58: Fintech Unicorn Dave: From $4B to $60M—and Back
Jason Wilk has lived through one of the wildest round trips in public-market history. He co-founded Dave to take on the big banks and give everyday Americans a better alternative to overdraft fees and traditional short-term credit. The company went public at roughly a $4 billion valuation—then…
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E57: Michele Tafoya: 5 Super Bowls to Senate Run
Michele Tafoya spent decades on the biggest stages in sports, becoming one of the most recognizable voices in football as an Emmy-winning sideline reporter for NBC’s Sunday Night Football and covering five Super Bowls. Then she walked away. Now, Tafoya is the Republican nominee for Minnesota’s…
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E56: He Backed SpaceX & Figure AI Early: What He Saw
What separates the venture investments that look insane from the ones that become generational companies? Shane Neman is a serial entrepreneur and investor who has backed some of the most ambitious companies in technology, including SpaceX, Figure AI, Anthropic, Neuralink, and Liquid Death. In…
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E55: The 400K College Scam — Top Ivy League Admissions Expert Explains
What if the biggest lie we tell young Americans is that a college degree is automatically worth the price? Andreas Stamatakis is one of the country’s leading Ivy League admissions advisors—and his advice is surprisingly contrarian: “Go Ivy or go free.” In this episode of Forged in America, Ravin...
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E54: Judge Roy Altman Makes the Case for America
United States District Judge Roy K. Altman joins Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein for a wide-ranging conversation about immigration, American exceptionalism, the legal system, Israel, antisemitism, and why he remains extraordinarily optimistic about America. Born in Venezuela, Altman came to the...
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E53: Why Are So Many Successful People Unhappy?
What if everything you’ve been taught about happiness is wrong? Tal Tsfany is the President and CEO of the Ayn Rand Institute, a former technology entrepreneur and executive, and the author of Secrets of a Passionate Life. In this episode, Tal joins Ravin and Al for a provocative conversation…
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E52: The American Dream Isn’t Dead 🇺🇸
Is the American Dream dead—or are we looking at it the wrong way? In this episode of Forged in America, Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein compare two radically different paths to success. Al was a top student and athlete who turned one seemingly ordinary opportunity into an internship after…
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E51: Tom Hayes Says “Berkshire Is Done” & China Might Beat USA
Investor Tom Hayes, founder of Great Hill Capital and better known as “Turnaround Tom,” joins Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein to explain why some of the best investments are hiding in the companies everyone else has already written off. Tom breaks down the framework behind his contrarian investing...
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E50: Tom Gimbel Says Gen Z Needs a Wake-Up Call
Tom Gimbel is back on Forged in America for a wide-ranging conversation about work, parenting, politics, AI, and why so many young Americans feel like they can’t get ahead. Tom founded LaSalle Network, grew it to more than $100 million in revenue, employed hundreds of people, helped place…
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E49: One Of America's Top Immigration Experts Has A Solution
In this episode of Forged in America, Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein sit down with Stuart Anderson, Executive Director of the National Foundation for American Policy, former INS official, longtime immigration policy expert, Forbes contributor, and author of Immigration. Rather than debating…
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E48: Brain Cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Addiction, Psychedelics & Future of Medicine
In this episode of Forged in America, Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein sit down with Dr. JJ Desai—Stanford-trained physician, entrepreneur, and CEO of Lotus Neuro—to explore one of the most exciting frontiers in medicine: focused ultrasound and the future of brain science. The conversation begins…
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E47: Dan Crenshaw On His Loss, Iran, Tucker & Misinformation
Dan Crenshaw is back on Forged In America—and this time, he has nothing to lose. After a stunning primary defeat that will bring his four terms in Congress to an end, the former Navy SEAL joins us for a wide-ranging and candid conversation about what happened, what he learned, and what comes…
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E46: Pete Kadens Round 2--USA Debate Continues + Markets Debrief
Pete Kadens is back for Round 2. After his first appearance on Forged in America sparked such a strong response, we brought Pete back to continue the debate—and this time, we go even deeper. Pete lays out his vision for what the Democratic Party should become: builders over bureaucrats…
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E45: A Top Surgeon on GLP-1s, Longevity, and Future of Medicine
Orthopedic surgeon and entrepreneur Dr. Ben Domb joins Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of medicine, AI, longevity, GLP-1s, robotics, healthcare innovation, and the psychology behind healing. The discussion explores where artificial intelligence will—and...
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E44: Pete Kadens created $4B, 7,000 jobs, and wants to fix America
Entrepreneur and philanthropist Pete Kadens joins Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein for one of the most candid political conversations we've had. A lifelong Democrat, Pete doesn't shy away from criticizing his own party, while also challenging conservatives on issues ranging from democracy and...
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E43: Morning Consult's $1B Founder on Why Entrepreneurship Is So Painful.
Michael Ramlet is the co-founder and CEO of Morning Consult, one of the world's leading decision-intelligence companies. What began with just $30,000 of angel capital has grown into a company generating more than $100 million in annual revenue, serving many of the world's largest corporations,...
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E42: The Financial Guru to Billionaires On What's Coming Next
In this episode of Forged in America, Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein sit down with Rob Skinner, Founder and Managing Partner of IEQ Capital, a wealth management firm overseeing more than $50 billion in assets. Rob has spent decades advising founders, entrepreneurs, and some of the most successful...
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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…
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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,...
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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...
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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...
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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…
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E33: Kraken Co-CEO says Crypto Is Winning- But Not Where You Think
Dave Ripley, co-CEO of Kraken joins Ravin and Al to discuss all things crypto. From BTC to ETH to SOL to Coinbase and beyond, Dave believes that adoption of digital assets is at an all time high. He believes we will see 10M/bitcoin at some point in the future (mirroring Michael Saylor from MSTR),...
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E32: Phil Hellmuth on Poker, Politics, Ego, and the Billionaire Boys Club
Poker legend Phil Hellmuth shares his poker, life and political musings with Ravin and Al. The state of the Democratic and Republican parties are discussed, along with handicapping both sides from JB Pritzker to Ted Cruz. The destructive power of ego and narcissism is discussed, with Phil sharing...
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E31: Crowdstrike Co-Founder on Iran, China & Another American Century
Ravin and Al welcome Dmitri Alperovitch, co-founder of CrowdStrike and cybersecurity expert, to discuss geopolitics, US-China relations, the Iran conflict, and the future of technology and defense. The values of strategic deterrence, supply chain resilience, and the implications of AI…
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E30: Alex Krys: From Holyfield & Rolling Stones to $10B of RE
Alex Krys shares his inspirational journey with Ravin and Al from touring with the Rolling Stones, to managing Evander Holyfield, to doing over $10B in Real Estate. The impact of serendipity and grit are themes of this episode, showing how it is impossible to predict where seemingly random...
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E29: Jeff Aronin: Billion-Dollar Breakthroughs—and Why Most Drugs Fail
Jeff Aronin shares his origin journey with Ravin and Al of becoming passionate about biotech after one of his epilepsy drugs stopped a little girl from an unnecessary surgery. His path to creating many multi-billion dollar drugs is analyzed, as well as the problems with FDA approvals and...
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E28: Sam Yagan on Tinder, SparkNotes, and $50B of Deals
Sam Yagan shares his inspiring origin story with Al and Ravin, from founding SparkNotes as a senior at Harvard to selling it for 50M just 9 months later. His 8-year journey at OKCupid culminating with a sale to Match Group/IAC is discussed, with the runaway success af Tinder. At peak, the market...
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E27: Alpha School's $1 Billion Bet on AI Education
ALPHA SCHOOL's Mackenzie Price joins Ravin and Al to discuss the future of education, and how their unique school uses AI to teach K-12 tudents. Kids work with screens and guides for 2 hours, and then transition to projects in the afternoon to foment financial literacy, public speaking, and grit....
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E26: Jackie Reses built a $1.5B Fintech Rocketship
Jackie Reses shares her inspiring story with Ravin and Al, from attending boarding school at age 14 to get away from an unstable home to starting businesses at the University of Pennsylvania. From Goldman Sachs to sitting on the Alibaba board, to starting a bank at Square to finally creating Lead...
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E25: Brent Beshore's Radical PE Model: No Debt, No Fees, 30 Year Holds
Brent Beshore of Permanent Equity shares his unique approach to investing with Ravin and Al, including using no debt, 30 year holdtime, and eschewing the traditional 2/20 PE fund structure. He emphasizes the flexibility that his approach has given him to make long term discussions. The…
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E24: Black Rifle Coffee, Making $8 Billion, and Finding Jocko
In this episode, investor Steven Taslitz takes Ravin and Al through key deals in his storied career including Black Rifle Coffee, Sylvan Learning, and School of Rock, and discovering Navy SEAL Jocko Willink. He emphasizes the value of the human relationships that are formed under pressure…
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E23: Top Pod Lessons, Family Biz Fears, Sales Tips, Bias For Action
Al and Ravin reflect on why they continue doing this podcast, and the lessons gleaned from the stellar roster of guests thus far. They discuss the value of learning to communicate in the "YouTube Era" using podcasting, and how sharing public opinions changes your thinking in interesting and...
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E22: How Tony Davis Built a $13.5B Healthcare Empire
Tony Davis shares his origin story with Ravin and Al, from being fired at age 33 to building the worlds largest dedicated healthcare private equity fund LINDEN PARTNERS. He shares the key to being a stellar fundraiser, along with the biggest challenges he faced. The American healthcare system is...
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E21: Sam Nazarian: How I built a $1.8 Billion Hospitality Empire
Sam Nazarian shares his journey with Al and Ravin from immigrant roots to building a global hospitality empire. He discusses the importance of brand building, ecosystem creation, and navigating the challenges of the nightlife and hotel industries. He discusses his ventures in luxury hotels,...
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E20: Iran & Midterms- Ravin, Al & Tom Gimbel Debate
Tom Gimbel joins Al and Ravin to converse and debate the current job market, and the impact of AI on employment. Political dynamics, particularly regarding military actions in Iran and Venezuela, are discussed, alongside the implications for the future of the Middle East. They explore the...
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E19: Ali Hamed: From a College Dorm to $3B AUM + Mr. Beast
In this engaging conversation, Al Goldstein and Ravin Gandhi sit down with Ali Hamed, founder and CEO of Traville Capital Management. They explore Ali's unique journey from aspiring baseball player to successful entrepreneur, discussing the importance of networking, building credibility, and the...
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E18: Future of War: Autonomous Ships & Race Against China
Rylan Hamilton, the founder of BLUE WATER AUTONOMY, shares his gritty story with Ravin and Al. Rylan started off in the Navy, then went to Harvard Business School, and founded 6 River Systems which he sold to Shopify for $450M. He went on to raise $65M for Blue Water Autonomy with Google Ventures...
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E17: AI Warfare, Israel & the Future of Cyber
Lior Div, who raised over $1B in founding Cybereason and 7AI, shares his insights with Ravin and Al on the intersection of cybersecurity and AI, emphasizing the importance of innovation in the face of evolving cyber threats. He discusses his background in the elite 8200 unit of the IDF and how it...
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E16: ZeroHash Founder: Why a Crypto Unicorn Rejected $2B
In E16, Ravin and Al interview Edward Woodford, founder and CEO of ZeroHash, discussing his journey from the UK to the US, the founding of ZeroHash, and the evolution of the crypto landscape. Edward shares insights on the importance of stablecoins, the infrastructure behind crypto transactions…
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E15: Ravin and Al on Growth, Grift, Markets, Immigration and Media Bias
Ravin and Al discuss the current state of the economy, exploring conflicting narratives around inflation, affordability, and consumer behavior. They reflect on insights gained from recent guests on their podcast and consider the impact of AI on future economic opportunities. They discuss...
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E14: Don Edwards: From Billions in Private Equity to 100,000 Students
Al and Ravin speak with Don Edwards, founder and chairman of FlexPoint, about his journey from being a college athlete at the University of Illinois to a renowned career in private equity. They discuss the challenges along the way, including the importance of networking, the transition from...
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E13: Rahm Emanuel Will Save The Democrats
In this episode, Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein engage in a thought-provoking conversation with Rahm Emanuel, discussing the balance of political perspectives, the importance of education and accountability, the shifting demographics in America, and the implications of voter ID laws. They explore...
About this show
Forged in America is a conversation between longtime friends & entrepreneurs Ravin Gandhi (GMM Nonstick Coatings) and Al Goldstein (Avant, Stoic Lane, Pangea) who have founded, built, and exited numerous businesses in addition to investing in dozens of successful startups. This podcast is about how consequential decisions actually get made under pressure—across business, investing, and the institutions shaping the USA. We break down how capital gets allocated, how leaders think in moments of uncertainty, and where smart systems—markets, companies, or political movements—develop blind spots.
Hosted by
Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein
Categories