PODCAST · business
Smart Humans with Slava Rubin
by Vincent
Smart Humans explores the world of alternative investments. From Venture to Collectibles, NFTs to Real Estate, Art to Debt and beyond - we discuss a new world of investment opportunities and the catalysts that impact their demand. Join our host Slava Rubin as he talks with entrepreneurs, investors and thought leaders across the diverse ecosystem.Any data, text, or other content on this page is provided as general market information and not as investment advice. Past performance is not necessarily an indicator of future results. Investing involves risk and possible loss of principal capital.
Episodes
-
Smart Humans: Get Access CEO Michael Goodbody on the evolution of private markets and opening up access to transformational companies
Michael Goodbody is the CEO of Get Access, a curated private markets platform connecting great companies with investors who bring both capital and the ability to help. He joined Guy Oseary of Sound Ventures in 2025 to build it, after leading marketing at Robinhood, Dave, Credit Karma, and Wise.
-
Smart Humans: Star Mountain Capital CEO Brett Hickey on the world of lower middle-market private investing and targeting resilient businesses
Brett Hickey has 25 years of private investing and investment banking experience and 20+ years of lower middle-market private investing experience. He has completed over 100 direct platform investments and 50 secondary/fund investments in the North American lower middle-market. He is the Founder…
more -
Smart Humans: Pre-IPO Investor Briefing on AI Infrastructure companies and Fluidstack w/ Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund
Brought to you by Templum Recorded 7/13/26 Slava Rubin and Jan-Erik Asplund explore the rapidly growing AI infrastructure market, focusing on Fluidstack and other key companies, technological trends, and investment opportunities. They discuss the energy demands of AI, the business models of...
-
Smart Humans: Chef Robotics Founder/CEO Rajat Bhageria on the present and future of Physical AI and Robotics
Rajat is the Founder and CEO of Chef Robotics. Prior to Chef, Rajat was Founder and Managing Partner at Prototype Capital, a pre-seed venture capital fund investing in founders who apply new technology to old industries. Before that, Rajat was the Founder and CEO of ThirdEye, where he led a team…
more -
Smart Humans: The Champion Fund's Marques Colston on his journey from NFL star to fund manager and investing across the sports ecosystem
Marques Colston is the Founder and Portfolio Manager of The Champion Fund. Operator and executive with more than a decade of leadership across the NFL, emerging sports leagues, and private capital. Co-owner of three Arena Football League franchises. Advised Arena Football League on strategic...
-
Smart Humans: Investor Briefing on IPOs after SpaceX w/ Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund
Recorded 8/4/26 Slava Rubin and Jan-Erik Asplund explore the recent IPO of SpaceX, its market performance, and the potential upcoming IPOs of major AI companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Databricks.
-
Smart Humans: Entrepreneur and Investor Shane Neman on startup failures, successful investments, and the future of AI and innovation.
Shane Neman is a serial entrepreneur and investor. He founded and successfully exited two technology companies, JoonBug and EZ Texting, before moving to the investing side. Today he is the Manager of Neman Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on frontier technology, including AI, robotics,...
-
Smart Humans: Corner Ventures & Aurite AI co-founder John Cadeddu on 25 years in VC, incubating AI startups and investing into farmland
John Cadeddu is the founding and managing partner at Corner Ventures. John brings 25 years of venture capital experience to this role and is a generalist with domain expertise in machine learning and artificial general intelligence. Prior to Corner, John co-founded DAG Ventures in 2004 and was…
more -
Smart Humans: Orbit2Orbit's founder Bradley Hatton-Jones on the future of space logistics, investing into space tech, and the in-orbit economy
Bradley Hatton-Jones is the Founder and CEO of Orbit2Orbit, an Australian space company building the infrastructure required to validate, move and service technology beyond Earth. Bradley led the design and build of Australia’s largest rocket manufacturing facility and supported the development…
more -
Smart Humans: Pre-IPO Investor Briefing on Quantum Computing w/ Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund
Vincent's Slava Rubin is joined by Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund to explore the rapidly evolving field of quantum computing, its current state, future potential, and investment opportunities. They share insights on private and public market options, technological milestones, and what to expect by 2030.
-
Smart Humans: Percent CEO Prath Reddy on the private credit market, investment strategies, and the U.S.'s economic outlook
Prath Reddy, CFA, serves as the CEO of Percent, where he was instrumental in setting the company's trajectory since its inception. With a solid background in financial services, particularly in investment banking and capital markets, Prath leads the revenue-driving sectors, including Capital...
-
Smart Humans: Pre-IPO Briefing on Waymo and Autonomous Driving w/ Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund
Vincent co-founder Slava Rubin and Sacra co-founder Jan-Erik Asplund take an in-depth look at the autonomous driving market, looking at market leader Waymo and emerging startups, as well as existing big tech companies such as Tesla, Amazon, Uber, and Lyft. They cover market history, current...
-
Smart Humans: iConnection CEO Ron Biscardi on the SpaceX IPO and the future of private markets
Ron Biscardi is one of the most influential figures in the alternative investment world. As Co-Founder and CEO of iConnections, Ron is building the largest capital introduction ecosystem in existence collectively representing $55 trillion in assets across thousands of members from 80+ countries....
-
Smart Humans: SpaceX IPO Investor Briefing w/ Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund
SpaceX is going public this week, and Vincent's Slava Rubin is joined by Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund for an in-depth analysis of the upcoming IPO. They look into SpaceX's business segments, valuation, market potential, and everything else investors need to know before making an investment decision.
-
Smart Humans: Vincent co-founder Slava Rubin on his market outlook, investment strategies, and picks for the next three years
Slava Rubin was co-founder and CEO at indiegogo in addition to being co-founder at Vincent, co-founder at Nillion and co-founder and Managing Partner of Humbition, an early stage venture fund. He is also currently a member of the board of NYSE traded (WSO) Watsco Inc.
-
Smart Humans: Pre-IPO for the Public Investor Briefing w/ Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund
Recorded 4/15/26 Vincent co-founder Slava Rubin and Sacra co-founder Jan-Erik Asplund take an in-depth look at new public funds that offer investors access to private shares in companies on the path to an IPO like SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic. They break down how these vehicles are structured…
more -
Smart Humans: tZERO's CEO Alan Konevsky on tokenization and the future of financial infrastructure
Alan Konevsky is CEO and a board member of tZERO, a pioneer in blockchain innovation for the financial markets. Appointed CEO in September 2025, Alan leads the company’s strategy to scale a regulated platform for tokenized securities, RWAs and other digital assets, spanning capital raising,...
-
Smart Humans: Pre-IPO Briefing on Healthtech startups Abridge, OpenEvidence, and Oura, w/ Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund
Recorded 3/3/26 Vincent's Slava Rubin and Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund take an in-depth look at the Healthtech sector, and key startups Oura, Abridge, and Open Evidence, as well as OpenAI's impact on the industry.
-
Smart Humans: Crypto, Gold, and Prediction Markets w/ Milk Road's John Gillen and Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund
Recorded 2/12/26 Vincent's Slava Rubin, Milk Road's John Gillen and Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund discuss the current state of crypto, gold, and prediction markets, and the shift towards financial entertainment in investing.
-
Smart Humans: Pre-IPO Briefing on defense tech startups Anduril, Shield AI, and Saronic, w/ Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund
Vincent's Slava Rubin and Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund take an in-depth look at some of the hottest startups in one of the hottest sectors - defense tech. They discuss Anduril, Shield AI, Saronic, and how the current geopolitical situation is affecting the ecosystem at large.
-
Smart Humans: Skybridge's Anthony Scaramucci on the current macroeconomic environment and investment strategies
Anthony Scaramucci is the founder and managing partner of SkyBridge, a global alternative investment firm, and founder and chairman of SALT, a global thought leadership forum and venture studio. Scaramucci served on President Donald J. Trump’s Presidential Transition Team Executive Committee in...
-
Smart Humans: Pre-IPO briefing on $20 billion AI startup Perplexity w/ Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund
Slava and Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund discussed Perplexity, the $20 billion AI search startup, and its origins, growth trajectory, market positioning, revenue streams, and competitive landscape.
-
Smart Humans: Orchard Global CEO Paul Horvath on Europe v. the U.S. and current macroeconomic trends
Paul Horvath is the CEO and Co-Founder of Orchard Global, an $9B+ alternative credit manager specializing in structured credit and opportunistic lending. Under his leadership, Orchard has grown into a global investment firm known for delivering innovative capital solutions and navigating complex...
-
Smart Humans: Churchill Asset Management CEO Ken Kencel on the evolution of private credit and the impact of AI
Ken is the President and CEO of Churchill Asset Management, an affiliate of Nuveen, the asset manager of TIAA, a Fortune 500 financial services company. He also serves as Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. (NYSE: NCDL) and Nuveen Churchill Private...
-
Smart Humans: Pre-IPO investor Briefing on Ramp, OpenEvidence, Apptronik, Whop, and Shield AI, w/ Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund
Recorded 12/16/25 Vincent's Slava Rubin and Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund discussed Ramp, OpenEvidence, Apptronik, Whop, and Shield AI, five of the hottest pre-IPO companies in the asset class - and how investors can get access to them. Presented by the Fundrise Innovation Fund....
-
Smart Humans: Tether co-founder Reeve Collins on the evolution of stablecoins and the future of finance
Reeve Collins is a pioneer in blockchain, stablecoins, and digital assets, with a legacy of creating category-defining innovations. After co-founding Tether, the world’s first stablecoin, and launching the first platform for NFTs, he helped shape two of the most transformative movements in Web3....
-
Smart Humans: Pre-IPO Investor Briefing on Robotics (Apptronik, Figure AI), featuring Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund
Vincent's Slava Rubin and Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund discuss the emerging field of humanoid robotics, exploring the convergence of AI and robotics and the various use cases for these robots. They look at the key players in the industry and the future outlook for the sector. Presented by Augment,...
-
Smart Humans: Pre-IPO investor Briefing on Databricks, Groq, Anduril, Anthropic, and Canva, w/ Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund
Recorded 10/29/25 Vincent's Slava Rubin and Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund discussed Databricks, Groq, Anduril, Anthropic, and Canva, five of the hottest pre-IPO companies in the asset class - and how investors can get access to them. Presented by the Fundrise Innovation Fund. https://fundrise.com/Vincent
-
Smart Humans: Goodfin CEO and co-founder Anna Joo Fee on the current market for pre-IPO startups, predictions for the future, and hot sectors to watch
Anna Joo Fee is the Founder & CEO of Goodfin, a venture-backed startup harnessing the power of AI to modernize private wealth management. A second-time fintech founder, Anna holds deep conviction that AI will unlock sophisticated financial services on a global scale. Anna began her professional...
-
Smart Humans: Full 2026 Preview w/ Vincent's Adam Katz
Slava Rubin and Adam Katz discuss their predictions for 2026 in private markets, covering pre-IPO startups, art & collectibles, crypto, and real estate. They discuss the potential resurgence of IPOs, the rebound in the art market, the volatility expected in the crypto landscape, and why 2026 will...
-
Smart Humans: Augment co-founder and CEO Noel Moldvai on the vision behind Augment, predictions for 2026, and practical advice for investing in pre-IPO companies
Noel Moldvai is co‑Founder and CEO at Augment, a pre‑IPO investing platform making private markets liquid, transparent, and accessible. Under Noel’s leadership, Augment scaled from launch to an 8-figure run rate in 18 months profitably, raised $17M, and surpassed $750M+ in AUM. Prior to Augment,...
-
Smart Humans: 2026 Real Estate Preview w/ Vincent's Adam Katz
Slava Rubin and Adam Katz analyze the current state of the real estate market, mortgage rates, and investment strategies, and provide insights into which markets to be bullish or bearish about in the coming year.
-
Smart Humans: 2026 Crypto Preview w/ Vincent's Adam Katz
In this mini-episode of Smart Humans, Vincent co-founders Slava Rubin and Adam Katz preview the year ahead for crypto, particularly Bitcoin, and discuss the rise of stablecoins, and the evolving role of digital asset treasuries and tokenization in the financial ecosystem.
-
Smart Humans: 2026 Art/Collectibles Preview w/ Vincent's Adam Katz
In this mini-episode of Smart Humans, Vincent co-founders Slava Rubin and Adam Katz look back what 2025 brought in the art and collectibles market, and what to watch for in 2026.
-
Smart Humans: 2026 Pre-IPO Preview w/ Vincent's Adam Katz
Vincent co-founders Slava Rubin and Adam Katz preview the pre-IPO sector, talking about which major companies may IPO and which sectors investors should watch in the upcoming year.
-
Smart Humans: Pre-IPO Briefing on Polymarket and Kalshi w/ Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund
Recorded 11/18/25 Vincent co-founder Slava Rubin and Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund discuss the rise of prediction markets, focusing on Kalshi and Polymarket. They explore the mechanics of prediction markets, their regulatory landscape, and the competitive dynamics between these platforms. The…
more -
Smart Humans: Fundrise CEO Ben Miller on the state of the real estate market and his predictions for 2026
Ben Miller is Co-Founder and CEO of Fundrise, America's largest direct-to-investor alternatives investment manager. Fundrise’s mission is to use technology to build a better financial system for the individual investor, one that is simpler, lower cost, more reliable and transparent. Since…
more -
Smart Humans: 2025 SpaceX investor briefing with Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund
Recorded 10/15/25 Vincent's Slava Rubin and Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund discuss the current state and future prospects of SpaceX, exploring its growth trajectory, revenue streams, and the impact of its Starlink internet service. The discussion also covers the technological advancements with…
more -
Smart Humans: Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood, EquityZen CEO Atish Davda, and Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund on five emerging companies in the pre-IPO market
Vincent CEO Eric Cantor and ARK Invest's Cathie Wood, EquityZen's Atish Davda, and Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund explore the evolving landscape of private markets and venture capital, focusing on how individual investors can navigate these opportunities. The panel discusses emerging pre-IPO companies,...
-
Smart Humans: Figma Investor Briefing w/ Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund
Recorded 8/13/25 Vincent co-founder Slava Rubin and Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund discuss the design startup Figma's recent IPO, its competitive landscape, financial metrics, and the impact of AI on the design software market. They explore Figma's core products, growth potential, and the risks...
-
Smart Humans: Lightstone DIRECT's Sanford Blumenthal on democratizing real estate investing and the unique opportunities available in the industrial sector.
Sanford Blumenthal has been active in the fields of commercial real estate and investment finance for over 15 years. At Lightstone, Sanford has closed over $3 billion of completed acquisitions, developments, and financings. Mr. Blumenthal is responsible for sourcing, underwriting, deal…
more -
Smart Humans: Kraken co-CEO and Tribe capital founder Arjun Sethi on Bitcoin and the importance of data-driven decision making
Arjun Sethi is co-CEO of Kraken, one of the most secure and enduring cryptocurrency platforms. He is also Chairman of Tribe Capital, a leading venture capital firm managing $1.7B in assets, with investments in Block, OpenAI, Rippling, Slack and xAI among others. Previously, Arjun was a Partner at...
-
Smart Humans: Heron Finance CEO and Founder Mike Sall on the world of private credit investing
Mike Sall is the founder and CEO of Heron Finance, an SEC-registered investment advisor, making investing in the world's leading private market funds more accessible. Earlier in his career, Mike led product analytics at Coinbase, served as Head of Data Science at Medium, and worked in analytics…
more -
Smart Humans: VC Investor Tim Draper on his early investments into iconic companies and the role of Bitcoin in the financial system
Tim Draper founded Draper Associates, DFJ and the Draper Venture Network, a global network of venture capital funds. Funded Coinbase, Baidu, Tesla, Skype, SpaceX, Twitch, Hotmail, Focus Media, Robinhood, Athenahealth, Box, Cruise Automation, Carta, Planet, PTC and 15 other unicorns from…
more -
Smart Humans: Pre-IPO briefing on Elon Musk's companies with Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund and Healey Pre-IPO's Christine Healey
Recorded 6/12/25 Slava Rubin, Jan-Erik Asplund and Christine Healey explore the investment landscape surrounding Elon Musk's companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and xAI. The discussion also covers the risks associated with investing in Musk's ventures, and the unique characteristics of...
-
Smart Humans: Grayscale's Zach Pandl and Fundstrat's Sean Farrell on the future of digital assets beyond Bitcoin
Vincent’s Slava Rubin, Grayscale’s Zach Pandl, and Fundstrat’s Sean Farrell discussed the future of digital assets beyond Bitcoin, looking at the rise of digital asset treasuries, the implications of tokenization, and the growing importance of stablecoins in the financial ecosystem. The experts...
-
Smart Humans: Siren Biotechnology's CEO Nicole Paulk on revolutionizing cancer treatment and the current state of the biotech market.
Dr. Nicole Paulk is the CEO, Founder, and President of Siren Biotechnology and has dedicated her career to advancing the field of gene therapy. With nearly two decades of expertise, Nicole has been at the forefront of developing cutting-edge advances to propel the field of gene therapy forward…
more -
Smart Humans: SuRo Capital CEO Mark Klein on the evolution of IPOs, the current market landscape, and the future of private markets.
Mark Klein is the Chairman, President, and CEO of SuRo Capital, a publicly traded investment fund that seeks to invest in high-growth, venture-backed private companies. A director of Learneo (formerly Course Hero) since 2020, Mr. Klein is also a current board member of a New York Stock...
-
Smart Humans: InfraHub Compute's Blake Hughes on the potential of real assets and investing in cloud computing hardware
Blake Hughes is currently Managing Director at InfraHub Compute and Vice President of Investment Sales at NexGen Cloud.
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Smart Humans explores the world of alternative investments. From Venture to Collectibles, NFTs to Real Estate, Art to Debt and beyond - we discuss a new world of investment opportunities and the catalysts that impact their demand. Join our host Slava Rubin as he talks with entrepreneurs, investors and thought leaders across the diverse ecosystem.Any data, text, or other content on this page is provided as general market information and not as investment advice. Past performance is not necessarily an indicator of future results. Investing involves risk and possible loss of principal capital.
HOSTED BY
Vincent
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Smart Humans with Slava Rubin have?
Smart Humans with Slava Rubin currently has 50 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Smart Humans with Slava Rubin about?
Smart Humans explores the world of alternative investments. From Venture to Collectibles, NFTs to Real Estate, Art to Debt and beyond - we discuss a new world of investment opportunities and the catalysts that impact their demand. Join our host Slava Rubin as he talks with entrepreneurs, investors...
How often does Smart Humans with Slava Rubin release new episodes?
Smart Humans with Slava Rubin has 50 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Smart Humans with Slava Rubin?
You can listen to Smart Humans with Slava Rubin on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Smart Humans with Slava Rubin?
Smart Humans with Slava Rubin is created and hosted by Vincent.
URL copied to clipboard!