A Duke Professor & Wall Street Billion-Dollar Dealmaker Reveals the truth about About Billion-Dollar Pitches, Startup Survival, and What Investors Really Want
Ed Tiryakian stands at the unique intersection of high finance, professional sports, and academia. As a former Managing Director at both Paine Webber/UBS and head of his private equity firm Argentum Group, he's orchestrated multi-billion dollar transactions while advising elite NBA and NFL athletes through his role as Chairman of Legends Sports Group. A Duke University and Fuqua School of Business graduate who now teaches entrepreneurship there, Ed brings unparalleled real-world perspective as a frequent commentator for Forbes, Wall Street Journal, and Business Journal. Now he's revealing how elite investors evaluate startups, why most founders fail at fundraising, and how college athletes are reshaping the future of professional sports through NIL deals.
In this episode, Ed reveals:
◽️ Why the NCAA's leadership failures are accelerating the death of amateur athletics through NIL payments
◽️ How first-time entrepreneurs consistently overvalue their ideas while undervaluing their potential
◽️ What Wall Street won't tell you about negotiating power dynamics in high-stakes transactions
◽️ How Coach K's financial playbook at Duke foreshadowed the NIL revolution
◽️ The uncomfortable truth about athlete compensation that both schools and players ignore
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⏱ Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:03 Is entrepreneurship for everyone?
02:01 Are entrepreneurs born or made?
03:33 Do you need Goldman Sachs before launching?
05:00 Why timing matters more than credentials
06:07 How AI is unlocking new founders
07:12 Why Ed left UBS to build Argentum
08:45 The power of deal access and flexibility
10:45 How a $3.5B deal built instant credibility
12:30 What separates good deals from bad
13:45 Management mistakes and unforeseen shocks
15:30 How to think like an investor
16:45 Investor vs founder incentives in negotiation
18:45 Why most good deals aren’t hostile
20:12 Why imposter syndrome is so common
21:27 Pitching: art vs science
23:10 Selling yourself when you don’t feel ready
24:21 Advice to first-time founders
26:08 Start now vs build credibility first
28:30 Who should you take advice from?
29:30 Why most gurus are selling you BS
37:15 NIL: athletes now making millions
41:28 The death of amateur athletics
43:50 The myth of the “free market”
45:26 Ed’s legacy
46:07 What’s next: owning a pro sports team
47:08 Final takeaway
49:09 Outro
📌 Resources
Ed Tiryakian:
◽️ Duke Page: https://scholars.duke.edu/person/ed.tiryakian
◽️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-tiryakian-9850367/
Harvey Bracken-Smith:
◽️ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith
◽️ Instagram: instagram.com/harveybsmith
◽️ X (Twitter): x.com/harveybsmith_
Personable Podcast:
◽️ Instagram: instagram.com/personable.podcast
◽️ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast
◽️ TikTok: tiktok.com/@personableclips
◽️ Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api
◽️ Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111
Additional:
◽️ The Draft (Sign up): thedraft.io
◽️ Fundraising: justgiving.com/crowdfunding/LouLouRacefoiundation?utm_term=PvByaxmdn
Personable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world’s best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023.

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