Graham Weaver

I mean, you've literally like short circuited the front part of that search fund process. Yeah, exactly. Which is a pain in the butt. It is a pain. Yeah. Yeah. It's also so interesting that in that process, like you said, you said it as they have to build a private equity firm and then abandon it.

I mean, you've literally like short circuited the front part of that search fund process. Yeah, exactly. Which is a pain in the butt. It is a pain. Yeah. Yeah. It's also so interesting that in that process, like you said, you said it as they have to build a private equity firm and then abandon it.

Exactly, yeah. They don't get to reuse the skill that they built. Build it to do one deal. And the other thing is they can just do something on a way bigger scale. They're going to run something much bigger in this, and they're going to hopefully get there a lot faster.

Exactly, yeah. They don't get to reuse the skill that they built. Build it to do one deal. And the other thing is they can just do something on a way bigger scale. They're going to run something much bigger in this, and they're going to hopefully get there a lot faster.

Yeah. Can we spend a while talking about your class at Stanford? So I think you took Irv Grossbeck's class over, who was the father of search funds. Maybe first talk about him, anything you learned from him, the nature of this class, and then I have lots of questions about how you run it.

Yeah. Can we spend a while talking about your class at Stanford? So I think you took Irv Grossbeck's class over, who was the father of search funds. Maybe first talk about him, anything you learned from him, the nature of this class, and then I have lots of questions about how you run it.

I would say Irv is one of the most influential people in my life. And I would also say there's probably literally without hyperbole, probably a thousand people that would say that same thing. I don't know anyone else that that's true of. And you sit down with Irv and you are the most important person in the world for that period of time. He remembers everything from your last conversation.

I would say Irv is one of the most influential people in my life. And I would also say there's probably literally without hyperbole, probably a thousand people that would say that same thing. I don't know anyone else that that's true of. And you sit down with Irv and you are the most important person in the world for that period of time. He remembers everything from your last conversation.

He later told me he takes notes afterwards and then reviews them before he meets you again. He just cares, right? So he remembers everything from your last conversation. He's always the voice of, you've got this. Yeah, you've got this. I've seen all these students. I've done all this. Let me just tell you, it's going to be okay.

He later told me he takes notes afterwards and then reviews them before he meets you again. He just cares, right? So he remembers everything from your last conversation. He's always the voice of, you've got this. Yeah, you've got this. I've seen all these students. I've done all this. Let me just tell you, it's going to be okay.

It's like your older version of yourself could come back and give you advice. He's that person. And I can't tell you how many times in my career where I've been down and out and gone and met with him and just, he just gives me a shot in the arm that I needed at the right time. And from someone that you believe it when he says it. So He's just incredible.

It's like your older version of yourself could come back and give you advice. He's that person. And I can't tell you how many times in my career where I've been down and out and gone and met with him and just, he just gives me a shot in the arm that I needed at the right time. And from someone that you believe it when he says it. So He's just incredible.

So my experience was I was a case guest in his class, and the case was about buying companies in my dorm room and all the stuff that went wrong. And I don't think Irv would say this, but I think I was like the token failure case in the corner. Where it was like, you know, all these people with this parade of champions.

So my experience was I was a case guest in his class, and the case was about buying companies in my dorm room and all the stuff that went wrong. And I don't think Irv would say this, but I think I was like the token failure case in the corner. Where it was like, you know, all these people with this parade of champions.

And I'm this like 28 year old that just gets my teeth kicked in again and again. So he probably wouldn't say that. But now that I teach there, I think that's the role I played in the curriculum. One funny story too. When I first started teaching his case, I was young, I was 29. I knew a lot of people in the class because I'm basically the same age.

And I'm this like 28 year old that just gets my teeth kicked in again and again. So he probably wouldn't say that. But now that I teach there, I think that's the role I played in the curriculum. One funny story too. When I first started teaching his case, I was young, I was 29. I knew a lot of people in the class because I'm basically the same age.

One of the students told me like in the wrap up of my case, one of the takeaways was, as you can see from Graham, you don't really need to have charisma or be articulate to be a CEO. That was one of the takeaways. I was so nervous and stumbling over my words and stuff. But anyway, so yeah, I mean, the class was amazing. And then I was a case guest in his class for 12 years.

One of the students told me like in the wrap up of my case, one of the takeaways was, as you can see from Graham, you don't really need to have charisma or be articulate to be a CEO. That was one of the takeaways. I was so nervous and stumbling over my words and stuff. But anyway, so yeah, I mean, the class was amazing. And then I was a case guest in his class for 12 years.

And then he was going to go start a new class. And he called me one day and was like, hey, Graham, do you want to teach my class? I was almost immediately going to say no, because I'm like, yeah, I already have a full time job. But I thankfully said, I'll think about it.

And then he was going to go start a new class. And he called me one day and was like, hey, Graham, do you want to teach my class? I was almost immediately going to say no, because I'm like, yeah, I already have a full time job. But I thankfully said, I'll think about it.