Faith Driven Investor

John and Luke are joined by David Erickson, the Chief Investment Officer of Ascension Investment Management for this month’s edition of Marks on the Markets.Ascension Investment Management helps their clients reach socially responsible investment goals without sacrificing returns. They do this by delivering high-quality comprehensive investment solutions that enable clients to better carry out their mission by allowing them to focus on the big picture.In this episode, David unpacks their approach in more detail, gives an overview of what he’s seeing in the market, and helps us understand the value of thematic investing. If you like this episode, be sure to follow, review, and share the show.Relevant Links:https://ascensioninvestmentmanagement.com/

How can Christians thoughtfully approach the topic of artificial intelligence?How should we use it? What are the ethical considerations? Is it good or dangerous?These are relevant questions for Faith Driven Investors as AI continues to be a topic for conversation in both the business world and the broader culture. That’s why we’re excited to feature James Cham on the podcast. James is an early-stage venture capitalist and a partner at Bloomberg Beta, a Silicon Valley-based firm that invests in the “new world of work.” Conversations about Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are a big part of his day-to-day life. In this crossover episode, he talks with the Faith Driven Entrepreneur hosts about wrestling through the ever-changing landscape of technology with wisdom, discernment, and a redemptive vision of the world.

In this edition of Marks on the Markets, we’re joined by frequent collaborators, Justin Speer and Phil Jung.Justin is the Principal and Senior Analyst at Sovereign’s Capital where he focuses on Private Equity. Phil also works with Sovereign’s as a Venture Capital Partner.The two join John to give an overview of private and public markets as we head into Fall.

Despite the size and scale of the continent, there aren’t many female fund managers in Africa.Today’s guest is trying to fix that.Adesuwa Rhodes launched her firm, Aruwa Capital, because she saw untapped investment opportunities in West Africa in the small to lower mid-market. Aruwa has a specific goal to close the gender gap in Africa and become a case study that shows the business value of investing in women as fund managers, entrepreneurs, consumers and stakeholders in society.She joins the show from her home in Lagos, Nigeria.

Looking for a quick summary of recent market trends in various industries?We’ve got you covered with our monthly Marks on the Markets series on the podcast.This week, Finny Kurruvilla joins us to talk about public equities with a specific focus on biotech and healthcare.

What does it look like to invest in emerging markets around the world?Today’s guest, Patrick Fisher has been working to provide profitable solutions to difficult social and environmental challenges since 2007. At that time, he left a successful career at JPMorgan to start Creation Investments, a global impact investing firm focused on developing economies.He joins us today to talk about the state of emerging markets across the world and to provide a vision for others to get involved. You may recognize Patrick from episode 100, which is linked here: https://www.faithdriveninvestor.org/podcast-inventory/episode-100-patrick-fisher-and-the-big-deal-with-microfinancingWant to learn more about how Christians can invest in emerging markets? Check out our series “Building Growth with Room to Magnify” here: https://www.faithdriveninvestor.org/video-library#building-growthIf you enjoy this episode, don’t forget to follow, review, and share the podcast.

Sometimes you just have to flip the script and shake things up, and that’s exactly what we did with this episode.On a special edition of Marks on the Markets, we play a little musical chairs and put John Coleman, who usually hosts the show, in the hot seat so he can field questions about the state of the markets so far in 2023.He joins Richard Cunningham to talk about venture, the debt ceiling, AI, public markets, and more. Plus, Richard gives some exciting updates about what’s happening across the movement. If you like this episode, make sure to follow, review, and share the show.

Many investors from other religious backgrounds are asking the same core question we are: how do my beliefs shape the way I think about my work? While theological differences will always come up, we can still learn from their perspectives. That’s why we’ve invited Michael Eisenberg back on the show. Michael has joined us before both on the podcast and at the conference, providing us with incredible insight about how the Hebrew Scriptures give us practical wisdom in business. We welcome Michael back for an open conversation about how his Jewish faith influences his views of investing. Find the episode at the link in the comments and don’t forget to rate, review, and follow the show.

Sometimes you just have to flip the script and shake things up, and that’s exactly what we did with this episode.On a special edition of Marks on the Markets, we play a little musical chairs and put John Coleman, who usually hosts the show, in the hot seat so he can field questions about the state of the markets so far in 2023.He joins Richard Cunningham to talk about venture, the debt ceiling, AI, public markets, and more. Plus, Richard gives some exciting updates about what’s happening across the movement. If you like this episode, make sure to follow, review, and share the show.

Most of us know the verse in Genesis where God says it’s not good for a person to be alone. But do we let that affect our view of investing?We understand the truth but still find ourselves going through our careers in isolation. We keep our guard up and our heads down. What would it look like to change that narrative? What would happen if we rallied around each other, both personally and professionally? What would that lead to?Brent Beshore and Marcus Stroud join us today to talk about how they’ve found great joy in building a community of investors and to give practical guidance on how others can do the same.Check it out wherever you get your podcasts and don’t forget to review, follow, and share the show with others.Events mentioned in this video:Main Street Summit: https://www.mainstreetsummit.com/

The venture capital landscape has changed dramatically in recent years. How can investors move forward responsibly? How can we care for the entrepreneurs we’ve invested in? How do we find hope in the midst of challenges?We cover these questions and more in this month’s edition of Marks on the Markets.Host John Coleman is joined by two leaders in the venture capital and growth equity space: Brandon Allen, Co-founder and Managing Partner at TXV Ventures and Phil Jung, Partner at Sovereign's Capital to discuss how they’re navigating the rocky state of venture capital and growth equity.Like this content?You can support us by rating, following, and sharing the show with others.

They say not to bring up religion and politics at the dinner table. Throw business in there, and you have the recipe for quite a complex conversation.We tackle all three in this episode of the Faith Driven Investor podcast.We’re joined by Michael Hall and Tim Hurley, two Christian leaders whose private organizations have partnered with public institutions to seek the common good in their communities. Michael does this as the VP of acquisitions for Launch Capital Partners, an impact private equity firm that welcomes refugees and internationals while promoting thriving communities through a relationship-oriented property management model and community partnerships.Tim Hurley is the executive director of the Movement Foundation, which is the philanthropic vessel for Movement Mortgage to pour profits back into their communities. The organization focuses on funding much-needed infrastructure, education and support to underserved areas in the U.S. and around the world.The two join us today to talk about how Christi

The collapse of institutions like Silicon Valley Bank sent ripple effects around the world and brought many to a place of fear, doubt, and instability.  So how should we faithfully think through these recent events?We tackle this topic on this special episode of Marks on the Markets.Host John Coleman is joined by Justin Speer, a Principal and Senior Analyst on the Public Equities team at Sovereign’s Capital, and Zack Mansfield, who has over 15 years of experience working with high growth entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and other members of the innovation economy. As the current Managing Director of Venture Banking Group at Signature Bank, Zack has a deeply personal connection to this conversation.Join these three as they wrestle through challenging questions and discuss how they have found hope in Christ despite the instability surrounding all of us.

We all want our careers to be an endless upward trend, but that’s not always the case.Mike Asem, who took a less-than-traditional road to investing, has experienced the wonderful highs and the challenging lows that come with being a venture capitalist. While the founding partner of M25–a midwest-focused early stage investment group–has plenty of success stories to share, he’s also graciously agreed to join us to talk about some of the less glamorous aspects of stewarding capital. Throughout the episode, he and our hosts, John Coleman and Luke Roush, open up about difficult questions like “how do you know when to let a venture go?” And “how do you protect your identity when you feel like a failure?”Tune in to hear how we can wrestle through tough realities while maintaining hope in something bigger than our circumstances.If you like the episode, feel free to share it with others, leave us a rating, and follow the show wherever you get your podcasts.

Faith Driven Investing has been around for much longer than this podcast and ministry.It is an international movement of leaders deploying capital for Kingdom impact. Our host John Coleman likes to joke that it’s been around for at least 5,000 years.But even with its rich history, there has been an obvious uptick in activity in recent years.Today’s Marks of the Markets episode functions as a “state of the movement” with two long-time advocates and practitioners of Faith Driven Investing: Henry Kaestner and Ross Roggensack. Check out the full episode to hear how the movement has evolved and where these leaders think it will go next.

Christian investors are talking a lot about impact, but we’re often left with a tough question: how do you measure it?Author and investor, Shundrawn Thomas has wrestled with this question in his career. Over the years, Shundrawn has run a trillion-dollar global fund and recently founded The Copia Group which offers a distinct approach to investing that marries the strategic investment of financial and relational capital with the holistic development of scalable business models.In this episode, he opens up about how his firm makes and measures impact, the ways in which investing overlaps with pastoral work, and the Chicago food staple he likes best. If you like the content, give us a rating or share it with a friend and don’t forget to follow for new episodes every other week.

Each month, we bring in experts to give an overview of the market’s current state. On this episode, we have frequent contributors Bob Doll and David Spika take us through their 2022 reflections and predictions for 2023. Bob is the Chief Investment Officer at Crossmark Global and David has the same role at GuideStone Investments. Both men bring incredible insight to the conversation.Throughout the conversation, the two also chat about how Christian investors can think through layoffs, the potential recession, and ESG investing. David even makes a Super Bowl prediction. Check out the episode and don’t forget to rate and follow the show on whatever platform you use to listen.

As both an entrepreneur and an investor, Kola Aina has a unique perspective on Africa’s market. These days he spends most of his time building and investing in ecosystems that help communities flourish. He joins Henry and Ndidi to talk about the makings of a good deal and to inspire listeners with a vision for righteous capital.

Education is a fundamental part of thriving societies, and technology has brought about more learning opportunities for all people.That’s why Christian investors like Evan Baehr and James Tieng see the space as a way to promote human flourishing across various communities.The two also discuss the unique opportunities available in education, their thoughts on less-traditional forms of learning, and who they listened to most on Spotify in 2022. It’s a light-hearted and insightful episode that you won’t want to miss.Check out the whole episode and don’t forget to follow and rate the podcast on your favorite streaming platform.

Can finances lead to a more loving world?Former NBA star Jeremy Lin and his business partner, Robert Kim believe so. The two of them, along with Patricia Sun, lead JLIN LLC, an organization dedicated to redefining love through entrepreneurship and investing. In this special episode of Faith Driven Investor, Jeremy and Robert join Henry Kaestner and Faith Driven Entrepreneur Africa host, Wen Li Lim, for a compelling conversation about their passion to use capital for good and why they chose investing over philanthropy.You can also hear more about Jeremy’s entrepreneurial efforts on the most recent episode Faith Driven Entrepreneur podcast. Don’t forget to follow both shows on your favorite podcast streaming platform.