Purpose Driven Capital

In this episode of Purpose Driven Capital, we sit down with Bob Giles, Chairman and CEO of Giles Automotive, and 2022 Time Magazine Dealer of the Year. But Bob wasn’t chosen out of 16,000 car dealers just for business success. His recognition came because of something far deeper: a life built around giving, purpose, and community impact.

Bob’s story begins with risk-taking in his twenties, launching his first dealership in Louisiana without knowing a single person there. Decades later, he has built a thriving enterprise of dealerships, financing businesses, and community initiatives, all while transforming the way peop...

In this episode of Purpose Driven Capital, host Matt Johns sits down with Chris Karagouzian, Co-Founder and CEO of Help With My Loan, a fintech company that’s reimagining how borrowers, brokers, and banks connect through AI-powered automation.

Chris shares his journey from working at major institutions like Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, and U.S. Bank to walking away from the traditional system to build a fintech lending platform that moves deals 80% faster than conventional banks. With over $850 million in funded loans and a...

What does corporate philanthropy really look like inside the world’s largest company? In this episode of Purpose Driven Capital, Matt Johns sits down with Brooks Nelson of the Walmart Foundation to explore how business can be a force for systemic change.

From his early experiences in 4-H to his leadership role today, Brooks reveals how philanthropy has evolved beyond writing checks into a strategy rooted in community resilience, disaster preparedness, and long-term systems change. He explains why Walmart’s scale gives it unique responsibilities, how the Foundation balances grantmaking with public-private partnerships, and why metrics, equity, and...

In this episode of Purpose Driven Capital, host Matt Jones sits down with Michael Shepard, an experienced investor and advisor who’s redefining how we view fine art, not just as culture, but as capital. Together, they unpack what it really means to own a piece of Michelangelo, exploring how masterpieces have evolved from priceless treasures into modern investment vehicles.

Michael shares insights into the growing world of fine art investing, from understanding valuation and liquidity to the role of fractional ownership platforms that allow everyday investors to...

Dr. Mark Harvey and his daughter Lauren are carrying forward a powerful family mission, to blend gratitude, responsibility, and resilience into meaningful action. Together, they’re leading a multi-generational foundation with a personal goal: helping find a cure for cystic fibrosis, a condition that has impacted their own family.

In this episode, Matt sits down with the Harvey's to explore how personal struggle shaped their philanthropy, what it means to compete against life’s obstacles, and how values can guide both wealth and giving across generations. Their story is both deeply personal and universally inspiring, a reminder that...

In this episode of Purpose Driven Capital, host Matt Johns sits down with Abby Pollard, a leading voice in innovation and technology commercialization at the University of Texas System. Together, they explore how universities transform groundbreaking research into real-world startups and how intellectual property licensing creates new wealth streams for both inventors and investors.

From cancer drugs and AI breakthroughs to medical devices and clean tech, Abby explains the complex journey of moving discoveries from the lab to the marketplace. She reveals how faculty inventors are rewarded...

In this episode of Purpose Driven Capital, host Matt sits down with Nik Talreja, co-founder and CEO of Sydecar.io, to explore how innovation is reshaping the way investors access private markets.

Nik shares his journey from investment banking and law to venture capital and finally entrepreneurship. Along the way, he saw firsthand the inefficiencies that plagued traditional investment vehicles, legal complexity, high costs, and slow processes that kept everyday investors locked out of opportunities.

Sidecar.io was born to solve that problem. By streamlining the formation and management...

What happens when faith, finance, and purpose collide? In this episode of Purpose Driven Capital, host Matt welcomes Felipe Witchger, founder of the Francesco Collaborative, to explore how faith is reshaping the world of impact investing and values-based finance.

Felipe shares his personal journey from corporate consulting to building a purpose-driven investment model rooted in community, faith, and ethics. He explains how principles like solidarity, subsidiarity, and the common good can guide smarter, more impactful financial decisions, whether you’re an angel investor, a family office, or a steward of institutional capital.

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Raising capital is one of the biggest challenges any founder will face, but it doesn’t have to be guesswork. In this episode of Purpose Driven Capital, host Matt Johns sits down with Nathan Beckord, founder of Foundersuite and Fundingstack, to unpack the realities of startup fundraising and investing.

Nathan draws on over two decades of experience, from his early days in investment banking at JP Morgan to building platforms that have helped startups raise more than $17 billion. He shares why fundraising is really just a sales process, the most common mi...

In this episode of Purpose Driven Capital, host Matt Johns sits down with Kevin Bailey, CEO and co-founder of DreamFuel, a neuroscience-based mental performance coaching company for tech leaders.

Kevin is a three-time entrepreneur who has experienced the highs of rapid startup growth and the crushing lows of a $20 million deal falling apart. His journey revealed a truth most investors overlook: startup founder burnout is one of the greatest hidden risks to venture investing.

Together, Matt and Kevin explore:

What does it really mean to lead with faith and values in today’s world of politics, business, and community service? In this episode of Purpose Driven Capital, host Matt Jones sits down with Texas State Representative Jacey Jetton, whose journey reflects the rare balance of public service, military duty, small business ownership, and pastoral leadership.

From enlisting in the Army after 9/11 to serving in the Texas Legislature, Jacey has consistently chosen sacrifice over personal gain. He shares candidly about the misconceptions around public office, the reality of earning just $600 a month as a legislator, and the pe...

How do the world’s most successful families think about giving? And what does it take to create a legacy that lasts for generations?

In this episode of Purpose Driven Capital, Matt Johns sits down with Susan Winer, co-founder of Strategic Philanthropy, a pioneering firm that has spent more than two decades guiding ultra-high-net-worth families and privately held businesses on their philanthropic journey.

Susan shares the remarkable story of how she moved from the Chicago Board of Trade to becoming one of the first leaders in philanthropy advisory, helping families move be...

Texas is quickly becoming one of the most dynamic venture capital hubs in the United States, and this episode of Purpose Driven Capital dives into why.

Matt sits down with CS Freeland, founder of the Texas Venture Alliance, to explore how policy, politics, and entrepreneurship are colliding to reshape the future of capital in the Lone Star State. From the explosive growth of startup investing in Austin, Dallas, and Houston, to the rise of dual-use technology, defense tech, clean energy, and agtech, Texas is showing the rest of the country what an innovation ecosystem looks...

What if the land beneath your feet could be traded as easily as a stock? In this episode of Purpose Driven Capital, Matt Johns sits down with Aaron Bumgarner, founder and CEO of Outside, to explore the disruptive world of real-world asset tokenization.

Aaron shares his journey from growing up in the outdoors to becoming a pioneer in blockchain-based real estate investing, creating new ways for investors to access fractional ownership in land, timber, and beyond. Together, they discuss the origins of his vision, how tokenization works in practice...

When most people hear the word IPO, they think it’s only for billion-dollar tech giants. But the truth is, going public is an option for far more companies than you might expect.

In this episode of Purpose Driven Capital, Matt Johns sits down with Benjamin Sklar, a corporate securities attorney who helps startups and growth companies navigate the complex world of initial public offerings (IPOs). Together, they break down the process in a way that’s simple, accessible, and eye-opening for founders and investors alike.

Benjamin shares what real...

What happens when churches close their doors and sacred spaces sit empty in our cities? And what if those spaces, along with billions in untapped philanthropic capital could be redeployed to solve some of society’s most pressing challenges?

In this episode of the Purpose Driven Capital Podcast, host Matt Johns sits down with Graham Singh, Anglican priest and social finance entrepreneur, to explore how faith, finance, and community intersect in surprising ways.

Graham shares why social finance, the use of repayable capital to generate both financial an...

In this episode of Purpose Driven Capital, we dive deep into Asia investing, uncovering the untapped opportunities most U.S. investors overlook. Host Matt Johns speaks with Gene Riley, a hedge fund veteran and former Goldman Sachs partner with nearly two decades of experience living and investing in Asia. 

Together, they explore how the Asia Pacific market home to over 56% of the world’s population and two-thirds of the global investable equity universe represents one of the most underutilized frontiers for ethical wealth-building and alternative investment opportunities.

Gene shares insider insights on short selling in Chi...

On this episode of Purpose Driven Capital, we take you inside the Hurricane Beryl relief efforts in on-site interview with Rob Gaudet, founder and CEO of Ground Force Humanitarian Aid. 

When Hurricane Beryl made landfall in Texas, devastating communities like Brazoria County and Lake Jackson, thousands were left without power, homes were damaged, and local families were cut off from essential resources. 

Rob Gaudet has dedicated the last seven years to innovating disaster response through scalable, community-driven systems. His mission: to build resilient communities that can respond to crises faster and more efficiently than traditional di...

In this episode of Purpose Driven Capital, we explore how behavioral finance can transform the way you approach wealth alignment, purpose-driven investing, and legacy planning. 

Host Matt Johns speaks with Marla Sofer, founder and CEO of Knomee, a groundbreaking platform designed to help people discover their financial identity and align their money with their goals, values, and long-term vision. Marla challenges the common belief that money is the end goal, instead positioning it as a tool for creating meaningful impact and building a legacy.

Drawing from her experience at major financial institutions like BlackRock, JP M...

Welcome to the Purpose Driven Capital Podcast where money meets mission.

Our mission is simple: to help you use the money within your control to serve your unique calling and spark a movement that creates the kind of impact you want to see in the world.

Too often, money isn’t used as it should be. Instead of chasing empty gains, we believe it should be directed toward genuine virtue, aligned with your gifts, values, and purpose.

Each episode, we’ll sit down...

Private equity in sports is reshaping the way professional teams are owned, managed, and valued. In this episode of Purpose Driven Capital, host Matt Johns speaks with Mark Wade of CAZ Investments to explore how Wall Street is moving into professional sports and why this shift is creating new opportunities for investors. Mark shares firsthand insights on private equity in sports, the evolution of team ownership, and how billionaires, family offices, and institutions are transforming sports franchises into legacy-building assets.

From the rise of sports private equity funds to the implications for franchise ownership, Mark dives deep...