I'm excited to launch something new: Weekly documentaries on the top stories in finance Here's the story of Trammell Crow (the founder of modern real estate private equity) "The Man Behind a $13 Billion Real Estate Empire" (02:17) THE WOUND (1914–1946) >born 1914, Dallas, 5th of 8 kids, 9 people in 3 rooms >dad is a bookkeeper, owns nothing >boss dies in 1928, dad loses everything overnight >14 years old, decides: employees are vulnerable, owners survive >grinds through the Depression, becomes youngest CPA in Texas at 24 (04:44) THE FIRST DEAL (1946–1948) >gets out of the Navy at 32, joins wife's dying grain warehouse >tenant says "we need more space, we're leaving" >Crow: "what if I build it for you?" - he's never built anything, he's an accountant >builds 11,250 sq ft when tenant only needs 6,750, fills the rest >50 warehouses in 3 years, just invented speculative building (07:47) THE 3 RULES (1948–1956) >Rule 1: never sell, hold everything >Rule 2: share equity with everyone, turn employees into owners >Rule 3: sign personally for everything, unlimited liability >"you can get rich selling real estate, you can only get wealthy owning it" >these 3 rules built the empire and nearly destroyed it, twice (09:48) THE FURNITURE MART (1956–1960) >visits Joe Kennedy's Merchandise Mart in Chicago, becomes obsessed >decides to build a furniture mart in Dallas, nobody wants it >one company: "we hope you don't build it" >his partner says let's quit, Crow goes silent, then: "I'm going to build the finest furniture mart in America" - rolls over and goes to sleep >builds it, it works, Dallas Market Center grows to 7M sq ft, largest wholesale complex in the world (12:43) EMPIRE BUILDING (1960–1973) >deploys young MBAs to new cities, gives them capital, autonomy, and ownership >Bob Glaze: 13 years, never got a raise from $16K salary, worth millions through partnership stakes >meets Mack Pogue, young broker, zero dev experience, forms Lincoln Property - becomes 2nd largest apartment manager in America >1971: 140M sq ft, 8,000 properties, 26 cities, 6 countries, Forbes calls him nation's biggest private landlord >Fortune headline: "Trammell Crow Succeeds Because YOU Want Him To" (20:21) THE FIRST CRISIS (1973–1977) >Arab oil embargo, oil prices quadruple, interest rates spike >personally liable for $433M, cash flow negative $25M/year >Federal Reserve puts him on credit watch, too big to fail >calls a partners meeting, asks them to liquidate their own wealth to save him - not legally obligated >one partner: "I don't think the partners are safe until you are safe" - they save him (25:15) THE COMEBACK (1977–1985) >back on Forbes 400 by 1982, net worth $500M >Harvard Business School asks: "most important element in business?" >Crow: "love" >builds the Anatole Hotel, numbers every single brick >1984: $13B in assets, 5,000 employees (29:09) THE SECOND CRISIS (1986–1989) >oil collapses, S&L crisis, Tax Reform Act kills real estate incentives >Dallas office vacancy hits 30% >Forbes: "the dinosaurs are dying" >partners hitting golf balls into empty buildings because there's nothing else to do >second crisis, same mistakes (30:48) LESSONS LEARNED (1989) >one partner sends a memo: "please outline mistakes you have made" >101 pages come back, single spaced, names attached >"we covered up mistakes because we could borrow more money" >"we continued to build because that's what we knew how to do" >"when you don't have staying power, you turn into the fish" (35:29) LEGACY (1989–2009) >2006: acquired by CBRE for $2.2B >alumni: Lincoln Property, Starwood, Transwestern, Spieker, Greystar >"spawned more millionaires than anybody in his generation" >dies in 2009 at 94, married to Margaret for 66 years >asked about retiring: "you'd waste yourself instead of using yourself" >partnership built the empire >partnership saved the empire >partnership outlasted the man who created it One more thing: If you're in real estate, private equity, or building anything on partnership, this one's for you This took 7 people weeks to create We spent weeks going through lost interviews, Forbes and Fortune investigations, library archives, and a 101-page internal document so that we could share this with you Our goal is to produce content like this every single week If you want to see more of this, like/repost the video, follow, reply, and share it with someone who needs to hear this story Produced by Collateral, the financial storytelling firm

Single worst piece of software ever invented

The MSG Sphere cost $2.3B to build They charge $450k for one day of advertising Here's their pitch deck:

Stratton Oakmont defrauded 1,500 investors of $200MM Jordan Belfort gave this 'sales script' to his 1,378 employees:

Bird Scooter raised $883M and was valued at $2.5B Now, they filed for bankruptcy Here's their pitch deck:

Stratton Oakmont defrauded 1,500 investors of $200MM Jordan Belfort gave this 'sales script' to his 1,378 employees:

Ever wonder how Alameda Research defrauded investors of $3.7B? Let's take a look back at their pitch deck:

NYC paid McKinsey $4M for a trash study The findings? Use trash cans, not bags Here's the deck (each slide cost $42k):

Chamath SPAC'ed OpenDoor at a $4.8B valuation The market cap is now $437M, down 90% Here's their pitch deck:

Zyn sold 1.1B cans last year Here's their pitch deck:

19-yo Stanford dropout, Sam Altman, dual wielding neon polos pitching his startup 'Loopt':

Penn lost $800MM on Barstool Sports Here's their original pitch deck on the acquisition:

Loom sold for $975MM Here's a side-by-side comparison of their pre-seed and seed pitch decks:

Lehman Brothers is the largest ever bankruptcy They held $691B in assets Here's the best slides from their 'Risk Management' deck:

Ever wonder how 'Liz' Holmes defrauded investors of $700MM? Let's take a look back at her pitch deck:

Chamath made $213M SPAC'ing Virgin Galactic The stock is since down 94% Here's their pitch deck:

NYC paid McKinsey $4M for a trash study The findings? Use trash cans, not bags Here's the top slides:

In 2021, Callaway acquired Topgolf for $2B Here's their pitch deck on the deal:

In 1987, Microsoft acquired PowerPoint for $14M The founders declined stock in favor of all cash Today, PowerPoint has 500M users and the stock would be worth ~ $20B

Michael Burry is a genius He's predicted 15 of the last 2 recessions (and made $800M predicting the 2008 housing crash) Here's his 2006 investor update:

LinkedIn sold to Microsoft for $26.2B Here's their $10MM Series-B pitch deck:

Faze Clan just sold to Gamestop for $17MM They went public at a $725MM valuation in July 2022 Here's their pitch deck:

Palantir just reported their first $1B quarter Their co-founder, Alex Karp is all-time eccentric... - lives in seclusion, without cell phone - never learned to drive “I was too poor and then I was too rich” - carries tai chi swords around the office Here's their earnings deck:

Vivek Ramaswamy founded Roivant at age 29 By 35, he IPO'd the biotech firm for $7.3B His stake was worth $600M+ Here's his pitch deck:

Competitive advantage slides on pitch decks be like

Tesla raised $19.4B across 38 funding rounds Here's their 2011 pitch deck that helped them raise $192MM:

Morning Brew sold for $75M To start, the pair of 20-yr old founders raised $750k from 28 investors Here's their pitch deck:

Picture this: London, 1609. You've got the craziest pitch in history. Plant a colony in America. Nobody's done it. It'll cost a fortune. And, half your investors might die crossing the Atlantic. How do you raise money for that? The Virginia Company had an answer:

Ever wonder how Sam Bankman-Fried negligently raised $1.8B from investors? Let's take a look back at his pitch deck:

Apollo just released a report titled: 'The extreme weight of AI in the S&P 500' Below is a summary of the top 7 slides:

BlackRock acquired GIP for $12.5B Overnight, they jumped from #14 to #2 largest infrastructure investors They describe today as 'The Golden Age of Private Infrastructure Investing' Here's their research deck highlighting the deal: (FULL 19 SLIDES - BOOKMARK)

Bill Ackman released a 49-slide deck on Harvard "Buy, Sell, or Hold" Here's the top slides:

In 2004, Zuck invented social media from his dorm room and gained 70,000 users in a month In 2023, Meta is a $1T company with 3B users Here's Fakebook's original pitch deck:

Michael Burry made $800MM predicting the 2008 housing crash Here's his 2006 investor update:

Blackstone's $1.1T scale enables them to spot trends earlier than you Over 39 years, they've invested in: ~250 portfolio companies ~12,500 real estate assets ~ 4,800 credit issuers Here's their research deck highlighting today's megatrends: (FULL 20 SLIDES - BOOKMARK)

Want to see a full pitch deck on the MSG Sphere? Access here: pitchdeck.beehiiv.com/c/msg-…

Apollo is contributing $850M to a Soho House take-private Last year, short-seller Glass House set a target price of $0 for the company Here's their report:

The UFC and WWE merged in a $21.4B deal Here's the pitch deck:

Constellis is a private military doing $2B in annual revenue They own 10 companies, including Blackwater, with 22,000 global employees Here's their pitch deck:

Alameda also claimed they 'haven't had a losing week in six months' A blatant red flag in the most volatile market in the world

We’ve reviewed countless fundraising pitch decks Most make the same mistakes that turn investors away Use these 5 slides to turn your deck from a dud to a deal:

Public Storage bought Simply Self Storage from Blackstone for $2.2B Here's their pitch deck on the acquisition:

Enron is the biggest fraud in history Here's their 1999 pitch deck:

Penn dropped Barstool Sports for ESPN in a $2B deal Here's Penn's pitch deck on the partnership:

Ever wonder how Bill Ackman lost $760MM on his Herbalife short? Let's take a look back at his pitch deck:

Blackstone's BREIT owns $122B of real estate Here's their latest investor update:

Alameda claimed to have the 'highest and most consistent returns of any crypto trading firm we know of' They flaunted 110.6% annualized returns trading $150-300MM per day Seems legit

Trevor Milton, founder of Nikola, raised $3.3B in funding for his 'Tesla killer' Things have since 'gone downhill' Here's his pitch deck:

7 pitch decks from your favorite startup (Facebook, Uber, Coinbase, and more):

The wealthiest investors skip 90% of your pitch deck Why? They make their bet on the jockey, not the horse Convert more investors with these 4 “Track Record” slides:

And lastly, the infamous couple SBF + Caroline Ellison They met trading at Jane Street Then orchestrated the biggest fraud in history Crazy

In 2015, Buffett and 3G promised to create a 'Global F&B Leader' in a $45B merger of Kraft & Heinz. After 10 years and a 70% stock decline, they're hitting undo. Below is a side-by-side comparison of the merger & split presentations:

Josh Harris bought the Washington Commanders for a record $6.05B Here's his pitch deck on the deal:

Alameda was offering one investment product: '15% annualized fixed rate loans' A promise of 'high returns with no risk' Keep in mind this was 2018 - 4 years before they imploded How did no-one know?

In 1917, WWI began and America needed money, fast. They had two options 1. Raise taxes 2. Take loans from citizens The winner? Liberty Bonds. In the end, 1 in 3 Americans chipped in. Here's how Americana sold the dream:

'Liz' wound up only raising $28.5MM on a $30MM offering for Theranos' Series C (this pitch deck) She went on to raise and additional $642.4MM All without a working product Crazy

Holmes recently reported for her 11-year prison sentence Her company, Theranos, was valued as high as $10B before its collapse The 19 year old Stanford dropout was known for her Steve Jobs-esque turtlenecks and fake deep voice

SBF is facing up to 115 years in prison His company, FTX, was valued as high as $40B before its collapse SBF grew a $26.5B net worth from 2019 to 2022 on the back of FTX He was known for his chaotic appearance, sleeping on beanbags, and romantic relationships with colleagues

"When I see memos from Howard Marks in my mail, they're the first thing I open and read." - Warren Buffett Marks co-founded $209B behemoth Oaktree Capital and raised $10.9B during the 2008 financial crisis. Here's how he did it, told through his 2007-2009 memos:

Take my money

Theranos was allegedly building a system that allowed for all medical tests via a drop of blood 1 prick of the finger, less than 30 minutes of waiting, and 100% accurate results Sounds enticing (spoiler: it was nowhere near operable)

"The storyteller is the most powerful person in the world" - Steve Jobs

First, in Karp's letter to shareholders...

400 years later, the pattern never changed. It's the same formula: compelling story + credible substance = moved capital. Tools evolved from pamphlets to PowerPoint to AI. Human psychology stayed the same. People invest in stories they believe in.

Want to see all 50 slides? And millions more, free? Access here: pitchsend.com/p/bird-spac-pr…

For two years Burry's investors demanded their money back His fund was down 17.36% in a year the S&P was up 13.62% His response? Double down on the big short

If you want to see example pitch decks and our top 10 tips for a BetterPitch, enter your email at the website below 👇 BetterPitch.com

Like, RT, and enter your email at the website below for more pitch deck case-studies 👇 BetterPitch.com

Their 'Compliance Framework'? To 'work closely with policymakers and regulators to operate in a compliant manner' FTX affiliates made over 300 donations summing $100MM+ to various political efforts SBF is the son of two well-connected Stanford Law professors Crazy

Their drivers for success? 'Management and Culture' Employees described the company's work culture as one inundated with fear, intimidation and secrecy Holmes' reckless pursuit of profit caused rampant fraudulence

FTX was the world's third-largest crypto exchange The exchange was known for its leveraged products, not legal in the US At its peak, the platform was doing more than $1.5B in daily trading volume

Being direct with your ask will print you $$$ In your pitch: We’re seeking X from limited partners to build Y project The key reasons you should invest are X, Y, and Z If something were to go wrong, it would be X, we’re doing Y to mitigate that risk Saves everyone time

What happened? Alameda, SBF's trading firm, was trading billions of dollars from FTX accounts and leveraging the exchange’s native token as collateral FTX did not have enough money to match customer withdrawals Once leaked, customers withdrew $5B+ before FTX paused withdrawals

Want more pitch deck deep dives? Enter your email here! BetterPitch.com

They needed serious capital for something that sounded completely insane. So, they crafted the perfect story. They created "Nova Britannia". They painted Virginia as paradise. Flowing with "excellent fruites." Perfect weather. Gold everywhere.

What do you do when strippers have five houses? Short mortgages via credit default swaps Burry was 'never before so optimistic'

BOND has invested $5B in tech They released a 340 slide 'AI Trends' report Below are the 11 most important slides:

1. The Good and The Bad Face it, your deal isn’t all sunshine and rainbows If you pitch like it is, investors become cautious Being up-front and honest goes a long way

Your story deserves better than rat graphics Call collateral dot com and save $4M :)

Railway promoters in the 1840s studied the crashes: "We can do this better." They were right. Railway Mania brought storytelling into the modern age. Fold-out maps. Locomotive illustrations. Route diagrams. Brilliant marketing. Even bigger bubble.

And it worked. "Adventure capitalists" ate it up. By 1720, London was drunk on investments. The South Sea Bubble was storytelling gone wild. One company's investment idea? "For an undertaking of great advantage, but nobody to know what it is." An people actually invested.

Want more deep dives? Enter your email at the website below 👇 BetterPitch.com