Couverture de NEXT with Michael Sonnenfeldt

NEXT with Michael Sonnenfeldt
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 After success, what's next? NEXT with Michael Sonnenfeldt invites you ringside to conversations exploring life after major success – the prism where wealth, purpose, and legacy converge. Through intimate discussions with leading entrepreneurs and investors , uncover the playbooks for navigating life’s next phase. From managing wealth and identity to creating impact that endures. Learn from real stories of reinvention, purpose, and legacy from leaders who’ve been there.Michael Sonnenfeldt Direction Economie Management et direction
Épisodes
  • Peggy Styer: Solving Hard Problems for Mission Critical Customers

    Peggy Styer: Solving Hard Problems for Mission Critical Customers
    Feb 23 2026

    Host Michael Sonnenfeldt sits down with national security entrepreneur and investor Peggy Steyer, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Razor’s Edge Ventures. A pioneer in defense, cyber, space, and AI investing, Peggy previously built Blackbird Technologies into a premier provider of mission-critical solutions for intelligence, defense, and law enforcement customers before its record-setting acquisition by Raytheon. She later co-founded Raven Wing, which was acquired by Boeing, and went on to launch Razor’s Edge, generating more than $1 billion in shareholder returns over the past five years.

    Peggy shares candid insights on building companies where lives are on the line, transitioning from operator to investor, and creating high-performance teams drawn from both special operations and elite technologists. Key topics include scaling in national security markets, Blue Ocean strategy vs. crowded competition, the proper role of boards and investors, asymmetric warfare and emerging threats, AI and geopolitical risk, founder resilience, partnership dynamics, and balancing mission critical leadership with family life and long-term purpose.


    Giving Moment:

    Join this season's philanthropic giving moment where every donation made in Q1 2026 will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $100 per gift ($10,000 per organization). Donate at www.muus.com/giving.


    Topics:


    00:01:48 – Childhood, Navy upbringing, and early influences
    00:03:38 – The layoff that sparked her entrepreneurial path
    00:05:18 – Motivations beyond money
    00:06:04 – Founding Blackbird & solving national security tech problems
    00:09:10 – Women in national security & leadership advice
    00:14:56 – The role of spouses and support systems
    00:18:27 – Building, scaling, and exiting Blackbird & Raven Wing
    00:23:33 – Transition from CEO to venture investor
    00:26:41 – The proper role of a board vs. CEO
    00:30:52 – Razor’s Edge strategy & Blue Ocean investing
    00:35:33 – Responsibility in national security work
    00:38:14 – Geopolitics, deterrence & asymmetric threats
    00:42:19 – AI, China, and the future of technology
    00:45:22 – Investment mistakes & lessons learned
    00:46:52 – Advice for young entrepreneurs
    00:49:20 – Books, leadership insights & closing


    Mentioned:

    TIGER 21 is the premier peer membership organization for ultra-successful entrepreneurs, investors, and executives. Through confidential forums and shared experience, members gain perspective on wealth, leadership, and life beyond success.


    Peggy’s book recommendation - Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin


    Follow and Connect:

    Peggy Styer | Website

    Michael Sonnenfeldt | Website | next@muus.com
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    52 min
  • Alex Bean: From a $2.5B Exit To Building a Factory for Good

    Alex Bean: From a $2.5B Exit To Building a Factory for Good
    Feb 9 2026
    On this episode of NEXT, Alex Bean—Co-founder of Divvy and Managing Partner of Tandem Ventures—reflects on what comes after entrepreneurial success. Drawing on his experience building a category-defining fintech company and exiting for $2.5B, Alex shares candid insights on founder identity, co-founder dynamics, and the emotional and relational challenges that often follow a liquidity event. He breaks down what product-market fit really feels like, how successful founder partnerships are structured, and why understanding your role—can be decisive in scaling a company quickly and sustainably.The conversation then shifts to wealth, family, and legacy. Alex explores how money reshapes relationships, why shared assets and minority ownership can quietly introduce long-term risk, and how families can unintentionally trade closeness for complexity. He also introduces Factory for Good, his framework and new social enterprise for helping families build intentional giving practices by applying clarity, discipline, and measurement to philanthropy. This episode is essential listening for founders, investors, and families navigating life after success—especially those thinking deeply about purpose, stewardship, and how to turn financial outcomes into lasting, positive impact.Giving Moment:Join this season's philanthropic giving moment where every donation made in Q1 2026 will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $100 per gift ($10,000 per organization). Donate at ⁠⁠www.muus.com/giving.Topics:(02:00) – Growing up in Redmond during Microsoft’s rise(03:30) – Early startups, failure, and learning to take risks(05:30) – Are entrepreneurs born or made? The mindset of failure(07:30) – Lessons from three generations of family business(09:30) – Wealth, loneliness, and identity after success(11:30) – Why money doesn’t solve purpose(13:00) – The origin of Divvy and taking an 80% pay cut(15:00) – Product-market fit and hypergrowth(17:00) – Founder roles, trust, and partnership dynamics(19:00) – The pressure and toll of scaling fast(20:00) – Giving break: Understood.org(21:00) – Life after exit: loss of structure and identity(23:00) – The Factory for Good concept explained(26:00) – Builders vs. operators and finding what gives energy(28:30) – Knowing when it’s time to leave a business(30:30) – Raising independent children after success(33:30) – Stewardship, inheritance, and shared-asset risks(37:30) – Minority discounts and loss of control(40:00) – Teaching children the purpose of wealth(42:30) – Microsoft vs. Gates Foundation: value vs. impact(46:00) – Giving at scale and impacting lives meaningfully(49:00) – $5,000 miracles and tactical philanthropy(51:30) – Advice for Alex’s kids and family values(52:30) – Tip jar: Open by Andre Agassi + Paladin app(53:30) – Where to find Alex and closingMentioned: ⁠TIGER 21 ⁠⁠ is the premier peer membership organization for ultra-successful entrepreneurs, investors, and executives. Through confidential forums and shared experience, members gain perspective on wealth, leadership, and life beyond success.Alex's book recommendation: Open by Andre AgassiAlex's app recommendation: PaladinFactory For Good: WebsiteFollow and Connect:Alex Bean | ⁠⁠Website⁠Michael Sonnenfeldt | ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ | Email: michael@muus.comNEXT with Michael Sonnenfeldt Podcast | ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Website
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    55 min
  • Omar Simmons: On Value Creation, Scaling Franchises, And Opening Doors For Others

    Omar Simmons: On Value Creation, Scaling Franchises, And Opening Doors For Others
    Jan 26 2026
    On Episode 2 of NEXT, Omar Simmons—Managing Partner of Exaltare Capital Partners and former ECP CEO of Planet Fitness—dives deep into the realities of hiring, leadership, and risk in the franchising business. Drawing on his experience scaling Planet Fitness from 15 to over 100 locations and exiting via selling majority share to an institutional partner. He shares practical insights on interviewing for resilience, onboarding employees, reducing turnover, and building operating systems that work at scale across decentralized teams.The conversation also explores how experienced operators think about risk—not as volatility on a spreadsheet, but as something shaped by judgment, pattern recognition, and execution. Omar breaks down what makes franchising a uniquely powerful business model, how centralized learning and local ownership combine to drive performance, and how leaders de-risk growth through planning, diversification, and discipline. This episode is essential listening for founders, operators, investors, and franchise executives focused on scaling businesses, building durable teams, and making better decisions under uncertainty.Giving Moment:Join this season's philanthropic giving moment where every donation made in Q1 2026 will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $100 per gift ($10,000 per organization). Donate at ⁠www.muus.com/giving.Topics:(01:55) — Growing up in inner-city Boston: family, housing, and early lessons(03:55) — The role of love, community, and sports in shaping resilience(04:46) — Cold-calling Princeton: betting on yourself early(06:55) — Mentorship, peer groups, and learning without a traditional playbook(09:45) — Paying mentorship forward: coaching, leadership, and legacy(12:05) — What makes franchising such a powerful business model(15:00) — Centralized learning vs. decentralized ownership in franchises(16:10) — Can grit be taught? How Omar evaluates drive and adversity(18:40) — Hiring, leadership limits, and knowing when people won’t change(19:05) — Spotlight on Understood.org and supporting learning differences(20:55) — The “gold standard” franchisors and why fit matters more than brand(24:00) — Risk in the eye of the beholder: investing, intuition, and expertise(27:10) — COVID, concentration risk, and surviving extreme uncertainty(28:30) — Employee engagement, retention, and why caring actually scales(31:00) — Scaling Planet Fitness from 15 to 100+ locations(33:00) — Selling the business: timing, COVID shock, and liquidity decisions(35:30) — Life after the exit: identity, rhythm, and redefining purpose(38:00) — The Ascension Franchise Initiative: expanding ownership access(41:30) — Measuring success through ownership and wealth creation(44:00) — Racism, progress, and hope in America today(47:00) — Profit vs. purpose: why it’s a false choice(49:00) — Gratitude, giving back, and generational responsibility(50:20) — What’s next for Omar in this stage of life(51:30) — Advice to his younger self(52:30) — Tip jar: spiritual practice, history, and recommended readsMentioned:⁠TIGER 21 ⁠ is the premier peer membership organization for ultra-successful entrepreneurs, investors, and executives. Through confidential forums and shared experience, members gain perspective on wealth, leadership, and life beyond success.Omar's podcast recommendation: The Rest is HistoryFranchise Ascension Initiative: WebsiteFollow and Connect:Omar Simmons | ⁠WebsiteMichael Sonnenfeldt | ⁠LinkedIn⁠ | Email: michael@muus.comNEXT with Michael Sonnenfeldt Podcast | ⁠YouTube⁠ | ⁠Website
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    55 min
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