Mark Watson, Founder of Keel Asset Management, is on the show today to talk about raising reparative capital, and the work he is doing on the vanguard of socially responsible investment. Mark has 30 years of experience in the financial sector, starting in banking before progressing into work with a deeper focus on combining social impact with financial rigor. The interconnected nature of the issues facing the contemporary world requires a holistic approach that takes into account finances, sustainability, politics, history, the environment, and more.
Mark describes his philosophy as the rebirth of old ideas around community, support, and sustainability, and we get into some great specifics with him about the changes that need to be made to the dominant economic model. Mark retains a strong priority on supporting entrepreneurs of color and has become increasingly involved in regenerative farming and the funding of socially responsible agriculture.
His two latest ventures are Jubilee Justice and the soon-to-be launched Potlicker Capital, and Mark gives us the rundown of the work that is done through these two organizations, sharing his wide knowledge on creating systemic change. We also get to hear about the winding road of Mark's career, the important stops along the way, and where he envisions the world going if we can put our efforts into the right spaces. For all this and more from an inspiring leader, be sure to listen in with us today.
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Key Points From This Episode:
A quick look at Mark's professional background and path to current positions.
The big decision that Mark made to dedicate his life to creating more access for marginalized sectors of society.
How Mark became involved in food sustainability and regenerative farming.
The roots of Potlicker Capital and the inspiration behind the formation of the firm.
The timeline for Potlicker going public; the next few months and the expected rollout.
Bringing the focus back to feeding and supporting communities in a modern context.
Mark's thoughts on the future of capital as we know it, and a possible recalibration.
The unique moment in which we find ourselves, and the need for better global cohesion.
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Tweetables:
“I like to think of my career as a journey that many of us are actually on, and that journey is the evolution of understanding the interconnectivity of money, power, knowledge, and politics.” — Mark Watson
“I am from a middle-class background but had never really experienced a world where people were buying $8,000 bottles of wine, lunches at The Pool Room, and private planes.” — Mark Watson
“I made a decision in my late thirties, to spend the rest of my life to redirect resources to those parts of the world and my own community, that did not have access.” — Mark Watson
“What we are all doing is is just reconstructing what our forefathers did in the beginning, before we had huge industrialized complexes, where we had this reductionist thinking.” — Mark Watson
“Clearly, using what we all have been taught as a well-defined way to measure risk, was missing a lot of the pieces.” — Mark Watson
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Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Mark Watson on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-watson-2a961932
Keel Asset Management — http://www.keelasset.com/
Michigan Good Food Fund — https://migoodfoodfund.org/
Jubilee Justice — https://www.jubileejustice.org/
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Show Notes + Other Links
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