The Liquidity Event · 2026-06-04 · 29 min
IPO season is heating up and AJ and Shane West are back after a whirlwind few weeks that included a company retreat upstate, a client event in Williamsburg, the launch of Gemifi at FPA NorCal in San Francisco, and a pod of orcas off the coast of Seattle. In Episode 190 of The Liquidity Event, they dig into Carta's proposal to allow employees to contribute vested equity directly into a 401k or IRA, and whether it actually helps everyday startup employees or just adds another tax break for the wealthy. They also break down Oura Ring's confidential IPO filing, why wearable health tech is having a moment, and whether the growth story holds up once everyone who wants one already has one. Then it's on to Fidelity's Q1 2026 retirement analysis, which shows record high contributions to retirement accounts while the K-shaped economy quietly widens. Robinhood's new AI trading tool gets the full treatment, including whether letting a bot make credit card purchases is innovation or a liability waiting to happen. And AJ has thoughts on Phoebe Gates closing a $35.5 million oversubscribed Series A while calling herself a scrappy startup.
Bobby Bonilla Day, Sports Team Valuations and the Rise of Women's Sports - Episode 19454 / 100SpaceX IPO Day, AI Cybersecurity Risks and When an S Corp Actually Makes Sense - Episode 193Slumlord Training Camp, AI's Two Track Labor Market and the Nest Egg Protection Act - Episode 192The Economics of Egg Freezing, Fertility's Last Taboo and Building Cofertility with Special Guest, Lauren Makler - Episode 191Semi-Annual Reporting, Rent on Your Credit Score and ChatGPT's Portfolio Fail - Episode 189