Forged in America

Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein
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Jan 13, 2026 • 1h 1min

E7: Trump's Populist Pivot, Social Skills Over Grades, and America’s Third Rails (Immigration, Fraud, Voter ID)

In Episode 7, Ravin and Al discuss the current economic outlook, the implications of credit card debt, immigration, and the public's perception of fraud.  They highlight the significance of social skills in raising children, how AI may change the landscape of education and employment, and the necessity of taking risks in both personal and professional life. They discuss how self-belief and responsiveness can lead to success, the challenges of navigating relationships as one becomes successful, and the significance of being a 'force of nature' in achieving goals. The conversation also touches on the future of elder care through technology, economic growth, and the importance of preventative health care. They also delve into the importance of voter ID laws and the role of family structure in society.
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Jan 7, 2026 • 1h 13min

E6: Larry Gies: Scaling Purpose to 25,000 Employees

Founder and CEO of Madison Industries Larry Gies chats with Ravin and Al about building a business, finding purpose, raising kids, donating 250M to University of Illinois, and fixing the USA.Forged in America is a conversation between longtime friends and entrepreneurs Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein who have built and sold numerous businesses. Al founded fintech unicorn Avant, real estate firm Pangea, and Stoic Lane. Ravin founded GMM Nonstick Coatings, a $100M supplier to the USA housewares industry that serves 40M Americans each day. Al and Ravin are also experienced early stage investors, investing in deals such as Apptronik, KeyMe, Morning Consult, Kin Insurance, Hester Biosciences, Throne Labs, Natrion and Patient IQ that collectively have raised billions in funding.
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Jan 1, 2026 • 1h 10min

E5 - Ted Koenig on Deploying $100B in Private Credit

Ted Koenig, Founder and CEO of Monroe Capital, joins Al and Ravin for a candid discussion about seeing around corners, building a $25B empire in private credit, city and national politics, parenting, and leadership.Forged in America is a conversation between longtime friends and entrepreneurs Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein who have built and sold numerous businesses. Al founded fintech unicorn Avant, real estate firm Pangea, and Stoic Lane. Ravin founded GMM Nonstick Coatings, a $100M supplier to the USA housewares industry that serves 40M Americans each day. Al and Ravin are also experienced early stage investors, investing in deals such as Apptronik, KeyMe, Morning Consult, Kin Insurance, Hester Biosciences, Throne Labs, Natrion and Patient IQ that collectively have raised billions in funding.
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Dec 28, 2025 • 53min

E4: Dan Crenshaw Says Both Sides Are Lying

U.S. Congressman Dan Crenshaw joins Forged in America for a raw conversation with Ravin and Al on media bias, populism, and why America is harder to break than people think. Also the challenges of running for office, losing an eye, and staying sane in the most politicized era of our lifetimes.Forged in America is a conversation between longtime friends and entrepreneurs Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein who have built and sold numerous businesses. Al founded fintech unicorn Avant, real estate firm Pangea, and Stoic Lane. Ravin founded GMM Nonstick Coatings, a $100M supplier to the USA housewares industry that serves 40M Americans each day. Al and Ravin are also experienced early stage investors, investing in deals such as Apptronik, KeyMe, Morning Consult, Kin Insurance, Hester Biosciences, Throne Labs, Natrion and Patient IQ that collectively have raised billions in funding.
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Dec 24, 2025 • 1h 18min

E3 - Dag Kittlaus: Founding Siri Almost Killed Me

Dag Kittlaus, founder of Siri and serial entrepreneur in conversational AI, shares his journey from founding Siri to healthcare innovations. He recounts the intense moments leading up to Apple's acquisition, including daily calls from Steve Jobs. After a health scare with a pancreatic tumor, Dag pivoted to health tech, developing a phone-based blood pressure app. He reflects on the challenges of working with friends, the societal impacts of AI, and instilling responsibility in his children despite success. It's a candid look at entrepreneurship and resilience.
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Dec 17, 2025 • 29min

E2 - Get the big decisions right!

Still homemade, still a couple jerky cuts, but still going! Thanks to everyone who supported us to do another episode. This episode has a theme called GET THE BIG DECISIONS RIGHT - where we discuss the fact that grit and perseverence is table stakes...and Al and Ravin interview each other about their companies and the decisions which made success possible.Forged in America is a conversation between longtime friends and entrepreneurs Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein who have built and sold numerous businesses. Al founded fintech unicorn Avant, real estate firm Pangea, and Stoic Lane. Ravin founded GMM Nonstick Coatings, a $100M supplier to the USA housewares industry that serves 40M Americans each day. Al and Ravin are also experienced early stage investors, investing in deals such as Apptronik, KeyMe, Morning Consult, Kin Insurance, Hester Biosciences, Throne Labs, Natrion and Patient IQ that collectively have raised billions in funding.
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Dec 14, 2025 • 35min

E1 - should we do this?

This is an experiment to see how many of Al and Ravin's friends like this podcast and encourage the boys to do an Episode 2, which we promise would have a docket and more structure - and certainly some smart and fun guests.Forged in America is a conversation between longtime friends and entrepreneurs Ravin Gandhi and Al Goldstein who have built and sold numerous businesses. Al founded fintech unicorn Avant, real estate firm Pangea, and Stoic Lane. Ravin founded GMM Nonstick Coatings, a $100M supplier to the USA housewares industry that serves 40M Americans each day. Al and Ravin are also experienced early stage investors, investing in deals such as Apptronik, KeyMe, Morning Consult, Kin Insurance, Hester Biosciences, Throne Labs, Natrion and Patient IQ that collectively have raised billions in funding.

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