David Senra cover art

David Senra

David Senra

By: Scicomm Media
Listen for free

About this listen

 Conversations with the greatest living founders.© 2025 Senra Show LLC Economics
Episodes
  • Patrick O'Shaughnessy, Colossus & Positive Sum | David Senra

    Patrick O'Shaughnessy, Colossus & Positive Sum | David Senra
    Dec 21 2025
    Patrick O'Shaughnessy is the Chairman Emeritus of O'Shaughnessy Asset Management, the founder of Colossus, and the founder and CEO of Positive Sum. He is an investor, author, and podcaster who has devoted his career to understanding the world's best investors and entrepreneurs. Under his leadership, Colossus has become one of the largest investing-focused podcast networks in the world, producing shows including the flagship Invest Like the Best, which he hosts. At Positive Sum, he invests in early-stage companies creating and reinventing categories, with portfolio companies including Tegus, ID.me, Etched, and Vanta. After starting as an intern at his father's quantitative asset management firm in 2008, O'Shaughnessy became CEO in 2018. He became known for his deep research into factor-based investing, his quantitative approach to stock selection, and his ability to communicate complex investment ideas to a broad audience. His accomplishments include growing OSAM into a leading custom indexing platform before its acquisition by Franklin Templeton in 2021, launching Invest Like the Best in 2016 which was named among The Wall Street Journal's "5 Investment Podcasts You Should Listen To," founding Colossus in 2020 to build a media platform around his vision of learning in public, and authoring “Millennial Money: How Young Investors Can Build a Fortune in 2014.” Episode show notes: https://www.davidsenra.com/episode/patrick-oshaughnessy Survey: https://forms.scicommedia.com/t/mw83tpmsRzus Made possible by Ramp: ⁠https://ramp.com⁠ HubSpot: ⁠https://hubspot.com⁠ Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/senra Chapters (00:00:00) The Joy of Championing Undiscovered Talent (00:02:21) How One Tweet Changed David’s Life (00:05:07) The Upanishads Passage That Shaped Patrick’s Worldview (00:08:34) Growth Without Goals Philosophy (00:10:40) Why Media and Investing Are the Same Thing (00:28:41) The Search for True Understanding Through Biography (00:31:04) The Daniel Ek Dinner That Launched This Podcast (00:34:28) Making Your Own Recipe From the Ingredients of Great Lives (00:39:11) The Privilege of a Lifetime Is Being Who You Are (00:48:25) Bruce Springsteen’s Battle With Depression and Self-Worth (00:53:21) Clean Fuel vs Dirty Fuel: The Source of Your Ambition (00:57:03) Professional Learners: The Unfair Advantage of Podcasting (01:00:18) Relationships Run the World (01:06:30) The Origin Story of Invest Like the Best (01:08:05) Building Colossus: Why Start a Magazine in 2025 (01:14:01) People Are More Interested in People Than Anything Else (01:17:32) Finding Jeremy Stern and Hiring Through Output (01:23:40) Learn, Build, Share, Repeat (01:30:07) The Daisy Chain: How Reading Books Led to Everything (01:30:32) Red on the Color Wheel: Sam Hinkie’s Observation (01:37:13) Finding Your Superpower and Becoming More Yourself (01:42:57) Repetition Doesn’t Spoil the Prayer: Teaching as Leadership (01:46:02) Life’s Work: A Lifelong Quest to Build Something for Others (01:49:51) The Ten Roles Game and What Matters Most (01:57:03) Husband, Father, Grandfather: The Roles That Endure (01:59:48) The Kindest Thing: Tim O’Shaughnessy and Meeting Lauren (02:05:11) Conclusion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    2 hrs and 6 mins
  • James Dyson, Dyson | David Senra

    James Dyson, Dyson | David Senra
    Dec 7 2025
    James Dyson is the founder and chairman of Dyson, a technology-led company present in 84 markets worldwide. He is an inventor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who has devoted his life to solving problems through new technologies. Under his leadership, Dyson created some of the most iconic household products in the world: the bagless vacuum cleaner, the Airblade hand dryer, bladeless fans, and the Supersonic hair dryer. Around half of Dyson's global team are engineers and scientists, with research interests spanning robotics, AI, machine learning, solid-state battery development, material science, and high-speed electric motors. After developing 5,127 failed prototypes and being rejected by every major manufacturer, Dyson launched his own company and reshaped the vacuum industry by the 1990s. He became known for his iterative engineering approach, his cyclonic separation technology that eliminated bags, and his ability to bring products to market against fierce opposition. His accomplishments include building Dyson into a multi-billion-dollar global enterprise, establishing Dyson Farming in 2013, founding the James Dyson Foundation in 2002 to inspire young engineers and run the annual James Dyson Award, and creating the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology in 2017—a degree program where students study while working full-time in Dyson's engineering team. Dyson was awarded a Knight Bachelor in 2007, elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2015, and appointed to the Order of Merit in 2016—the highest honor, and the only one within the monarch's personal gift. Show notes: https://www.davidsenra.com/episode/james-dyson Made possible by Ramp: ⁠https://ramp.com HubSpot: ⁠https://hubspot.com Function: https://functionhealth.com/senra Chapters (0:00) Introduction: A Love for History and Technology (0:48) The Inspiration Behind Writing a History of Great Inventions (2:01) The Importance of Learning from History (2:38) The Struggles and Triumphs of Starting Founders (3:53) Embracing Failure and the Joy of Experimentation (5:38) Discovering a Passion for Engineering (7:10) The Influence of Jeremy Fry (10:39) Lessons Learned from the Sea Truck (12:16) The Value of Naivety in Innovation (15:35) The Dyson Institute: A New Approach to Education (21:47) The Decision to Leave and Start the Ballbarrow (23:04) Reflections on Risk and Personal Loss (30:49) The Challenges of the Ballbarrow Business (37:24) The Importance of Persistence (37:46) Accidental Discoveries in Engineering (38:34) The Cyclone Vacuum Cleaner Invention (42:44) Challenges of Seasonal Products (45:15) The Struggles of Licensing and Manufacturing (49:06) The Coach House: Birthplace of Innovation (52:25) The Journey of Prototyping (55:42) The Role of Hands-On Work in Innovation (1:04:29) The Electric Car Project (1:08:44) Reflecting on Painful Experiences (1:09:33) High Energy and Health Optimization (1:10:59) Applying Skills to New Products (1:13:13) Focus and Single-Mindedness (1:16:14) The Journey of Dyson's Vacuum Cleaner (1:27:35) Dogged Determination and Success (1:36:09) The Influence of Early Life Experiences (1:37:40) Conclusion and Final Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 38 mins
  • Michael Ovitz, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) | David Senra

    Michael Ovitz, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) | David Senra
    Nov 23 2025
    Michael Ovitz is the co-founder of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), one of the most powerful and influential talent agencies in Hollywood history, built on a revolutionary approach to representation that fundamentally transformed the entertainment industry. He is an entertainment executive and dealmaker widely regarded as one of the most formidable operators in Hollywood. During his time leading CAA, Ovitz represented virtually every major star, including Tom Cruise, Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg, David Letterman, Barbra Streisand and many more. Starting as a mailroom trainee in the 1960s and reshaping the power dynamics of the entire industry by the 1980s, he became known for his relentless strategic thinking, his creation of the "packaging" model that bundled talent for studios, and his ability to orchestrate deals of unprecedented scale and complexity. He built a reputation in entertainment circles through his fierce intelligence, relentless work ethic and his ability to build CAA into what many called "the most powerful company in Hollywood." His major accomplishments include co-founding CAA in 1975 in an audacious break from the establishment, pioneering the packaging system that gave agents unprecedented leverage over studios, orchestrating landmark deals including the sale of Columbia Pictures to Sony, serving as President of The Walt Disney Company and building CAA into a multi-billion dollar enterprise that expanded far beyond traditional talent representation into sports, consulting and global entertainment infrastructure. Read the episode show notes at davidsenra.com. Made possible by Ramp: ⁠https://ramp.com⁠ HubSpot: ⁠https://hubspot.com⁠ Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/senra Chapters (00:00:00) Introduction (00:00:09) The Genius of Marc Andreessen (00:03:03) The Art of Conversation and Adaptability (00:04:00) The Evolution of Cloud Computing (00:05:38) The Power of Co-Founder Relationships (00:09:01) The Importance of Personal Growth and Drive (00:13:39) The Rockefeller Connection (00:30:37) The Nobu and Wolfgang Puck Stories (00:37:31) The Art of Spotting Talent (00:44:58) Starting Out in a Competitive Environment (00:46:39) Early Lessons in Business and Teamwork (00:48:09) The Importance of Knowledge and Curiosity (00:51:25) The Impact of Technology on Learning (00:57:35) Building Relationships and Integrity in Business (01:01:13) The Role of History and Transparency in Success (01:07:17) The Power of Big Thinking and Disruption (01:26:25) The Influence of Art and Culture on Business (01:27:45) The Coke Commercial Revolution (01:28:38) The $3 Million Check Incident (01:31:29) Mentorship and Integrity (01:32:52) Self-Reflection and Personal Growth (01:34:56) The Power of Perseverance (01:38:31) The Drive for Success (01:43:19) Enduring Ambition and Curiosity (02:00:40) A Tribute to Michael Crichton (02:06:58) Closing Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    2 hrs and 7 mins
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.