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Isabelle Dufour Freidheim shared thisOn Bloomberg IntelligenceBloomberg Intelligence, talking AI investment. The question everyone asks is "should the labs slow down?" The question an investor should ask is: does it change where the value is? It doesn't. Two reasons: 1. The model layer is already priced. These companies have been priced and repriced in private markets. By the time they reach public investors, the transformation has been paid for. 2. AI is now an industry, not a handful of LLMs. Between the models and the data centers sits an entire layer of infrastructure that every model needs to run: cheaper, faster, on less power. That layer gets paid regardless of which model wins. That's where Athena Capital is investing. Our latest: Multiverse Computing, which compresses models to cut compute and energy costs. And with public-market demand for tech at this level, we expect these companies to keep exploring exits across IPOs, direct listings, and M&A. Thanks to Bloomberg for having me. #AI #GrowthEquity #AIInfrastructure
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Isabelle Dufour Freidheim shared thisThe best exits are engineered, not assumed. I spoke with David Penn about why Athena Capital invests in profitable technology companies 12–36 months from liquidity, when performance can be underwritten and exit preparation can materially change the outcome. Read the full Finovate interview: https://lnkd.in/epcZBxNrExit-Readiness and Underwriting Performance: Isabelle Freidheim of Athena Capital - FinovateExit-Readiness and Underwriting Performance: Isabelle Freidheim of Athena Capital - Finovate
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Isabelle Dufour Freidheim shared thisExcellent. Thank you Shelley Zalis for sharing this. Eileen is one of the most impressive and fascinating women I know and actively shaping who we can become deeply resonates with us at Athena Capital.Isabelle Dufour Freidheim shared thisThere’s a lot we can learn from Eileen Gu’s mentality. When asked how she’s able to answer questions so quickly and comprehensively, Eileen spoke about journaling, breaking down her thought processes, and applying an analytical lens to her own thinking. At 22, she talks openly about neuroplasticity and the belief that you can control how you think, and in turn, who you become. At #MilanoCortina2026, Eileen became the most decorated female freeskier in history and the highest-paid athlete of the 2026 Winter Olympics. Beyond the medals and milestones, what stands out is her commitment to growth. She trains her mind the same way she trains for competition, always asking how she can be better tomorrow than she was today. That may be her greatest strength. 💪
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Isabelle Dufour Freidheim shared thisI joined Bloomberg Surveillance this week to discuss where we see the next opportunity in AI. The model layer has largely been built and repriced in private markets. We think the more interesting opportunity now sits underneath it: power, cooling, inference and compression: the companies that get paid whichever model wins. One lesson from the fiber buildout: the technology can be right and demand can arrive, while investors still lose because the timing and financing were wrong. AI infrastructure will create enormous value. The question is who captures it. https://lnkd.in/gwav3rM9Watch Athena Capital Sees Opportunities in AI Infrastructure - BloombergWatch Athena Capital Sees Opportunities in AI Infrastructure - Bloomberg
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Isabelle Dufour Freidheim shared thisThis week we announced 2 additions to Athena Capital Francesca Cornelli, Dean of Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and board member of GCM Grosvenor, joins the Athena Capital Council. Few understand better what companies need as they approach public markets. Karim Bousta joins as Investment Partner. Formerly CEO of Getaround, senior operator at Tesla and Lyft, and Operating Partner at SoftBank Group International ’s Vision Fund, the 6th Vision Fund executive to join Athena Capital. Athena Capital invests in growth-stage technology and AI companies approaching liquidity, through IPO or M&A. Our edge is the operators and board leaders around the table. https://lnkd.in/gq7JnXWmAthena Capital Appoints Kellogg Dean Francesca Cornelli a…Athena Capital Appoints Kellogg Dean Francesca Cornelli a…
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Isabelle Dufour Freidheim shared thisThe AI giants are already priced... The return pulled forward into private rounds near a trillion dollars. Buying certainty at a premium is the opposite of how our business makes money. The unpriced opportunity is the operators turning AI into margin and exits. History rewards the companies that used the engine, not only the ones that built it. That’s Athena Capital. FII Institute in Rome woth Bloomberg journalist Natalia Kniazhevich #FIIPriorityIsabelle Dufour Freidheim shared thisIsabelle Dufour Freidheim discussing thech companies going public and mega IPOs at FII Institute in Rome woth Bloomberg journalist Natalia Kniazhevich #FIIPriority
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Isabelle Dufour Freidheim shared this"Hype is a borrowing, if you will, in the short term against future performance, so some companies will repay it," Isabelle Dufour Freidheim, founder at Athena Capital told AxiosIsabelle Dufour Freidheim shared thisIsabelle Dufour Freidheim quoted in Axios: "Hype is a borrowing, if you will, in the short term against future performance, so some companies will repay it," Isabelle Freidheim, founder at Athena Capital told Axios. https://lnkd.in/e9Nd7Uuj
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Isabelle Dufour Freidheim shared thisYesterday on Schwab Network hours before the largest IPO in history priced... and the same evening the first AI price war broke into the open. What I said on air: this isn’t 2021. The market is rewarding scale, real revenue, and a path to profitability. The headline names will take the capital and the attention. The more interesting layer sits underneath them: the infrastructure and applied companies 12–24 months from their own exits. Scarcity sets the opening price. Disclosure sets every price after it. Thank you Marley Kayden and Sam VadasAI IPO Boom: OpenAI, Anthropic, and Surging Investor Demand | Schwab NetworkAI IPO Boom: OpenAI, Anthropic, and Surging Investor Demand | Schwab Network
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Isabelle Dufour Freidheim shared thisThank you to Solveig Godeluck and Les Echos for the thoughtful discussion and article on secondary-market activity in SpaceX shares. One of the great strengths of American capitalism is its ability to mobilize large-scale capital around innovations whose full potential is still largely ahead. « L'intérêt des investisseurs pour SpaceX via des secondaires et des ETF avant même une éventuelle introduction en Bourse témoigne de la force de la demande pour les grandes entreprises technologiques privées », applaudit Isabelle Freidheim, fondatrice et dirigeante du fonds d'investissement new-yorkais Athena Capital. Le génie du capitalisme américain s'illustre dans « la capacité à mobiliser des capitaux massifs autour d'innovations dont le potentiel est encore largement prospectif », ajoute-t-elle. https://lnkd.in/e2puxU6TCe marché parallèle sur lequel les affamés de SpaceX ont grignoté des parts avant l'entrée en BourseCe marché parallèle sur lequel les affamés de SpaceX ont grignoté des parts avant l'entrée en Bourse
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Isabelle Dufour Freidheim liked thisIsabelle Dufour Freidheim liked thisSydney Towle didn’t look the way strangers thought a woman dying of cancer should look. So they decided she must be lying. She was 26, optimistic, traveling, smiling, and sharing pieces of her life online while undergoing treatment for a rare cancer that would ultimately take her life. Even after her doctor confirmed her diagnosis, the accusations continued. Her story exposes an uncomfortable expectation. Suffering has to look like suffering before some people are willing to believe it. Women have been fighting that assumption for centuries, online, in doctors’ offices, and everywhere in between. Subscribe to read more in this week's FQ Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/e78UtCXv
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Isabelle Dufour Freidheim liked thisIsabelle Dufour Freidheim liked thisThroughout our nation’s story, the NYSE has been where history gets made, where boundaries get pushed, and where free and transparent markets have rewarded merit above all else. This morning, that history added a new chapter. The NYSE welcomed First Lady Melania Trump to launch IMPERIA, a new initiative bringing together the nation's most accomplished female CEOs and C-suite leaders. The numbers tell the story. A record 55 women lead Fortune 500 companies this year, the highest share in the list's 72-year history. Yet women hold just 9.6 percent of CEO seats across the S&P 500. Globally, women run a record 34 Fortune Global 500 companies, still only 6.8 percent of the world's largest firms. The evidence is clear: companies led by women consistently deliver stronger profitability, dividends, and shareholder returns. Capital has not caught up to that performance. IMPERIA exists to close that gap. It connects women who control capital, sit on boards, and run companies with each other and with the institutions that can move markets. It gives the next generation of women rising toward the C-suite a clear view of the path ahead. Thank you, Madame First Lady, for choosing the NYSE as the home to begin this important work.
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Isabelle Dufour Freidheim liked thisIsabelle Dufour Freidheim liked thisIn our latest Marketplace Matters interview, we sit down with Vanessa Blackmore, Partner at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP to explore what it really means to be IPO ready and how boards can position their companies for a successful London listing. The discussion covers the key elements of IPO readiness, common misconceptions boards face when preparing for the public markets, and the governance, leadership and ESG considerations that can help companies stand out with investors. 📺Click here to watch the full interview: https://lseg.group/4dRwhoC
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Isabelle Dufour Freidheim liked thisIsabelle Dufour Freidheim liked thisI was deeply humbled and honored to be included in a truly extraordinary evening at The White House State Dinner, honoring President Xi and Madame Peng. Thank you to President Trump and Madame First Lady for welcoming me, it was a privilege to be part of such a historic occasion.
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Isabelle Dufour Freidheim liked thisIsabelle Dufour Freidheim liked thisAs Warren Buffett steps down as Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, I keep reflecting on the privilege of meeting him twice at the NYSE. Our first meeting was over 20 years ago at a private breakfast with just Mr. Buffett, then-NYSE CEO John Thain, and me. Warren was effortlessly charming and disarming - - funny, refreshingly grounded, and fully engaged. During our one-on-one conversation, we traded personal stories, and he shared inside jokes about playing online Bridge with Bill Gates. He made me feel like I was part of an inner circle, not like a stranger. No pretension, zero arrogance. After standing and sitting beside Warren throughout the morning, it struck me that his warmth and generosity of spirit are qualities that define him as much as his wisdom. Yes, he's brilliant. But he also has a hearty laugh and makes genuine connections with people in the most authentic way. His principles, centered on humanity, are his North Star. Warren Buffett’s exceptional career is a powerful reminder that success and corporate value don't have to come at the expense of integrity and personal values. They can (and should) reinforce each other. His wisdom and influence will undoubtedly endure well beyond his Chairman title. #CareerHighlight #WarrenBuffett #BerkshireHathaway #NYSE
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Isabelle Dufour Freidheim liked thisIsabelle Dufour Freidheim liked thisCongratulations to NYSE President Lynn Martin, named to Worth's Groundbreaking Women 2026 list. In a year that recognized leaders across AI, space, science, and sports, her place on the list is a reminder that the future of capital markets is being shaped by the same ambition driving change in all industries. The full list from Worth Media Group: https://lnkd.in/gpUDQ4Ty
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Isabelle Dufour Freidheim liked thisOn Bloomberg IntelligenceBloomberg Intelligence, talking AI investment. The question everyone asks is "should the labs slow down?" The question an investor should ask is: does it change where the value is? It doesn't. Two reasons: 1. The model layer is already priced. These companies have been priced and repriced in private markets. By the time they reach public investors, the transformation has been paid for. 2. AI is now an industry, not a handful of LLMs. Between the models and the data centers sits an entire layer of infrastructure that every model needs to run: cheaper, faster, on less power. That layer gets paid regardless of which model wins. That's where Athena Capital is investing. Our latest: Multiverse Computing, which compresses models to cut compute and energy costs. And with public-market demand for tech at this level, we expect these companies to keep exploring exits across IPOs, direct listings, and M&A. Thanks to Bloomberg for having me. #AI #GrowthEquity #AIInfrastructure
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Isabelle Dufour Freidheim liked thisIsabelle Dufour Freidheim liked thisShe cashed out her retirement account and paid $70,000 in taxes to do it, then built a $4 billion company and made NYSE history. Meet Trina Spear, Co-Founder and CEO of FIGS. Raised in Miami, Trina was the kid who took the safe path seriously. She did everything right, and every door opened exactly the way it was supposed to. Trina excelled in school and earned a degree in economics from Tufts University, graduating magna cum laude. Later, she went on to Harvard Business School But the safe path came with a ceiling. She spent four years at Citigroup in investment banking and private equity, then landed at Blackstone There, she got a close look at how the healthcare industry really worked. That's when she noticed a glaring problem. Doctors and nurses, the people who were saving lives every day, were wearing boxy, uncomfortable scrubs that hadn't changed in decades. In 2013, she teamed up with Heather Hasson, a fashion entrepreneur, to launch FIGS. At first, no one believed in them. Investors dismissed the idea of "premium scrubs." Some even laughed. But Trina and Heather kept going. She liquidated her 401(k) to fund it and paid roughly $70,000 in taxes and fees. Healthcare workers loved the product. Word spread fast. By 2018, FIGS landed on the Inc. 5000 with three-year growth of 9,948%. In 2021, it went public at a valuation of more than $4 billion, and Forbes named Trina one of America's wealthiest self-made women. What's more, FIGS was the first company led by two female co-founders to trade on the NYSE. For Trina, the moment was simple: "Women can and will do great things together." Today, FIGS does more than $600 million a year and outfits healthcare professionals around the world. Yet I bet this is the first time you've heard of her. That's why I share stories of trailblazing women like Trina every Wednesday for #WomenFounderWednesday ____ ♻️ Share this post with someone who is changing the world. 🔔 Follow Jenny Stojkovic for more content on the future of women in AI.
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Madam Chair is a collaborative group of 200+ female Chairs and Lead Directors of publicly-traded companies. We share recommendations and connect with each other to support our respective leadership activities. Our group consists of board leaders across industries, market capitalizations, and committee leadership roles
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