Best Of: Everett Sands, Lendistry

<p>We're revisiting one of the conversations from The ROAR Podcast that has held up best in the months since it aired — Caroline Valvardi's interview with <b>Everett Sands, Founder and CEO of Lendistry</b>.</p><p></p><p>Lendistry is a mission-driven capital deployer that partners with Goldman Sachs, Amazon, Visa, Walmart, and government agencies (including LA County during the wildfire recovery) to move capital into small businesses and underserved communities. And over the last several years, they've built one of the most deliberate women's sports partnership portfolios in the country: the LA Sparks, Gotham FC, the Chicago Sky, and the Atlanta Dream.</p><p></p><p>In this Best Of episode, Everett walks through why he compares the WNBA today to Formula 1 before <i>Drive to Survive</i>, how Lendistry uses transaction data — down to what hour a small business owner is uploading loan documents — to decide where to show up, and what it looks like to design mixed-use sports and entertainment districts so independent operators can actually compete inside them rather than exist beside them. The conversation also gets into the $85 trillion baby boomer wealth transfer, the growing share of new businesses started by women, the short window athletes have to convert peak earnings into long-term wealth, and Everett's own leadership philosophy — built around a North Star, technology as an equalizer, and a competitive streak he traces back to sports.</p><p></p><ul><li>00:00 — Intro</li><li>01:30 — Everett's Career Journey</li><li>04:00 — What Lendistry Does</li><li>06:30 — Origins of the Women's Sports Strategy</li><li>09:00 — The WNBA as Pre-<i>Drive to Survive</i> Formula 1</li><li>11:00 — Investment vs. Philanthropy:</li><li>13:00 — Building the Partnership Portfolio</li><li>16:00 — Sports &amp; Entertainment Districts</li><li>19:00 — The Data Layer</li><li>22:00 — The $85 Trillion Wealth Transfer</li><li>25:00 — Athletes as Entrepreneurs</li><li>28:00 — Business Spotlights</li><li>31:00 — Leadership Philosophy</li><li>34:00 — Close</li></ul>