For an entrepreneur to have a successful business, he or she has to have a true passion for its mission. And that’s what drives serial entrepreneur and investor Jamie McIntyre, a member of Launch Workplaces in Gaithersburg. Having grown up with a father that was a financial advisor, and after starting his own wealth management company, Jamie is passionate about financial literacy for students and parents. His company, Rewire Capital, recently purchased the Net Price Calculator application being managed by The College Board and in use at over 250 colleges.
The Net Price Calculator provides an approximation of true college costs after tuition and room and board when financial aid is factored in. “It gives all students access to all types of schools,” Jamie explains. Instead of looking at the “sticker” price, which could be shocking, the application can provide a more realistic picture of a college’s costs thus allowing more students to apply there. The application was eight years old when Rewire Capital bought it and Jamie’s staff is rewriting it to provide a more compelling user experience and make it more mobile friendly. The re-launch should allow The College Board to sell more licenses to more colleges and impact more students.
Jamie graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Computer Science so technology helps support his passions. After co-founding Lydian Wealth Management and growing it to over $8 billion of assets under advisement, he developed the first high net worth asset management platform to make operations easier. He ended up selling it to other financial firms to improve their operations. Eventually, he spun off the software solution into its own entity called Fortigent and it became successful in its own right powering 100 firms and $80 billion in assets. In 2012 he sold Fortigent along with his financial firm. With those successful exits behind him, today Jamie is an angel investor having interests in 12 companies. And all have a purpose to which he is aligned, of course.
Jamie enjoys working with startups “because it’s raw and exciting at that stage,” he says. “Startups live or die by providing value to their customers. There is no time for bureaucracy,” he adds. He advises entrepreneurs to always be selling and get customers right off the bat, and his advice is echoed in his favorite business books. He recommends Lean Start-Up by Eric Reis and The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz.
You’d think that someone with that many investments plus his own company to manage wouldn’t have a balanced life but Jamie manages to find time to pursue creative interests in music and writing. He recorded a song in Nashville with his daughter Sophie called “Don’t Grow Up on Me” and he co-wrote a fiction book with his father, Marvin McIntyre, called The Outsider. His favorite place to unwind is Bethany Beach, Delaware.
Jamie was looking for a place to land when he found Launch Workplaces online. He appreciates the ability to walk to so many places for lunch and to take a break or make phone calls by walking around the lake. As his company grows, he also appreciates the opportunity to have flexible office space. “It is perfect,” he believes.
Fellow Launch members, you are encouraged to drop by Jamie’s office and introduce yourselves. He’s open to helping others and sharing his passions. We are lucky to have someone with his experience and talents in our community!
