Achieving growth in alternative investments takes a blend of passion, adaptability and vision.

In this episode of PRess Play: The StreetCred Podcast, hosts Elena Krasnow and Jimmy Moock sit down with Mark Gatto, co-founder and co-CEO of CION Investments (CION). Mark shares the story of how he went from being an entrepreneur in the sports industry to establishing CION, a leading alternative investment platform.

Mark discusses CION’s approach to providing individual investors with access to institutional-grade alternative investment opportunities, the death of the 60/40 portfolio and his past experience at Topps baseball trading company.

They discuss:

• Mark’s career evolution from lawyer to sports entrepreneur to investment leader
• CION’s partnership with GCM Grosvenor and the growing importance of infrastructure investments 
• why alternatives are vital in today’s volatile market and how CION levels the playing field for individual investors
• the impact of sports on Mark’s leadership style
• exciting growth plans for CION’s Advisor Lab Podcast
• and much more!

Tune in to discover how CION Investments is empowering investors to build more resilient portfolios and rethink alternative investments.

Topics:

• (0:53) Introducing Mark Gatto
• (2:17) What’s for lunch? Breakfast edition
• (4:01) Mark’s career journey: sports, entrepreneurship, and finance
• (5:06) Working at Topps baseball trading company
• (5:49) The entrepreneurial bug 
• (6:31) “I learned how to bring in clients and survive”
• (7:38) Finding home again in the financial services industry 
• (8:01) A leader in providing individual investors access to alternative investment solutions
• (9:15) Baseball card collecting 
• (11:36) Ichiro Suzuki cards story 
• (13:45) The origins and evolution of CION Investments
• (14:49) How alternatives can generate excess yield outside of the traditional markets
• (15:34) Giving individual investors access to the alternatives market 
• (16:52) Going up against the ‘titans of Wall Street’
• (18:00) Why the 60/40 portfolio isn’t enough anymore
• (26:51) Building an infrastructure-focused partnership with GCM Grosvenor
• (30:49) Stories from Future Proof 
• (31:17) The success of the Advisor Lab podcast and what’s next 
• (33:55) Time for our Play segment!
• (34:08) Coaching youth football and life lessons 
• (39:02) Moment of gratitude for Mark’s Co-CEO Michael Reisner

Resources:

• The Advisor Lab Podcast by CION

Connect with StreetCred PR:

• Contact Us
• Website
• LinkedIn: Elena Krasnow
• X (Twitter): Elena Krasnow 
• LinkedIn: Jimmy Moock
• X (Twitter): Jimmy Moock
• LinkedIn: StreetCred PR
• X (Twitter): StreetCred PR

Connect with Mark Gatto:

• Website: CION Investments
• LinkedIn: Mark Gatto

About our Guest: 

Mark is the co-founder & co-CEO of CION Investments Corporation, a leading alternative investment solutions platform, and serves on its investment committee. He is also a director, co-CEO and investment allocation committee member of CION Ares Diversified Credit Fund.

Mark has been with CION for almost 25 years and has served in numerous leadership positions during that time, including: executive vice president, chief acquisitions officer, EVP of business development, VP of marketing and associate general counsel.

Previously, Mark was an executive for a leading international product development and marketing company. He has also worked as an attorney in a private practice.

Mark received an M.B.A from the W. Paul Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University, a J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law and a B.S. from Montclair State University.