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What if the dream of flight could fund an entire industry?
Brandon Martini, co-founder and CEO of Stratus Financial, turned a small flight school into a $100 million private credit machine that helps pilots take off — literally. He shares how he pitched Wall Street on an industry they’d never heard of, raised capital without VC money, and built a culture rooted in trust and transparency.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- How a failed startup taught Brandon the right way to treat investors
- The $2 billion gap in pilot financing no one was solving
- How he and his partner bootstrapped Stratus with $1 million and a whiteboard
- Why transparency and trust beat venture capital every time
- How to raise Wall Street money for a niche industry
- The habits that keep a 92-person team ( 80% remote ) aligned and driven
This is the blueprint for founders who want to build something real — by betting on integrity, execution, and people.
Timestamps
02:17 – How Brandon turned a $2 billion problem into a business idea
04:52 – Why banks ignored flight school loans — and how he solved it
09:54 – The Stratus score and why co-borrowers changed everything
12:24 – Bootstrapping Stratus with a million-dollar check from his co-founder
17:15 – Paying investors 16–19% in a volatile rate market
21:32 – How to pitch Wall Street when you don’t speak their language
26:33 – Why financing pilots is about changing generational wealth
29:18 – The “Stratus Family” philosophy of investors and employees
33:15 – Scaling to 90+ employees ( 80% Philippines team )
41:48 – The future of work and why he believes offices are coming back
57:56 – Why he’s betting on himself over venture capital
1:06:35 – How sleep, fitness, and family became non-negotiable
1:17:57 – What keeps him up at night: raising capital and raising a good son
CONNECT WITH BRANDON MARTINI:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrmartiniguy
Website: https://stratus.finance/
CONNECT WITH US:
Instagram: @thecaptaincurt
TikTok: @thecaptaincurt
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thecaptaincurt_
Website: www.captaincapital.com
Invest With Curt: Start Here: https://www.captaincapital.com/invest
P.S. If you're enjoying the show, do us a favor—leave a review and give us a 5-star rating. It's free, takes 30 seconds, and helps us reach more listeners who need this kind of no-fluff insight.
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