I have a confession to make: I have a soft spot for reality TV. It started when – and this was years ago – my kids started watching Joe Millionaire. After a stressful day of work, sitting down and watching this objectively stupid show with my family was a pleasure. It even became a fun way to bond with my teenage daughters. 

And then came a show that has a special place in my heart: America’s Got Talent. We regularly watched this show with a group of close friends and family. I was amazed how it struck such a strong emotional chord with so many people.

You know, we get asked all the time “How did you come up with the idea for marketGOATS?” People assume it started germinating while we were in business school or working on Wall Street. But the spark of the idea came from none other than America’s Got Talent. 

About a decade ago I was watching AGT and thinking about what made it and American Idol so successful. It hit me: these shows attract the best talent and so many viewers because the stakes are high. The top contestants not only get cash prizes, they are often awarded recording contracts with major labels. Contestants could get a real career break!

At that time I was the CEO of Nikko Asset Management in Japan. Based on my reality-TV epiphany, we created a series of investment competitions. Though they were different in various respects from marketGOATS, the stakes were real: winners could even get jobs at our firm. The result: 130,000 participants played across Asia, the publicity catapulted our marketing and branding efforts, and we became a $160 billion in assets company. 

When we sold the company and I moved back to the US, the idea never really left my head. I started brainstorming with a couple of very talented friends. We got hooked on the idea and just had to build the marketGOATS platform. 

As with AGT, it’s the stakes that matter with marketGOATS. In effect, we’re creating “The World’s Got Investing Talent!”  The contest is a means to an end. It is the way to find really talented money managers around the world so the public can invest with them. While the stakes are high, the downside is nothing: you are competing with simulated money and you can even play anonymously. Most important, if you’ve got the talent, this is your chance to create a brand and attract a market – become your own boss!

I hope you’ll join us for some high stakes, high fun competition by signing up at marketgoats.com today! It could change your life.