When Michael Eisenberg and Charlie Javis sat down for a coffee outside Grand Central Station in 2011,

they looked like an inconspicuous pair. Maybe a father and daughter catching up, or a professor and a student going over a thesis.

Passerbyes would never have guessed that Michael Eisenberg was a powerful venture capitalist,

and that Charlie DeVise was his newest and youngest mentee.

It was over a latte that Javis painted a picture of her latest business venture.

Her plan was to revolutionize the way that college students applied for financial aid.

And to make that dream a reality, she would need Eisenberg's venture capital fund, Aleph.

Her business model was a compelling vision. It's not predatory. It's not some new gig

app that pays people nine bucks an hour or whatever. It's something that supposedly connects

students to help that is available to them that they weren't getting access to. Who wouldn't

want to be a part of that? Ten years later, Eisenberg and DeVise meet again.

This time, they're in Israel.

And this time, they were having a celebratory lunch with a slew of Aleph's partners.

DeVise had just sold her company to the largest bank in the U.S.

When Eisenberg writes about this occasion in his blog in 2022, he says he wasn't surprised

by her success at all.

But in a few short months, Eisenberg would be eating his words.

A lot of people likened her to Elizabeth Holmes, the head of Theranos, as someone who

might not have been a subject matter expert, but had big ideas.

And, you know, Ms. Holmes is down in a federal prison.

Charlie DeVise had everything going for her.

Limitless entrepreneurial potential, media momentum, and a reputation as a rising star in fintech.

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