Transformation: From Insolvency to a $3 Billion Multinational

Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Invites

Mark E. Watson III is an entrepreneur who has been investing in innovative companies for over three decades.

In 1998, he founded Aquila Capital Partners to back transformational companies. Among his early investments was Argo Group, in the specialty underwriting sector. When Watson became CEO of Argo in 2000, it was a regional, $300 million underwriter nearing insolvency. In 2019, Watson left Argo as a thriving public company with $3 billion in revenue and clients in 60 countries.

Today, Watson is fully dedicated to Aquila, investing in promising entrepreneurs.

He is a graduate of Southern Methodist University, University of Texas’ School of Law and the Harvard Business School Young Presidents Organization.

IN THIS EPISODE:

Although COVID-19 is unquestionably the most serious crisis we have faced in recent times, the world has experienced several significant economic shocks- Black Monday, the tech crash of 2000, 9/11 and the financial crisis of 2008. Mark Watson III, Founder and Managing Partner of Aquila Capital Partners is no stranger to crisis. In this episode he discusses how he overcame these economic shocks in order to transform a $300 million company nearing insolvency into a $3 billion multinational firm.