Noah Martin’s philosophy background brings a unique perspective to the lending industry. 

When first meeting Noah Martin, president of AlphaFlow, you might wonder how a philosophy major who casually mentions Jean-Paul Sartre in an interview ended up in private lending. But once you get to know him, you realize Martin constantly seeks to know more about any subject that interests him. So, once he got into finance and lending, he dove in with both feet to learn everything he could about the industry. 

 The Winding Path to Finance 

Martin’s eagerness to learn and adapt likely stemmed from a childhood spent traveling the world as the son of a United Nations economist. His father’s focus on agricultural economics took the family anywhere there were forests and lumber import/export deals to be negotiated, from Southeast Asia to Africa to Alaska. He was exposed to a variety of cultures and languages—and even some mischievous orangutans during a stay Borneo. 

 “I grew up in that environment, which I thought was normal,” Martin said. “I actually didn’t really know what it meant to be American.” 

That changed when his father took a job at the U.S. Forestry Service in Washington, D.C., when Martin was a high schooler. 

 “It was my first exposure to apple pie, football, and Coors Light,” he said. 

 Although he was reading books on price discovery theory as a teenager, he resisted his father’s suggestions to study hard sciences in college, instead choosing to major in French literature and philosophy. Martin eventually dropped the literature and shifted to a combined focus of physics, math, and philosophy. 

 “It was pretty close to halfway through college where you don’t want to be like your parents, but you finally have to admit to yourself that you are,” he joked. 

 Martin continued his path of studies, earning a master’s degree and Ph.D. in philosophy. However, a job opened his eyes to the possibilities in the business world. He answered a Craigslist ad to act as a cultural liaison in New York for a wealth fund that worked closely with companies in South Korea. 

 “I realized I was never going to make in academia what I could make in finance,” he said. 

Living in New York, Martin had a front-row seat watching the Great Recession unfold on Wall Street. 

 “It didn’t make sense to me that somehow these structured finance instruments were somehow causing so many repercussions across all different aspects of American society. I was like, ‘What is happening?’” he said. “The way that my brain works, if I don’t understand something, I’m just going to drill into the ground until I do.” 

 Martin read books on finance and lending but also relied on his brother as a resource. “He was experiencing the real estate downturn firsthand as a broker,” Martin said. 

His brother recognized that fallout from the lending crash would create a need for government lending programs like Fannie Mae to outsource services it was not equipped to handle. So, he started a government contracting company to provide high-touch loan and collateral services work. Martin joined him, despite his initial skepticism.  

 “I was like, ‘I don’t really believe people could make money doing this,’” Martin said. “It was almost like betting against myself.” 

 The company did, in fact, make money, and Martin learned about all aspects of mortgage lending. His insights set him on a path to continue his career in the lending industry, eventually leading him to his current role. 

 ”Sold” on AlphaFlow 

Martin now serves as president at AlphaFlow, a technology platform that aims to connect investors with high-interest real estate loans from lenders across the country. He had previously worked with CEO Ray Sturm and was intrigued—though naturally skeptical—as Sturm built up his new venture.  

 Eventually, realizing how AlphaFlow creates value in the industry, Martin’s curiosity overcame his skepticism. He likens the platform to a Bloomberg terminal, which provides information and attracts customers who want to be “in the know.” AlphaFlow’s platform provides capital, software and underwriting insights to help its lenders grow their businesses. It also provides a single access point for investors in an otherwise fragmented market. 

 “I was a nonbeliever, and then somewhere along the line, I don’t know how I drank the Kool-Aid,” Martin said. “I just talked to enough people over there that were smart, that were mission driven. They could show me the comparative examples and the gaps. … I was so impressed with the caliber, the education, and the drive of all the employees.” 

 Once he could see the problems in the industry and how AlphaFlow was solving them with a stellar team, Martin was sold. He took the plunge and joined the team. 

At first, Martin said he worried about not being able to add value because he doesn’t have a background in coding. He took time to assess and “map” the organization and how it operated so he could understand the lines of communication and office politics among departments.  

 Doing that exercise allowed Martin to understand where he could add value: he could support and empower people to see things either from a different point of view or across departments—and to understand the repercussions of their actions and policies on other people. 

 Martin aims to break down silos and ensure information is known to everyone in the company because departments can act on insights in different ways to improve company performance. He facilitates information sharing by ensuring a “common language” among employees from different backgrounds, such as tech and finance. 

 Martin said his philosophy background helps in various and unexpected ways at AlphaFlow, from teeing up discussions to reading long passages of tax code. 

 Mindful Action 

Though he’s certainly a man at home with his thoughts, Martin realized shortly after graduating from college that he was prone to ruminating, which took him out of the present moment. He said he would obsess about deals all weekend, even when spending time with his wife and friends. He’s always been energetic, he said, and he played sports growing up. When he first transitioned to a career, he could feel the disconnection between mind and body.  

 “I was not feeling connected to myself in a way that was grounded and helps bring perspective,” he said. 

 He found jiu-jitsu, a form of martial arts, centering. It forced him to focus on the moment because thinking about work on the mat could lead to serious injury. 

 “It’s a really good practice of trying to be present and mindful because you have to leave the outside outside,” he said. “It’s also helped me when I’m sitting with my wife. I’m talking to her, trying to be present with her to learn about her day and what she’s feeling or thinking about. And I don’t want to be thinking about my work at the same time.” 

 Martin competes in jiu-jitsu tournaments, which satisfies his competitive side and gives him a goal to pursue when he trains. And that’s when the French philosopher comes up. 

 “It’s very Jean-Paul Sartre in the sense of that whole being and nothingness idea. We don’t have an externally imposed purpose on our lives. We have to create our own projects and then pursue them. We give ourselves our own goals, and then we go after them.”