The $100 Billion Problem Nobody Is Solving — Until Now | Joe & Chrysa Jones, Founders Stream Settle
Download MP3Lawsuits drag on for years — not because the two sides are far apart, but because both are bluffing. What if there was a way to strip the posturing out and settle in minutes?
In this episode of Wall Street To Y'all Street, we break down the settlement market — a massive, broken system where billions of dollars sit in limbo while lawyers play games of poker. We sit down with a founder who's building the technology to fix it, and explore why this $100 billion problem has gone unsolved until now.
Whether you're a founder disrupting a legacy industry, a legal professional tired of the status quo, or just fascinated by how broken systems get fixed — this conversation will change how you think about negotiation, technology, and the business of law.
🔑 In this episode:
• Why settlements take years when both sides would accept the same number
• The startup building blind-settlement technology that removes bluffing entirely
• How legal tech is disrupting one of the oldest industries in the world
• What founders can learn from attacking "unsexy" billion-dollar problems
Connect with Chrysa on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrysa-jones-2a556a271/ and Joe at https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-jones-9802a3a/
Learn more about Stream Settle at https://streamsettle.com/
🎙️ABOUT THE HOST: Joseph J. Raetzer, MBA, JD is Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) and Securities Lawyer (capital raising). He started his career over 20 years ago on Wall Street and he has done over $100+ billion in transactions. He is also a serial entrepreneur with a successful 7-figure exit in under 3 years, and founder of his corporate M&A and securities law firm Raetzer PLLC.
His podcast Wall Street to Y’all Street features real lessons from founders, operators, and executives who have built, scaled, lost, and rebuilt businesses. This is not legal advice - always consult with your attorney. Joseph J. Raetzer, MBA, JD is licensed in New York and Texas. 🎙️CONNECT WITH JOE ON LINKEDIN AT https://www.linkedin.com/in/raetzer/
Timestamps
00:00 The $135 billion problem caused by posturing
03:20 What in Joe and Krisha’s backgrounds led them toward entrepreneurship?
05:00 What pain point in legal negotiation sparked Stream Settle?
07:00 How did the idea for Stream Settle actually happen?
08:00 How long did it take to go from idea to viable product?
10:00 What was the biggest challenge in getting the first customer?
13:40 How does Stream Settle actually work?
15:15 Why hadn’t this been solved earlier?
17:10 How do you protect a business like this from being copied?
18:20 What was the significance of getting a judicial mandate?
20:00 Who benefits from cases not settling quickly?
21:00 What has been the hardest part of becoming entrepreneurs?
22:05 Why has sales been harder than expected?
23:00 Why is changing adjuster behavior such a challenge?
24:30 What resistance do lawyers and insurers have to using the platform?
25:45 Why has the 1% success-fee model worked so well?
27:00 How did they come up with a pricing model nobody could object to?
28:10 Does Stream Settle align incentives better than mediation?
29:20 Why do plaintiff lawyers often face a “math problem” late in litigation?
30:15 How are they measuring time and cost savings on the platform?
31:15 Could this reshape the insurance and litigation industry?
32:30 How might this affect insurance premiums for everyone else?
33:40 What early assumptions about the market proved wrong?
35:00 What was the biggest surprise in growing the company?
35:30 How did a top global law firm find and use the platform on its own?
37:10 What was the biggest validation moment so far?
38:05 What is the go-forward strategy: Texas first or nationwide?
39:15 How important is word of mouth in getting adoption?
40:00 Could this business scale through territories or a franchise-style model?
41:20 Can Stream Settle expand beyond lawsuits and insurance?
42:05 How could this work in real estate?
42:50 What role could AI play in negotiation?
44:05 When do they decide to raise capital?
45:30 What has been the darkest or most uncertain part of the founder journey?
47:00 Why keeping part of the law practice alive mattered
47:40 What advice would they give founders about going all in too soon?
In this episode of Wall Street To Y'all Street, we break down the settlement market — a massive, broken system where billions of dollars sit in limbo while lawyers play games of poker. We sit down with a founder who's building the technology to fix it, and explore why this $100 billion problem has gone unsolved until now.
Whether you're a founder disrupting a legacy industry, a legal professional tired of the status quo, or just fascinated by how broken systems get fixed — this conversation will change how you think about negotiation, technology, and the business of law.
🔑 In this episode:
• Why settlements take years when both sides would accept the same number
• The startup building blind-settlement technology that removes bluffing entirely
• How legal tech is disrupting one of the oldest industries in the world
• What founders can learn from attacking "unsexy" billion-dollar problems
Connect with Chrysa on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrysa-jones-2a556a271/ and Joe at https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-jones-9802a3a/
Learn more about Stream Settle at https://streamsettle.com/
🎙️ABOUT THE HOST: Joseph J. Raetzer, MBA, JD is Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) and Securities Lawyer (capital raising). He started his career over 20 years ago on Wall Street and he has done over $100+ billion in transactions. He is also a serial entrepreneur with a successful 7-figure exit in under 3 years, and founder of his corporate M&A and securities law firm Raetzer PLLC.
His podcast Wall Street to Y’all Street features real lessons from founders, operators, and executives who have built, scaled, lost, and rebuilt businesses. This is not legal advice - always consult with your attorney. Joseph J. Raetzer, MBA, JD is licensed in New York and Texas. 🎙️CONNECT WITH JOE ON LINKEDIN AT https://www.linkedin.com/in/raetzer/
Timestamps
00:00 The $135 billion problem caused by posturing
03:20 What in Joe and Krisha’s backgrounds led them toward entrepreneurship?
05:00 What pain point in legal negotiation sparked Stream Settle?
07:00 How did the idea for Stream Settle actually happen?
08:00 How long did it take to go from idea to viable product?
10:00 What was the biggest challenge in getting the first customer?
13:40 How does Stream Settle actually work?
15:15 Why hadn’t this been solved earlier?
17:10 How do you protect a business like this from being copied?
18:20 What was the significance of getting a judicial mandate?
20:00 Who benefits from cases not settling quickly?
21:00 What has been the hardest part of becoming entrepreneurs?
22:05 Why has sales been harder than expected?
23:00 Why is changing adjuster behavior such a challenge?
24:30 What resistance do lawyers and insurers have to using the platform?
25:45 Why has the 1% success-fee model worked so well?
27:00 How did they come up with a pricing model nobody could object to?
28:10 Does Stream Settle align incentives better than mediation?
29:20 Why do plaintiff lawyers often face a “math problem” late in litigation?
30:15 How are they measuring time and cost savings on the platform?
31:15 Could this reshape the insurance and litigation industry?
32:30 How might this affect insurance premiums for everyone else?
33:40 What early assumptions about the market proved wrong?
35:00 What was the biggest surprise in growing the company?
35:30 How did a top global law firm find and use the platform on its own?
37:10 What was the biggest validation moment so far?
38:05 What is the go-forward strategy: Texas first or nationwide?
39:15 How important is word of mouth in getting adoption?
40:00 Could this business scale through territories or a franchise-style model?
41:20 Can Stream Settle expand beyond lawsuits and insurance?
42:05 How could this work in real estate?
42:50 What role could AI play in negotiation?
44:05 When do they decide to raise capital?
45:30 What has been the darkest or most uncertain part of the founder journey?
47:00 Why keeping part of the law practice alive mattered
47:40 What advice would they give founders about going all in too soon?
Creators and Guests
Host
Joseph J. Raetzer, MBA, JD
Joseph J. Raetzer, MBA, JD is Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) and Securities Lawyer (capital raising). He started his career over 20 years ago on Wall Street and he has done over $100+ billion in transactions. He is also a serial entrepreneur with a successful 7-figure exit in under 3 years, which he rolled into a national retail chain and lost it all due to the pandemic. He's had highs, lows, and rebuilt from scratch. He is founder of his corporate M&A and securities law firm Raetzer PLLC. His podcast Wall Street to Y’all Street features real business lessons from seasoned founders, operators and executives.This is not legal advice - always consult with your attorney. Joseph J. Raetzer, MBA, JD is licensed in New York and Texas.
