Steven Kuhn shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Steven, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What is a normal day like for you right now?
My days start with clarity and discipline.
I’m up by 6:30 AM, hitting the gym by 8:00 to keep my body sharp and my mind sharper. Physical discipline fuels mental resilience, non-negotiable when you’re navigating global capital markets and advising high-stakes clients.
Late morning is sacred. I unplug and reconnect with what matters most, my wife, my kids, and the rhythm of a life I’ve consciously built. We share lunch, laughter, and time. No phone calls. No noise.
By 1:00 PM, the gears shift. My afternoon and evening are packed with strategic calls, advisory clients, investors, dealmakers, and project owners from across the globe. With operations spanning the U.S., UAE, Europe, and beyond, the sun never sets on the conversations I lead.
Most weeks, we’re negotiating or closing something major. In 2025 alone, we’ve raised over $2 billion in committed capital, not in theory, not in pitch decks, in signed deals.
I typically work until 8:00 PM, fuelled not by hustle, but by purpose. Every conversation is a stepping stone to building legacies, for clients, partners, and communities.
This isn’t a grind. It’s a mission. And every day is another move on the board.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Steven Eugene Kuhn — a combat veteran turned global business strategist, dealmaker, and founder of NovaScale Partners. I’ve lived in 10 countries, worked with governments from Hungary to Germany to Egypt, advised royalty, scaled multinational companies, and helped raise over $2 billion in committed capital in just the first half of 2025.
But what makes what I do truly unique isn’t just the deals—it’s the way we do them.
At NovaScale Partners, we don’t follow the corporate script. We move fast, stay personal, and work with founders, investors, and family offices to break through red tape and get capital flowing—globally. Our clients don’t wait 12 months for a decision. We bring urgency, clarity, and execution to a space notorious for stagnation.
Beyond the boardroom, I’m a husband, father, and a voice in the geopolitical arena—my commentary has racked up over 50 million views in just 90 days, cutting through media narratives with firsthand insight.
Right now, we’re scaling our advisory work, building a new wave of investor-founder ecosystems, and helping more high-performing entrepreneurs tap into growth via acquisition and strategic capital.
Whether you’re stuck, scaling, or on the verge of something massive—we’re the team that helps you get it done.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
There’s a moment that changed the entire trajectory of my life — and it came from a man named Mark Minter.
I was in a transitional period, unsure of where I was heading next. Mark looked me straight in the eye and said,
“When someone sees something in you, all you need to do is embrace it.”
It wasn’t just a compliment. It was a transfer of belief. In that moment, I realized I didn’t need to be ready — I just needed to step up and own what others already saw in me.
That one line lit the fire.
From there, I stepped into politics, advising governments and even being approached to run for U.S. Senate in 2012. I moved into global dealmaking, eventually helping raise over $2 billion in committed capital. I went on to own, scale, and exit over 20 companies across 10 countries — and I’ve never looked back.
Mark’s words reminded me of something most people forget: confidence doesn’t come before action — it comes after commitment. Someone else might spark it, but you have to claim it.
That moment is why I do what I do now. I see that same potential in the founders, clients, and partners I work with — and I help them embrace it just like I did.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes. And it nearly cost me my life.
It was 2008, Berlin. I was deep in depression, fighting the demons of unresolved combat PTSD. I felt like a shadow — present but hollow. On the outside, I was a decorated veteran and respected entrepreneur. But inside? I was barely holding it together.
One day, I was pulled over for speeding. That minor moment cracked something wide open. I snapped. I stepped out of the car, walked up to the officer, and — without thinking — I reached for her firearm, pulled it from her holster, and pressed it against my head.
What happened next still gives me chills.
She didn’t scream. She didn’t pull away. Instead, she gently placed her hand over mine, lowered the gun, looked me in the eyes and said,
“This is not you, Steven. I know who you are.”
She had read a book I’d written years earlier. She knew me — the real me, the one I had long forgotten.
Shaken, I drove home, sat in my apartment, laid out my military uniform and a photo of myself, and prepared to take my life. Just as I was moments away…
a knock at the door.
I stormed over, furious, flung the door open and shouted, “WHAT?!”
It was her — the same officer.
She walked in, sat down in my living room, looked me in the eye and said,
“You are an amazing man. You’re going to have children. You’re going to change the world.”
Then she got up and left.
I stood there — stunned, silent, shattered.
Something shifted in me. I picked up the phone and called my best friend Michael. I said, “If you don’t come get me, I won’t be here tomorrow.” Without hesitation, he sent me a plane ticket to Austria and brought me to a monastery tucked away in the mountains.
I stayed there for 8 months.
I let go of everything I thought I was supposed to be. I unplugged from the noise, the ego, the pressure. I meditated. I cried. I was silent. I reconnected with the divine, with humility, with identity.
And when I came out, I was reborn — not as a different person, but as myself, finally.
That experience taught me something no book or course ever could:
No one’s coming to save you. No one will do for you what only you can do for yourself.
But sometimes, someone will remind you who you are — and that’s all you need to stand up again.
From that moment on, I vowed to be that reminder for others.
It’s why I coach. It’s why I do deals. It’s why I speak.
Because I know what it’s like to be seconds away from giving up — and I know what it takes to come back stronger than ever.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Absolutely. What you see is exactly who I am.
I live by the core principles of H.I.T. — Honesty, Integrity, and Transparency — and I don’t just talk about them; I live them. Every conversation I have, every deal I do, every stage I stand on, and every post I publish comes from those values.
I’ve lived too much life — war, success, failure, rebirth — to pretend. The public me has to be the real me. Because I know what happens when you wear masks. I’ve seen where inauthenticity leads — and I’ll never go back there again.
So when you see me online, on camera, in a meeting or on a podcast — you’re not getting a filtered version. You’re getting me. Raw. Clear. Accountable. The same man my wife loves, my son looks up to, my clients trust, and my enemies respect.
Because when you live H.I.T., you never have to look over your shoulder. You’re already aligned.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. When do you feel most at peace?
Honestly? When I’m fully unplugged, present with my wife and kids — no calls, no deals, no noise. Just real connection. The kind that reminds you why you do everything in the first place.
And I won’t lie — peace also comes when the bank account’s full, the deals are closed, and I know the people I care about are taken care of. It’s not about chasing money; it’s about the freedom and security it brings so I can show up fully for the ones I love.
That’s real peace — presence, purpose, and provision.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://novascalepartners.com
- Instagram: steveneugenekuhn
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenekuhn/
- Twitter: https://x.com/KuhnSteven90717
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