Tremendous

An angel investor's take on life and business

  • Peter Thiel at the All-In Summit

    “I keep thinking that AI in 2023, 2024 is like the internet in 1999.”

    That’s Peter Thiel at the All-In Summit. In a frank conversation with the besties, Thiel digs into the election, our confrontation with China, and the future of AI.

    The Election

    Silicon Valley has shifted rightward in recent years. Thiel was well ahead of the curve, backing Trump in 2016. And as usual, he has a contrarian take.

    Despite media predictions, Thiel thinks the election will not be close. He points out that most presidential elections break decisively one way or another.

    Nate Silver is predicting a decisive win as well. He has Trump up by double digits in his forecast.

    Time will tell who’s right.

    The Showdown with China

    Whoever wins the election will face China’s Xi Jinping.

    China has held more and more drills near Taiwan since the spring. Thiel thinks that China will eventually try to take Taiwan.

    If it does, Thiel is against the US joining the war.

    Such a conflict could spiral into World War III. Thiel thinks a war over Taiwan just isn’t worth it, and I agree.

    What we need most from Taiwan is advanced chips. But we can learn to make them ourselves. In fact, we’re already beginning to do so.

    The Future of AI

    Playing with ChatGPT in the fall of 2022 reminded me of using the first search engines in the mid 90’s. Thiel’s analogy with the early internet is spot on.

    Despite all AI can do, Thiel doesn’t think it will cause widespread unemployment. After all, the Industrial Revolution didn’t put humans out of work.

    Thiel is right on the money here.

    Human creativity is limitless. We will create new jobs we cannot imagine today.

    When I was a kid, there were no yoga instructors, spinning coaches, or Tik Tokers. Today, countless people are making their living in those fields.

    Human innovation is not going to stop.

    The Higher Education Bubble

    If the jobs of the future will be a lot different from today, how should young people prepare?

    Thiel is skeptical of college. In 2011, he started the Thiel Fellowship, a program that gives $100,000 to talented kids to skip college.

    Thiel notes that student debt has spiraled out of control, reaching nearly $2 trillion. The median 2009 graduate actually had more debt 12 years later, held back by a weak job market and high interest rates.

    I think college is worthwhile, especially if you’re not sure what you want to do. But avoid student debt!

    Get scholarships and consider state school. Major in STEM.

    When it comes to the job market, a Comp Sci major with a 3.9 from Rutgers will beat a theater major from Brown any day.

    Wrap-Up

    Thiel has a way of predicting the future. And although his delivery is restrained, he actually paints a very bright future for the United States.

    He sees us decoupling from China and reaping massive benefits from AI. The future America will stand atop the technological heap, proud and alone.

    What do you think of Thiel’s talk?

    More on tech:

    Elon at the All-In Summit

    Travis Kalanick at the All-In Summit

    Small Investors Lead to Big Investors

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • Travis Kalanick at the All-In Summit

    “That’s when they went in for the kill. I just couldn’t hang. Bottom line, I just couldn’t hang.”

    That’s Travis Kalanick at the All-In Summit. Right after his mother’s death, his investors pushed him out of the company he built from nothing. In this talk, Travis tells us how he came back.

    Losing the Company He Loved

    It was right before Christmas. Travis’ mother had just died. And he was about to lose everything he’d built.

    For months, Uber’s investors had been trying to push Travis out.

    They complained that he had created a “toxic culture,” whatever that means. The media piled on — anything for clicks, right?

    For a long time, Travis resisted. But having just lost his dear mother, he just couldn’t fight anymore.

    He stepped aside. The Uber board replaced him with Dara Khosrowshahi, the former CEO of Expedia.

    Don’t Call It a Comeback

    Travis wasn’t out of the game for long. He invested in an obscure company called City Storage Systems.

    Shortly thereafter, he took over as CEO. That company is now known as Cloud Kitchens.

    Travis’ vision for it might be even crazier than Uber. He wants to make delivered restaurant food cost competitive with cooking at home.

    “If that happens, you do to the kitchen what Uber did to the car.”

    To get there, Cloud Kitchens is using robots to handle almost all the food prep. In time, Travis wants to get the ingredients and deliver the meals using autonomous vehicles, cutting costs further.

    I never do food delivery. It’s slow, cold when it arrives, and incredibly expensive.

    But if Travis can get me a beautiful pasta meal for the same cost as cooking, delivered fast and hot by a robot, I’m in! If he succeeds, this could be even bigger than Uber.

    A Role Model for Investors

    If it weren’t for his investors, Travis might still be at Uber. It’s incredible — a man does this much for you, and you push him aside at the worst moment in his life?

    When business operates this way, it’s disgusting and I want nothing to do with it. I’d rather hang it up and lay on a beach.

    But you don’t have to be that kind of investor. Jason Calacanis, who interviewed Travis at the Summit, stuck by him.

    When Travis got choked up talking about his mother’s death, Jason put a hand on his knee to comfort him. You can tell that Jason got teared up too.

    For JCal, this is clearly a lot more than dollars and cents. That’s the kind of investor I want to be.

    Wrap-Up

    “Would you consider doing what Steve Jobs did and coming back and merging Cloud Kitchens with Uber?”

    Jason couldn’t help but ask. And while Travis didn’t answer him directly, he didn’t rule it out.

    If Travis came back, Uber would be a trillion dollar company and Jason would be a billionaire. As a fan of technology, I’d love to see it.

    Travis shows the resilience it takes to be one of the great entrepreneurs of a generation. I only hope that some day, I can find my Travis.

    What did you think of Travis’ talk?

    Have a great weekend everybody!

    More on tech:

    Elon at the All-In Summit

    Sergey Brin at the All-In Summit

    Small Investors Lead to Big Investors

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • Sergey Brin at the All-In Summit

    “As a computer scientist, I’ve never seen anything as exciting as all of the AI progress the last few years.”

    That’s Google founder Sergey Brin at the All-In Summit. In a candid talk with David Friedberg, Brin gave his insights on the future of AI and where the company he founded is headed.

    Coming Out of Retirement

    It takes a lot to bring a man worth $121 billion out of retirement. But last year, after four years away from Google, Brin came back.

    It reminds me of the action movies where the hero comes back “for one last job.” And in this case, it could be the biggest job of Brin’s career.

    What brought Brin back was the massive opportunity in AI. I agree with Brin that this is the biggest thing I’ve seen since the internet.

    All week, I’ve been meeting with AI companies currently in YC. The stuff they’re doing is nuts — finding minerals 10x faster, controlling robots without code, and a lot more.

    We will be taking diamonds out of this mine for the rest of our careers. And like Brin, I’m really excited to be a part of it.

    The Future of Google

    The potential of AI is limitless. But will Google be one of the winners?

    Brin and Friedberg tell an interesting story that shows what has gone wrong at Google.

    Engineers had built a tool to write code with AI. But they were afraid to push it to production, worried it would make mistakes.

    Brin told them to take it live. This is one of those moments where founder authority is all-important.

    Google leads in countless technologies. They invented transformers, the technology behind LLM’s.

    But they did nothing with it.

    If Google can drop this conservatism, it could still be an incredible growth business. It’s Google Cloud AI service has more inbound than they can handle. Alpha fold is widely used by biologists to model protein folding, which is critical for developing new drugs.

    They’ve got the tech. Now they just have to get out of their own way!

    Wrap-Up

    Brin’s talk really got my juices flowing this morning.

    Here’s a man who’s seen everything and done everything. He’s at the pinnacle of success.

    And he’s back in the office grinding it out. Not for money, but for the love of this incredible technology.

    I couldn’t be happier to be here too!

    What did you think of Brin’s talk?

    More on tech:

    Vance at the All-In Summit

    Elon at the All-In Summit

    Small Investors Lead to Big Investors

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • Vance at the All-In Summit

    “Increasingly, Republicans are the party of working and middle class people.”

    That’s J.D. Vance at the All-In Summit this week. Vance laid out a compelling vision of less regulation and greater prosperity.

    Cutting Regulations to Benefit Average Americans

    “…we’ve massively overregulated the real world.”

    Vance points out that America innovates in software, but almost nowhere else.

    That innovation benefits places like New York and SF. But it doesn’t do much for his constituents in Ohio, or for most Americans.

    Vance traces that lack of innovation in the real world to regulation.

    Software is new, so regulation is minimal. But in the older industries where most Americans make their living, regulation is crippling.

    The way regulation leaves Silicon Valley alone and cripples Middle America is a point I’ve never heard anyone else make. It’s quite insightful.

    Imagine if we could get construction, manufacturing and medicine to move at the speed of a Silicon Valley tech startup. Our economy would grow like never before.

    Becoming a Trump Supporter

    J.D. Vance was once a “Never Trump” guy. Now he’s Trump’s running mate.

    What’s changed?

    Over time, Vance realized that most of what the media says about Trump is untrue. Meanwhile, America performed better under Trump that it has in decades. We were at peace and the economy was strong.

    I can definitely relate to Vance’s evolution. I campaigned for Hillary in 2016 and voted for Biden in 2020.

    This year, I’m supporting Trump.

    The Biden-Harris administration’s record is one of failure, inflation and war. Meanwhile, the more I listen to Trump, the more I realize the media has mischaracterized him.

    I imagine the views of many other Americans are shifting as well.

    Restoring Order on the Border

    Vance wants to seal the border. He also wants to deport illegals who are already here, starting with violent criminals.

    That’s hard to argue with. If we don’t have law and order, what do we have?

    Vance and Trump are tough on illegal immigration. But they’re for high skilled immigrants coming here legally. As a former VC, Vance understands the importance of getting the smartest people here now.

    This is the right policy for America. We need basic law and order, and we also need talent.

    Where I Disagree with Vance

    Host Jason Calacanis repeatedly asked Vance if he would’ve certified the electors in 2021, as Pence did. Vance’s answer was oblique — he said he would’ve asked the states to submit alternative slates of electors.

    In essence, this means that Vance would not have certified the election. I disagree with Vance here.

    We don’t have good evidence that the 2020 election was fraudulent. So, Pence was right to certify the results.

    I want to see Trump win fair and square. Let’s can the tricky electoral tactics.

    Wrap-Up

    Vance did a good job of answering difficult questions clearly. He’s obviously an intelligent man, and he overcame very long odds to be sitting on that stage.

    When Americans look at Vance, they’ll see their dreams: a poor kid who made it.

    Vance also has a wonderful vision for the nation. Lower regulations, higher growth, and a secure border is a plan I can get behind.

    What did you think of Vance’s talk?

    More on politics:

    Kamala’s Extreme Agenda

    How Kamala’s Unrealized Gains Tax Will Destroy the Economy

    114 Days

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • Elon at the All-In Summit

    “The price of freedom of speech isn’t cheap, is it?”
    “I think it’s like $44 billion, something like that.”

    That’s Elon yesterday at the All-In Summit.

    In a live appearance, Elon and the besties dug into the future of robotics, how Elon wants to transform government, and more.

    A Robot In Every Home

    “I think the number of robots will vastly exceed the number of humans.”

    To me, the most fascinating part of Elon’s talk was when he dug into robotics. Elon plans to offer the Optimus android for $10-20,000 within the next 5-6 years.

    An affordable android would truly transform the world.

    In Elon’s vision, every human would have one. Many more would work in factories and on Mars.

    With AI driving its brain, the robot would be able to do anything we can do. The economy could grow infinitely since the supply of labor would be infinite.

    Let’s assume we get our in-home robot. We could have it doing housework during the day then working the night shift at a factory. After all, it never gets tired!

    Its factory wages could pay for the robot lease. Voila, free robot!

    I dearly hope this happens in my lifetime.

    D.O.G.E.

    I love the Elon image in the leather jacket and gold chain at his new Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E.). But D.O.G.E. isn’t just a meme — Elon could use this agency to transform government.

    “If Trump wins…we do have an opportunity to do kind of a once in a lifetime deregulation and reduction in the size of government.”

    Elon might be the only person better than Trump at firing people. He took out 75% of Twitter and the site actually got better!

    Overregulation is one of the most critical problems of our time. It’s the reason we can’t even build housing, much less high speed rail.

    The accumulation of regulations over time mean that eventually, everything becomes illegal. We cannot remain #1 in the world that way.

    Getting rid of regulations will let the economy rip. And once the regs are gone, we won’t need the bureaucrats that used to enforce them.

    Elon is the best man in America for this job. I just hope he gets it.

    The Government Spending Crisis

    “The government is the DMV at scale…how much do you want to scale it?”

    Scale it we have. The federal government spent $6.13 trillion last year.

    Much of that spending is funded by borrowing at increasing interest rates. We’re adding a trillion dollars to the debt every 90 days.

    There’s some line where when we exceed it, we spark a financial crisis. That crisis will make 2008 look like a tea party.

    We don’t know where that line is. And we darned sure don’t want to find out.

    Cutting spending under a Trump administration would help us edge away from the brink. Less government spending will also allow that money to go into the private sector, which is far more efficient.

    Wrap-Up

    I loved Elon’s talk at the Summit. He presents an ambitious vision for technology and for America.

    I look forward to seeing him at his desk at the D.O.G.E., staring down the bureaucrats.

    What did you think of Elon’s talk?

    “I think we will have a golden age in this country.”

    More on tech:

    Elon Musk (Part 1): Overcoming the Odds

    Small Investors Lead to Big Investors

    What Happens in an Acquihire?

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • Francisburg: My Ideal City

    “Imagine a city with high rise blocks and parks laid out like a checkerboard. Every building would be across the street from a park.”

    Years ago, I told my friend Will about my zany plan for a city.

    “I’d live in Francisburg,” Will said.

    And ever since, the name stuck.

    I’ve had a plan for a city in my head for at least a decade. And since this blog is all about the future, I thought I’d share it with you.

    Tell me what you think! Am I crazy, or would you live in Francisburg too?

    The Plan for Francisburg

    At first, Francisburg would be small. We’ll start with 1 square mile, about the size of Hoboken, NJ or the West Village, two charming neighborhoods in my area.

    All of Francisburg would be laid out in blocks. Every block would have either buildings or a park.

    The blocks would be laid out in checkerboard fashion. Imagine the black squares with buildings and white squares with parks.

    At first, we’d only open 4 blocks for development. There would be no limits on building height.

    The limited land and easy zoning means that the blocks with buildings would be full of high rises. These high rises would be mixed use, making it easy to access everything you need from work to groceries to nightlife.

    Every 8 blocks, we’d have a Megapark. This would be 4 contiguous blocks of nothing but park.

    Over time, as the building blocks fill up, we’d release more to development.

    An Urban Planner Weighs In

    I recently met with the founder of a cool startup. And, miracle of miracles, he just happened to be an urban planner in his former life. I explained my idea for Francisburg.

    “Tell me why this is a terrible idea,” I said.

    “It’s not a terrible idea,” he replied. “This could go one of two ways. Barcelona actually has a superblock layout like this.”

    Ooh, one of my favorite cities. Go on…

    “But it’s also a lot like Le Corbusier, the high rise in a park. And that turned into housing projects.”

    Uh oh.

    “So the key is to make it mixed use,” he added.

    Mixed use is definitely the direction I’d go. I want to be able to get everything I need within a short walk, just like I do here in the NYC area.

    I would also add that housing projects are full of desperately poor people. Any such agglomeration would probably see some issues.

    Francisburg would be highly desirable. Who wouldn’t want to live in a beautiful new building surrounded by parks, right?

    Can You Get it Built?

    Can we actually get this thing built? Probably…

    To be useful, Francisburg can’t be in the middle of nowhere. I want it within 60 minutes commute of a major city.

    And it just so happens, there’s 3.75 square miles of land for sale just 51 minutes from downtown Austin, Texas.

    And what beautiful land it is! Gently rolling hills and pretty little trees and shrubs that could be incorporated into the park blocks.

    Best of all, it has almost no restrictions on development.

    Even if the price is high, the value of what you could build here would more than make up for it.

    Austin just might be the hottest city in America right now — who wouldn’t want to be in a beautiful new town nearby? Add in driverless Waymos, and that commute looks like a breeze.

    Wrap-Up

    I’d kill to see this city built! It’s absolutely doable and would be hugely profitable.

    I am in tech, not real estate. But if I ever see a project like this, I just might have to pick up and move.

    What do you think? Would you live in Francisburg?

    More on development:

    Apartments Are Banned from 76% of San Francisco

    YIMBY Is Working Wonders in New Zealand

    Why Manufactured Housing Won’t Fix High Housing Costs

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • Dating Apps: Deader Than Elvis?

    For the last decade, dating apps have been the way to meet. But now, users are in decline and stocks are down. Are dating apps dead? And what will replace them?

    An Industry in Decline

    The number of active users for dating apps worldwide is down from 287 million in 2020 to 237 million in 2023. It’s showing in the stocks of dating app companies — some are down over 90%.

    Certain apps are faring better than others. Tinder, the crown jewel of Match Group and the largest dating app in the world, has stopped growing. Hinge however, also owned by Match Group, is up 48%.

    Why Aren’t People Swiping?

    People are exhausted by dating apps. They can be a lot of work — countless swipes, a smaller number of matches, a handful of those converting to dates, and most of those dates not working out.

    Women in particular are deleting the apps. 79% of women say they have no interest in using them in the future.

    Dating fatigue goes way beyond apps. More and more singles have given up on dating altogether. 50% of singles aren’t dating at all, according to a survey by Pew Research.

    Of all my unattached friends, not a single one of them dates, ever. Nor do they have any interest in doing so.

    They’re in their 30’s and early 40’s, and they’ve built lives they’re happy with. To them, dating sounds exhausting and pointless.

    My Experience With the Apps

    As a single guy, I use the apps myself. If you’re a man in the New York City area, it’s like drinking from a fire hose.

    In just the last couple days, I got 9 matches. My phone pings over and over with messages from different women, despite your humble blogger being thoroughly unremarkable. 😉

    Nearly all are attractive. Many are much younger than I. But I only have time to meet a tiny fraction of them.

    This surely leads to a frustrating experience for many girls. Even a very attractive girl may struggle to get a date, much less a relationship.

    There’s also the paradox of choice. Infinite options make it harder to choose anything.

    After all, who knows what else is out there?

    It doesn’t surprise me that Hinge is doing better than Tinder. Tinder is filled with women in Thailand and Kenya trying to meet Americans.

    Meanwhile, Hinge has women who actually live here. When friends ask me which app is best, I always go with Hinge.

    What’s Replacing Dating Apps

    So if the apps are dying, what will replace them? Increasingly, I think dating apps will be replaced by just not dating at all.

    I see it among my friends. It’s kind of startling to watch, but people withdrawing from dating altogether for many years is becoming commonplace.

    This may mean that people spend more time on social media or playing video games. Or perhaps they’ll put that energy into offline hobbies like hiking or camping.

    For those still looking for a date, in person is beating the apps.

    The NYC area is full of run clubs. Some seem to just run a block or so to a bar and hang out. But after years of pandemic isolation, I think that’s great!

    With people looking to connect more in person, it’s no wonder that apps for live events are doing well. Luma is suddenly everywhere, and I’m sure many more live event apps will follow.

    Wrap-Up

    I find dating apps give me what I want. But my opinion is increasingly a minority one.

    More folks are ditching the apps and joining a run club. And I think that’s great! Meeting in person is ideal.

    As an investor, I’m not the least bit excited about dating apps.

    It seems like a dying category. I want to invest in growing areas, not moribund ones.

    I think that in 10 years, we’ll see more people embracing the single life. Those that want to date will meet increasingly IRL.

    That sounds like a great future!

    Are you on the apps? If so, what has your experience been like? If not, why not?

    Have a great weekend, everyone!

    More on tech:

    I Tested Groq Voice

    How I Find the Best YC Companies
    Small Investors Lead to Big Investors

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • I Tested Groq Voice

    Imagine talking to an AI assistant and getting a response in milliseconds. It exists, and it’s called Groq. Today, I ran it through 3 tests.

    Groq (not to be confused with Elon’s Grok) creates special chips to power AI models. Groq’s claim to fame is ultra-fast inference (or question-answering). Groq answers questions 3-20x faster than other platforms.

    Voice plus instantaneous responses give us the opportunity to have a truly natural conversation with AI. Let’s give it a shot!

    Test #1: Finding Cheap Flights

    I’m planning a trip to Japan in the new year. I’ve been 6 times and speak the language conversationally, but I haven’t been back since Covid.

    I’m itching to spend some time in the wonderful nation that I consider my home away from home!

    The one problem with going to Japan is the flight. It’s long and expensive.

    Let’s see if Groq can help…

    Round trip flights for $450…can it be? These usually go for at least $1000.

    Alas, these cheap flights are a mirage.

    Groq doesn’t provide any link to purchase them. And when I ask for links, it can’t provide them.

    After this, I went to Google Flights to see if Groq was right. Nope, nothing below $800.

    These results weren’t helpful at all. I’m giving Groq an F on this one.

    Test #2: Chasing the Cherry Blossoms

    Despite having visited Japan many times, I’ve actually never seen the cherry blossoms! So, what time of year do they usually show up in Tokyo?

    Let’s ask Groq…

    Groq gave an excellent response with incredible speed. I would’ve liked to see a citation, but this is still a great result.

    I’ll give Groq an A- here.

    Test #3: Making My Meetings Better

    On to business…

    I have a couple meetings this afternoon. How can I make them more efficient and productive?

    Let’s see what Groq has to say…

    Groq’s response is great. Minimizing distractions is a key point I’ll definitely remember. I also like how it bolded the first few words in each idea, making it easier to read.

    I’ll give Groq an A on this one.

    Wrap-Up

    For a first effort, Groq Voice is pretty darn impressive. The speed is what wowed me most…it’s like talking to a super genius that can answer most any question instantly.

    Overall, I’ll give Groq a B for now. I’d like to see more accurate responses plus links to citations. That would give me the confidence to make Groq my primary LLM.

    Instant voice responses open up incredible opportunities for Groq.

    Imagine this integrated into smart glasses like the Meta Ray-Bans or a Figure robot. You could talk into the air and get any question answered instantly. Androids could navigate the world confidently, able to access any info they need in milliseconds.

    Congrats to the Groq team. I can’t wait to see what they do with this!

    Have you tried Groq?

    More on tech:

    The New Figure 02 — The World’s Best Robot?
    How I Find the Best YC Companies
    Small Investors Lead to Big Investors

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • How I Find the Best YC Companies

    There are 247 startups in the YC S24 batch. You’re probably not going to meet them all. So how can you find the best ones?

    I look at every single startup, meet around 10-20% of them, and invest in perhaps one. Here’s how I do it…

    The Directory is Your Friend!

    YC produces a wonderful tool: the YC Startup Directory. It contains details on every single YC company, from Airbnb to the latest batch.

    Here’s how I use it to find great new startups:

    1. Choose the current batch (S24 is the current one)
    2. Sort by “Launch Date” instead of “Default.” Then, I can see each new startup as its product launches. If they’re pre-launch, they’re too early for me to meet with.
    3. Look at each page, see what looks interesting. What’s novel? What’s new?
    4. Contact the founders. Their LinkedIn is on the right hand side of the page.
    5. Set up meetings. The directory page is a great way to prep for these meetings. It’s almost like a mini-deal memo.

    What I’m Looking For

    I look for companies with $200-500k of live ARR. Very few YC companies have this, but some do.

    Those are the folks I’m looking for! If you see a company with $100-300k ARR while still in YC, that’s one of the strongest in their batch.

    A more typical YC startup might have a couple thousand a month in revenue, at best. A weaker one might not have any.

    The Gift That Keeps on Giving

    Yesterday, I met a YC company with an incredible product. The founders had great experience and were highly technical.

    But they only had a couple thousand a month in live MRR. This is a good start, but too early for me.

    So, I made a note to follow up with them next summer. By that point, they’ll probably be raising again.

    Startups are always raising money. Always. Don’t feel like you have to invest now.

    In a year or so, you’ll probably be able to invest again at the same price with a lot more traction! In fact, I’ve invested in 3 different YC companies this way in recent years.

    Why Demo Day Is Too Late

    I start contacting YC companies as soon as possible. I never wait until Demo Day.

    In some cases, I already knew the founders before they applied to YC. I may be one of the first people to hear about their admittance, and I make sure to set a meeting with them.

    Otherwise, I watch the YC directory like a hawk. Whenever an interesting new startup launches, there I am. 🙂

    But why not just wait for Demo Day?

    The best startups fill their funding round before Demo Day. If you wait until the herd sees them, you won’t be able to get into that round.

    Wrap-Up

    Investors love to complain about YC. “Wahhh, the valuations are too high, I want my mommy!”

    Boo hoo.

    They sorted through thousands of companies and picked the best ones. Then they funded them and gave them the best coaching on the planet.

    The deal is friggin’ gift wrapped for you. And you want that at a $8M post?

    I think YC is a wonderful part of startupland. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine a world without it.

    Now, back to trolling the directory!

    What do you think of YC?

    More on tech:

    Take This Out of Your Pitch Now

    Small Investors Lead to Big Investors

    Charge More!

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • Take This Out of Your Pitch Now

    “Let me tell you how we got here…” This is the most useless part of a startup’s pitch. But you’d be amazed how many founders spend a ton of time on it!

    “Well, we started with furniture sales, then we pivoted to eVTOL sandwich delivery. But the FAA shut us down, so now we’re a B2B SaaS for accountants.” I’m left scratching my head.

    It’s Not Relevant

    Unless someone asks, you never need to explain how your company got to where it is today.

    Where you’ve been doesn’t matter. It’s where you are now that counts.

    Talking about prior iterations of your company risks losing your audience.

    “What do I care about the platform you scrapped last year?” they’ll be thinking. And once you lose your audience, it’s hard to get them back.

    It Takes Too Much Time

    Startup pitch meetings are usually short. Mine average about 20 minutes.

    You only have so much time to show the investor that your company is special. Remember, you have to beat 200 other founders to get that check.

    If you only have 20 minutes, why spend 10 on something irrelevant that isn’t getting you closer to a check? That won’t leave enough time to talk about what really matters.

    What to Talk About Instead

    So what really does matter?

    Three things drive a company: team, product, and customers. If you’re not talking about those things, you’re wasting your precious time with the investor.

    Talk about why your team is the right one to tackle this problem. Show off your awesome product. Tell me who your customers are and why they love your product. Dig into details on revenue and sales strategy.

    If you cover all this, you won’t have time for anything irrelevant!

    Wrap Up

    Your time is precious. So is that of investors.

    Use it wisely. Don’t tell meandering, irrelevant stories.

    Your company’s history matters a lot to you. But to everyone else, I’m sorry, but it just doesn’t!

    Stick to what’s important: team, customers, and product. Save the rest for your diary.

    What do you talk about in pitch meetings?

    More on tech:

    How Important Are Co-Investors?
    Small Investors Lead to Big Investors

    Charge More!

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order.