Nalden

When investing, I prefer early-stage tech companies where I can help people from day one. More specifically, pre-seed & seed stage. I like this phase cuz it's when most of the magic happens. It's more about creating and less about numbers. Building things with like-minded people to solve problems or needs is a meaningful thing to spend time on.

Hence it's a humbling experience to see founders I've backed raise more funding to continue their journey. Shoutout to Speedinvest for taking the lead in Drop, kudos to Formitable and Adriaan for cleaning up the cap table, and hooray Blue Farm for closing this round. Significant achievements, especially now the market is all over the place.

If you're a struggling entrepreneur reading this and VCs are being a bitch, consider alternative routes like Calm Fund or extend your runway with a bridge loan. Browse the Operator Exchange to find more angels and keep trying. It's hard, I know, but it's more important to fail at something that matters than to succeed at something that doesn't.

You're probably tired of all web3 bullshit but bear with me. I'm fascinated by the concept of a Metalabel, which Yancey coined in this mega-clarifying article. Yes, the name sucks, and this type of organisation (a coop) isn't new; yet the timing is right! We now have the technology to support groups of people who share the same interests and collaboratively make, support, and release projects. MSCHF is the obvious one, but check Ampled for musicians, Obscura for photographers or Unnamed Fund for art. All are examples of squad wealth! If you think this is hard, think again. Anyone can create a DAO using Syndicate or SPV via Odin. From now on, it comes down to cooperation.

There are a lot of AI-generated visuals poppin' up on the socials these days. Dall•E 2 from OpenAI is making waves. Even more mind-boggling stuff is coming from folks using Midjourney. Laszlito co-created a Batman rendered in a victorian era style, and Jacob Grubbe went for a full series called Sandstorm Samurai. No wonder Nando Costa wrote about the age of co-creation with AI. Undoubtedly, AI will change how we go about the creative process. For better or worse, writing prompts will be one of the primary ways art is created in the future. I'm sure there's a quote for that...

Shiiiiiat, Microsoft retired the Internet Explorer after 27 years of service. The end of an era. I remember back in 2009 when Google successfully tried to take over the market with Chrome, asking people what a browser is. I wonder which answers we would get these days. Do people even care? Mozilla still cares. Maybe the browser evolution is cyclical since new kids on the block, like Mighty and The Browser Company, are now challenging the status quo. Anyway... shout out to IE! We've shared many good times in between those blue screens before I went on Safari.

This conversation between Shane Parrish and Jim Collins made me reflect profoundly. They discuss what it means to be a mentor and a father, why we should trust by default, and why we confuse living a long life with a great life. It helps to hear about stuff you're dealing with from other people who already figured shit out.

You might have noticed the blue links around here. It's a nod to the web back in the days and the promise or potential of what lay on the other side of that blue text. Ever wondered why hyperlinks turned out blue? You're not alone. Elise Blanchard went down the rabbit hole, searching for who made it blue. The result is an entertaining history lesson about the www and a resounding theory of the blue hyperlink.

Wow! This Super Soul episode resonated deeply. Oprah talks to Arthur Brooks, who explains that we can set ourselves up for joy and deepening purpose when we're older by refocusing our priorities and habits. My main takeaway from this conversation would be: use things, love people and worship the divine. The only growth that matters is personal.

A lot is happening at the intersection of music and technology. Recently, Water & Music released a report on 2021 music NFT sales, covering over $86 million in revenue and insights into the different forms of utility emerging in the format. Based on this tweet, things seem to be looking more positive for artists. Explore Nina, Catalog, and Sound or browse Mirror for exciting collaborations. It's the tip of the iceberg where music is going, whether the industry likes it or not. One still needs 100 true fans, though.

Yo, check out Probable Futures. As you browse this site, you will become familiar with the small-sounding numbers that carry significant consequences for our world. The goal is to develop a mindset for understanding the risks we face and how we respond to them. I recommend start reading the fundamentals!