Many investors follow trends, I prefer to anticipate them. I focus on technology-induced black swans, investing in the companies and founders that are creating industry-wide shifts.
I identify companies with a high-probability of exponential upside. I invest either early or at their inflection point. You can expect startups primed for hyper-scale via deep innovation and product excellence.
I’ve followed this investment strategy over the years into a series of phenomenal companies and sectors.
I back founders
As a founder I understand the position deeply. With that I focus on aligning myself with the team, adding value wherever possible, and providing support through the process. I exert effort where I have leverage, allowing me to make substantial impact for the company.
Investor Background
Founder of Infinite Capital, crypto asset investment fund (InfiniteCapital.io)
Co-Founded Qualified, developer skills assessments, 350+ clients including Apple, Facebook, Zoom, and Berkeley Center for AI (Qualified.io)
Co-Founded Codewars, a community of 2M+ engineers (Codewars.com)
As an investor, I was early in Tesla (post IPO) at $22/share, after following the company since launch. Then on seeing an impending short squeeze invested my life savings on a call option strategy (direct stock ownership wouldn’t provide enough exposure). Within a week I returned 892%, which helped seed fund my company.
Began investing in crypto in 2012, early buys of Bitcoin and then later Ethereum. Went all in on Ethereum in 2015 seeing crypto evolving into a developer platform. Through 2017 I invested across emerging crypto assets, investing early in many top currencies - Cosmos, MakerDAO, 0X, Theta. With this I earned a portfolio return of 5,126% for the year, and protected those gains with a well-timed market exit.
In the process I’ve accumulated a list of investments that have returned 1,000%+ and have angel invested in a series of companies that I expect to create the next black swan technological shifts.
Markets I gravitate towards (at the moment):
Crypto, DeFi, Autonomy, Aerospace, Transportation, FinTech, Education, Real Estate, Micromobility, Disruptive Networks, Developer Platforms, AI/ML, Opensource, Data, Marketplaces, Ecosystems, Energy
I love companies with:
- Product simplicity and focus
- Deep innovation
- Inherent virality
- Founders that are insightful, hungry, and high-integrity
- Contrarian beliefs and approaches
- Unanticipated/underserved markets
- Network effects in their product/market
- Asymmetric risk/reward profiles
- Backend business models
- Platform models - enables others to build on them…bonus points if developer focused
- Marketplaces that take advantage of underutilized assets
Expectations
You can expect high-quality, hard-to-access, early-mid stage deal flow. Syndication to also include later-stage follow-on allocations from the portfolio when available.
I relay updates when/if founders have them (don’t expect them). As a high-input/low maintenance investor, I expect the same from LPs.
I syndicate select deals that are a fit for Angellist, given founders are agreeable and deal dynamics allow.
Disclaimer: I also manage a firm, Infinite Capital, which gets first rights to investment allocations.