Oct 24, 2020Silvergate — Hidden Network Effect in the Crypto IndustryI have a decent grasp of the technology and utility of blockchains. I think that digital currencies add value to our world. And I think they will be here to stay. If you can feel comfortable that the entire blockchain ecosystem isn’t a scam — a BIG IF given that…Silvergate4 min readSilvergate4 min read
Apr 21, 2020How YOU can become a millionaire Tiger King — An MBA’s tongue-in-cheek analysisCan tigers be a sustainable business model? Maybe. Viewed from conventional business lens, tigers are an awful asset class. The fundamental problem: timing of cash flows In any business, you want to match the duration of your assets and liabilities. More simply, you want your bills to be due at the same time cash flow comes in…Tiger King5 min readTiger King5 min read
Apr 11, 2020Business Opportunities in Chess: Pay-to-play MicropaymentsI’m a casual Chess player. I once took classes as an 8-year old. I remember playing a decent amount on Yahoo! Games as a teenager. But mainly, it was the in-person, banter-filled games with my best friends in high school that I loved most. One thing that I’ve always liked…Chess7 min readChess7 min read
Jan 11, 2020“We win, they lose” — Radically Reframing the US Immigration DebateMy parents brought me to America when I was 6 years old. Not a day goes by do I forget how fortunate I am to be a naturalized US citizen. Now, as a tech entrepreneur who has created American jobs, I’ve witnessed the absurdity of the American immigration system up…Immigration4 min readImmigration4 min read
Nov 17, 2019Poker + business + applied lessons from Nassim TalebThis summer, a casino opened up right by Boston. And I’ve swung by a few times to play Texas Hold’em — low stakes cash games. As mentioned in my Liar’s Dice article, I love games that involve incomplete information, strategic deception, and reading people. …Poker4 min readPoker4 min read
Oct 19, 2019Jack the Driver + The Bali Private Transportation MarketI recently visited Bali and had pre-arranged for a driver to take me from the airport to my hotel. This was a 2 hour trip, and I used the opportunity to get to know my driver Jack and his line of work. Jack comes from a family of drivers. He…Uber5 min readUber5 min read
Aug 5, 2019The Mystery of Mom’s MedicineA few weeks ago, my mom and I were chatting on the phone when she brought up something perplexing. The backstory A few months ago, my mom goes to her doctor for a routine appointment. Her doctor prescribes medication, and she goes to a nearby pharmacy — Walmart — to get the…Healthcare5 min readHealthcare5 min read
May 19, 2019Unlocking Serendipity at Conferences & EventsLast month, I attended a 3-day conference focused on education & the future of work. There were 3,000+ attendees — and I barely knew any of them. So of course, I did my homework. I spent hours browsing through hundreds of individual profiles, thought carefully about who might be interested…Conference5 min readConference5 min read
Apr 6, 2019IDEA: Turning Liar’s Dice into the next Texas Hold’emLiar’s Dice is one of the best games ever invented. It is a fast-paced game involving luck, probability & bluffing. It is easy to learn — you don’t need to be particularly good at math. If you can divide 24 by 3 in your head, you will do just fine…Entrepreneurship5 min readEntrepreneurship5 min read
Mar 9, 2019IDEA: Twitter meets Slack / WhatsAppProblem & Vision Twitter starts with public conversations and moves inward via threaded replies & direct messages. What if there was a platform that starts the other way around — by focusing on private conversations with friends, with the ability to expand outward to include strangers? I read Twitter regularly to keep up…Social Media4 min readSocial Media4 min read
