Today's episode features the renegade VC and author Zak Slayback. Zak is a principal at the 1517 fund, where he invests in and works with dropouts, renegades, and deep tech scientists at the earliest stages. He also writes about personal and professional development on his website and hosts a long-form newsletter on society, tech and exploration called Slayback to the Future. Zak is the author of How to Get Ahead and The End of School. 

Timestamps:

0:46 Zak's Intro

2:27 How Zak broke into VC

5:57 Hyper Focus and Shiny Object Syndrome

7:25 Starting cash-flow businesses

13:58 The Value of Work Experience and how to choose where to work

20:38 How being competent can help you get your foot in the door

25:07 Why Unpaid Internships are like Marshmallow Tests 

26:20 Trading Up Mentors and Opportunities

29:51 The Art of Negotiation and Knowing when to Quit

33:57 Build a Business on the Side

36:22 Startup Ideas that Zack would fund (eg. Airbnb for Homeschooling!)

42:47 Crafting your narrative without a college degree

46:20 The Future of Education

50:41 Connect with Zack