#044 - Luke Burgis: Author of Wanting, Mimetic Theory in Business, Investing, Life and Relationships

Luke Burgis has co-created and led four Silicon Valley companies in wellness, consumer products, and technology. He is the author of the best selling book "Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life", which breaks down the theories of French philosopher René Girard. Luke is currently Entrepreneur-in-Residence and Director of Programs at the Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship, where he also teaches business at The Catholic University of America. Girard's theories explain most human-related interactions, such as the virality of social media, the rise of Facebook, political beliefs, cancel culture and how the best investors pick the best companies. Luke deep dives into mimesis and his life's work with Iman and Cyrus on this latest Rational VC podcast. Luke's website: https://lukeburgis.com/ Luke's Twitter: https://twitter.com/lukeburgis Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:37 Intro to Luke 02:58 Working in bars 05:30 Luke's background 09:03 Shark tankification of worth 12:13 Mimetic tips for founders 14:52 Mimesis in venture capital 17:17 Cultivating an interdisciplinary mind 21:02 How to write well 25:40 René Girard intro 27:48 Mimesis 31:04 Finding a spouse 34:33 Idols 38:20 Mediators and comedians 41:10 Rituals 48:56 Anti-mimesis 52:54 Negative mimesis 55:20 Mimesis in PR 57:08 Deep silence 1:00:51 Navigating without GPS 1:04:24 How to reach Luke -- Rational VC provides regular content on technology investing and technology building. We also write long-form memos. You can sign up for these monthly memo newsletters on the website: https://www.rationalvc.com/ We break everything down to first principles, to simplify the complex technology world. We aim to bring you content that is insightful, logical, and rational. We cover tech products and tech companies across the lifecycle, from pre-seed to seed, Series A to D+, to IPOs and beyond. We also cover all investing methods including Angel Investing, Venture Capital, Private Equity, Hedge Funds, Public Markets, etc. For more information on Cyrus, Iman and the channel, check out: https://www.rationalvc.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyrusyari/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/imanolya1/ https://twitter.com/CyrusYari https://twitter.com/iman_olya Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/rational-vc/id1537462327 Your feedback and comments are very welcome. We hope you enjoy listening as we embark on a journey to understand this space; clearly, and rationally, of course. --- Disclaimer: The content and materials provided are solely for informational purposes and do not constitute investment or legal advice. All opinions expressed by hosts and guests are solely their own opinions and do not reflect the opinion of their employer(s). No copyright infringement intended.