rational vc

On the latest Rational Musings, Iman and Cyrus discuss their favourite principles, spanning investing / business, life and learning. In this Lindy episode, they go deep and share their rational thinking on a list of 116 principles as outlined by Junto Investments.

You can also watch this in video format on our youtube channel to see supporting material: https://youtu.be/CSKMJ_rZpt8 

Material referenced: 

Junto Principles: https://junto.investments/principles/

Odin: https://joinodin.com/

Iman video first principles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPv4DWkamM8&t=1s

Cyrus essay on angel investing: https://www.rationalvc.com/articles/angel

Iman essay on contrarianism: https://www.rationalvc.com/articles/contrarian

Cyrus essay on financial minimalism: https://www.rationalvc.com/articles/minimalism

Nassim Taleb barbell strategy: https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/013114/barbell-investment-strategy.asp

Buffett's bet: https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/030916/buffetts-bet-hedge-funds-year-eight-brka-brkb.asp#:~:text=In%202008%2C%20Warren%20Buffett%20issued,Bloomberg%20op%2Ded%20in%20May.

Naval and Nivi Spearhead: https://podcastnotes.org/spearhead-with-naval-ravikant-and-babak-nivi/spearhead-naval-ravikant-babak-nivi/

Babe Ruth effect VC: https://a16z.com/2015/06/08/performance-data-and-the-babe-ruth-effect-in-venture-capital/

Aaron Clarey Asshole Consulting: https://assholeconsulting.com/

Jamie Dimon China: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/24/business/jamie-dimon-china.html

Nassim Taleb Dimon tweet: https://twitter.com/nntaleb/status/1463863377860743173

Chamath Stanford lecture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWAKL8G1lkg

Cal Newport boredom article: https://www.calnewport.com/blog/2009/02/04/have-we-lost-our-tolerance-for-a-little-boredom/

Ray Dalio principles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9XGUpQZY38

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Rational VC provides regular content on technology investing and technology building. We also write long-form memos on all things tech investing and building. 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, SPACs 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.

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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.

Cyrus and Iman discuss their thoughts on authenticity in life, tech, and VC. They also discuss having purpose and performing deep work, whether elite university degrees are becoming a bad investment, applying the Wall Street DNA to Venture, and how Twitter activity influences VC funding outcomes.

You can also watch this in video format on our youtube channel to see supporting material: https://youtu.be/2O7Ugp_kmDQ 

Materials referenced:

James Lo post on authenticity: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/yfjame...

Rob Henderson on university degrees: https://twitter.com/robkhenderson/sta...

Sar Haribhakti on Tiger Global applying Wall Street DNA: https://twitter.com/sarthakgh/status/...

Ethan Mollick on Twitter influencing funding: https://twitter.com/emollick/status/1...

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Rational VC provides regular content on technology investing and technology building. We also write long-form memos on all things tech investing and building. 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, SPACs 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.

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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.

Samir Kaji is a seasoned Venture Capital banker and now the founder of Allocate - a company disrupting the VC market. Allocate make it easy for investors to access top-tier private alternatives within the technology sector. Samir explains how his idea to build the Allocate platform emerged from his 20+ years of experience working alongside the biggest and best VCs in Silicon Valley. The guys also discuss how tech and tech investing has changed, and what the future for venture capital and angel investing looks like.

www.allocate.co

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Rational VC provides regular content on technology investing and technology building. We also write long-form memos on all things tech investing and building. 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, SPACs 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.

Cyrus and Iman discuss contrasting management methods in tech, hiring struggles in the marketplace, mimetic desire, environmental factors affecting investor decisions, the Matthew effect in relation to VC performance, and the generational shift within VC.

You can also watch this in video format on our youtube channel to see supporting material: https://youtu.be/Kqf_9v5pGDM 

Materials referenced:

AGM on Apple vs Coinbase: https://twitter.com/DavidSacks/status/1443846265582735362?s=20 

Fred Destin on Europe Hiring: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/freddestin_talent-wars-in-london-seem-absolutely-brutal-activity-6842174071707324416-MLX8 

Nothing is normal anymore: https://twitter.com/fintechjunkie/status/1445377537593516035?s=20 

Investor moods being affected by the weather: https://twitter.com/emollick/status/1439757466439503875?s=20 

Power laws and path dependence: https://twitter.com/trengriffin/status/1438875618930683904?s=20 

The great generational shift within VC: https://fortune.com/2021/09/24/the-great-generational-shift-within-venture-capital/  https://twitter.com/ShaanVP/status/1443002382053380098?s=20 
https://bijansabet.com/2021/09/23/stepping-back-at-spark-capital/ 

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Rational VC provides regular content on technology investing and technology building. We also write long-form memos on all things tech investing and building. 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, SPACs 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.

Iman and Cyrus discuss Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and Sequoia. They touch on a16z's approach to becoming a venture corporation and Sequoia's leader Doug Leone. The guys also deep dive on the future of expertise, and also on things to consider when becoming a content creator.

You can also watch this in video format on our youtube channel to see supporting material: https://youtu.be/IsKO_byvgfs 


Materials referenced:

SigmaOS: https://sigmaos.com/

SigmaOS Product Hunt: https://www.producthunt.com/posts/sig...

a16z strategy article: https://www-drorpoleg-com.cdn.ampproj...

Marc Andreessen Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3pX1...

Tech Markets are Irrational: https://www.rationalvc.com/articles/i...

Doug Leone podcast: https://www.thetwentyminutevc.com/dou...

Doug Leone Stanford: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cl8X...

a16z Future of Expertise: https://future.a16z.com/question/futu...

Sam Parr Tweet: https://twitter.com/theSamParr/status...

--

Rational VC provides regular content on technology investing and technology building. We also write long-form memos on all things tech investing and building. 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, SPACs 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.

Iman and Cyrus discuss angel investing in detail through the lens of a recent investment they are analysing. They touch on the importance of non-technical due diligence and what to emulate from the best angels.

You can also watch this in video format on our youtube channel to see supporting material: https://youtu.be/A7Oki1hxlm8

Materials referenced:

Immad Akhund tweet: https://twitter.com/immad/status/1431657671266955264?s=21

Kauffman angel paper: https://www.angelcapitalassociation.org/data/Documents/Resources/AngelGroupResarch/1d%20-%20Resources%20-%20Research/ACEF%20Angel%20Performance%20Project%2004.28.09.pdf

Ethan Mollick tweet: https://twitter.com/emollick/status/1431693995307044866?s=21

Will Bruey podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yetedIdtx4w

Cyrus article: https://www.rationalvc.com/articles/irrational

Portfolio allocation video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wgs3H52NDjA&t=10s

Rolling fund video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY2dq86X5Qg

Investment inertia article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-lazy-investors-guide-to-getting-stuff-done-11630076464?mod=djintinvestor_t

--

Rational VC provides regular content on technology investing and technology building. We also write long-form memos on all things tech investing and building. 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, SPACs 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.

Cyrus and Iman discuss the huge advancements in AI by Tesla, showcased in their AI day. They also talk hacker homes and why they're getting funding, Jeff Bezos suing NASA, the damning IPCC report on climate change, and OnlyFans dropping explicit content from its platform.

You can also watch this in video format on our youtube channel to see supporting material: https://youtu.be/0FOjjeKXsb4 

Materials referenced:

Hacker homes article: https://techcrunch.com/2021/08/19/lau...

Manidis tweet: https://twitter.com/WillManidis/statu...

Joshua Fluke YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-91...

Tesla AI day highlights: https://techcrunch.com/2021/08/19/top...

Tesla Humanoid bot technicals: https://twitter.com/monicalatvenas/st...

Tim Urban thread: https://twitter.com/waitbutwhy/status...

Bezos report: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-5...

IPCC report: https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/

IPCC report takeaways: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articl...

Carbn: https://www.carbn.com/

Climate impact of meat: https://interactive.carbonbrief.org/w...

OnlyFans tweet: https://twitter.com/ConceptualJames/s...

OnlyFans financials: https://www.axios.com/onlyfans-invest...

--

Rational VC provides regular content on technology investing and technology building. We also write long-form memos on all things tech investing and building. 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, SPACs 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.

Will Bruey is CEO & Co-Founder of Varda Space Industries. Varda is pioneering space manufacturing by building the first space factory to launch and return space-made products for terrestrial applications. Varda was incubated in Founders Fund, and has since gone on to raise* over $50MM from investors such as Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital, General Catalyst, Caffeinated Capital, Naval Ravikant, and others.

* This episode was recorded days before the Series A announcement!

www.varda.com 

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Rational VC provides regular content on technology investing and technology building. We also write long-form memos on all things tech investing and building. 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, SPACs 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.

Cyrus and Iman discuss whether diversification makes sense through the lens of Apple vs. all the world's unicorns, how fundraising is growing in VC, and the Bezos vs. Branson space race. They also discuss why right now is the best time ever to build a startup or be a Venture Capitalist.

You can also watch this in video format on our youtube channel to see supporting material: https://youtu.be/ALdQ_dbYhN8 

Materials referenced:

Apple vs Unicorns: https://www.notboring.co/p/introducin...

Michael Batnick post: https://theirrelevantinvestor.com/202...

Tech Crunch emerging managers: https://techcrunch.com/2021/07/16/tra...

Nasir Qadree: https://techcrunch.com/2021/07/12/nas...

Jake Paul fund: https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/29/jak...

FT article on Branson & Bezos: https://amp-ft-com.cdn.ampproject.org...

Chamath space tweet thread: https://twitter.com/chamath/status/14...

Gymshark Ben Francis: https://www.ft.com/content/3dee6da5-f...

Simon Sarris Substack: https://simonsarris.substack.com/p/st...

Marc Andreessen It's Time to Build: https://a16z.com/2020/04/18/its-time-...

Paul Graham Fierce Nerds: http://paulgraham.com/fn.html

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Rational VC provides regular content on technology investing and technology building. We also write long-form memos on all things tech investing and building. 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, SPACs 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.

Cyrus and Iman discuss the 'deep sickness' in the UK (vs. US) capital markets according to James Anderson, the rapid growth of startup entrepreneurship during covid, woke culture in big tech, Microsoft making new moves to compete with Apple, and what makes Nvidia a great investment.

You can also watch this in video format on our youtube channel to see supporting material: https://youtu.be/lKxzUl_pFbo 

Materials referenced:

Deep sickness in UK markets: https://www.ft.com/content/81d47276-cf69-40ec-ad52-2f9e0df04ee3 

Covid's growth of entrepreneurs in the US: https://www.forbes.com/sites/maneetahuja/2021/06/17/covids-entrepreneur-explosion/?sh=29aab8ab4de7 

Antonio Garcia Martinez: https://www.thepullrequest.com/p/bad-apple 

Matt Taibbi: https://taibbi.substack.com/p/on-the-hypocrites-at-apple-who-canceled 

Apple Microsoft war: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-microsoft-apple-tech-war-reignites-for-a-new-era-11624786202 

Nvidia: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/michaeljacksonvc_nvidias-40-billion-takeover-of-arm-faces-activity-6810674749828673536-KTp5 

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Rational VC provides regular content on technology investing and technology building. We also write long-form memos on all things tech investing and building. 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, SPACs 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.