On today’s Tank Talk! We welcome our guest Ade Ajao, Managing Partner @ Base10 Partners to discuss Investing in Automation & AI tools for the real economy.

Before starting Base10, Ade is best known for being the Co-Founder and CEO of the startup Tuenti, also known as the ‘Spanish Facebook” which he stared back in 2005 in college with some friends. The company eventually went on to be acquired by Telefonica for $100mm 5 years later.

In his next act, Ade moved on to Co-Found Identified, a data and analytics company which started his obsession with machine learning and AI solutions. After 3 years of building Identified, the company was acquired by Workday. Ade joined Workday and helped launch workday ventures, the first Applied AI-focused fund. That is where Ade met his current Base10 partner TJ and after two years at Workday, TJ and Ade left to launch Base 10 Partners with over $400mm in assets across two funds.

Today you will get to hear how Ade thinks about investing in Automation and AI Startups for the Real Economy and how his investments in Docsend, DollarShave Club, and Instacart among countless others as an angel investor started his passion for investing.

Ade’s Book Recommendations:

What is Life? - Schrodinger

The Ethics - Baruch Spinoza

The Power Broker - Robert A. Caro

Ade’s words of inspiration - “Anything is possible but not everything is possible. That is the definition of focus.”

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com