hello 🌊,
a full season wrapping up tks activate felt like playoffs paired with a bitter sweet good bye as i get ready to say hello to what’s next professionally.
in this newsletter, there’s
4 second spotlight: tks activate demo day
3 quick updates from me: tks, new website, life moments
2 ideas from the web: on being ambitious
1 photo to enjoy: twin dinner after built with bio conference
enjoy!
4 second spotlight: tks activate demo day
we ended this year’s tks activate program strong with some of the top-rated sessions as well as some ambitious projects during demo day.
some highlight project pitches:
zayn is developing a scalable augmented reality education platform for 5-10 year olds who are illiterate.
ashley is building a low cost vitamin B12 micro-fluidic biosensor for global development to end deficiencies
aryan is testing no code smart contract investment infrastructure in web3 space.
🎊 one way to celebrate the ending was a collaborative community based shout-out thread on linkedin and twitter.
3 quick updates from me: tks, new website, life
1️⃣ tks activate highlights
14 earthshot projects presented at the final showcase with investors and social impact founders for feedback. check out more on earthshots →
we had 50+ investors, founders, and mentors join for our final virtual demo day. it was one of the best virtual experiences I’ve been in as we focused on onboarding everyone and engagement between guests and students. check out full project list →
bittersweet goodbye. this is my final program year as a tks director. prepping to jump into practice, a founder coaching startup with satya, in july. it was a hard decision, and took my time to make sure I was doing what made sense for me. if you’re curious, then read more on the transition →
2️⃣ new personal coaching portfolio website up
using typedream (it’s awesome for no code websites!), i combined a ceo memo style with design case studies to launch a new personal website. explore new website →
3️⃣ two great trips to nature in northern california
first, i visited on a long weekend trip in april with nicole and second, a personal meditation retreat with my martial arts coach. in moments of reflection and transition, i appreciate being in nature in northern california. photo →
2 ideas from the web: on being ambitious
i.
vc firm founders fund on vision + big bets in technology:
although success now makes these investments seem blandly sensible, even obvious, the industries and companies backed by venture were actually extraordinarily ambitious for their eras….we believe that the shift away from backing transformational technologies and toward more cynical, incrementalist investments broke venture capital.
source: what happened to the future?
ii.
general partner at a16z kathyrn boyle on commitment to building:
we don't need aging institutions to pave the way for 21st-century dynamism. what we need is will. and audacity….
there’s a common question in silicon valley about what makes an extraordinary entrepreneur….perseverance. git. overcoming adversity. hustle. innate genius. a good childhood. a bad childhood. luck.
but the trait that is most meaningful is the hardest to describe. it is the fire in the eyes, the ferocity of speech and action that is the physical manifestation of seriousness.
source: the case for american seriousness.
h/t zayn for both reccomendations in pairing.
1 photo to enjoy: twin dinner after built with bio
after the built with bio conference and meeting eric schmidt (former ceo of google), it was great to host current and past tks activates. nicole and i were in the hot seat ama style. more on conference experience itself in sofi’s reflection blog →
t/y seth and the race against the clock team for making the sponsored tickets possible.
what’s next for me
finishing up 30 days unplugged to come back ready to kick into co-founder gear. visiting jeff in ohio, train cross country to slow down, a meditation retreat and trip to hawaii.
summer focused on building great co-founder relationship with satya, intentional team culture, and hitting core kpis for building. already got a sneak peak helping launch pilot for a growth stage fund last week and cannot wait for next chapter.
experimenting with community-based newsletter in tks. there is so much im going to miss and curious if a distributed newsletter will help with quick updates that feel like tableside bump ins.
thank you to everyone who has helped support me and made tks an amazing journey the last few years. i cannot wait to see what the community does next and am personally excited for my next steps.
forward onwards,
michael
✌️
ps. if you made it this far, here’s one of my favorite recipes: butternut garlic vegan mac and cheese. more risotto like, and also a lighter take on a homestyle classic.