Andrew Wilkinson tweeted something last week that every founder already knows: give an advisor free equity and they'll say “thanks for the free shares” then mostly ghost you. Maybe they'll respond to an email once in a while. Maybe. I've seen this play out dozens of times. You meet someone impressive, they seem genuinely excited about your startup, you riff over 2-3 meetings, and their value-add…

Two years ago, as the dust of NFT hype was settling, we shipped Highlight: the first open-to-all generative platform on Ethereum. Robust, self-sovereign, and focused on helping anyone, anywhere realize their creative value.  While markets fluctuate, creativity doesn’t, so we launched for the constant, not the cycle. What inspired us most was the independent, permissionless ethos behind CryptoPunks…

I’ve been building Highlight since late 2021. Here’s the advice I share with crypto founders just entering the space. Some of this is unique to crypto and some is good general startup advice that is especially true in crypto. On Building The speculative casino side of crypto isn’t everything, but it's still the core paradigm for the current global user base. Interpret all the new “metas”—hype…

This is a list of underrated and overlooked places to visit — a travel aficionado’s bucket list. US & Canada Auburn, AL Nelson, BC Squamish, BC  Tofino, BC Victoria, BC Half Moon Bay, CA Big Sur, CA Encinitas, CA Calistoga, CA Mammoth Lakes, CA South Pasadena, CA Carmel, CA Salida, CO Crested Butte, CO Telluride, CO Ouray, CO Pāʻia, HI  Stanley, ID Noblesville, IN Portland, ME Traverse City, MI…

I was fortunate to work at DoorDash between 2019-2021. This experience taught me more in 18 months than in any other period in my career.  There were a few features of my experience that increased the rate of learning significantly.  First, we were undertaking post-merger integration, a process that frequently reveals the inner workings of a company.  Second, we were delivering food during the…

I was lucky enough to work at Square between 2015-2019, before the company was public and way before success was assured.  Jack is one of the most enigmatic business leaders alive and his superpowers aren’t well understood. Most of the time, they get boiled down into “product sense,” which means he has proven incredibly prescient about the specific types of products that will translate into huge…