Investing @gcvp. Writing on Substack. Technology. American Dynamism.
What You Do Is Who You Are is the book that makes sense of all of it. Those late-night phone calls, the introductory emails, the thousands of meetings that make up the hours, days, and years. And what I appreciate about this book is how it illuminates something uniquely important for venture capital firms: when everyone is seemingly selling a commodity, differentiation on culture is truly all that matters on the vast time scale discussed in But What If We’re Wrong?
Zero to One is the canonical example of venture capital as philosophy. It explains how having a deterministic view of the future which every exceptional founder you work with will have is ultimately the key to pursuing venture as a calling rather than a career. I recommend starting with this book as an introduction to technology’s purpose and what’s at stake when you show up to every meeting.
I went home with a copy of “Venture Deals.” Written for founders and investors alike, it is the quickest way to immerse oneself in the glossary of venture capital, which one should familiarize oneself with to avoid the many embarrassing mistakes I made in the early years of my career.
Ready Player One is a close simulation of an associate’s role at a venture firm. You will begin your quest alone, discounted and playing against well-resourced and smarter people. You will have allies, but you will not know who they are and they will shift with each play. Seemingly useless knowledge will become important, but you won’t know what useless knowledge is important until later in the game. As you level up, the challenges will become harder and you’ll have to continue mastering the skills of the previous levels while learning new ones. You will have to alter your game play routinely as others emulate your strategy.
All the companies built. It’s too late to build new things. But What If You’re Wrong? is a reminder that we are so early, and that healthy skepticism of the dominant narrative is not only rational, it is one hundred percent guaranteed to be correct in the future. The book—which I truly cannot do justice illustrates how wrong we are about most cultural and scientific beliefs throughout history.
