Colossus

“If you dream of living in a small town surrounded by creative, high-agency people, we’re building this for you,” Devon Zuegel told us. The former software engineer is building Esmeralda, a Tuscan-style town 90 minutes from SF that will look and feel unlike most places built in the US over the past century. https://lnkd.in/eFM97E_n

Issue 03 is here. Stories about Ramtin Naimi, Kevin Kelly, Anduril, AI in private markets, and the drugs powering Silicon Valley. Plus content that will never be turned into pixels. Designed to be savored, not scrolled. Subscribe below to get your copy.

Ramtin Naimi started a successful hedge fund at 19, went bankrupt at 24, and then built a $1.8 billion venture firm backed by investing icons like Stanley Druckenmiller, Marc Andreessen, and Bill Ackman. Michael Ovitz calls him his “non-biological son.” Founders say he’s “the most important person you’ll meet.” Silicon Valley has begun to whisper about him as the man with “the hot hand.” For the first time ever, we’re excited to share the remarkable story of a 34-year-old whose CV reads like no other investor’s in Silicon Valley. Ramtin N. does not have a college degree, his Iranian immigrant parents had little money, he founded a failed startup that led to bankruptcy, and the only normal job he’s ever had was working weekends at West Elm, the furniture store. What Naimi does possess, however, is supernatural hustle, pattern recognition, and a chip on his shoulder more valuable than any MBA. He made $500,000 as an 18-year-old trading options through the global financial crisis, his first-ever venture investment is now valued at $11 billion, and two years after going bankrupt, a list of finance titans bought 20% of his nascent venture firm, Abstract, for $10 million in upfront cash. Today, Abstract manages $1.8 billion and has a simple value proposition: It is the best firm in the world at getting founders from seed to Series A. Stories from George Sivulka, Shreya M., and krea.ai's Victor Perez all testify to Naimi’s special talent at orchestrating fundraising rounds, luring legendary investors out of their offices and homes to meet his founders at unusual times. Even his peers talk about it in tones of admiration. Andreessen Horowitz's Anish Acharya said, “Ramtin’s got a knack for being around all the most important deals. Whenever he says something is important, we take it incredibly seriously.” Read the full, improbable story of Ramtin Naimi’s journey from insolvency to influence in Dominic Cooke’s profile: https://lnkd.in/eSj-sdea It is complete with detail on how he became best friends with Michael Ovitz and Kevin Hartz, how he lives in his dream home that he first saw at 18, but most of all, how he built what David O. Sacks called, “an elite early-stage firm.”

White Collar PEDs Are productivity drugs worth the trade-offs? Find out as reporter @hpmcd1 test-drives Wall Street and Silicon Valley’s favorite “prodrugs,” trying everything from Vyvanse to Zyn to Huberman-style “nootropic” optimization. https://lnkd.in/epBPqWmH

Larry Mendelson and his two sons, Eric and Victor, took over HEICO in 1990. If you invested $10,000 at that time, you'd have over $6,500,000 today. A key operating principle has been "push trust down the organization and treat employees as owners". Rather than just say it, they’ve done it. Their 401(k) plan gifts up to 5% of an employee’s salary in HEICO stock. That has made over 400 millionaires among their staff, including factory workers and secretaries. As Larry once said, “I get paid $1 million a year in salary, but if the stock goes up $1, my family makes $7 million. If it goes up $10, we make $70 million. Which do you think I care about more, my salary or the stock?” The same has been true for his employees, and the results speak for themselves.

20 surprising facts about Red Bull’s billionaire founder, Dietrich Mateschitz. From Founders Podcast's excellent episode on him.

Flounder Mode Brie Wolfson spends the day with Kevin Kelly in his Pacifica studio and reflects on what “great work” looks like Only in Colossus Review

The Amusement Park for Engineers An exclusive peek behind the curtain of Anduril's product engineering machine Featuring first-ever photos from inside Anduril Industries's R&D facilities. By former SVP of Engineering and Physical Intelligence co-founder Adnan Esmail Only in Colossus Review

What’s overlooked? What’s overhyped? Tell us what you’d change.

At 13, Ronnie Fieg was selling Timberlands to Jay-Z on 8th Street in NYC. After 15 years working every job at David Z, he launched his own brand: Kith. Now he’s designing for the Knicks and selling $130K BMWs. This is what 'life’s work' looks like: