ELI5 #0: Hey :)
Hi, I’m Anant, an investor at Revolution. I’m another 20-something conjecturing about tech (views are my own!). Hopefully you’ll find it interesting. Maybe you won’t. Thanks for reading either way.
What is this substack?
Since I’ve started in VC, I’ve felt myself oscillate between the two worst types of people: (1) the kind that doesn’t know what they’re talking about but pretends they do, and (2) the kind that doesn’t know what they’re talking about and makes clear that they don’t, but says stuff anyway. I can’t count the number of pitches I’ve been in where I’ve thought, “Wow, I wish I knew X fundamental thing about this market” — just the other day during a credit card pitch when I realized I know nothing about payment rails (the infrastructure used to move funds around!) and interchange (the fees charged on credit cards!). Pretty damning!
In a business where your job is to convince people to take your money, it’s intimidating to ask stupid questions. No founder wants an idiot on their cap table.
So, in the spirit of learning, I’ve been keeping track of the moments I’ve felt I’m most floundering, compiling them into a list, and using that as a guide for things to learn about. Most of these are inspired by a company (or a few) that I’ve talked to. As a generalist, I’ve spent time across industries and suspect I’ll be writing about the flavor du jour — a wide variety of topics from climate risk to AI data licensing. My goal is to write short pieces (I’m a slow writer…) that force me to get smart about a topic and develop a perspective. I’ll probably be wrong often, and would love it if you told me when I am.
I’m calling the series Explain Like I’m 5, a nod to one of my favorite Reddit subs, where people ask their stupidest questions. The truth is that the questions are seldom stupid, and typically the answers are rich in insight. Hopefully I can do that namesake justice.
Does the world need more VC think pieces?
I know, you’re sitting there, rolling your eyes, thinking “the last thing we need is another blog post from another twenty-something that knows nothing about nothing.” You’re probably right. I’ve waffled a lot on whether or not I should do this, whether it would add value to ~the ecosystem~, whether I had anything meaningful enough to say (friends can testify! I’m nothing if not self aware 😉). But I’ve come to the conclusion that that actually doesn’t matter — I’m writing to hold myself accountable to learning, developing an opinion, clarifying my own thinking. Maybe you’ll find it helpful. Maybe you won’t. Thanks for your time either way. ❤️
Ok so when can I read the first post?
It’s up! check out what I’ve written so far here:
How can I subscribe?
Easiest question yet! Just click below