From the Arsenal of Democracy to the COVID-19 Vaccine, America’s critical products are made in Michigan. Let’s honor and build on this legacy by making Detroit the home of America’s new manufacturing revolution! Idea: Make Detroit an American mass manufacturing hub to compete with China’s Shenzhen. Why? Create an Arsenal of Progress in Detroit, the original Arsenal of Democracy. Key: Leverage Michigan’sContinue reading “Detroit vs. Shenzhen”
Author Archives: Neil Thanedar
Utopic Flywheel
Edison’s Lab, Disney’s Studio, and Warhol’s Factory are all proof it’s possible. Utopic is my contribution to this field. Utopic Studio is my indie startup studio. Pro Benches is our first product. Utopic Ventures will be my fund to invest in other founders. Utopic News is my newsletter exploring solutions to the World’s Biggest Problems. Utopic Live willContinue reading “Utopic Flywheel”
Y Combinator for Manufacturing
Invest in a new American hub for rapid R&D and manufacturing of critical products. See: Detroit vs. Shenzhen Newark secured a $50M partnership last year to relocate HAX’s US headquarters. Funding: $25M from New Jersey (NJEDA) + $25M from VC firm SOSV. Detroit: Raise $50M+ to build a manufacturing and technology accelerator in the City.Continue reading “Y Combinator for Manufacturing”
Studios vs. Startups
Startup = Growth. No company can grow forever with just one product. The best startups launch, buy, and grow many products. Xerox → PARC Google → X Amazon → Grand Challenge Google → Alphabet Facebook → Meta Keeping their startups in perpetual studio mode is key to staying relevant for another generation. Running an indieContinue reading “Studios vs. Startups”
Founders vs. VCs
If you’re really ambitious in startups, there’s only ever been two paths: founder vs. VC. Founders go deep on one company. VCs get to build a broad portfolio. So they’re incentivized to keep founders locked up in their original startups. They don’t want founders to diversify. VCs want a portfolio for themselves but not forContinue reading “Founders vs. VCs”
Disraeli Drawer
Do you have enemies? You know, those people, who when they cross your mind, set off hours of revenge fantasies? Here’s how I learned a powerful, non-violent way to deal with enemies, thanks to Charlie Munger and Benjamin Disraeli: Everyone has enemies: They say success is the best revenge, but it doesn’t feel that way.Continue reading “Disraeli Drawer”
Decentralized Failsafes
When someone steals your crypto, it’s gone forever. How can we build this feature into decentralized finance (DeFi)? We need a decentralized consensus mechanism to track and reverse theft of digital assets. One Coin = One Vote rules exposes blockchain protocols to the risk of 51% attacks. Example: The Beanstalk protocol was robbed of $182MContinue reading “Decentralized Failsafes”
Mixed Indian Baby Names
Note: I’m Indian-American and have two half-Hmong-American boys, Kai and Ajay, so I’ve spent way too much time thinking about this very niche issue, even making two top-10 lists of all the baby boy names we considered. Hope this helps someone! Easy to pronounce in all languages. Meaningful in a native language. Here are myContinue reading “Mixed Indian Baby Names”
Recreate Ancient Foods
Note: This idea is on my list of solutions to The World’s Biggest Problems. Problem: We have selectively bred or genetically modified most nutrients out of most foods. Solution: Reintroduce the best traits of ancient fruits and vegetables into modern crops. Master Plan: Model: Big Purple Tomato The purple tomato was invented by Professor Cathie MartinContinue reading “Recreate Ancient Foods”
Indie Startups
Now my goal is to 100% own many $1M+ startups. Startups can always raise money later. It’s near impossible to return money raised and get your equity back. In art, music, and gaming, indie means independent from the major producers. Many of these “indie” labels still have distribution deals with the big guys. In startups,Continue reading “Indie Startups”