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”
Author Archives: Neil Thanedar
Utopic Studio
Indie = 100% Ownership I’m prioritizing independence in this phase of my career. Individual startups in my portfolio can and will raise outside capital when they’re ready to be independent. But Utopic LLC, the original parent company, will always stay 100% mine. Startup = Anything I Want to Create Any funding: Bootstrapped → VC/PE AnyContinue reading “Utopic Studio”
Open Metaverse
There were only 130 websites in the world in June 1993. AOL reached 1+ million users in 1995 and 5+ million users in 1996. The whole internet only had 16 million users in 1995 and 36 million users in 1996. The creation layer is now decentralized. There are now over 1.9 billion websites in theContinue reading “Open Metaverse”
Micro M&A
Example: On midnight January 1, 2022, I officially closed on my first acquisition, a product line of technical workbenches called Electra-tec. I am now relaunching it as Pro Benches. I first found this product on BizBuySell in early September. Four months and five site visits later, Pro Benches is my business. Politicians left and rightContinue reading “Micro M&A”
Utopiaforming
Is this our fate? Is the future destined to be hell on earth? Does every version of our future include neon Coca-Cola billboards and authoritarian robot overlords? Or are we just projecting the unhappiness of our present lives into our wildest nightmares? And who creates the future first? Science fiction writers. So when our mostContinue reading “Utopiaforming”
Best Quotes from Tom Brady’s “Man in the Arena” Documentary
Notes: This ESPN+ series is a largely autobiographical retelling of Tom Brady’s career from the University of Michigan to seven Super Bowl championships. This documentary’s title borrows from Theodore Roosevelt’s 1910 speech “Citizenship in a Republic“, which includes the famous “Man in the Arena” quote: “It is not the critic who counts…” Watch: Trailer, VideoContinue reading “Best Quotes from Tom Brady’s “Man in the Arena” Documentary”
Centralization vs. Decentralization
“There are only two ways I know of to make money: bundling and unbundling.” – Jim Barksdale Bitcoin decentralizes control but consolidates wealth. If cryptocurrencies become just another way for rich people to hoard money and evade taxes, then it won’t really change the world. Cryptocountries are the future of the Decentralized Left. These nationsContinue reading “Centralization vs. Decentralization”
Fractionalization
Problem: High transaction costs limit public access into finance, real estate, etc. Solution: Fractionalize complex assets using smart contracts and digital mirrors. How many lawyers can we replace with smart contracts? How much of finance is just entities securing each others’ assets? VCs (1-10+ wires) → Angels (10-100+ checks) → Crowdfunding (100-1K+ credit cards) →Continue reading “Fractionalization”
Politics is the Biggest Game
What would you cut here? Take it from noted cynic Plato: “The chief penalty is to be governed by someone worse if a man will not himself hold office and rule. It is from fear of this, as it appears to me, that the better sort hold office when they do, and then they goContinue reading “Politics is the Biggest Game”
Cryptocountries
This post builds on Balaji Srinivasan’s How to Start a New Country essay. Here is my breakdown of the path to cryptocountries: Before Internet Cloud Communities Startup Cities Network Unions Cloud Countries Network States Crypto Countries Community(Polis) C D D D D D D Vocation C C D D D D D Money C CContinue reading “Cryptocountries”