To the casual consumer, the Blues might seem unsophisticated, and maybe bygone. At a concert or on an album, most songs will follow the I IV V progression, and without too much perceived variation. Now, I am a fairly sophisticated consumer of music and I know that to not be the case. However, my recent … Continue reading I Visited the Home of the Blues…

2021 was a special year. I spent more time than ever before with mentors, receiving support and advice for my new venture. I picked five lessons for which I am actively seeking opportunities for practice and growth in 2022. Practical advice for cutting negative cycles: In conversation, pay attention to the parts of you that … Continue reading My Key Takeaways from 2021.

A few weeks ago, I completed a first close for Fairbridge Park, a new fund that I started in June last year. I prepared for the process by speaking with my former employers, other fund managers, and reading / listening to the stories of other founders. I found one-on-one meetings to be candid and insightful … Continue reading Lessons learned from starting a new business…

I picked up running for all the wrong reasons. My boss and his wife ran the New York marathon to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. I figured if they could do it then it would be a breeze for a young man like me. I hastily declared at out office Christmas party that I was … Continue reading Running saved my life…

In the days following George Floyd's death and the subsequent protests, a lot of my friends have reached out to me – each in their own unique style – to check on how I feel about the situation, to extend solidarity, and to express that they understand that racism is morally wrong. These gestures have … Continue reading Building Alliances – Reflections on recent events following George Floyd…

At the end of 2015, I randomly came across a PBS special that was debating the value of the growing number of entrepreneurship-based learning programs at Liberal Arts Colleges. I learned about the MiddCore program at Middlebury College from this special. MiddCore is a mentor-driven, experiential learning program where students build solutions to real life … Continue reading Entrepreneurship is when Liberal Arts hit the pavement

Many years ago on rainy night in East Village I decided to flag an empty cab that was passing by. As soon as the driver spotted me, he quickly switched off the “available” light. He stopped a few meters down the road and picked up a group of four white guys who were quite drunk … Continue reading Uber was my idea…

Yesterday, Pitchbook published a series of charts summarizing the state of private equity in the US. The basic message was how cutthroat the industry is becoming. The key points I picked up from the article are summarized in my somewhat gloomy tweet below: I haven’t delved into the full report, but I’d be interested to … Continue reading Growth equity – The base case doesn’t cut it anymore

Private equity is an apprenticeship. As a young practitioner at a start-up, I spend a decent amount of time picking the brains of the many grey-haired executives that have made their mark in the industry. I try to ask variations of the same questions to each investor so I can tally their responses. Below is … Continue reading Carpentry, Masonry, and… Private Equity

I intended to share this post closer to the beginning of the year. I wasn’t able to because my post marathon recovery and subsequent planning for 2017 took much longer than expected. However, better late than never. In 2007, I adopted a framework to reflect on the previous year and to (sort of) assess the … Continue reading Reflecting on 2016 – Gifts, lessons and opportunities