Investing 101

Investing 101 explores the intricacies and theories behind investing, particularly focusing on the tech sector, venture capital, and the personal development necessary for thoughtful investment strategies. It critically examines industry trends, personal habit formation, the role of misinformation, and the evolution of learning and investment strategies.

Investment Strategies Technology Sector Venture Capital Dynamics Personal Development and Habits Misinformation and Critical Thinking The Role of Books in Learning Industry Trends Startup Professionalization Writing and Thinking Clearly

The hottest Substack posts of Investing 101

And their main takeaways

Building Mighty Small Businesses

110 implied HN points • 15 Feb 25
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Venture Capital Small business Startups Economic Trends
  1. The American Dream means having the freedom to live as you wish, owning a home, getting an education, and starting a business. Many people still seek these goals, especially the chance to run their own business.
  2. Venture capital often pushes founders to aim for very large, unrealistic goals, which can lead to many startups failing. Most entrepreneurs should focus on building small, sustainable businesses instead.
  3. It's easier to start a small business today than ever before due to new tools and platforms. Don't feel pressured to chase after massive funding; instead, choose a path that fits your goals and lifestyle.

The Four Pillars of Venture Investing

184 implied HN points • 01 Feb 25
💼 Business Venture Capital Investing Finance Entrepreneurship Startups
  1. Finding good investment opportunities is all about connecting with the right people and being aware of what’s happening in the market. Investors need to actively search and know their environment well.
  2. Picking the right companies is crucial, and it requires careful evaluation beyond just being excited about a hot trend. It's important to analyze the quality of the business and its team.
  3. Supporting the companies after investing is where the real partnership happens. Investors should provide helpful guidance without getting in the way of founders' decisions.

Venture Capital Unbundled

235 implied HN points • 18 Jan 25
💰 Finance Venture Capital Investment Strategies Market Trends Business Models Economic Analysis
  1. Venture capital is shifting away from big brands and focusing more on individual investors. People want to work with specific individuals who they feel are genuine and relatable.
  2. Many investors are moving around to find better opportunities or roles, but this trend is also about the changing business model in venture capital. Investors are looking for ways to adapt and thrive in a new landscape.
  3. The term 'venture capital' is becoming less useful as it tries to cover many different investment strategies. There is a need for diverse approaches and voices in building startups, which is exciting and refreshing.

The Future of Investing 101

87 implied HN points • 04 Jan 25
💼 Business Investing Venture Capital Market Trends Business Models Entrepreneurship
  1. Writing helps clarify thoughts and ideas. It's surprising how much understanding comes from putting words on the page.
  2. Conversations with others can spark valuable insights. Talking about ideas can lead to new perspectives that writing alone might miss.
  3. Improving writing involves more than just writing. It includes reading, watching content, and engaging in dialogue to enhance learning and thinking.

2024 in Books

73 implied HN points • 21 Dec 24
📚 Literature Reading habits Book recommendations Personal Growth Parenting Cultural analysis
  1. Carrying a book everywhere helps make reading a habit. Whenever there’s free time, it’s a great chance to dive into a book instead of scrolling on your phone.
  2. Setting up routines can create more opportunities to read, like listening to audiobooks during travel or combining family time with reading. It’s all about finding that balance.
  3. Reading not only helps with personal growth but also influences your kids. The more you read, the more you can inspire them to value books and learning too.
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The Unholy Trinity of Venture Capital

161 implied HN points • 16 Nov 24
💼 Business Investing Venture Capital Finance Economics Entrepreneurship
  1. Venture capital is changing a lot because of three main players: agglomerators, allocators, and absorbers. These groups shape what venture capital looks like today.
  2. Agglomerators raise huge amounts of money and focus on making profits from fees. They often manage many investments at once and aim to control more resources.
  3. Large funds often attract institutional investors looking for steady returns, but this can lead to competition for fewer investment opportunities, making it tough for smaller funds to succeed.

The Levers of Innovation

124 implied HN points • 23 Nov 24
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Innovation Venture Capital Startups Market Trends
  1. There's a shortage of exceptional founders in the startup world, which affects the number and quality of new companies. We need to support more people in becoming great founders.
  2. Access to capital isn't the real issue; it's about how well that capital is distributed to potential founders. Many great ideas and markets exist, but they need the right people to bring them to life.
  3. Creating a culture that accepts struggle and encourages innovation can help develop more exceptional founders. We need to be open to new ideas and support each other in taking risks.

Who Is My Neighbor?

69 implied HN points • 01 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Homelessness Local government Social Issues Faith
  1. People in some cities are against helping the homeless, especially when it comes to providing shelters during freezing temperatures. This fear and backlash show a real struggle between compassion and community concerns.
  2. It's important to remember that helping others, like the homeless, is a matter of humanity and kindness, not politics or religion. Loving your neighbor is crucial, regardless of beliefs.
  3. We should focus on doing good and helping others instead of just worrying about our safety or property values. Supporting organizations that help the homeless is one way to make a positive impact.

What Wicked Taught Me About B2B Sales

41 implied HN points • 07 Dec 24
🎭️ Culture Storytelling Literature Entertainment Performance
  1. Storytelling can be really fun when we ask 'What if?' and explore different perspectives. This can give new life to old stories.
  2. Revisionist history helps us uncover deeper meanings in characters and events. It allows us to see things from different angles and appreciate complexity.
  3. Understanding different perspectives is key in business storytelling. It helps connect with your audience and shape how they see your brand or idea.

The Superhero Theory of Defense

32 implied HN points • 14 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics War Politics Geopolitics Military Strategy Foreign Policy National Security
  1. Strong powers attract challenges, leading to conflicts. This idea is similar to how superheroes create villains by existing.
  2. Not all conflicts are caused by mistakes. Some threats may exist regardless of actions taken, and understanding these threats is vital.
  3. Infrastructure like diplomacy can handle some conflicts, but current global tensions may require a stronger response or action to protect values and interests.

Embrace The Nuance

64 implied HN points • 09 Nov 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Political Debate Election Dynamics Public Opinion Political Ideologies
  1. People often struggle to find a middle ground in discussions, especially around controversial topics like politics. It’s important to be open to nuanced ideas rather than sticking to extreme views.
  2. In politics, many people feel pressured to choose sides, but embracing contradictions can lead to a deeper understanding. Having nuanced beliefs allows for more personal growth and connection to issues.
  3. With the fast spread of information today, understanding the complexities behind issues is more challenging. It’s essential to ask good questions and seek a thorough understanding to navigate through the noise.

Performative Failure

69 implied HN points • 03 Nov 24
💼 Business Venture Capital Entrepreneurship Investment Strategies Risk management
  1. Performative failure, where people act as if they are failing for show, can prevent real learning and growth. It's better to genuinely take risks and embrace true failure.
  2. Shame often stops people from trying because they confuse their self-worth with their success or failure. It’s important to separate who you are from what you achieve.
  3. Choosing the right challenges to pursue is key. Aiming for meaningful goals makes any failures valuable and worthwhile, as they contribute to growth and character.

Different Strokes For Different Folks

69 implied HN points • 26 Oct 24
💼 Business Investment Venture Capital Strategy Startups Fundraising
  1. Different venture funds have unique strategies. Some focus on raising large amounts of capital for many investments, while others prefer to make fewer, more targeted investments.
  2. Success in venture capital isn't guaranteed, no matter how fancy the fund. It's crucial for firms to find their own style and approach to increase the chances of success for their startups.
  3. Having a clear focus can be a big advantage. Smaller funds can compete effectively by honing in on specific areas and being selective about their investments.

My Cup Runneth Over

46 implied HN points • 19 Oct 24
📖 Philosophy Beliefs Wisdom Learning Knowledge Decision-making
  1. It's really important to figure out what you believe and why you believe it. By understanding your beliefs, you can make better decisions in life.
  2. Learning isn't just good for personal growth; it's also important for keeping a free society. When people are informed, they can make better choices as citizens.
  3. When exploring ideas, try to do so based on your own research instead of just following popular trends. This way, you can discover unique insights that others might overlook.

Having a Conversation With Yourself: 2024

9 implied HN points • 28 Dec 24
💼 Business Investing Venture Capital Entrepreneurship Market Trends Business strategy
  1. Storytelling is a powerful tool that shapes how we see reality. The stories we tell ourselves and others influence our beliefs and actions.
  2. It's important to think long-term in both investments and personal goals. Planning for decades can help you make better choices today.
  3. Ambition is a valuable trait and can coexist with care for family and personal well-being. It's essential to recognize that supporting your ambitions doesn’t take away from others' opportunities.

The Age of Incumbents

133 implied HN points • 02 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Data AI Market Competition Software
  1. Technology as an asset class is relatively new in the stock market, with tech companies now dominating market capitalization.
  2. The age of dynamic dinosaurs is here, with established tech companies evolving and becoming more challenging to displace.
  3. Big markets attract big attention, but distribution is key for success in tech, as seen with companies like Microsoft leveraging built-in distribution for products like Teams.

Intellectual Seat Belts

110 implied HN points • 09 Mar 24
💼 Business Investing Company Building Beliefs Ideas Risk Assessment
  1. People often use in-group thinking as an 'intellectual seat belt' to feel safe and avoid critically evaluating their beliefs.
  2. Being open to being wrong promotes the pursuit of truth, as it challenges existing beliefs and pressures ideas for improvement.
  3. Questioning mainstream beliefs and pursuing wrongness can reveal potential weaknesses, leading to a deeper understanding and pursuit of truth.

Books 2.0

129 implied HN points • 27 Jan 24
🚌 Education Learning Strategies Metacognition
  1. Books remain popular for information transfer despite being one of the least effective ways.
  2. Books are considered ineffective for conveying knowledge due to a lack of explicit theory on how people learn.
  3. Developing a personalized 'Books 2.0' approach involves focusing on building connections between atomic thoughts, understanding cognitive models, and exploring science fiction as a road map for the future of information sharing.

The Trough of Feedback

106 implied HN points • 17 Feb 24
💼 Business Investing Venture Capital Feedback Startups Relationships
  1. Understanding the dynamics of healthy relationships is crucial in the world of tech and startups, especially regarding venture capitalists.
  2. Venture capitalists often become overly concerned with seeking validation and can struggle with providing valuable feedback due to various insecurities.
  3. The feedback process in venture capital, known as The Trough of Feedback, can be challenging due to the balance between honesty, long-term relationship building, and reputation management.

Revisiting The Professionalization of Startups

73 implied HN points • 16 Mar 24
💼 Business Technology Startups Entrepreneurship Leadership Innovation
  1. Access to technology has dramatically increased, leading to more people being able to build and scale tech companies.
  2. There is a growing population of individuals with extensive experience in building technology companies, creating a collective knowledge base for progress.
  3. As tech fields professionalize, the risk of manipulating well-established playbooks increases, emphasizing the importance of learning from mistakes and avoiding turning established practices into dogma.

Deep Tech For Deep Minds? Or Deep Pockets?

59 implied HN points • 24 Feb 24
💼 Business Venture Capital Manufacturing Investing Technology Hardware
  1. The history of venture capital reveals a significant role played by hardware companies in the tech industry's early days, tracing back to the 1950s and even earlier.
  2. The decline in hardware investment by VCs in favor of software has had implications on manufacturing and American industrial capabilities, with a recent resurgence in manufacturing employment in the US.
  3. The recent interest in hard tech and manufacturing by VCs has led to a new wave of investment, sparked by success stories like SpaceX and Nvidia, raising concerns about hype cycles and the need for a deeper understanding of the complexities of hard tech startups.

Panic Writing

50 implied HN points • 03 Feb 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Writing Creativity Craftsmanship Inspiration Learning
  1. The author practices 'panic writing' to maintain consistency in their writing process.
  2. Shorter posts sometimes result from trying to tackle larger pieces, which can lead to popular content.
  3. Improving writing skills is seen as crucial for clear thinking by studying advice from experienced writers.