Because this weekend we did and it was great. — In Feb 2023, I went to Amsterdam to coach and judge at one of Europe’s first generative AI hackathons, led by Jelle Prins and Nick Stevens. It had been maybe six years since I’d last been to a hackathon and, frankly, it felt completely different. The sophistication of generative AI…

I’ve never understood the concept of “product led growth”. There’s something about how the phrase centres the product that makes me imagine a gleaming white box out there, alone, doing the selling of itself for us. In real life, that’s not how things work. It’s people that use products; people…

Back in the day (before: covid, moving to the US & back, becoming a parent and leaving Google) I went to WPP’s Stream a few times, a curated unconference in a remote Greek resort where 250 people designed their own agenda to talk about the future. I’ve just been again…

Context: most weeks, I go to Gitcoin’s Public Library, a nourishing Wednesday chat where a different host proposes an obsession or idea and the group talks it through. …

Background: I made a Notion listing what I care about in terms of angel investing. Cross-posting here for those who follow my Medium. 👷‍♀️ My thesis I’ve spent over 15 years building community and coalitions online/offline and for big and small tech companies; it’s clear to me that the best distribution mechanisms, product…

TL;DR: right now, I’m fascinated by the topic of the “future of funding (including VC)”. I’ve been building a curated collection on Startupy and this post is a ~batsignal~ — a shoutout to find fellow obsessives, relevant pieces and perspectives. A few weeks ago, I went to Allocate, an event…

Context: there’s this great storytelling night called the Moth. Real people stand up & tell stories, five minutes long, and the only rule is that the story has to be true. I was due to tell this story on June 8, 2022 at the Rich Mix, East London, but a…

For years now, I’ve led or sat in on brainstorming sessions with many different types of company in my angel portfolio and network — from virtual student study startups to web3 gamers to data storytelling nonprofits to venture firms — where each is trying to answer the same question: How…

“What are you working on right now?” “Are you on sabbatical? Does that mean you’re going back to your old job?” “Are you taking time out? Why?” So many questions like this recently, and I always hear a hidden set of questions and anxieties behind them — on money, productivity…