December 31, 2017
As 2017 comes to a close, I think of it as the year of validation and gratitude, personally and for so many people around the world who have been marginalized and silenced in so many different ways. A year of Read more…
July 13, 2015
Impact investing, venture philanthropy and social entrepreneurship are all areas in practice and theory that have been close to my heart for years. As regular readers of my blog know, I was born in Nairobi and grew up visiting the Read more…
July 7, 2015
I spent last weekend in Boulder, Colorado rock climbing for the first time in years. It was a reinvigorating weekend with a dear friend who had first introduced me to the sport. I reflected on why I love rock climbing Read more…
July 16, 2014
In 2011, I wrote about Jugaad, according to Wikipedia “a colloquial Hindi word that can mean an innovative fix or a simple work-around”. I noted in the blog post that Jugaad is “now an acceptable management technique…and also applies to Read more…
July 13, 2014
A few observations from the just announced Google $3.2 billion acquisition of Nest, a Silicon Valley based company that sells “smart” thermostats and smoke detectors: – Build vs Buy: Even for a company with significant resources such as Google, it Read more…
July 9, 2014
I just completed my annual New Year’s purge of apps on my iPhone. I test countless apps and services as market research as I evaluate new investments. Just 5 years ago, overall smart phone penetration and user “education” was a Read more…
July 18, 2013
I don’t like reading scripts. I like for someone to explain to me what it is about this story – Judi Dench, Academy-award winning actress I just read this quote and thought of how it applies to many things in Read more…
July 12, 2013
Watching the Grammys last night made me think of one-hit wonders. Hopefully some of the winners (and you know who I’m talking about) won’t be relegated to that fate – an answer on “Jeopardy” or fodder for Trivial Pursuit “The Read more…
July 1, 2013
As we turn over to a new year, it seems that everything old is new again. From retro typefonts to Instagram filters to the recent neon craze in the fashion world, it seems we are cycling back in time. And Read more…
July 9, 2012
As a venture capitalist, I am always looking for highly innovative, disruptive businesses. Ones that challenge the status quo, that aim to make a significant difference in the way we do and look at things. When I left Omidyar at Read more…