Topics:
(00:00:00) - Intro(00:03:26) - Marathon misadventures(00:06:15) - The failed acquisition(00:13:47) - Lessons from the deal(00:29:31) - The future of retail(00:33:44) - Empathy for founders(00:35:23) - The grind of capitalism(00:35:37) - Challenges for young founders(00:36:10) - The importance of peer support(00:37:17) - Scaling and growth pains(00:37:42) - Exciting new ventures(00:38:20) - Genetic engineering innovations(00:43:40) - Revolutionizing air freight with airships(00:49:56) - Terraform Industries: Energy independence(01:02:17) - Innovative warehouse automation(01:05:25) - Mining industry disruption(01:09:45) - Conclusion and future outlook
Links:
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We discuss:
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Why personal networks matter most when raising money quickly for big deals
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New investments in companies building genetically engineered animals, advanced airships, and solar-powered synthetic natural gas
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How real operational experience shapes the way we invest and support founders
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The balance of optimism and realism required to keep taking shots in business
Quotes from Al:
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“Just keep taking the shots. A shooter’s gotta shoot.”
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“Sometimes you take the shot, do everything right, and the ball still doesn’t go in.”
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“There’s no classy way to advertise, ‘Hey, your favorite store died—but we’re a good rebound.’”
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“Capitalism is an unforgiving mistress.”
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“Personal relationships were the most valuable asset I had in that deal.”
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“Sometimes I think, ‘I should be inventing Facebook 2,’ but here I am—investing in fabric.”
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“I’ve never worked on a deal that hard. It should have gone my way… and didn’t.”
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“You wake up the next morning and it didn’t happen, but I still have a great family, and my business is still running.”
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“It's hard until it isn’t—and even when it isn’t, it’s still freaking hard.”
Quotes from Bo:
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“We’re actual operators—curious about what’s possible with technology—and that makes us better investors.”
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“On a Thursday, ‘This deal is happening.’ Then Tuesday? ‘It’s over. We lost.’”
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“We have a unique amount of empathy for founders—because we know how hard this shit is.”
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“If you can pull it off, it’s transformational. And that’s awesome.” (on Airship)
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“A blimp is not a quadcopter to carry Al’s big ass—it’s an elegant, slow-moving blimp.”
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“There’s a lot of industries still doing 90/10 in-store sales. That blew my mind.”
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“It’s a real ‘software is eating the world’ moment—but finally arriving at the mining industry.”
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“When you’re building something that matters, you’re playing the long game—even if the outcome is uncertain.”
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“The people who make glow-in-the-dark fish… now they’re building unicorns. And yeah, it’s gonna happen.”
