In 'The Second Mountain', David Brooks explores the concept of two mountains in life: the first mountain, which represents individual success and ego-driven achievements, and the second mountain, which symbolizes a life of deeper meaning, commitment, and contribution to a greater good. Brooks argues that our society's extreme individualism has torn the social fabric, and the path to repair is through making deeper commitments to a spouse and family, a vocation, a philosophy or faith, and a community. The book is both a personal reflection on Brooks' own life journey and a broader social commentary, offering practical advice and stories of people who have lived joyous, committed lives[2][4][5].
This play, adapted by Jeremy Sams from the original sitcom by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey, follows Tom and Barbara Good as they transform their suburban home in Surbiton into a model of self-sufficiency. They grow their own food, keep livestock, make their own clothes, and generate electricity from manure. The play reunites the beloved characters, including Geraldine the goat, and explores issues of sustainability and community, blending old and new comedic elements.
Today's teacher is Rich Wong, general partner at renowned venture firm Accel. Rich is a very special investor and leader, and he spent many years as an operator prior to his time in VC. What was going to be a short stint as a venture operating partner nearly 20 years ago turned into a defining pivot for Rich.
He not only quickly reached the top of the venture profession but also became the go-to investor for many luminary companies, such as Atlassian, UiPath, AdMob, Checkr, Rovio, Service Channel, and many many more.
His range of interests spans beyond venture, and he's very involved in many of the leading university-based poverty alleviation labs. It's always a treasure for us to find someone who integrates so many facets of life in service of others. Please enjoy our class with Rich Wong.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
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Joys of Compounding is a property of Pine Grove Studios in collaboration with Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Joys of Compounding, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
Follow us on Twitter: @Buhrman_Rick | @PaulBuser | @JoinColossus
Show Notes
(00:00:00) Welcome to the Joys of Compounding
(00:04:41) The Atlassian Chase Story
(00:07:41) Bootstrapping and Venture Capital
(00:18:10) Excel's Founding and Evolution
(00:22:14) Rich Wong's Early Influences
(00:24:42) Becoming an Accidental Venture Capitalist
(00:31:39) Excel's Team Dynamics and Investment Strategies
(00:38:28) The Evolution of Mobility and AI
(00:39:58) Bottom-Up Innovation and Defense Technology
(00:41:25) AI's Role in Incumbents vs. Startups
(00:44:53) Service Channel Case Study
(00:47:58) Capital Efficiency and Indigestion
(00:51:04) The Role of Grit and Overfunding
(00:55:29) Venture Capital Ecosystem and Returns
(01:04:03) Public Policy and Poverty Solutions
(01:11:43) Balancing Career and Personal Life
(01:15:37) How Rich Wants His Life To Be Measured
Joys of Compounding 
