In 'The Omnivore's Dilemma', Michael Pollan investigates the American food system by tracing the origins of four meals: one from McDonald's (representing industrial food), one from Whole Foods (representing industrial organic food), one from Polyface Farm (a sustainable farm), and one that he hunts, gathers, and grows himself. The book delves into the politics, perils, and pleasures of eating, highlighting the profound consequences of everyday food choices on health, the environment, and society. Pollan's narrative takes readers from Iowa cornfields to food-science laboratories, from feedlots to organic farms and hunting grounds, emphasizing the dynamic relationship between humans and the food they consume.
In 'In Defense of Food', Michael Pollan argues that the Western diet, characterized by highly processed foods and a focus on individual nutrients, has led to increased rates of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. He proposes a simple yet profound alternative: 'Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.' This approach emphasizes the importance of whole, unprocessed foods, moderate portions, and a diet rich in plant-based foods. Pollan critiques the food industry and nutritional science for creating confusion about what constitutes healthy eating and advocates for a return to traditional, culturally informed ways of eating.
In 'The Checklist Manifesto', Atul Gawande explores the power of checklists in overcoming the complexities of modern professional work. He argues that despite advanced training and technology, professionals often fail due to the sheer volume and complexity of knowledge. Gawande illustrates how checklists, first introduced by the U.S. Air Force, have been successfully adopted in various fields, including medicine, to reduce errors and improve outcomes. He provides compelling examples, such as the reduction of fatalities in surgical procedures and the elimination of hospital infections, to demonstrate the effectiveness of checklists. The book emphasizes the importance of balancing autonomy and control, empowering frontline workers, and continuously improving checklists based on feedback and experience[1][3][5].
Jason Karp is the Founder and CEO of HumanCo, a mission-driven, disruptive holding company focused on investing in healthier living. Before diving into this endeavor, Jason had a very successful twenty-year career in the hedge fund industry, culminating in a six-year run as founder of Tourbillon Capital.
Our conversation covers Jason’s career in hedge funds across quant research, quantamental investing, and entrepreneurship. Along the way, we touch on lessons derived from checklists, poker, and chess, and discuss Jason’s sobering take on the hedge fund industry today.
We then turn to changes in his life, including moving from NYC to Austin and focusing on his lifelong passion for health and wellness. We discuss Jason’s autoimmune disease, testing the limits of human performance, and the sickness that led to the creation of Hu Kitchen with his wife and brother-in-law.
Lastly, we discuss the formation of HumanCo, a holding company investing in food and consumables that create clean solutions to common problems using only the highest quality ingredients. We cover the attractive attributes of consumable businesses, use of data and AI to source companies and improve inventory management, efficiency of a holding company structure, incubating companies, leveraging data science, and an example in the cannabis space to work on the controversy surrounding vaporization.
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Capital Allocators – Inside the Institutional Investment Industry 
