The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch

20VC: Bryan Johnson @ OS Fund & Braintree on Investing In The Operating Systems Of Life & Why VC Should All Be Open Source

Jan 25, 2016

Bryan Johnson, founder of OS Fund, discusses investing in the operating systems of life and the importance of open-source ventures. Topics covered include Bryan's entrepreneurial journey, the motivation behind OS Fund, investing in scientific endeavors, scientific due diligence, and the speaker's positive view on Bitcoin and blockchain technology.

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ANECDOTE

Bryan's Motivational Origin Story

Bryan Johnson was inspired to improve lives after living in poverty in Ecuador for two years.
He aimed to build companies, gain freedom, and then focus on impactful inventions with the OS Fund.

INSIGHT

Four Focus Areas of OS Fund

Bryan focuses on four key areas: intelligence, ideologies, governance, and children's education.
These areas collectively influence human adaptability, motivations, cooperation, and future aspirations.

ADVICE

Open Source Scientific Investing Process

To invest in scientific ventures successfully, adopt a rigorous, model-based decision-making process.
Open sourcing this process helps others reduce risk and understand scientific investments better.

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Bryan Johnson is an entrepreneur and investor. He is the founder of OS Fund and Braintree, the latter of which was bought by eBay in 2013 for $800 million in cash. Bryan launched OS Fund in 2014 with $100 million of his personal capital to support inventors and scientists who aim to benefit humanity. His investments include endeavors to extend healthy human life to 100+ (Human Longevity), replicate the human visual cortex (Vicarious), mine an asteroid (Planetary Resources), reinvent transportation (Matternet), and reimagine food (Hampton Creek), among others.

A special thank you to Mattermark for providing all the data displayed in today's show and you can find out more about Mattermark here! In Today's Episode You Will Learn:

1.) How Bryan made his start in the world of tech and how he has come to the OS fund today?

2.) What was the pivotal moment in Bryan's career? When was the turning point? What was was the hardest part of the entrepreneurial journey and how did Bryan conquer it?

3.) What is the main motivation behind the OS fund? Which areas does Bryan most want to solve and where does he see significant market opportunities?

4.) Does the longevity of return to Bryan's exits concern him? Most investments exit with 10 years, human lifespan startups take a little longer! What sort of time frame does Bryan have in mind when investing in these companies?

5.) What does Bryan really perceive synthetic biology to mean? Are we seeing improvements in this sector?

6.) The OS Fund have recently released a white paper detailing extensively their process for investing? Why did Bryan decide on this open source style of investing?

7.) What would Bryan like to see more of? Where does Bryan see a lot of people investing that he thinks is a mistake?

Items Mentioned In Today's Episode:

Bryan's Fave Book:

Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage to the Antarctic

Bryan's Most Recent Investment:

Ginkgo Bioworks

As always you can follow The Twenty Minute VC, Harry and Bryan on Twitter here! If you would like to see a more colourful side to Harry with many a mojito session, you can follow him on Instagram here!