238: Cameron Porter | Major League Soccer Striker Transitions To Founding And Funding Of Companies

I like people who put their thoughts out there, and furthermore, when they have a “Principles” page on their website that describes the thoughts that guide them. Cameron Porter joins on episode 238 of the show, not only as a former Major League Soccer striker on various teams, but as a current founder and funder for AlleyCorp, an organization that builds transformative companies in New York City.

At AlleyCorp, Cameron “…is responsible for new company R&D, due diligence on seed investments, as well the development of internal tools/initiatives.” Regarding his academic experience, he “… studied computer science at Princeton University where he was recognized as an Academic All-American and William Winston Roper Trophy finalist for high scholastic rank and outstanding qualities of sportsmanship.”

Before the episode, I had checked out his speaking with David Perell on The North Star Podcast, and enjoyed their discussion. My discussion with Cameron ranged from his mindset, to his soccer experiences, to his founding and funding practice.

Show notes:

• how Cameron ended up in the founding/funding category at AlleyCorp, transitioning away from his professional soccer career [2:20]
• the concept of how greatness is not able to be planned, and the way this message has attached to Cameron’s path [3:40]
• what a long-term perspective can provide, and an example of a project that took this perspective into account [5:20]
• some of the takeaways that Cameron got from his time at Princeton, including those related to people [6:55]
• the way that Cameron sees the soccer portion of his career in relation to what he currently does [10:20]
• some differences that may have existed between Cameron and some of his fellow soccer players [12:00]
• what led Cameron to playing in the position of striker on the field [14:00]
• examples of a fork in life that Cameron had other than the knee injury that impacted his career [14:00]
• the concept of whether something will matter in 5 years [18:20]
• creation versus consumption, and Cameron’s principle of looking at output instead of input, personally or in the workplace [22:45]
• incompetence over malice, and how to look at the feedback or commentary that others send to you [26:45]
• perspective on fear, alternatively looked at as uncertainty [30:00]
• whether Cameron thought he might have some sort of large injury before it happened on the field [32:10]
• entropy in socialization and life, and the way that Cameron would want entropy to be represented in his outputs/projects [34:00]
• how podcasts are not as constrained in direction as some other mediums that exist [37:30]
• if Cameron would make a podcast, and what it would be about [39:00]
• whether audio, video, or text input/output is most preferred by Cameron for content purposes [42:45]

I sure enjoyed having Cameron on the episode. His thoughts are clear, and on point, and he has a warm nature. To the potential of a follow-up episode in a year, to compare the deltas from where he and I were at during the time of this episode. To more good things. You can check out his website at incremental.nyc