Tomorrow I am turning 50. I don’t normally write about birthdays but in my work with entrepreneurs I often tell them that a big milestone, such as raising a new round of financing, is a good time for reflection. My 50th feels like such a milestone.
Not a day goes by that I don’t feel extraordinarily lucky and thankful. Other than a few nits, I am healthy. I get to work with wonderful partners, the terrific team at USV and an incredible group of entrepreneurs doing something that I love. I have a family, including my amazing wife Susan, our three children, my parents, and in-laws, that has supported me along the way. I have also benefited greatly from long lasting friendships and the advice of others, sometimes even strangers.
Looking forward one of the things I want to make sure is to give back as much as I have been given. I am still figuring out exactly what forms that takes but I realize that it is a lot more than giving away money, which Susan and I have started to do. One thing it certainly includes is supporting our three children as they get ready over the next couple of years to pursue their own passions.
I very much hope to continue the work with startups for at least another decade. That will require pacing myself a bit differently than I have in the past and investing more in staying healthy (let’s see if I can keep up going to the gym).
There are also three projects that I want to make progress on. The first is my book “World After Capital,” which seems ever more important given the political landscape. The second is an idea that I am hoping someone else will run with so I can fund it: an interactive environment for learning math, physics and programming as an integrated experience. The third is a compendium of principles. As the world is seemingly increasing in complexity every day, the compendium would aim to identify core principles that underly all of knowledge.
Writing all of this reminds me of the German saying I often heard growing up from my Mom “Es gibt viel zu tun, packen wir es an” – there is much to do, let’s get going. With that said, I am off to the gym!
