Tribeca Venture Partners

Hello everyone,

Here is a blog post showing my responses to a VC "cover letter"

1. Something I believe is true that nobody else agrees with…

As summer comes, I whole heartedly believe men's tank tops will make a comeback. If you follow college football, Ezekiel Elliot set the trend last year with wearing his patented tank top during the National Championship game against Oregon. I was at the game and saw Zeek run over defenders with his abs. Then during the 2016 draft Zeek walked the red carpet in a suit with half of his shirt missing. Now as Summer '16 (as Drake calls it) approaches, everyone is doing crunches to fit into summer appropriate attire. With our first few 70/80 degree days, there is no better way for a guy to show that he is ready for summer than to pull out his 80's style mid drift shirt and show off his abs to the world. I have a few crop tops ready for the warm weather! Zeek made it cool again.

2. Connecting with top NYC startups…

In order to connect with exemplar startups, I would call associates and analysts at VC funds, accelerators, and angel networks in NYC area that I have a good relationship with. I have been fully engaged in the NYC startup ecosystem and have a very good relationships with people from Techstars, Capital One Ventures, Corigin, Bain Capital Ventures, KEC ventures, 645 ventues, Collaborative fund, NextGen Venture Partners, SheWorx, Thrive Capital, WAAN, and HBS Alumni Angels. Associates are the gatekeepers to most funds and meet with 4-5 entrepreneurs each day. They funnel up quality leads to partners. With that much deal flow, not every entrepreneur ends up being a perfect match for a VC fund. Maybe one startup that an associate sources out of 150 matches a VC fund's thesis or investment criteria each month. So there is a natural tendency to refer good companies to other funds and investors. This would be the most natural way to connect with impressive NYC startups from day one.

3. A startup that TVP doesn’t know about (sell the opportunity)…

Direct to consumer plays in the medical space are disrupting traditional marketplaces where doctors were once the only suppliers. I think of how Sols is disrupting the orthotics space and how Opternative is disrupting the ophthalmology space. I was at a NextGen Venture Partners event and heard a pitch from Audicus. This startup is providing direct to consumer hearing aids and is also in the process of FDA approval for its online hearing aid test. The founder attended MIT and formerly worked at a PE fund before joining his other teammates and starting this company. They are growing revenue, optimizing costs, and creating a viable business. Hearing tests and hearing aids are expensive procedures and devices that are obligatory for patients and are controlled by doctors. Audicus is disrupting this value chain and capitalizing on a rapidly growing market.

4. Startup that I'm skeptical about..

Product Hunt! Lists are the new big thing (via Benedict Evans)…i.e. theSkimm, Morning Brew.  I am skeptical that lists can make the leap from a daily email service to operating as a billion dollar media company. Multi-billion dollar returns are needed for VCs to justify their investment. When Instagram sold for one billion dollars, A16Z made a great return on investment but it didn't push the needle in terms of returns that the fund needs to have a successful fund. Lists mandate increased simplicity and reduced search friction. This seems counter-intuitive to a scaling venture-backed startup. The example that comes to mind is Reddit. Reddit's revenue from 2015 was ~$8M at 160M users. This is very low for a company that has been around for 10 years and that has very engaged users. I think that Product Hunt will fall into this revenue plateau/trap and not be able to justify a high enough return for its investors. 

Media - It's powerful and it's changing

 Content is free. Content is no longer consumed from one direct source of information. It's aggregated, disaggregated, and then consumed across social media. People consume new stories from the WSJ and Economist from LinkedIn and Facebook as much as they consume these stories from the source websites.

These media stories take the form of blogs, vlogs, videos, micro blogs, and tweets. Also these stories and outputs are being produced by anyone that has a phone and an idea (i.e. Me writing this blog).

I can publish:

(A) business articles to LinkedIn.
(B) informal content to Facebook
(C) videos to YouTube
(D) just-in-time videos on snapchat
(E) micro messages on Twitter

and the list goes on and on. So is there even a necessity for large media conglomerates?

The current answer is yes. We still need credible sources of information. There is definitely a ton of "junk" media online that provide misinformation to the masses. And even as the world decentralizes media content from a few major winners to the masses of creatives, there will still be an element of exclusivity to certain information that allows specific content creators and aggregators to control the output of media. There is also a place for niche media that will continue to be consumed as mainstream media becomes delocalized.

This niche area is where I am very interested! I like the idea of major media outlets for specific hobbies, ethnic groups, and areas.

If I want to see sports related news and commentary, then I need a specific media outlet to provide that information. Major social media networks can provide snippets of niche content but doesn't provide all the information you need - which is why Facebook and Twitter are creating sports platforms on their networks.

I love consuming media, so hopefully I can create a platform that produces it. 

What do people do in their free time?

I caught myself thinking about what "normal" people do with their free time. I have spent so much time working and focused on tech related items that I forgot what people, who get off work at 5 and hang out with friends, do with their time. I have occupied my mind with my goals, so much that, I have forgot how to live a normal life. In this vein, I have decided to live again.

A few months ago, I had a dream that I was watching people living life. I was sitting in a booth, like I was at a NYC Giants game. But instead of playing in the game, I was forced to watch. Everyone was having a great time and I was stuck on the sidelines. I'm tired of letting life pass me by. No more being the water boy.

To help with this, I started recommitting myself to new and old hobbies. I am trying to feel more normal and do more things.  I also recommitted my time to interacting with new and old friends. People keep you connected. I will have to write a follow up post about everything I am doing.

I need more inspiration

I haven't written a blog post in a little over a month. Before that I hadn't written a post in a few weeks. For some reason, I have been lacking inspiration to write. I am not sure why. Maybe my days are too mundane now or maybe writing was a fad  that has passed. I don't know. It's very interesting, but I just haven't had much to talk about, so I haven't been posting. 

I think that it could partially be because of my change in jobs. I think that Techstars was always teaching founders something...either via a session or a speaker or a meeting. Thus I was always learning something new and had something cool to write about. Now I have less of those types of interactions, so I have less inspiration to write.

I also have been doing a ton of internal thinking and pondering. I have been at a crossroads with a lot of things in my life and maybe that has led to WRITER'S BLOCK...the dreaded writer's block. Hahaha. 

I hope that I feel more inspired soon otherwise I am going to have to shake some things up in my life!

The Finite Nature of Life: I'll be 30 Soon

I have always conceptualized the notion that "life is short." Given that life spans hundreds of thousands of years and the pyramids were constructed thousands of years ago, my short 80 or so years of life is nothing. It's a blip in the timeline of life and the universe. But I have noted now is that conceptualizing my finiteness is different than internalizing my finiteness. That probably sounds a bit confusing, so I'll elaborate.

Conceptualizing is knowing something without truly feeling it. Now I feel my finiteness. I feel my existence slowly proceeding towards death. Each day is one moment closer to my demise. I could live until 80 years of age..or I could get cancer or have a heart attack and die. You never know. When I was 18 and later 21, I didn't feel this way. So with this realization, I am convinced that I need to spend life being happy. I want to do what makes me feel good and what feels right.

People, including myself, do too many things that don't "feel" right. That feeling is your instinct. That is God and the universe talking to you. But we don't listen to them. We ignore this voice and then are surprised when things don't unfold how we imagined. Since life is so ephemeral, I plan on doing more of what feels right as I turn 30. Life is too short to live with regrets. 

Hard work...Being Great at Your Job

As I stated in a previous blog, I am really focused on living in the moment. Just focused on being great at my job and doing the best that I can. I got away from that notion for a while. I spent too much time worried about the future. I wanted to write about this again today because I ran into my neighbors. They are a husband,wife couple that run the laundromat near my apartment.

They are a sweet old Asian couple. They open their laundromat everyday at 8AM and close it at 9PM. Literally their shop is open Monday through Sunday. Every time I go into their laundromat, they ask me how my day is and what I need. They seem to be focused on being great at their business. Most people are mad when they have to work ten hours. This couple works 12 hours everyday including most holidays.

This reminded me that I need to get my focus back and really be great at what I am doing. Why give a subpar effort to anything? Be fully present, keep your head down, work hard, and then the fruits of your labor will come.

Micro Habits - My new thing!

I recently read an Inc. magazine article about micro habits. It was pretty interesting. A woman learned how to read, write, and speak French as well as read 5 times more books a day by focusing on adding micro habits.

So what is a micro habit? It is a habit that you do daily, but it only spans 5-10 minutes. The woman in the article practiced French everyday for five minutes for a year and read at least one page of her book each day for a year.  These minuscule, micro habits eventually produced tremendous results!

I am really focused on implementing several micro habits. I want to do quick ab/pull-up/push-up exercises each day. I want to hop on the bike regularly. I plan to keep writing very often. Im also going to love more, meditate more, and listen better! I know that doing each of these habits daily for a small portion of time will produce great outcomes over 2016. Let's go!

Clearing the Noises Out of My Head

My head never stops talking. To clarify, I don't have voices telling me to do things or see visions of small children or government agents like in "A Beautiful Mind", but I feel like I'm almost there. My mind never ever stops going. It jumps from one topic to another to another. I'll be walking down the street thinking about my personal goals, when I get side tracked by a thought about apple head phones being overpriced. Then I think about Tim Cook, which reminds me of a classmate named Tim, who was funny. Needless to say, this lack of focus can get very distracting. To counter my newfound ADD, I am trying meditation.

I tried mediation a few years ago, but didn't stick to it. My mother used to encourage me to meditate and gave me a few books to use, but I couldn't commit myself to regularly doing it. Now that I have become so scatter brained, it has served as a forcing function for me to change my behavior. I feel like meditation may be the way to go in my current place in life.

Currently, I take ten minutes and just focus on breathing and saying go. This word and focus allow me to clear my mind and allow me to settle my mind for a moment. My focus is living in the moment and focusing on "pure" presence. It's hard but I'll try!

NBA All-Star Weekend Dunk Contest

This dunk was insane. It was so crazy that I had to write a post about it. I watched the three point contest first. It was amazing. Steph Curry and Clay  Thompson battled for the title of champion. Steph won last year, so he was attempting to maintain his title. In the end, he lost to Clay in a fierce final round. I thought to myself, "What else is left for tonight...the slam dunk contest is weak." I stopped watching the slam dunk contest years ago because it was so unimpressive. The talent level had fallen and the stars no longer played in the dunk contest. 

The first round was bland. Only LaVine showed us an impressive dunk. I ask you to google his dunk because it had my eyes wide open. When the contest reached the final round, Gordon and LaVine were battling to receive 50 point scores (highest score) each round. I almost fell out of my seat from a few of the dunks. Go to NBA.com or just look at Twitter and you can see all of the amazing dunks from this year. 

Accelerator Applications: Be thorough...or I spend my time guessing about you and your business (Part 1- the Founder)

Many entrepreneurs refer to an accelerator as a startup MBA. One main difference is you get paid to go, while an MBA pays to go.... a $100K convertible note into your business vs. a $100K loan you pay to Sallie Mae. I digress. Both processes require an extensive application and interview process. One of the major differences in the process is how serious MBA candidates take the application process vs. how lax entrepreneurs take the application process. Some people put more detail into their high school job application at the ice cream shop than they did for their accelerator application. Honestly, it baffles me. Some entrepreneurs think that an accelerator or an investor would give them funding based on a napkin drawing style explanation. That's only in the movies. 

Let's jump into the meat and potatoes! Take time and fill out the founder/employee pages in great detail. If you went to a great school put it on there. If you won an award related to tech or you company, state this. Reviewers look for things to latch on to. I would rather have a community college computer science student who has a github account and has won several awards for design than a Ivy League business student with grand ideas. But if you don't state any of your awards, THEN I will consciously and subconsciously latch on to the merits of the Ivy League student. Give the reviewer a positive trait to latch on to and be able to promote to the other application reviewers. Also note that you need your cofounders to put the same thoroughness into their applications. When I see a founder with a detailed profile but one-liners for the cofounder, I automatically assume that this "cofounder" is someone that was just added to the application to make the team "seem" more complete. You wouldn't believe how many skimpy founder profiles that I have read. This is the first impression and can add instant credibility or kill your application. Remember, people hire people they like AND people that can execute. People from certain backgrounds have shown that they can execute. Please, please, please update your LinkedIn, blog, Twitter, GitHub, medium, and business website. I learn about a founder BEFORE I even read their application. I can google you and find inconsistencies, if you are not cognizant of your online presence. Investors support great teams. If you don't display your team in a great light, then your application ends up on the "Do not call" list. 

Pro tip: Always make the "optional" video. Many accelerators require a video, but several make it optional. Always make the effort to create the video. Applications are reviewed by a ton of people. MDs at your accelerator, MDs from other cities, accelerator alumni, mentors, and associates. Some people are diligent about reading each application in detail while some people skim applications and spend a lot of time on the founder and demo videos. These small extras add a tremendous amount of value to your application. If not simply by the fact that most people choose not to make them. People hire and invest in people they like. Videos show your personality and make reviewers like you. Make it on your iPhone if necessary and edit it with free Mac software. Small things speak volumes about your team and business. 

Part 2 will talk to explaining your business

Being in the moment

I recently remembered/re-learned something that I once knew very well. I was reading "Super Rich" by Russell Simmons. If you have read any of Russell'sbooks, then you know they are never about money, but focused on enriching your soul. What I read about the other night focused on "being in the moment". This seems simple but can be very allusive at times. We are currently living in the present, but sometimes we spend too much time thinking about the past or focusing on the future. I have a problem with the latter rather than the former. I spend so much time mapping out my life and focusing on my next three steps that I forget about my first step. 

I have recently re-dedicated myself to living in the present and focusing on what is directly in front of me. For me that involves putting all of my energy at being the best consultant at BCG and not being too caught up in thinking about what is next. I need to put my head down and work hard, so that I am working to my greatest potential. I am limiting the amount of goals that I will focus on in 2016 and will be great at one thing and be really good at two other things. I'm excited about my renewed focus on being present and hope that this will show in my work output. I thank Russell Simmons for my renewed vision!

Please stop thinking that every article or picture on social media is REAL

Are people really that gullible? The undisputed answer is yes! I love that there is so much content creation in the world. Platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram allow the average person to consume and distribute content to the world. A random photo of a child can go viral and invoke empathy and care from a woman in Swaziland or a man in New Zealand. I love this!! It's fantastic. BUT people really need to fact check articles before they share or post them.

The most recent thing that I saw that really baffled me was the photo of the wolf pack. I have attached it below.

So I'm on LinkedIn and I see that this photo was posted by the CEO of a large company. His photo and comment received thousands of likes and hundreds of comments. It was a very inspiring comment. He stated that the three wolves in the front are the oldest wolves. These wolves set the pace and since they are in the front, they won't be left behind if hey are slow. The next five wolves are the strongest in the pack. They fight off any intruders or enemies. The last wolf is the alpha. This wolf leads from behind and fends off attack from the back. This was an awe inspiring story of how wolves are servant leaders and respect their elders. The only issue that I have with it is that the CEO's explanation of the photo was FALSE. 

A quick Google search gives you ten credible articles that state why this behavior isn't attributed to what the CEO stated.  When I first read the comment, I thought to myself, "I wonder if this is true?" I think that more people should ask this question and stop blindly accepting all content as the truth. With a computer in your pocket aka the iPhone, you can know anything in .002 seconds. That's the end of my random rant!

Your Online Presence: People Know You Online Before They Know You in Person

Almost everyone has an online persona nowadays. Even babies have an online presence (don't quite understand it myself yet…).  These personas or images can be intentionally built by oneself or they can be built by others. In today's hyper connected, internet based society, our online image is shaped by both aspects.  If you look up Cam Newton (NFL Quarterback), you will see tons of articles that are written about him. There are articles from bleacher report, ESPN, and etc. Each of these platforms shape what the public thinks about Cam. As in Cam's case, this can be controversial or uplifting. He also has his own Cam-controlled platforms on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. All of these sources show us who Cam "really" is. 

Luckily for 99 percent of us, we don't have to worry about our online persona being shaped by external sources. We have control over most of our content and can choose to share what we desire. The sad part about this is that people forget that this shared information is public to the world to view and that it shapes new colleagues, customers, and recruiters thoughts about you. In two seconds, I can find out your email, hometown, high school sports, mother's name, profession, and twitter rants. This is great for positioning your "true" self online, but can have very positive or exceptionally negative ramifications for several aspects of your life. Every person should Google themselves and see what comments, posts, and images come up. I have found images from when I was a teenager online that I never knew were posted. Several social media sites and websites are easily indexed by Google, so you show up in search results very quickly. Be aware of what is being perceived about you online.

Don't fear having an online presence! If monitored appropriately, it can provide valuable information for people that are trying to connect with you. The universe can't find you, if you are hidden. Just don't end up on Google doing a keg stand…

Imposter Syndrome

Sometimes you enter a new job or role and feel like you just don't measure up. You look at everyone else that is starting with you and wonder how you were selected for your role. You have been successful at several roles, but still feel like you are lacking. These emotions can be overwhelming and disastrous. This is imposter syndrome. 

Imposter syndrome can be defined as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success. The key point to imposter syndrome is that you have several successes but  that doesn't quell your doubts or low self esteem. 

 At different points in my career, I have also been afflicted with imposter syndrome. It's a funny issue because the more I learn, the less I feel like I know. As I perfect more skills, I feel like I need to perfect more. EVERY time I start a new job I feel like I'm not prepared.

I recently started at BCG and started feeling all of my nervous energy again and began to feel imposter syndrome. Today at work, I was able to partially overcome this! While talking with the other new employees, I learned that many of us were feeling the same way. As we commiserated together and talked through our nervous energy, we all felt more confident and knew that we were ready for the job. If you suffer from imposter syndrome, realize that there is HOPE! 

Networks are like Plants... Feed them or they Die

It is great to spend time building an illustrious network with people across several industries. It's essential if your interested in several sectors like me. But what's more important than building a network is nourishing it. I compare relationships and networks to plants. Without nourishment, plants can't thrive. 

If I wanted to grow a rose at my house, I would need to do several things. First, I would need to plant the seed in fertilizer. If I'm really diligent, then I'd research the perfect dirt to put my seed into. Next, I would water my plant regularly and put it in front of sunlight. This process would be repeated continuously throughout the life of my plant. If it is not done, guess what, you plant dies! Plants are fragile and can be destroyed easily.

Relationships are just like plants. Many people are afraid to even plant the seed of a relationship. This involves reaching out to people in a warm or cold manner and creating that first interaction. A seed that is never planted can't grow. A relationship that is never started can't grow. For people that actually plant the initial seed, they generally fail to water the plant and put it in sunlight. How can your relationship or plant grow if you don't put any nutrients or energy into it. The lucky part is most relationships don't require as much tlc as a plant and can be maintained easily. 

As with friends and family, your network requires differing levels of watering. You may call your mom each week. You may text your cousin each month. With your network, you may connect with them once a quarter or twice a year. This connection could be a personalized email, a quick call, coffee, or any other good interactions. These small but important touch points keep you and your network connected and helps those relationships flourish. Kept it simple, BUT make sure you're consistent and stay in touch.

Make Warm Intros Easy for Your Introducer

Have you ever had the following scenario?

"Friend/colleague/peer: Hey, I saw that you worked at "XYZ company" and are connected to John Doe on LinkedIn.

You: That's right. We worked together for a few months in "random city".

Friend/colleague/peer: Really. That's great. I'm trying to create a startup and saw that he is an influencer in my space. Can you connect me?

You: *Internal thought - Should I intro this person?*  Sure. Send me a short email about what you need and why you want to connect with this person.  

-3 days later-

Friend/colleague/peer's email:

Hey "You"

Thanks again for agreeing to intro me to John Doe. Tell him I would love to talk next week. "

I'm sure this sounds very familiar. Your friends or associates ask you for a warm intro and then send you a short email that lacks any detail for why the two people should connect. This prompts you to ask them for more information which is annoying and makes a seemingly simple intro, a nightmare.

If you need an intro from a friend or colleague, make the process as easy as possible for them. Include a description of yourself, some context about your idea/business, and your ask. This will make the intro easy and seamless. Then if your introducer needs follow up information, they won't feel annoyed. You may need another intro in the future and you don't want to mess up these opportunities with your network. 

VC Economics: Why You Shouldn't Be Surprised if You Don't Get Funded by a VC

Several big funds that used to invest in seed companies have stopped. In the wake of this investment gaps tons of micro VC funds have popped up. Funds ranging from $10MM-$100MM are growing all over the US. But why is this trend happening? Why did Andreesen Horowitz close their seed fund and now only focuses on Series A and higher investments? Why are several $500MM-$1BN funds also adding growth equity departments?

The reason is that small investments don't make economic sense for large funds. Let's keep the assumptions and math super simple.

Assumptions: (1) A fund must return 3X its value in order to make a 20% ROI. (2) We have a $100MM fund with a 10 year life. (3) I know what I'm talking about.

Simple Math - A $100MM fund must return $300MM. We are excluding management fees and carry to keep things simple.

In our imaginary $100MM fund called JHill Ventures, we have to return $300MM in order to have a "successful" fund. Let's assume that our seed stage 20% stake has been diluted to 5%. Again, we are using simple math. So how many unicorns ($1BN Companies) would we need to be "successful"?

The answer is 6! If we own 5% of a $1BN company then we make $50MM. In order to get to $300MM, we would need 6 unicorns. Again this is a very simplified model, but it shows the difficulty of producing a "successful" fund. If there are 100 VC/micro VC funds in NYC and 300 additional funds in SF, how many of these funds will end up with one highly valued unicorn (Uber) or several smaller unicorns (Instagram)? Not many. 

The above analysis demonstrates why VCs can ONLY invest in companies that will return billion dollar valuations. If they don't, these VCs won't be able to raise additional funds in the future. We only examined JHill ventures' $100MM fund. Imagine what funds that have $500MM-$1BN must return in order to be successful. The VC business is a hard business. 

Why NYC hasn't Caught the SF Tech Scene...And Why It Won't Catch Up for a While.

I was recently talking with a NYC VC about the differences between the NYC tech scene and the SF tech scene. He said that he loves NYC but SF has NYC beat and will continue to win. His reasoning behind this resonated with me and so I decided to share it here.

The issue isn't funding or access to capital. SF is definitely beating NYC in this area right now. But this gap could be closed with enough time and investors. The issue isn't the mindset. There is a burgeoning group of tech enthusiasts in NYC that are rivaling the best tech ecosystems in the world. The issue isn't that we are biased to uplift Silicon Valley as the future of all things tech. They are great, but can be rivaled. The issue is we don't have any "Gravity Wells". This is the term that was used to describe the phenomenon that NYC is missing.

Think of a gravity well as a massive black hole. Black holes suck in everything and even influence the orbit of planets around it. The massive black holes in Silicon Valley now include Google and Facebook. A former black hole was PayPal. Eventually these black holes create new ecosystems and push the Silicon Valley ecosystem ahead.

PayPal, one of the first gravity wells in the Bay Area, created Angels, VC funds, new startups, talent, and an entire ecosystem from their employees and founders. Each of the early employees went off to create companies like Palantir, Tesla, SpaceX, YouTube, LinkedIn, Yelp, and Yammer. Paypal's gravity pulled in talent from around the world and spewed out talent, money, and other positive externalities for Silicon Valley. NYC doesn't have this yet.

NYC doesn't have a self-proliferating ecosystem that sustains itself with money and talent. We have money and a bit of talent, but not a money/talent generating machine. Maybe NYC will have a gravity well that produces all of these positive externalities one day, but we don't have it yet. Once we do, we will rival SF with our tech ecosystem.

Great Leadership: The Crimson Tide - Alabama

In homage to the College Football Playoffs, I have to tip my hat to Alabama. Alabama is the epitome of a great team. Each year Saban acquires a group of talented high school players that he molds into a power house team. We can nickname his system, the Saban Plan. He makes boys into superstars each year under his plan. Only the great programs can do this. Other great programs that accomplish this are Duke's men's basketball team, Uconn's women's basketball team, AND The Ohio State University's football team. I had to give a shout out my Buckeyes.

All great leaders have one thing in common...they lead. They push their teams to new innovative heights. It can be Nick Saban or Urban Meyer. It can be Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg. These leaders are great at implementing a system that allows talented athletes and engineers to reach new plateaus. Greatness transcends discipline. 

Maybe We are (I am) too Connected

I feel like I have two extremes. Either I'm super connected and always  on... or I'm completely off. I am a very extreme person, so when I focus on one thing, I put all of my energy there. This behavior is generally good because that level of focus allows me to understand a concept quickly. But it can be a nefarious trait, when I focus on one thing too extensively.  

I am currently in this focused state with social media and e-mail. I use most platforms constantly because I am always connecting with people and setting up meetings. People can reach me from linkedin messages, facebook messanger, whatsapp, google hangouts, voxer, slack, groupme, instagram, twitter, my blog, and snapchat. I use about 50% of these platforms daily and use the other platforms sparingly. I guess I'm really connected to the world. But my question is, "Am I too Connected?" Looking at this list, my initial presumption is that I'm oversubscribed. And when I add text messages as another medium to connect with me, it seems like too much connectivity.

When I think about it more closely, I don't think I'm overdoing it yet. I'm just maximizing my opportunity to connect with tons of people, while I can. In my role at Techstars and now in my unemployment period, I have focused on connecting with people from several industries and spaces in tech. Everyone uses different platforms to maximize their connectivity. I use the mediums that my network prefers. Once I am working again, I think that my time will be very limited and I won't be able to be this connected and meet with people at my leisure. This sucks. But it's reality. So while I have the energy and time, I will be as connected as possible.