Some ideas on how to gain more courage, agency, and face turn randomness into serendipity.

1. Benjamin Joffe
HAX

2. Bonjour ! 你好！

3. Survey
• Happiness level
• Public speaking
• Raising hands

4. Foreword
Part 1: What I do
Part 2: How I got there
Part 3: What I wish I knew

5. Foreword

6. Unemployment
Burn out
Heart breaks
Diseases

7. “Avoiding depression
when you’re 41, single
and living with your parents”

8. “Feel joy with
what you do,
who you are,
who you are becoming”

9. Part 1: What I do

10. Partner, SOSV / HAX

11. #1
$300M Under Management
700+ Investments
Hardware
Life sciences
Food
Software
IoT, Robotics, Medtech, Consumer
CRISPR, Cellular agriculture…
Clean proteins, Functional food, AgTech
Bots, Blockchain, A.I., etc.
#1

12. Writing

13. Speaking & Traveling
• 200+ speeches
• 20+ countries
• 2018: Las Vegas, Paris, Toronto, London, Hong Kong, Shenzhen
• Next in 2018: San Francisco, New York, Berlin, Copenhagen, …

14. Angel investing
• 12 companies in 10 years
• 4 dead
• 4 ok
• 4 doing well

15. CONSUMER HEALTH
ENTERPRISE INDUSTRIAL
168 Startups
Shenzhen & San Francisco

18. How do we select startups?
• Why this? Why you? Why now?
• Technology / Prototype / Team / Market
• And: Timing / Grit / Resourcefulness

19. The reality
• Ideas not unique
• Ups and downs
• It takes a village
• Each phase is different
• Skills & networks
• It’s a career
• Overnight success = 10 years

20. Learning Curves

21. Meeting interesting people

22. Part 2: How I got there

23. 18 years, 5 Jobs, 9 countries
• 2000-2001 - Consultant
• 2001-2003 - Market Researcher
• 2003-2010 - CEO / Consultant
• 2013 - Game Data Director
• 2013-today - Investor
Korea: Executive Training Program
China: Language school
Singapore + Germany : ‘digital nomad’
Malaysia + USA : startup founder

24. Remarkable?
• No resume since 2001 (except for CCE)
• No job hunting
• Opportunities: reputation, interests, network

25. Eye Opening(s)
• 2000 - Martial artist friend (IQ / EQ / SI / KI / etc.)
• 2001 - Japanese entrepreneur girlfriend
• 2003 - Rich Dad Poor Dad (Assets vs Liabilities)
• 2003 - Income economics (earn/learn/skills/employ)
• 2003 - Created own luck (ETP/Gaming)
• 2005 - Network building (writing, events, karma)
• 2007 - Be around & invest in capable people
• Later - Decision Making / Energy / Emotions / Purpose / Thriving environment / Beginner’s Mind

26. Part 3: Looking back

27. Orbits & Trajectories

28. Orbits & Trajectories
First world?
Male?
Caucasian?
Wealthy?
Supporting parents?
Middle class?
Bilingual?

29. Orbits & Trajectories
First world?
Male?
Caucasian?
Wealthy?
Supporting parents?
Middle class?
Bilingual?
Paradox: Struggle can help

30. Orbits & Trajectories

31. Orbits & Trajectories

32. How to thrive
• Fixed mindset vs Growth mindset
• Beginner’s mind
• Guts vs. Brain & Heart
• Shape your environment (willpower problem)
• Books, people, experiences
• Garbage in, garbage out
• Learning style, method, and environment
• Life is a package
• You are in charge

33. Food
People
Media
Ideas
Behaviors

34. 2018 Challenge(s)
1. Fast for 24h
2. Go silent for 2 days
3. Meet 3 people
4. Write something & publish it
5. Organize an event
6. Travel alone
7. Give a talk
8. Run for 1 hour
9. Sell a service

35. Level up
1. Willpower doesn’t work - Benjamin Hardy
2. How to fail and still win big - Scott Adams
3. Persuasion (& Pre-suasion) — Robert Cialdini
4. Waking Up - Sam Harris (Podcast & Books)
5. The 4-hours Body - Tim Ferriss
6. Learned optimism - Martin Seligman

36. Bon courage !
ben@hax.co