My biggest regret in school in general was, just the regimented nature of it. It wasn’t as appealing to me. So I just made fun of it, by trying to play it as a game that I could optimize for my own happiness. And I think it was only later in life, after school, that I really got much more curious about learning.
Ho Nam
I was introduced to Ho Nam by a previous guest, and going into my conversation with him it’s safe to say I didn’t know what to expect. All I knew about Ho was what I had gathered from my online research and the fact that he had gone to a very similar high school to the one I currently attend.
I had all my emergency questions prepared in case I couldn’t find a way to continue the conversation. As soon as we started chatting however all my fears dissipated. Ho was incredibly open and easy to talk to as soon as we met, almost immediately sharing some incredible insights into the way he thinks.
Who is Ho Nam? Ho is one of the most intelligent and thoughtful venture capitalists I have ever met. He is the Co-founder and Managing Director of Altos Ventures, a global VC and RIA with more than $3B in regulatory AUM. Since 1996, Altos has invested more than $1B in 100+ global tech startups, usually as the first and lead institutional investor.
He began his career by getting his Bachelor’s in engineering from Harvey Mudd College and his MBA from Stanford University. Clearly, Ho is very educated, but he backs up his impressive resumé with an even more amazing charisma.
The only thing more entertaining than listening to him is actually speaking with him yourself. This is an episode I think everyone can enjoy and learn from, regardless of your prior understanding.
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Show Notes
- Recruited by Andover while at public school in Boyle Heights (Los Angeles)
- Sent back a grade at Andover, probably because he was immature
- Figuring out how to do as little as possible while still getting good grades
- Permanently on probation, but working at a higher grade level
- Successfully petitioned to skip back
- Finding out about Harvey Mudd College through their ‘junk mail’
- Thoughts on the value of schooling
- The passionate entrepreneur, more than just competence
- Learning on the job
- Great people still have to create a great business
- Advice for teen entrepreneurs
- We are adapted to survive, not necessarily adapted to understand
- Learn from others
Transcript
Links and Resources
Ho Nam on LinkedIn
Altos Ventures
Magnet Schools
Andover
Harvey Mudd College
Ho Nam’s blog post “How Do You Know?”
Charlie Munger
Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie