Agriculture Lending from Apollo Agriculture
There’s lots of innovation in the lending space in Africa. I’ve been in the lending space for 3 years now, but in the mobile space for over 8. I can say that the pace of innovation from startups is the…
Mental Model Monday: In the Moment
I’ve picked up surfing this winter in Cape Town. The number of times I’ve could count the number of times I battered around and swallowed sea water has long since past. 72 hours is the amount of time I want…
Happy 4th Of July
Kristen and I moved into a new home this week. It’s our first time in a house, and I love it. Far more private and “homey.” We are celebrating by having a bit of a housewarming and 4th of July…
Mental Model Monday: Habits
Habits are not really a mental model, and I’ve never been great at building good habits. Spontaneity is important to me. But many successful people swear by their habits. As I get older I’ve started seeing the value in them. The…
Mental Model Monday: Excel
Excel is not a mental model, its a program. Watch the video below to get a good idea of how to excel. You’ll be more valuable because of it.
Fintech in Emerging Markets vs Developed Markets.
Bank of America is launching Erica, a digital assistant to help manage your bank account. The app promises to help you manage your bills, transfer money, and access important information about your account. Branch, a fintech company, raised over $100M…
Mental Model Monday: Leverage
Most people in the world probably think they’ve been more often on the wrong side of leverage. I count myself in that category. The most painful was when I was pushed out of a company without my equity. I only…
Mental Model Monday: Change
When I played rugby at University, I started for the first team my freshman year. Growing up with the sport in Zimbabwe had blessed me with an intuitive understanding of the game, from movement off the ball, to defense, to…
Mental Model Monday: Principles
Ray Dalio’s book is legit. It’s crystalizing a lot of the work I’ve read on mental models, while also putting down some great insight into execution. One key takeaway for me right now is his five step process to achieving your…
Mental Model Monday: Reading
This isn’t really a mental model, more of a mindset. But I include it as a mental model because you can use it as an instant or deferred model against the world. If you’ve read a book, you’ve accessed knowledge…
Who Likes to Speculate?
Like pretty much everyone else, I was caught up in the Bitcoin speculative bubble of late last year. During the frothy times, I entertained ideas of grandeur, where I would run a bitcoin hedgefund in Cape Town with my friends…
Mental Model Monday: First Principles
Last week I took four days off work and went on a five-day hike along the coast of South Africa. We carried all our own supplies. It was a beautiful experience, refreshing the mind, rejuvenating the soul and purifying the…