Juan Orbea

Thiel argues that innovation has stagnated in the last half a century, citing examples of how industries like energy, aerospace, automotive or biotech haven't had any major breakthroughs during this period.

But blockchains are the only infrastructure system that at least attempts to do ultimate dispute resolution at the non-state level (either through on-chain smart contract logic or through the freedom to fork). This makes them an ideal base infrastructure for network states.

Our model instincts are just not attuned to that at all, they are not sensitive to the sheer scale of what an individual is able to achieve if he or she is trying to make a really positive difference in the world.

Venture capital has delivered great historical returns but is illiquid and hard to access. Fortunately, innovation does not occur only at venture-backed startups. 

Imagine you crossed by a shallow pond in which a kid was drowning. At that point in time, you are wearing your most expensive outfit (say, $5k). It is reasonable to affirm that most people in that situation would save the child from drowning, in spite of ruining their outfit, and it is clear that this would be the most ethical decision to make. We... See more

Investing

Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE)

A SAFE gives investors the rights to purchase stock in a future equity round, often with a specific cap and/or discount. No specific price per share is determined at the time of the initial investment.

They’re a simple and fast way to get early investments into a company. The SAFE was originally

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Compelling evidence shows that genetics plays a more important role than environment as intelligence develops from childhood, and that intelligence test scores correspond strongly to specific features of the brain assessed with neuroimaging. 

Notice How Exponential Growth Continued through Paradigm Shifts from Vacuum Tubes to Discrete Transistors to Integrated Circuits