Interview With Vaughn Blake

Embark on a private investor’s journey, driven by an early passion for investing and a focus on asymmetry in investment opportunities. Explore innovation themes like the energy transition and frontier-tech, aiming to improve the world’s quality of life, while also facing challenges in portfolio management.

How and why did you get started in private investing?

I began making private investments in the early 2010s, mainly around the crypto/blockchain space. I love investing (especially venture) and grew up with an investors mindset, having my first public market (stock) portfolio around 2nd grade. My dad was an investment banker, then private equity investor and it was something that was discussed with me at an early age. It would be difficult to imagine a life where I wasn’t an investor.

What is the single most important thing you value in an investment opportunity?

Asymmetry

What are the best innovation themes that you see in the market today?

The energy transition, the next phases of the frontier-tech lifecycle, synthetic biology, collaboration tools.

Beyond economic return, what kind of impact do you hope to make with your portfolio?

Extend and improve upon the world’s collective quality of life.

What’s the most pressing challenge or pain point in managing your day-to-day private investment activity?

Keeping track of what our actual investor rights are across the portfolio, valuations.

What is the hardest investment lesson you’ve learned and/or the biggest investment mistake you’ve made?

Never be thesis-constrained when you recognize a massive opportunity.

What are your favorite industry information sources and/or services?

FT, Axios, Bloomberg, FinTwit.

Please leave us a book recommendation.

The Book of Illusions, Paul Auster

What’s your favorite non-business interest or hobby?

Family, snowboarding, tennis.

What’s your take on the private market overall?

Scored: 5