Lecture Notes: Conversation with Elad Gil

Introduction

• Elad Gil: Prolific angel investor
  • Invested in 40+ billion-dollar companies
  • Early investor in companies like Airbnb, Airtable, Anduril
  • Former entrepreneur acquired by Twitter
  • Early employee at Twitter and Google
  • Involved in longevity and AI investing

Investment Strategies

Key Success Factors

• Started investing at a favorable time in SaaS, consumer, AI markets
• Market-first approach rather than founder-first
  • Focus on market potential and product-market fit
• Staying ahead of technological changes
  • Early involvement in generative AI

Investment Approach

• Initially invested personal money, shifted to SPVs and funds
• Built a layered investment strategy (personal, fund, SPV)
• Notable investments include Anduril Series D and others

Philosophy and Projects

Approach to Building and Investing

• Builder-first approach; emphasizes practical involvement
• Involvement in societally useful projects, e.g., translating classic books using AI
• Projects driven by interest and societal impact, not just financial return

Life and Career Perspective

• Early career focus on societally useful work (e.g., PhD in biology)
• Importance of technology as a lever for societal impact
• Interested in ideas and projects with societal usefulness

Market and Technology Insights

Understanding Market Opportunities

• Examined markets like defense tech when large companies exited (e.g., Google with Maven)
• Emphasis on understanding market structure, growth rates, and technology shifts

Notable Market-Driven Investments

• Crypto: Recognized adoption and technology shifts in 2017-2018
• AI: Invested early due to market and technology foresight
• Unconventional approaches, e.g., low-code/no-code through smart founders

Personal Insights and Projects

Educational and Societal Projects

• Concept for a chain of K-12 schools inspired by Ancient Greece
• Focus on core educational elements like reasoning, math, physical fitness

Longevity and Health

• Interest in aging and longevity, funded clinical trials
• Mentioned work of BioAge and other longevity research
• Discussed potential for drugs like rapamycin to extend lifespan

Closing Thoughts

Inspirational and Artistic Ideas

• Idea for large-scale public monuments to inspire progress
• Views on societal shifts away from large-scale public artistry

Personal Interests

• Enjoyment of intensive travel and cultural immersion
• Belief in immersive experiences as a form of learning and engagement

Contact

• Twitter: @eladgil
• Encourages building interesting, impactful things