Project: Network Building & Environment Design
Objective: Building relationships outside the boardroom.
A few months back, I spent a morning out on the lake with Elan Lee (renowned designer and creator of Exploding Kittens) and Kevin Kliman (Founder of Humi).
Objective: Building relationships outside the boardroom.
A few months back, I spent a morning out on the lake with Elan Lee (renowned designer and creator of Exploding Kittens) and Kevin Kliman (Founder of Humi).
We weren't there to talk shop, pitch deals, or "network" in the traditional sense.
We were there to learn. Elan was teaching me how to eFoil.
We were there to learn. Elan was teaching me how to eFoil.
If you’ve never tried it, eFoiling is a humbling experience. It requires a paradoxical state of mind: you have to be completely focused, yet totally relaxed. If you tense up, you fall. If you overthink the balance, you crash.
The Great Equalizer
There is something grounding about being a beginner again, especially when you are alongside high-level operators like Kevin and Elan.
The water doesn't care about your exit strategy or your cap table. It only cares about your balance.
In my work, whether building The Haven or scouting for the next venture, I’ve learned that the best relationships aren't built in boardrooms. They are built in these moments of shared vulnerability. It’s about seeing how people handle the "chop." Do they laugh when they fall? Do they get back up with curiosity or frustration?
Soft skills are hard skills. And sometimes, the best due diligence, and the best nervous system regulation, is just spending time with good people in nature.