Your network is your net worth. Invest in relationships the same way you invest in assets.
The best investment I ever made was a cold email. It cost nothing and changed everything.
The best deal flow comes from adding value. Help founders and they'll send you more founders.
The fastest way to change yourself is to hang out with people who are already the way you want to be.
No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you're playing a solo game, you'll always lose out to a team.
Jay-Z, Meek Mill, and I throw a Super Bowl party every year. People think it's just a party. It's actually the most efficient networking event in sports business. Every deal I've done in five years started at that party.
Networking is not about collecting business cards. It is about being so interesting that people want to keep talking to you.
Being famous gives you access to founders that most VCs dream about. I use that access to actually learn, not just to get deal flow.
Relationships are the ultimate asset. Every deal I've ever done started with a conversation.
I surround myself with winners. That is not an accident. That is a strategy.
We built Cascade when nobody was sure ATM networking would matter. We built Sycamore when everyone was sure fiber optics was the future. Both taught me something different about timing.