Olfera reposted this
Matchwise.AI - Find the best people to talk with at business and social events Previously at Tempo.ai (sold to Salesforce) and Nuance (Microsoft)
These aren't colored eggs. They are a reminder of how this valley was built through relationships, and the unrushed and thoughtful conversations that led to them. This weekend Parnian and I visited Daniel Theobald at his beautiful ranch in San Gregorio. He's an MIT/robotics guy with an accomplished career, who took his robots into the fields to help farmers across the world increase their productivity. This ranch is their testbed and it feels right out of a movie seeing robots in the fields. Daniel was curious about Olfera (Parnian's biotech startup), but instead of opening up a laptop, we took a 3.5km walk around the ranch, going through redwood groves, an avocado orchard, an observation deck for incredible sunsets over the ocean, herds of goats, corn fields, pumpkin patches, and the list goes on... Instead of a rushed push through a deck we talked about life, about building things that make the world better, and about relationships. And yes, we also talked bio and the strategies that help startups succeed. In particular, I liked Daniel's advice about "staying behind the money - don't get in front of it". The observation that too many startups raise too early and are given priorities that conspire to cause them to fail really resonates. And back to the eggs: As we left Daniel gave us these eggs from his chickens on the ranch. They are almost too pretty to eat, but we will make the most delicious omelets and be reminded of an incredible visit to San Gregorio.