Collin Wallace

I think @United upgrades are basically like the claw machine at the arcade. You come close to getting the prize, but never actually get it.

Prediction Markets Are Digital OxyContin open.substack.com/pub/collinwall…

Is it me, or are demo days only good for meeting other investors?🤔

"No one can sit back silently and watch this and think it is OK." My partner @davidhornik, speaking to the The New York Times yesterday about what's happening in our industry right now. This weekend, while some tech leaders attended a White House screening, federal agents killed Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, in Minneapolis. The split screen says everything. Over 500 tech workers—engineers, VCs, researchers—signed an open letter demanding accountability. David was clear about what got us here: "They helped get this administration elected and then they helped this administration to decimate the norms of the U.S. democratic government." Here's what founders should know: Not every VC firm thinks the same way. Not every investor will ask you to compromise your values for access or advantage. At @lobby_vc, we are not perfect, but we are clear on where we stand. We believe you can build great companies AND live your values. Those two things shouldn't be in tension. Read David's full comments: lnkd.in/gUuzytwt #venturecapital #minnesota #values

@friedberg I don't agree with the California wealth tax, but I also don't think we are discussing the real issue. I wrote about it on LinkedIn and it seemed to resonate. Sharing it here to add to the conversation. collinwallace.substack.com/p/ruthless-cap…

California started with the Gold Rush and might end with the Golden Exit. it has been underreported how much wealth has left CA because of the asset seizure tax being proposed. a private poll was conducted amongst affected individuals a few days ago and 80-90% surveyed said they have already left CA in 2025 or will leave in 2026 if the ballot measure looks likely to pass. $2-2.5T of assets gone, representing about $20B of annual revenue for the state government. and likely hundreds of thousands of jobs now at risk. less reported is the bigger exodus underway from folks who are NOT directly affected but worry (as they should) that this law will quickly transition from billionaires to everyone else... the initiative actually gives CA legislators the right to take anyone's post-tax assets anytime in the future based on a majority vote. this isn't about billionaires. it's a new "tax system" that simply destroys private property rights in America. all private property is now public property. even after paying your taxes, it's not legally your property anymore. it's the government's, you're just borrowing it. legislators will decide what you get to keep and temporarily use each year. countless founders, CEOs, and other business leaders are actively looking to move their companies out of state. not just tech, not just AI, not just billionaires, but the core engine of California's prosperity since 1847 is unraveling. and here is how this initiative risks unraveling America: - ~10 states have explicit or implicit prohibitions against an asset seizure tax... - individuals affected in CA (and other states trying to do the same) will move to these states that endow private property rights. - CA already has a $20-30B annual budget deficit, an unfunded ~$1T pension liability for public employees/unions, and $500B of debt outstanding. the state can not afford to borrow much more and will launch more asset seizures to meet its obligations. - asset seizures will first transition to "millionaires" and eventually to the entire middle class as more asset seizures drive more people to leave the state. - the deficit, debt, and job loss will spiral. the Golden Exit. - no US state has ever declared bankruptcy. in addition to CA, dozens of other states face similar fiscal crises - legislators promised future benefits that can't be paid or theft and waste have been allowed to run rampant and unabated for years. - struggling states will eventually request federal government assistance, as they always have in times of fiscal crisis, effectively "federalizing state debt". - states not in crisis will declare "enough is enough", individuals in those states will refuse to pay their federal taxes (why pay for other people's mistakes?), some states may try to secede from the Union, and a constitutional and civil crisis will erupt. this may seem far-fetched but it is the obvious domino effect of selectively deleting private property rights for some people in some states. i am not a billionaire and this CA bill does not affect me, but i care about the country and the state of CA. i want both to thrive. it's obvious that there are people in CA in desperate need of support and assistance, and inequities may exist that need to be rectified, but eliminating private property rights is the wrong path for everyone. a few alternatives to consider first: 1) with a $350B annual budget, CA can cut programs that result in theft and little-to-no benefit for citizens. $50B per year is likely recoverable. 2) if more taxes are needed, tax loans against unrealized capital gains (very few objections will arise), eliminate tax-free rollover of certain appreciated assets (real estate industry will fight), create a step up in basis on inheritance (some will fight but most will support). likely $10Bs of incremental revenue can be realized. 3) restructure all public retirement programs from Defined Benefit to Defined Contribution. eliminating the unfunded retirement liabilities ($1T+) will be the release valve on the future the state so desperately needs. we must address what ails us without dividing and destroying our state, our nation, our home. ignore the rhetoric, these are the facts.

Telling Your Startup Story with ABS open.substack.com/pub/collinwall…

The Two Essential Elements of a Great Pitch open.substack.com/pub/collinwall…

@JoeAverbukh Not too many graphs that look like that! ✨✨🚀 Great job @JoeAverbukh

This is what happens when you spend the day as #1 on HN

@dsiroker I love this product and the form factor. I wish I could sync more than one email account, maybe even Microsoft/Outlook accounts? 🤔

Introducing Limitless: a personalized AI powered by what you’ve seen, said, or heard. It’s a web app, Mac app, Windows app, and a wearable. 0:06 Reveal 0:48 Why Limitless? 1:39 Demo 3:05 Pendant 4:27 Privacy 5:23 Confidential Cloud 6:36 Rewind 7:12 Roadmap 9:25 Vision

Did you ever want to know the answers to these questions?: 🚀 Are startup accelerators really worth it for founders? 🚀 What are the differences between startup accelerators? 🚀 How much funding do startup accelerators give? And how much equity do they take for it? And what are the financing terms? 🚀 Why SAFEs (simple agreement for future equity) can be dangerous. 🚀 How do you know if a startup would benefit from participating in an accelerator? 🚀 What kinds of problems are accelerators good at helping startups solve? If you want to find out the answers to those questions, and more, then check out this episode of Next Unicorn podcast! In this episode, I interview Collin Wallace @collinwallace , former Head of Techstars @Techstars Silicon Valley (one of the top startup accelerators - led globally by CEO @MaelleGavet ). Collin also co-teaches the Startup Garage accelerator class at the Stanford Graduate School of Business @StanfordGSB , and is a partner at Lobby Capital (formerly August Capital), a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. (Lobby Capital’s founding partners include: David Hornik @davidhornik , Eric Carlborg, and Buddy Arnheim.) Previously, as a repeat founder, Collin also was a participant in @Techstars and @ycombinator (currently led by CEO @garrytan ). One of Collin’s companies merged with @Grubhub pre-IPO, where he became Head of Innovation. Collin has invested in over 80 early-stage companies, including Payjoy, Landed, Mosaic Voice, Postscript, and Vellum. He has a BS from @GeorgiaTech , and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business @StanfordGSB . In addition, he speaks Mandarin Chinese. 🎙️ Search any podcast platform for “Next Unicorn,” or press the link in my bio. 🎥 Video version is available on the Next Unicorn YouTube channel. #startups #founders

#Ticketmaster is only going to get worse and make seeing concerts an impossible luxury for most fans. There is no world where it makes sense for 80-90% of face value inventory to go to resellers first instead of fans. To make matters worse artists like @taylorswift13 … 🧵1/3

Anxiety is when you think too much and don’t act enough.

Austin has so much road debris. I should have brought a mountain bike, not a road bike.

It’s strange that one of the big benefits of the blockchain is that it is trustless, but it seems like no one on the crypto community trust anyone.

32:48 minutes to go from this to this. 🚴🏾‍♂️->🧳

Bright #stakeandrelax

What if we force home insurance to cover damages from crimes committed with guns?

What if @Google or @Facebook put a counter on their search page tracking the number for deaths from mass shootings? I wonder if that would get people’s attention.