Val Young

I gave a TED-style talk at @StanfordBiz encouraging female classmates to run for office. Hope you'll take a look! bit.ly/1SJ9AjD

In New England, we’ve always believed in standing up for freedom. We’ve always believed in helping our neighbors, that unity is stronger than division, and that hope is more powerful than fear. American Democracy was born here. Now it’s time to defend it. Vote for @JoyceCraigNH and @KamalaHarris.

@mocowan Mountain Time Prime Time 💫

I think I finally caught on: this is NOT being run according to EDT. In which case…we’re right on schedule.

For so many women, the most important life decision is also the most important career decision you will ever make: who you marry. Ambitious women—find your Doug! Smart, driven, loving and committed as hell to supporting his partner & her dreams 🥹

Oh I remember it well, Bill.

A lot of people are shocked by the sudden surge in valuation around women’s sports. Do you know who is definitely not shocked? Me. I’ve been talking about investing in women’s sports for years. People said it was silly and there would never be any value there. It’s the same thing to me about Reddit and UGC – and they were wrong about that, too. But it was so clear to me that these leagues were sitting on untapped gold mines. They had very talented players with huge followings who were commanding multi-million dollar brand deals. But their games were being played on Lifetime, and those media rights were determining the overall value of the league. It just didn’t add up. There are so many emerging sports—not just women’s soccer—that got stuck-in-place because they were valued *way* below their potential for the very same reason. But it’s all starting to change now. The way people consume information is changing. Social media is creating a huge signal for traditionally undervalued players and leagues. That’s why our North Star for @weareangelcity, @WeAreLAGC & the record-breaking @athlos starts with telling the stories of our players first and leveraging storytelling tech & social media platforms to do it. @OffseasonFC, which just secured distribution on @X, is a perfect example – the series showcases who players are and how they train so fans can build an even deeper relationship. It means they will show up on game day – and beyond. We’re seeing those valuations start to change now – and that change is gonna be *real* fast 📈

Last week, I didn't have it in me to weigh in on the seeming landslide of support for Trump. The tech industry I believe in doesn't sacrifice social progress and values in the name of technological advancement...I'd argue the former becomes even more critical as we grapple with the inevitable disruption ahead with AI. Grateful to the people who spoke up, calmly and thoughtfully. I see you!

I saw Kamala speak to a crowd of ~50 at The Assembly in SF during her Senate run. I remember thinking then that she was an incredibly powerful & charismatic speaker. I think now she’s being vastly underestimated & I’m excited to watch her on the trail

I just saw a woman on tik tok saying we should take a second to appreciate that this is the first time in history the media has considered a woman in her 50’s young. 🤣

The group chat wants Kamala/Mayor Pete. And everyone’s pretty pumped (and donating). And loving that Trump is now the old/senile one #lfg

@daisydwolf @a16z @vijaypande @tomeghale @ouraring I listened to this today & really enjoyed it (especially the shoutout on the future of women's health). Found the P2D2 framework on future of health useful too. And the only thing sexier than earplugs & eye masks is if you add mouth tape!

On this week's @a16z Raising Health podcast, @vijaypande and I interviewed @tomeghale, CEO of @ouraring Our conversation spans lots of fun topics, including: - Our love for our Oura rings, despite them being literal “buzz kills” in revealing the ruinous effect of alcohol on sleep - How the worlds of consumer and healthcare are merging, as consumers essentially now have access to clinical-grade wearable devices - How AI algorithms are deployed in wearable devices & what wearables might look like 20 years from now (implanted into our bodies and clothes) - How the sexiest people sleep in earplugs and eye masks Check it out! a16z.com/podcast/longev…

@chrissyfarr Probably true for many companies/verticals (for instance, my friend's ML company thinking about it). BLUF - just because you CAN raise a lot at a huge valuation doesn't necessarily mean you SHOULD. Health tech founders with big rounds in ~'21 learning that belatedly now

One of the top reasons companies die in health tech is overcapitalization. I can’t tell you how many growth stage founders I’ve talked to lately who told me they wished they’d raised less and at a lower valuation. Huge problem, rarely discussed.

This is what can happen when you invest in women’s sports.🚀 Viewership for the NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship has been essentially stagnant until 2022—which was also the 1st year the women’s tournament was able to use the “March Madness” branding.

18.7 MILLION 🔥

Facts don't care about your feelings. Women athletes more valuable than men because they capture more attention on social, hence more sponsorship dollars. Imagine if the @NCAA had been supporting them all these years 🧐

Things have never been so real as when the CEO of a major health plan admits “I’m not sure if it’s payer with an E or O” 😂😂 love it. Honesty!!

Yet another study revealing that "stealth mode" is dumb. hbr.org/2024/03/6-stra…

In awe of @Rachel_R_Romer's strength and the grace, grit & perseverance she has brought to her stroke recovery. It's inspiring to watch her learn and grow every week. No doubt she'll smash this recovery & thrilled for Guild's next chapter with Bijal. linkedin.com/pulse/my-recov…

@KTmBoyle Made touchy feely such an interesting class for that 'ah ha' moment when folks became aware that all their credentials stacked up didn't actually make people root for them / want to be led by them.

@KTmBoyle Totally agree. Not enough people (in life, as at business school) pause to think about just how different it is to lead vs manage (or, ask the question: "why would people follow me / let me lead them?"). And then work on building those capabilities vs reading more mgmt books

People make fun of business school, but I learned a lot there through observation. And one of the major lessons I learned from watching classmates was this: management is not leadership. They’re often used synonymously as in “the management team of X company” or “leadership at company Y.” But the words have very different meanings. Leadership refers to a motion. As in, a person is leading, pulling and shepherding another group as they move. It signals action, movement, dynamism, thought. Leadership is instinctual, leaders are born and crafted through hard times. There’s no playbook, which is why when you meet a great leader of a company they usually have their own “management style” that looks nothing like what’s taught at a business school. Management is stasis. To manage the situation is inherently different than to lead through it. There are playbooks for “effective management.” Solid management. And they all look pretty similar. But management has no optimism to it. It’s stasis at best and decline at worst. Not to pick on management consultants or MBAs, but the problem that businesses and countries have right now is we have generations of people who are trained in management and very, very few people who are capable of leading.