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The Meb Faber Show - Better Investing

Tom Williams - I Want To Be That First Call In The Darkest Of Days | #173

The Meb Faber Show - Better Investing

The Idea Farm

Management, Investing, Business

4.8978 Ratings

🗓️ 4 September 2019

⏱️ 109 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In episode 173, we welcome our guest, Tom Williams. Tom and Meb get right into Tom’s background, moving to the Bay Area alone, and finding a job at the age of 15. He then spends some time on building BetterCompany, a mobile app designed to bring anonymity to sharing about work, and later, pivoting to enterprise. Meb then asks about the beginning of Tom’s angel investing career. Tom walks through the progression of angel investing with a partner to launching his own fund, and how important it is to build a network. Next, the pair dive into AngelList, syndicates, and how easy it has become to invest in startups. Tom dives further into venture, with an example of a fallacy that it is a zero-sum game. He describes technology driven disruption resulting in a democratization process where more and more companies taking their share of the market as a result. Meb then asks Tom to explain his thought process on investing. Tom emphasizes his focus on macro. He then discusses a theme he’s been investing in, America losing its supremacy and how to fix that. He shares that he finds ethically run technology companies that are trying to “ladder up” the “trapped class” in America are looking very interesting. Tom then spends some time talking about some portfolio investments. He walks through Grove Collaborative, already America’s largest independent brand for home and personal care, and the clear vision that the co-founder and CEO explained to him. Tom describes the vision being so obvious, he just had to go with it. He follows up with LogDNA, and Jumbotail. As the conversation winds down, Tom reveals his plans for the future, including the idea of backing new angel investors. All this and much more in episode 173, including Tom’s philanthropic work and his most memorable investment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Welcome to the Mebb Faver Show, where the focus is on helping you grow and preserve your wealth.

0:12.6

Join us as we discuss the craft of investing

0:15.6

and uncover new and profitable ideas,

0:18.4

all to help you grow wealthier and wiser.

0:20.8

Better investing starts here.

0:23.0

Meck Faber is the co-founder and chief investment officer at Cambria Investment Management.

0:31.0

Due to industry regulations, he will not discuss any of Cambria's funds on this

0:35.5

podcast.

0:36.8

All opinions expressed by podcast participants are solely their own opinions and do not reflect

0:41.3

the opinion of Cambria Investment Management or its

0:43.6

affiliates. For more information visit cambria Investments.com

0:49.4

Welcome to the show, podcast listeners. We got a great show for you today. Our guest is one of my favorite angel investors on the planet. Welcome to the show Tom Williams.

0:59.0

Thanks very much. Happy to be here. Tom, you just told me you used to live in Los Angeles

1:02.6

and have never been to Manhattan Beach.

1:04.4

That's the saddest thing I've ever heard.

1:06.3

It's the most LA, LA thing you said.

1:08.3

And it's true, right?

1:09.2

Like, where is LA?

1:10.4

Where does it begin and where does it end?

1:12.2

I talked to my friends in Silver Lake. I used to date a girl over there and you'll talk to people throughout the city and be like, hey, have you ever been to so-and-so? I've never even heard of that. It's a little easier now that they have lived.

1:23.3

How long ago were you here?

1:24.3

Early 2000s.

...

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