Momentum Investing and Innovation

I was recently introduced to the concept of momentum investing in different sectors. I loved this short piece we did up on Owners Box which is about to go live.

It got me thinking about innovation and a few conversations over the years with mentors and advisors. "Creativity is relating the seemingly un-related to the related" as my dad Vic Lindal always said. My father was Canada's national women's volleyball coach and CBC Olympic Commenter for Volleybal at the 76, 84, 88, 92 Olympics and coach across 7 different spots over a nearly 70 year career winning something like 70 state and national titles. We had a fun time training together when I was 19 and he was 50 to do the IronMan Canada Event. He jokes "I am the only person to get three finishing photos.... because I was going so slow across the line"

Quick Story on Creativity : I was on Sand Hill Road about 5 years ago at the Rosewood Hotel in a fire site chat with Sandeep Tandon a great entrepreneur who was originally a member of peer group EO in Los Angeles and now in India. I was fascinated with how he built Freecharge in India into a market leader and his process for stepping outside his lane and industry to study patterns of thinking from an adjacent sector and using that knowledge model to apply to his sector - ultimatley resulting in explosive growth and one of the largest tech exits in India. Great great innovator!

Another great conversation over the years with Education Tech Pioneer John Katzman talking about e-learning, on-line education and the need to create a highly socialized experience with short burst of information, real time sharing of ideas. I think this conversation was 4 years ago. Bringing in different ideas, best practices and thoughts from adjacent sectors into an industry that has needed shake-up. John's business The Noodle Companies, LLC is recent conversation is absolutely on fire and I can see why. I have learned so much from John over the years just asking questions and shutting up and listening!!1

The below company I think is quite possibly onto a new innovation and new pivot in the billion dollar area of fantasty sports with some of the tweaks and innovative socialized / community experience they are building. A great team of investors! Dan Plashkes Christopher Payne Sandy Plashkes I sense these guys after quite possibly figured out a better mousetrap and brought in creativity and innovation from adjacent sectors! Rock on guys!

Very excited about the launch of International Deal Gateway Elite program and various cool industry clusters to drive momentum and network effect around deals. It is the philosophy of Brad Feld that I have come to know over the last 30 years meeting him when YEO launched in Boston, Denver and various fun initiatives over the year. Build your investment hypothesis and look out 20 years. Figure out how you can build network effect around this hypothesis to drive deal flow, partners, connections, momentum investors, advisors in clusters around the world so you can move fast and move early. I love it.

We hope you will apply to join International Deal Gateway Elite our highly focussed sub-set of Deal Gateway with investors, family offices, entrepreneurs innovators, leaders from around the world!

Have a great week and take care of each other in your home, community, city, country. Reach out anytime if I can be helpful.

Dean o