The art of mentorship and long-term thinking

I recently spoke with Brad Feld, the co-founder of TechStars and a longtime venture capitalist, about his latest book, Give First: The Power of Mentorship.

Brad has always struck me as an outlier in the venture world — not just because he’s based outside Silicon Valley, but because of the deeply philosophical lens through which he views entrepreneurship and capitalism. As our conversation unfolded, it became clear that Brad is less interested in growth-at-all-costs and more attuned to the fragility that mindset can create.

At the heart of his book is a powerful reminder: in a world increasingly defined by transactions, we’re losing sight of the long arc of mentorship and the serendipity that often drives real value. As Brad puts it: “We’re conditioned to think in very short, transactional ways. But most of the truly important things that create value are serendipitous and unmodeled.”

Key quote: “Start by focusing on what you can control — how you behave, how you engage with others. Ask yourself: Are you trying to be the person with the most success, or are you trying to contribute meaningfully to the things you’re involved in? I’d rather have a wonderful hour of conversation that nobody ever sees than optimize for some external metric of success. Take a longer view. Be present. Give first without expecting immediate returns. And remember — there’s no winning in the end anyway. We’re all going to be gone. So what kind of experience do you want to have while you’re here?”

“A view from the edge of transformation”

Our investment firm, Nightview Capital, is built on a simple belief: the edge lies in taking a longer view — and maintaining optimism, even when it’s difficult.

This quarter, we explore three emerging themes we believe could define the next decade: Chinese innovation, autonomous transport, and intelligent automation. There’s no denying the world feels turbulent. Headlines reflect real risks — geopolitical tension, economic uncertainty, technological disruption.

But amid the noise, we also see powerful undercurrents of progress. From Tesla’s robotaxi launch in Austin to the gradual revival of China’s consumer economy and the quiet rise of humanoid robotics, a new economic architecture is beginning to take shape. It won’t be a straight line. But for those willing to zoom out and stay focused on the big picture, we believe there are compelling reasons to remain optimistic about the future.

Key quote: “That’s why mental flexibility is key. Much like the search engine wars of the 1990s, where Google initially seemed indistinguishable from its peers, we recognize that picking ultimate winners this early is more art than science. Our goal isn’t to predict with certainty, but to position ourselves intelligently around emerging themes — and to incorporate new data ruthlessly as it becomes available. If the story improves, we scale; if the thesis breaks, we adapt. This approach allows us to capture upside while avoiding dogma. In frontier markets like China’s EV and robotics sector, it’s less about perfect foresight and more about agile participation — entering at a reasonable valuation, observing closely, and being willing to evolve with the facts.”

OUTLAST field notes: In pursuit of shokunin waza

While in Japan, I’ve been spending time with a term that keeps surfacing in conversations about long-lasting businesses: shokunin waza.

It’s usually translated as “craftsmanship,” but the meaning runs deeper than that. It’s not just about technical skill — it’s about a way of being. A deep, almost spiritual commitment to doing your work well, with care, over and over again.

And here’s the interesting part: Japan has more century-old companies than anywhere else in the world. Inns, paper mills, breweries, makers of everything from soy sauce to swords. At first glance, it’s hard to understand how they’ve lasted so long.

But the more I ask questions, the more I hear a familiar theme. It’s not about chasing trends. It’s not about expanding fast or making bold strategic moves. It’s about rhythm and repetition.

In the West, we often think of longevity as the reward for big ideas or massive innovation. But shokunin waza offers a different theory. Maybe one of the secrets of endurance isn’t about doing more — but about doing one thing really well, for a really long time. It’s not flashy. And it’s not a growth strategy. It’s more of a philosophy — and it works.

A few more links I enjoyed:

To Save Nature, Make It Sacred – via Noema

Key quote: “‍What makes the case of Grand Bassin [lake] especially instructive is that it has been preserved from below through everyday practices, shared narratives and embodied reverence. Pilgrims fast before visiting and walk long distances to get there; they bathe in its waters, offer incense and flowers, go around barefoot; they collect the sacred water in bottles to pour over their home shrine. The lake’s sacrosanct status does not rest on formal enforcement or economic incentives but on a moral orientation that has become embedded in the community’s relationship to place. Visitors care for the lake of their own accord; threat of punishment is not required.”

Where Do We Compress Complexity? – via John Candeto

Key quote: “‍Economy of time is surviving, evolving, and minimizing the odds that either of these get disrupted, thereby maximizing the time over which one can keep compounding. Much of this resolves in wisely selecting where we compress complexity, and being well-suited for and well-structured to manage through the inevitable volatility that is a natural feature of a broken world, full of people oscillating between being humbled and being our own gods.”