We did not expect the first batch of startups to make money; it was an experiment for us to learn how to be investors, which shaped our approach to supporting founders.

We raised money for the first time after five years of existence, once we had a clear picture of our market and customer traction.

Our first customer was a VC who ended up investing in us, and being part of Y Combinator helped us get meetings with many interested VCs.

We were confident about our startup, thinking we would get a lot of PR and funding, and we did receive significant media attention and raised $1.2 million in funding.

We decided to fund a large number of early-stage startups with small amounts of money, providing them with significant help, which was a departure from traditional VC practices.

I was the first investor in Android and played a role in the early days of Dropbox, emphasizing the importance of relationships in investing.

I was the first investor in Venmo and played a significant role in seeding Solana, which yielded almost a 2,000x return. The key to successful investing is finding ideas that others think are wrong but are actually right.

We raised our initial funding through a friends-and-family round, ensuring that only those who understood our vision could invest.

Despite the difficulties in raising funds during the economic collapse of 2008, we managed to secure our first investment through a college business plan competition.