E236: How the Top 0.1% Founders Build AI Companies

Can founders 10x their progress in 12 weeks? In this episode, I speak with Dave Fontenot, Founder of HF0, a groundbreaking startup residency that’s redefining how AI companies are built. HF0’s model—part hacker house, part monastic focus—is based on the idea that startups grow fastest when founders eliminate every distraction and operate in uninterrupted flow. Dave explains how the residency model is helping founders make “two years of progress in 12 weeks,” why the most dangerous distraction is the second most important thing in your business, and how recursive subtraction leads to breakthrough realizations. We discuss what true flow looks like, how competition in AI has changed company-building forever, and why the next generation of founders will work like athletes in training camp.

How do you train the next generation of allocators—and what separates elite investment offices from the rest? In this episode, I speak with Alex Ambroz, Founder and CEO of the Allocator Training Institute, whose mission is to professionalize allocator education. Alex has spent his career building and leading investment teams across Morgan Creek, J.P. Morgan, Cleveland Clinic, Aberdeen, and now as the founder of Allocator Training Institute. We dive into the evolution of the endowment model, how allocators detect hidden risk, the difference between true alpha and disguised beta, and why collaboration—not competition—is the secret to better portfolio outcomes. Alex also explains how today’s top allocators use data, relationships, and operational excellence to stay ahead of market shifts.

What separates the good investors from the great ones? In this 2nd solo episode, David Weisburd shares the three rules that every world-class investor follows—rules that have nothing to do with IQ, luck, or access, and everything to do with how they think, use time, and define their game. Drawing on hundreds of private conversations with elite fund managers, David breaks down why consistency is overrated, how to buy back your time, and why clarity about your “game” might be the biggest competitive edge of all. If you’re an investor, founder, or builder looking to sharpen your mental model, this episode offers a rare inside look at the mindset of the best in the business.

What happens when an investor treats crypto like software infrastructure, not speculation? In this episode, I sit down with Avichal Garg, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Electric Capital, to unpack the evolution of crypto investing—from speculative hype cycles to infrastructure that powers the next era of the internet. Avichal explains how Electric Capital measures developer activity across blockchain ecosystems, why he believes the next trillion-dollar opportunities are being built quietly by open-source engineers, and how software-based incentives will transform everything from finance to governance. We discuss the reality of investing through crypto winters, the rise of modular blockchains, the lessons learned from building at Google and Facebook, and how AI and decentralization are beginning to converge.

How do you build trust in an industry that’s built on auctions and price maximization? In this episode, I speak with Melvin Hibberd, Chief Investment Officer of Hunter Point Capital, about how the firm is redefining GP stakes investing through proprietary partnerships, structural creativity, and long-term alignment. Melvin takes us inside the evolution of GP stakes—from his pioneering work at Blackstone Strategic Partners to launching Hunter Point—and shares how he avoids auction dynamics that distort relationships, what truly drives alignment between investors and GPs, and why patience, not speed, builds lasting value. We cover everything from bespoke deal structuring and evergreen capital to portfolio construction, procurement savings, and the next phase of mid-market growth. This conversation is a masterclass in how to partner with GPs the right way.

David Weisburd had a chance to witness live the conversation between Jack Kokko, Founder & CEO of AlphaSense, and Lloyd Blankfein, former Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, during AlphaSummit 2025 in New York City. In this wide-ranging discussion, Jack draws out Lloyd’s reflections on his early years in Brooklyn, his path to leading Goldman Sachs, and the lessons learned from steering the firm through periods of volatility and transformation. Together they explore how leadership, risk, and technology continue to shape Wall Street—and what it takes to stay adaptable in an ever-changing world.

How do you invest when it’s “too early for data”—but just right for conviction? In this episode, I speak with Vivek Ladsariya, Managing Director at Pioneer Square Labs (PSL), about what it really takes to back founders before traction, before funding rounds, and sometimes even before incorporation. Vivek shares how he partners with founders as a thought partner instead of a coach, why iteration trumps ideas, and how efficiency and automation have rewritten what it means to earn a Series A today. From early-stage pattern recognition to AI-driven productivity and new definitions of founder resilience, this conversation is a masterclass in what “being early” actually means in 2025

How does an $8B venture platform turn a 650-fund network into a repeatable co-investing edge? In this episode, Jonathan Roosevelt, Managing Director at Industry Ventures, explains how the firm evolved from a pioneer in venture secondaries into a platform combining secondaries, co-investments (directs), fund-of-funds, and tech buyout—with AUM “a little over $8B” and 25+ years in market. We break down why Series A/B/C co-investing requires a different lens than seed, how believability guides which GPs get a “stamp” for later-stage deals, and why customer calls are ground truth when underwriting mid-stage businesses. Jonathan also shares how asymmetric information and inflection points create true co-invest alpha—and when to ignore comps for N-of-1 companies.

How does an $8B venture platform turn a 650-fund network into a repeatable co-investing edge? In this episode, Jonathan Roosevelt, Managing Director at Industry Ventures, explains how the firm evolved from a pioneer in venture secondaries into a platform combining secondaries, co-investments (directs), fund-of-funds, and tech buyout—with AUM “a little over $8B” and 25+ years in market. We break down why Series A/B/C co-investing requires a different lens than seed, how believability guides which GPs get a “stamp” for later-stage deals, and why customer calls are ground truth when underwriting mid-stage businesses. Jonathan also shares how asymmetric information and inflection points create true co-invest alpha—and when to ignore comps for N-of-1 companies.

What if the U.S. dollar’s dominance has already ended—and we’re just living through the lag? In this episode, I sit down with Balaji Srinivasan, one of the most original thinkers in technology and finance, to unpack his boldest prediction yet: the death of the dollar and the rise of a digital, decentralized global economy. Balaji explains how inflation, weaponized finance, and technological sovereignty are accelerating a massive shift away from traditional monetary systems—and why crypto, AI, and network states could define the next reserve paradigm. We go deep into why he believes the internet will replace the nation-state, how founders can build parallel institutions from scratch, and why opting out—not lobbying—is the only path forward. This is not a doomsday take. It’s a blueprint for builders who believe the future is already here.