Ahmed Dawoud

In a world where many are stuck in the past, akin to those skating to where the puck was, it becomes evident that forward-thinking is a rare trait. The wisdom encapsulated in Wayne Gretzky’s famous quote, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been,” emphasizes the importance of anticipating the future. Unfortunately, as acknowledged by the speaker, his perspective is distorted due to age, illustrating the challenge of maintaining a forward-looking mindset. The success story lies in assembling a talented team, recognizing the key to progress. Venture capital, traditionally not adept at way-ahead-of-revenue investing, faces difficulty in embracing this paradigm shift. Despite the frenzied times, synergies have been remarkably achieved. However, the prevalent miscalibration of risk during these challenging times hinders most individuals from leaving their comfortable jobs to pursue their true passions.

New words and Phrases

1. We have a lot of people that I think are skating to where the puck was and we’re going to where the puck is going: it suggests that there are individuals or a group of people who are not forward-thinking
2. This phrase is often attributed to Wayne Gretzky, a legendary ice hockey player. The full quote is, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” The expression is commonly used metaphorically to convey the idea of anticipating future events or trends rather than reacting to past ones.
3. It’s true, my perspective is warped, because I’m in my 60s: distorted or biased مشوهة
4. The key was the talent that you assembled
5. This kind of way-ahead-of-revenue investing is not something that the venture capital industry is good at.
6. It has been very, very synergistic.
7. In these frenzied times عصيبة
8. most people are mis-calibrated on risk. يخطئون في تقدير المخاطر
9. They’re afraid to leave the soft, cushy job behind to go do the thing they really want to do