Delivered December 6 @ 5:03pm ET

Table of Contents

• Authenticity is your greatest asset

• New Deal Released:

Happy Friday everyone! My name is Gerry Hays, and I’m the Founder of Doriot.

I’m actively in the venture game as a Founder/CEO, investor, researcher, inventor, author, game designer, and professor. I’ve built companies and developed a global venture portfolio entirely from the great state of Indiana, all while teaching over 6,000 undergraduates and MBAs at Indiana University, as well as in Croatia, Hong Kong, Slovenia, and Singapore.

Through Doriot, I’m devoting the remainder of my professional career to democratizing venture (and wealth building).

If you’re enjoying this newsletter and think others in your network would too, I’d be grateful if you forwarded it along and encourage them to subscribe. And, with 10 referred subscribers, I’ll autograph a copy of my first book, the First-time Founder’s Equity Bible and ship it to you!

Authenticity is your greatest asset

“Anything that is peculiar to our makeup is precisely what we must pay the deepest attention to and lean on in our rise to mastery”

I recently came across an interview with Robert Greene, best known for his bestselling book The 48 Laws of Power, and the greatest takeaway is that Your individuality is your greatest asset.

The things that make you unique - the quirks, interests, and perspectives that set you apart - are not flaws to hide but strengths to embrace. When you focus on what is uniquely yours and lean into it, you unlock the potential to rise above mediocrity and achieve mastery.

Trying to imitate others or conform to external expectations is a disservice to both yourself and the world. It stifles the originality that only you can bring. Instead, pay close attention to the traits and passions that are distinctly yours, no matter how peculiar they may seem. These are the keys to your greatest achievements.

So how do we get there? Tom suggest looking back to our childhood to find our inspiration and purpose in life. Back to a time before we were tempted to shape our desires and pursuits based on the perceived success of others and their opinions of us. His point was that our truest self and the things that we feel passionate about can be linked back to the things that excited us as kids. This is where we can find inspiration for our lives and the way we each can contribute naturally and meaningfully to this world.

For me, it was Legos. For you, it might have been drawing, tinkering with gadgets, or making up stories. Whatever it was, there’s power in revisiting those passions and seeing how they connect to who you are today and the mastery you’re capable of achieving.

To begin your journey of self-discovery, start small. Write down one passion from your childhood - the thing that made you lose track of time, that lit you up before the world told you what to care about. Then, set aside a few minutes today to reflect, meditate, or journal about how that passion might still live within you.

These small steps are powerful. Each one brings you closer to reconnecting with your authentic self and building the life you’re truly meant to live.

Capital, Cultivation, and Networks

This week, I had a conversation in class about the future of wealth and how someone without much money can get ahead in what often feels like an impossible situation.

My advice to them: Stop thinking in terms of salaries and consumption and start thinking in terms of capital, cultivation, and networks. It’s even more important given today’s changing economic and political climate.

Why? The recent election has solidified a power dynamic centered on Washington, Wall Street, and Silicon Valley (WWS). These three powerhouses - already dominant - are poised to reshape the economic landscape, creating unparalleled opportunities for wealth creation. But make no mistake: these opportunities are designed for them, not for you.

As individuals, we’re the marks in their game. Think about it this way:

• Washington DC wants our agency, stripping individuals of autonomy under the guise of public good.

• Wall Street wants our money, and increasingly, our property, turning financial innovation into a tool of wealth extraction.

• Silicon Valley wants our ideas, time, and data, commoditizing every aspect of our digital and creative lives.

Their thirst for power and influence is only growing - and will become even more extreme as we enter a period of deregulation.

But where there is upheaval, there is opportunity. We are already seeing the beginnings of a profound shift:

• Regulatory acceleration: The tokenization and digitization of real-world assets are transforming ownership models.

• Access to private markets: Accreditation rules may soon evolve to include an education test, potentially democratizing venture capital and entrepreneurship.

These changes will unlock enormous possibilities, but the legacy financial industry and the banks serving retail clients are not designed to guide everyday people toward vetted, high-potential opportunities. We’re talking about the Frontier - where there is both great risk and great reward.

Thus, new systems and strategies of wealth building must be imagined to give those just starting access to this Frontier of wealth creation. In my opinion, it rests on three pillars:

• Cultivation: Invest in your knowledge, skills, and entrepreneurial ventures.

• Capital: Focus on ownership—of assets, ideas, and equity—not just on earning wages.

• Networks: Build and participate in highly aligned online communities capable of collective action.

The future belongs to those who act collectively, not individually. With the right structures - a community with its own currency, aligned incentives, and the capacity for action - individuals can compete (and win) in this new economic environment.

New Deal Released:

Notey on Wefunder - We just released the diligence report. Learn musical instruments through AI - Raising up to $1MM on Wefunder at a $8.1MM Valuation Cap. Go to

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Sincerely, -gerry ([email protected])