Matt Huang

But I just remember feeling the energy on the ground of this is a culture that feels like it's experiencing hyper growth. Whereas Silicon Valley at the time, there's like a lot of enthusiasm about startups. But even then the culture was a little, in some ways, complacent. And so that was very inspiring. And so I went from meeting to meeting,

But I just remember feeling the energy on the ground of this is a culture that feels like it's experiencing hyper growth. Whereas Silicon Valley at the time, there's like a lot of enthusiasm about startups. But even then the culture was a little, in some ways, complacent. And so that was very inspiring. And so I went from meeting to meeting,

not expecting to make any investments, but just trying to learn. And I'm at the Dropbox of China and the X and Y of China. And I remember rolling up to the ByteDance, this apartment complex split across two apartments. I had a translator with me. We go up the elevator and very unassuming wood floors. I get pulled into like a little kitchen and

not expecting to make any investments, but just trying to learn. And I'm at the Dropbox of China and the X and Y of China. And I remember rolling up to the ByteDance, this apartment complex split across two apartments. I had a translator with me. We go up the elevator and very unassuming wood floors. I get pulled into like a little kitchen and

where you imagine like a really old refrigerator looks like it'd be dirty inside and a very simple Ikea-like kitchen table with some stools. And I'm sitting there with the translator and the founder of ByteDance, Yiming. One thing that's really interesting, we have a mutual friend, Graham Duncan, who talks about interviewing and referencing and kind of observing people.

where you imagine like a really old refrigerator looks like it'd be dirty inside and a very simple Ikea-like kitchen table with some stools. And I'm sitting there with the translator and the founder of ByteDance, Yiming. One thing that's really interesting, we have a mutual friend, Graham Duncan, who talks about interviewing and referencing and kind of observing people.

And Reflection is a very unique experience where he would say something and I wouldn't really understand what he was saying. And then the translator would translate and I could understand. But while he was talking, I could just internalize all of the nonverbal. Yeah.

And Reflection is a very unique experience where he would say something and I wouldn't really understand what he was saying. And then the translator would translate and I could understand. But while he was talking, I could just internalize all of the nonverbal. Yeah.

I remember having this very deep sense of this is an extremely competent, obsessed person that is also somehow balanced and not crazy and going to blow himself up, but also extremely aggressive and take over the world. I think that's a rare mix to find. I also hated the idea, which was a personal news. This was pre-TikTok Douyin, so pre-video.

I remember having this very deep sense of this is an extremely competent, obsessed person that is also somehow balanced and not crazy and going to blow himself up, but also extremely aggressive and take over the world. I think that's a rare mix to find. I also hated the idea, which was a personal news. This was pre-TikTok Douyin, so pre-video.

And their primary business and what built the company was a personalized news app. And I just remember that being an idea that basically hadn't worked in the U.S. Lots of people tried it. I have like a post hoc understanding now of why it worked in China. But at the time, I hated the idea.

And their primary business and what built the company was a personalized news app. And I just remember that being an idea that basically hadn't worked in the U.S. Lots of people tried it. I have like a post hoc understanding now of why it worked in China. But at the time, I hated the idea.

But I came out of that meeting feeling like, holy crap, I got to figure out some way to get behind this person.

But I came out of that meeting feeling like, holy crap, I got to figure out some way to get behind this person.

We left the trip and I chatted with a handful of other folks who were mutual friends with the investor who set us up. And the takeaway I had from the trip was that's the one. And so then that group basically begged the existing VC to figure out some way to let us in. They were really kind. What was the valuation that you invested in? There was a mix of shares, but $20 million and $30 million.

We left the trip and I chatted with a handful of other folks who were mutual friends with the investor who set us up. And the takeaway I had from the trip was that's the one. And so then that group basically begged the existing VC to figure out some way to let us in. They were really kind. What was the valuation that you invested in? There was a mix of shares, but $20 million and $30 million.

Okay.

Okay.

I think at that point in my life, he might have been the most, and you must experience this a lot, the most impressive single person I'd ever spent physical time with. Would read about a lot of impressive people. And that was very inspiring and kind of addictive now as a venture investor. You basically get to do that all day.

I think at that point in my life, he might have been the most, and you must experience this a lot, the most impressive single person I'd ever spent physical time with. Would read about a lot of impressive people. And that was very inspiring and kind of addictive now as a venture investor. You basically get to do that all day.