Neil Mehta

Some of those characteristics are exactly what we look for in a founder. We like micromanagers. We like people that are in the weeds. We like people that fire fast. There's oftentimes we read about founders who have such divergent thinking. Their team thinks one thing and they are hellbent on going another way. And they have some data to back it up, but they're hellbent on going another way.

Some of those characteristics are exactly what we look for in a founder. We like micromanagers. We like people that are in the weeds. We like people that fire fast. There's oftentimes we read about founders who have such divergent thinking. Their team thinks one thing and they are hellbent on going another way. And they have some data to back it up, but they're hellbent on going another way.

The thing about our business is the barriers to entry are very low, but the barriers to excellence are really high. You hear a lot about being excellent at Green Oaks. And so I think a lot of the challenges, anybody who starts a business has tons of challenges. They haven't always felt like that because we have a lot of fun with the way we do things, but I could give you in order to number.

The thing about our business is the barriers to entry are very low, but the barriers to excellence are really high. You hear a lot about being excellent at Green Oaks. And so I think a lot of the challenges, anybody who starts a business has tons of challenges. They haven't always felt like that because we have a lot of fun with the way we do things, but I could give you in order to number.

Actually, I was just looking out the window and Benny and I first came out here. We didn't have a seed deal or we didn't have anybody that was going to back us when we left Deshawn and we had to go do it all on our own. And we raised our first 50 million of capital. I remember we came out here and we stayed at the Double Tree on Lexington.

Actually, I was just looking out the window and Benny and I first came out here. We didn't have a seed deal or we didn't have anybody that was going to back us when we left Deshawn and we had to go do it all on our own. And we raised our first 50 million of capital. I remember we came out here and we stayed at the Double Tree on Lexington.

I don't know if it's still there, but they give you the cookies. And we stayed in one room with two double beds. And I don't know if it's still there, but Blackstone used to be across the street. And we had friends. We were too cheap to go to a Kinko's and print out the decks. So we'd have our friends at Blackstone print out all our Green Oaks decks in the printing room.

I don't know if it's still there, but they give you the cookies. And we stayed in one room with two double beds. And I don't know if it's still there, but Blackstone used to be across the street. And we had friends. We were too cheap to go to a Kinko's and print out the decks. So we'd have our friends at Blackstone print out all our Green Oaks decks in the printing room.

And then we staple them together and we go up and down here. And we had some amazing investors who joined us. Who was in that 50? Oh, gosh. Henry Kravis was one of our first investors. What an amazing... I should talk about a couple of them because you always hope to get to a point in your life where you get to pay it forward. One of our first ones was Henry Kravis.

And then we staple them together and we go up and down here. And we had some amazing investors who joined us. Who was in that 50? Oh, gosh. Henry Kravis was one of our first investors. What an amazing... I should talk about a couple of them because you always hope to get to a point in your life where you get to pay it forward. One of our first ones was Henry Kravis.

And Henry, we went to go see him at his old office at KKR. And we walked in, we didn't know we were supposed to wear ties. I maybe wore a suit jacket, but I was dressed probably something like this, what I wear every day for 15 years. And we walk in and Henry's in a tie and he walks into his conference room, it's breakfast. And he looks at us, he's like, nobody told you about the dress code. Yeah.

And Henry, we went to go see him at his old office at KKR. And we walked in, we didn't know we were supposed to wear ties. I maybe wore a suit jacket, but I was dressed probably something like this, what I wear every day for 15 years. And we walk in and Henry's in a tie and he walks into his conference room, it's breakfast. And he looks at us, he's like, nobody told you about the dress code. Yeah.

I felt terrible. He was a legend to us already. And he sat down and he listened to every word. He asked incredible questions. At the end of it, it's like, I'm in, committed. I'm going to invest with you at Green Oaks. And then he offered a number of other introductions, which we'll come to in a second. But not only that, about six months later, he came out to Green Oaks.

I felt terrible. He was a legend to us already. And he sat down and he listened to every word. He asked incredible questions. At the end of it, it's like, I'm in, committed. I'm going to invest with you at Green Oaks. And then he offered a number of other introductions, which we'll come to in a second. But not only that, about six months later, he came out to Green Oaks.

He came to our office just for our team to meet Henry Kravis. I remember he came into our bullpen and he's like, I hope you guys are making me some money and walked away. Just to do that for a young team, a young fledging organization that looked up to someone like Henry Kravis. By the way, the best part about that story, I'm not the only one that has that story.

He came to our office just for our team to meet Henry Kravis. I remember he came into our bullpen and he's like, I hope you guys are making me some money and walked away. Just to do that for a young team, a young fledging organization that looked up to someone like Henry Kravis. By the way, the best part about that story, I'm not the only one that has that story.

I think there's a few thousand people that have that story about Henry, which is just incredible. What was your pitch to him? What was the original Green Oaks pitch? Yeah. I'd have to get back to some of the hard things we've gone through to That was one of the good things. So when you're 27 years old, There's two ways you could walk into a meeting like that.

I think there's a few thousand people that have that story about Henry, which is just incredible. What was your pitch to him? What was the original Green Oaks pitch? Yeah. I'd have to get back to some of the hard things we've gone through to That was one of the good things. So when you're 27 years old, There's two ways you could walk into a meeting like that.

You could walk, well, maybe on a spectrum. One of the spectrum is I'm 27. I'm really smart. I don't know what I'm going to do, but just trust me, I'm going to figure it all out and make a lot of money. The other way is I have a set of ideas. And these are ideas that I think are really interesting.

You could walk, well, maybe on a spectrum. One of the spectrum is I'm 27. I'm really smart. I don't know what I'm going to do, but just trust me, I'm going to figure it all out and make a lot of money. The other way is I have a set of ideas. And these are ideas that I think are really interesting.