Neil Mehta

I'd be sitting there competing with a guy that was wearing a wife beater, smoking three cigarettes. I'm like, who is this guy? I represent a multi-strat $30 billion plus investment manager. Who is this guy? There's moments you get in life where you realize there's the top.

I'd be sitting there competing with a guy that was wearing a wife beater, smoking three cigarettes. I'm like, who is this guy? I represent a multi-strat $30 billion plus investment manager. Who is this guy? There's moments you get in life where you realize there's the top.

And this was one of them where this guy just had 100% LTV financing from some bank that would eventually have to wash the NPL through their balance sheet. But at the time, I was blown away. I was like, wow, this is a pretty crazy world. But they would take out their phones, using their phone for things. And I had a BlackBerry at the time, 2007. The iPhone came out in March of 2007, I think.

And this was one of them where this guy just had 100% LTV financing from some bank that would eventually have to wash the NPL through their balance sheet. But at the time, I was blown away. I was like, wow, this is a pretty crazy world. But they would take out their phones, using their phone for things. And I had a BlackBerry at the time, 2007. The iPhone came out in March of 2007, I think.

The App Store in 2008. And it hadn't really got to China in any way whatsoever. And I remember the Beijing Olympics in 2008. And so I went out to Beijing. And it was really at the Beijing Olympics where I started to flip into what could be happening in technology. Where Michael Phelps won all those medals at the Beijing Olympics. And the lights would go down in the cube.

The App Store in 2008. And it hadn't really got to China in any way whatsoever. And I remember the Beijing Olympics in 2008. And so I went out to Beijing. And it was really at the Beijing Olympics where I started to flip into what could be happening in technology. Where Michael Phelps won all those medals at the Beijing Olympics. And the lights would go down in the cube.

And they would spotlight the swimmers. And the first time they did that, nobody's phones were out. The last time they did it, everybody had the little glow on their face. And the BlackBerry just didn't have that same glow. I would look over and ask my friends, what are you guys using? And they're like, oh, we're using QQ, which was the predecessor to WeChat.

And they would spotlight the swimmers. And the first time they did that, nobody's phones were out. The last time they did it, everybody had the little glow on their face. And the BlackBerry just didn't have that same glow. I would look over and ask my friends, what are you guys using? And they're like, oh, we're using QQ, which was the predecessor to WeChat.

And I remember going home and being like, QQ, what is this thing? And I'd look it up, study as much of it as I could. And I remember finding a stat, which was QQ was adding something like 30 million subscribers a month. which is still a crazy number, by the way. But at that time, that was unheard of. We'd eventually turn into WeChat.

And I remember going home and being like, QQ, what is this thing? And I'd look it up, study as much of it as I could. And I remember finding a stat, which was QQ was adding something like 30 million subscribers a month. which is still a crazy number, by the way. But at that time, that was unheard of. We'd eventually turn into WeChat.

And at the time, Adam was asking me to look at distressed banks in Europe that had been around 150 years and had 30 million total deposit holders. And this company was adding 30 million people a month. And I was like, I want to spend all my time on Tencent. I don't want to spend any of my time on some distressed bank in Europe. This is uninteresting to me.

And at the time, Adam was asking me to look at distressed banks in Europe that had been around 150 years and had 30 million total deposit holders. And this company was adding 30 million people a month. And I was like, I want to spend all my time on Tencent. I don't want to spend any of my time on some distressed bank in Europe. This is uninteresting to me.

And much to his chagrin, frankly, thanks to his support, I ended up being able to do a little bit of that there. I left at the end of 2010, beginning of 2011, and moved back to San Francisco to start Great Oaks purely because this is all I wanted to do. Can you tell me everything about Benny? Oh, sure. Yeah. I don't know if I can tell you, I can tell you a lot about Benny.

And much to his chagrin, frankly, thanks to his support, I ended up being able to do a little bit of that there. I left at the end of 2010, beginning of 2011, and moved back to San Francisco to start Great Oaks purely because this is all I wanted to do. Can you tell me everything about Benny? Oh, sure. Yeah. I don't know if I can tell you, I can tell you a lot about Benny.

Tell me a lot about Benny. Someone asked me a couple of days ago, they were starting a firm and they asked me, how do I find someone like Benny? And it's like, how do you marry well? Yeah. It's like an impossible statement. I wish upon anybody in their life to have a partner and a partnership like what I have with Benny.

Tell me a lot about Benny. Someone asked me a couple of days ago, they were starting a firm and they asked me, how do I find someone like Benny? And it's like, how do you marry well? Yeah. It's like an impossible statement. I wish upon anybody in their life to have a partner and a partnership like what I have with Benny.

I think if Green Oaks was an abject failure and we screwed everything up, I would still be grateful for the journey I had with Benny. And by the way, I should highlight Benny is my true partner. I talk to him more than I talk to my wife, Jash, actually by a fairly large margin. Jash would agree with that. So would Cheryl, Benny's wife.

I think if Green Oaks was an abject failure and we screwed everything up, I would still be grateful for the journey I had with Benny. And by the way, I should highlight Benny is my true partner. I talk to him more than I talk to my wife, Jash, actually by a fairly large margin. Jash would agree with that. So would Cheryl, Benny's wife.

It has been 20 plus years where I don't think there's been a single day. We fight all the time. There's never been a single day where we've actually been frustrated with one another. I met Benny, we were both still in college. He was kind of between freshman and sophomore year. I was in my junior to senior year and I was working in investment bank.

It has been 20 plus years where I don't think there's been a single day. We fight all the time. There's never been a single day where we've actually been frustrated with one another. I met Benny, we were both still in college. He was kind of between freshman and sophomore year. I was in my junior to senior year and I was working in investment bank.