The Long Game with Mehdi Yacoubi

My guest today is Patri Friedman, a political theorist and the General Partner at Pronomos Capital, the world's first charter city VC fund. Patri is on a mission to increase competition in government. In 2008, Patri founded the Seasteading Institute with a mission to create sovereign ocean colonies and “establish permanent, autonomous ocean communities to enable experimentation and innovation with diverse social, political, and legal systems.” We spend a lot of time talking about competitive governance and why we need it.

We also discuss the impact of technology on government and why building new institutions should be our primary focus now. We finish the conversation talking about meditation and nutrition.

Please, enjoy my conversation with Patri Friedman!

You can find the show notes here.

Topics we discuss:

• How can charter cities promote progress and innovation?
• How can new cities become a hub for innovation?
• The place of charter cities in the developing world (the case of Africa)
• The impact of technology on government
• Why building new institutions should be our primary focus now
• Patri's meditation techniques and how to maintain clear thinking in the digital age
• Living in the mountains of Monterrey
• Diversity — Why it's so important
• The problem with the digital world and the importance of the physical world
• Science Fiction
• Nutrition
• Meditation techniques

Find Patri online:

• Twitter
• The Seasteading Institute
• Pronomos Capital

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Thank you for listening to The Long Game Podcast!

All shares and reviews are appreciated!

• If you enjoy this podcast, you might like The Long Game Newsletter, my weekly newsletter about health, wellness, the future, better thinking, and entrepreneurship. Every week, receive a deep dive into the challenges of our time and the ideas, technologies, and businesses that will help overcome them.
• The purpose of The Long Game is to catalyze progress and innovation to make our future better.
• The newsletter features the work and ideas of tech industry leaders, scientists, entrepreneurs, and thinkers.

====================================

Get early access to lifetizr - the solution to help you optimize your blood glucose levels for better health, improved energy levels, and optimized longevity.

Connect with me:

• Twitter: @mehdiyac
• Website: mehdiyacoubi.com
• Newsletter: thelonggame.xyz
  

My guest today is Mwiya Musokotwane. Mwiya is the co-founder and CEO of Thebe Investment Management, a Zambian private investment firm that is the developer of Nkwashi; a 3100-acre satellite town that will be home to up to 100,000 residents. Thebe Investment Management has US$1.5bn of project pipeline under development.

In this conversation, we talk about building charter cities in Africa, why functioning institutions are essential for progress and Mwiya explains the thought process behind Nkwashi. After that, we discuss the African tech ecosystem, and we talk about building a Pan-African culture. Mwiya explains why Wakanda is such an inspiration for his work. We finish the conversation by talking about the books that were particularly influential in Mwiya's life.

Please, enjoy my conversation with Mwiya Musokotwane!

You can find the show notes here.

Topics we discuss:

• Why Mwiya is building a new city in Africa
• Why charter cities lead to more progress & innovation
• The African tech ecosystem
• Building a Pan-African culture
• Wakanda
• The benefits of low tech businesses
  

Find Mwiya online:

• Twitter
• Nkwashi
  

====================================

Thank you for listening to The Long Game Podcast!

All shares and reviews are appreciated!

• If you enjoy this podcast, you might like The Long Game Newsletter, my weekly newsletter about health, wellness, the future, better thinking, and entrepreneurship. Every week, receive a deep dive into the challenges of our time and the ideas, technologies, and businesses that will help overcome them.
• The purpose of The Long Game is to catalyze progress and innovation to make our future better.
• The newsletter features the work and ideas of tech industry leaders, scientists, entrepreneurs, and thinkers.
  

====================================

Get early access to lifetizr - the solution to help you optimize your blood glucose levels for better health, improved energy levels, and optimized longevity.

Connect with me:

• Twitter: @mehdiyac
• Website: mehdiyacoubi.com
• Newsletter: thelonggame.xyz
  

My guest today is Brennen Hodge. Brennen is the co-founder and CEO of Citizen Health, a health cooperative leveraging direct care and blockchain to build a better healthcare system. He's an expert on everything related to healthcare.

In this conversation, we talk about the US healthcare system's problems, but we try to focus on the solutions. Brennen explains how Citizen Health is targeting the problem through a better ownership model. Brennen also gives the best books to understand the US healthcare system from an outsider's perspective. We finish the conversation talking about his latest project to date, XBuilt, an engineering company developing zero energy-smart homes.

Please, enjoy my conversation with Brennen Hodge!

You can find the show notes here.

Topics we discuss:

• The problems of the US healthcare system
• The Price We Pay, by Mary Makary
• What Citizen Health is doing
• Decentralized ownership of health data
• The cooperative model for healthcare
• Building zero-energy smart homes

Find Brennen online:

• Twitter
• Citizen Health

====================================

Thank you for listening to The Long Game Podcast!

All shares and reviews are appreciated!

• If you enjoy this podcast, you might like The Long Game Newsletter, my weekly newsletter about health, wellness, the future, better thinking, and entrepreneurship. Every week, receive a deep dive into the challenges of our time and the ideas, technologies, and businesses that will help overcome them.
• The purpose of The Long Game is to catalyze progress and innovation to make our future better.
• The newsletter features the work and ideas of tech industry leaders, scientists, entrepreneurs, and thinkers.
  

====================================

Get early access to lifetizr - the solution to help you optimize your blood glucose levels for better health, improved energy levels, and optimized longevity.

Connect with me:

• Twitter: @mehdiyac
• Website: mehdiyacoubi.com
• Newsletter: mehdiyacoubi.substack.com
  

My guest today is Samuel Gil. Samuel is a partner at JME Ventures, a Spanish Venture Capital firm that invested in Flywire and 21 Buttons, to name a few. He is also the founder of the excellent newsletter Suma Positiva that covers technology and how innovation can be positive-sum.

I discovered Samuel through his series on longevity and his interests in health. I wanted to get him on the podcast to discuss his perspectives on the craft of investing, founders, longevity, and more!

We start the conversation by exploring the Spanish tech ecosystem, the opportunities and the challenges, and how it's related to international tech hubs. Then, Samuel explains his investing philosophy, how they help founders build successful companies at JME Ventures, and what makes a great founder versus a bad one. After that, we talk longevity, what got him interested in the field, and other opportunities in health optimization right now. We finish the conversation talking about the two books Samuel loved recently.

Please, enjoy my conversation with Samuel Gil!

You can find the show notes here!

Find Samuel online:

• Twitter
• Suma Positiva

Topics we discuss:

• An overview of the Spanish tech ecosystem (the opportunities, the challenges), and more generally, how it's related to international tech ecosystems.
• Underrated spaces in the Spanish Tech ecosystem.
• The craft of Venture Capital and Samuel's philosophy around it.
• What's a great founder, and how to spot them.
• How to help founders succeed as a venture firm.
• Growth loops.
• Core action and aha moments.
• "More questions than advice."
• The field of longevity. Samuel's perspectives on the topic, the opportunities in the field right now.
• How to speed up progress on healthspan & lifespan extension.
• Samuel's favorite books recently.
• Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work, by Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal
• Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life, by Rory Sutherland

====================================

Thank you for listening to The Long Game Podcast!

All shares and reviews are appreciated!

• If you enjoy this podcast, you might like The Long Game Newsletter, my weekly newsletter about health, wellness, the future, better thinking, and entrepreneurship. Every week, receive a deep dive into the challenges of our time and the ideas, technologies, and businesses that will help overcome them.
• The purpose of The Long Game is to catalyze progress and innovation to make our future better.
• The newsletter features the work and ideas of tech industry leaders, scientists, entrepreneurs, and thinkers.
  

====================================

Get early access to Lifetizr - the solution to help you optimize your blood glucose levels for better health, improved energy levels, and optimized longevity.

Connect with me:

• Twitter: @mehdiyac
• Website: mehdiyacoubi.com
• Newsletter: mehdiyacoubi.substack.com
  

My guest today is Vedica Kant. Vedica is a historian of South Asia and the Middle East, and she is the author of India and the First World War. Vedica is also the co-creator of the excellent newsletter Keeping Up With India about the Indian Tech ecosystem. Currently, she is a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group.

We start the conversation talking about why Vedica started her newsletter about India; then, we talk about the specificities of the Indian tech ecosystem. We cover her series on Reliance and Jio, and Vedica explains why Reliance has become so powerful lately. We also discuss what are the most promising sectors right now in India.

My favorite part of the conversation was when Vedica explains why it's so important to read fiction.

You can find the show notes here!

Please, enjoy my conversation with Vedica Kant!

Find Vedica online:

• Twitter

Topics we discuss:

• Why Vedica started the newsletter Keeping Up With India
• Reliance and Jio
• Why business and politics always mix in India
• The 4 Internets
• We are Westerners consistently getting wrong about India.
• India — China geopolitics
• Indian immigrants in the US
• Can Neobanks succeed in India?
• Indian Tech Ecosystem: what is Vedica most excited about lately?
• What are the underrated sectors of the Indian tech ecosystem?
• What are the main problems preventing India from becoming a developed country right now?
• How to get to know more India, from an outsider's perspective
• How will the current state of India influence the country's future?
• Why Vedica believes reading fiction is essential
• The fiction books Vedica recommends

====================================

Thank you for listening to The Long Game Podcast!

All shares and reviews are appreciated!

• If you enjoy this podcast, you might like The Long Game Newsletter, my weekly newsletter about health, wellness, the future, better thinking, and entrepreneurship. Every week, receive a deep dive into the challenges of our time and the ideas, technologies, and businesses that will help overcome them.
• The purpose of The Long Game is to catalyze progress and innovation to make our future better.
• The newsletter features the work and ideas of tech industry leaders, scientists, entrepreneurs, and thinkers.
  

====================================

Get early access to Lifetizr - the solution to help you optimize your blood glucose levels for better health, improved energy levels, and optimized longevity.

Connect with me:

• Twitter: @mehdiyac
• Website: mehdiyacoubi.com
• Newsletter: mehdiyacoubi.substack.com
  

My guest today is Joey Krug. Joey is the co-founder of Augur, the co-founder of Eco, a new cryptocurrency, and the Co-Chief Investment Officer at Pantera Capital, one of the largest cryptocurrency and blockchain-focused asset managers.

Joey is the specialist for everything related to crypto and prediction markets. Augur, the decentralized betting platforms he co-founded, is one of the most promising projects of recent years.

In this conversation, we cover everything related to prediction markets. We start with what Joey would like to achieve with Augur and what are the current challenges. Then we cover the question of the truth and how prediction markets could help us find it. We mention all the other underrated areas where prediction markets could have an impact.

Please, enjoy my conversation with Joey Krug!

You can find the show notes here.

Find Joey online:

• Twitter

Topics we discuss:

• Prediction Markets
• The idea of "Skin in the game as a service"
• Augur now
• How prediction markets can help us find the truth
• Forecast by Facebook
• The future of Prediction Markets
• The current technical challenges
• Robin Hanson
• Prediction market in companies
• Health Insurance
• Twitter polls are broken; why not Augur instead?
• Prediction market on the effect of climate change
• The cultural side: Gambling has a connotation; how to move from this?
• Underappreciated applications of prediction markets
• What is Joey most excited about in crypto right now

====================================

Thank you for listening to The Long Game Podcast!

All shares and reviews are appreciated!

• If you enjoy this podcast, you might like The Long Game Newsletter, my weekly newsletter about health, wellness, the future, better thinking, and entrepreneurship. Every week, receive a deep dive into the challenges of our time and the ideas, technologies, and businesses that will help overcome them.
• The purpose of The Long Game is to catalyze progress and innovation to make our future better.
• The newsletter features the work and ideas of tech industry leaders, scientists, entrepreneurs, and thinkers.

====================================

Get early access to Lifetizr - the solution to help you optimize your blood glucose levels for better health, improved energy levels, and optimized longevity.

Connect with me:

• Twitter: @mehdiyac
• Website: mehdiyacoubi.com
• Newsletter: mehdiyacoubi.substack.com
  

My guest today is Mark Lutter. Mark is the founder of the Charter Cities Institute, which is building the ecosystem for charter cities. He is also the Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer for the Victoria Harbour Group, a firm building a new city for the people of Hong Kong. Before this, he worked as Lead Economist for a fund investing in early-stage charter cities. He has a Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University.

The whole work of Mark evolves around Charter Cities, which are cities where the governing system is defined by the city's own charter document rather than by general law.

Mark thinks charter cities are underrated. because they:

1. Spread good institutions which cause economic growth to help alleviate global poverty.
2. Provide a regulatory sandbox for technological innovation.
3. Demonstrate the power of cosmopolitan liberalism.

We start the conversation with the state of charter cities and what Mark is trying to achieve with the Charter Cities Institute; we talk about why creating an ecosystem of charter cities is essential. Then, we discuss why Silicon Valley and the tech world should start to think more about politics and institutions. We also explore all how charter cities would lead to more innovation. We finish the conversation talking about serendipity on Twitter.

Please, enjoy my conversation with Mark Lutter!

You can find the show notes here.

Find Mark online:

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• The Charter Cities Institute

Topics we discuss:

• What are charter cities?
• What is the 'Why Now?' of charter cities?
• Why it's important to build better institutions
• Creating an ecosystem of charter cities
• Why today is an inflection point in history for charter cities
• Why Silicon Valley should start to think about politics
• How do we get people like Mark Andreessen to be part of the rebuilding of our institutions?
• Will charter cities help spark more innovation?
• How better institutions impact economic growth
• YC for institutions
• Twitter as a Viennese café

====================================

Thank you for listening to The Long Game Podcast!

All shares and reviews are appreciated!

• If you enjoy this podcast, you might like The Long Game Newsletter, my weekly newsletter about health, wellness, the future, better thinking, and entrepreneurship. Every week, receive a deep dive into the challenges of our time and the ideas, technologies, and businesses that will help overcome them.
• The purpose of The Long Game is to catalyze progress and innovation to make our future better.
• The newsletter features the work and ideas of tech industry leaders, scientists, entrepreneurs, and thinkers.

====================================

Get early access to Lifetizr - the solution to help you optimize your blood glucose levels for better health, improved energy levels, and optimized longevity.

Connect with me:

• Twitter: @mehdiyac
• Website: mehdiyacoubi.com
• Newsletter: mehdiyacoubi.substack.com 

My guest today is Paul Kohlhaas. Paul is the co-Founder and CEO of Molecule, a software platform to accelerate innovation in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. It connects scientists, patients, and industry to advance drug development and therapeutics in an open market. To achieve this, Molecule employs Web3 and blockchain technology to leverage the power of distributed incentive-based ecosystems.

We start the conversation by talking about what Molecule is trying to achieve with scientific funding. Paul explains the current projects they're working on; then he explains why crowdfunding could help avoid the valley of death in science. We talk about the cultural and social aspects of science that will need to change in the future. My favorite part of the episode was to hear Paul's prediction about where science will be in ten years from now.

Please, enjoy my conversation with Paul Kohlhaas.

Find Paul online:

• Twitter
• Linkedin

You can find the show notes here!

The topics we cover in the discussion:

• What Molecule is doing
• The funding problem in science & academia
• The valley of death in science
• How to speed up discoveries — where is the bottleneck right now?
• Creating an open market for pharmaceutical innovation
• The work of Molecule on the distributed ownership structure for drug development
• Bringing decentralized research to science
• The future of biotech/science
• Paul's favorite underrated books

====================================

Thank you for listening to The Long Game Podcast!

All shares and reviews are appreciated!

• If you enjoy this podcast, you might like The Long Game Newsletter, my weekly newsletter about health, wellness, the future, better thinking, and entrepreneurship. Every week, receive a deep dive into the challenges of our time and the ideas, technologies, and businesses that will help overcome them.
• The purpose of The Long Game is to catalyze progress and innovation to make our future better.
• The newsletter features the work and ideas of tech industry leaders, scientists, entrepreneurs, and thinkers.

====================================

Get early access to Lifetizr - the solution to help you optimize your blood glucose levels for better health, improved energy levels, and optimized longevity.

Connect with me:

• Twitter: @mehdiyac
• Website: mehdiyacoubi.com
• Newsletter: mehdiyacoubi.substack.com
  

My guest today is Arnaud Castaignet. Arnaud is the head of communications & policy at Skeleton Technologies and the former head of public relations of the Estonian e-Residency. Arnaud is also the former digital communication officer of former French President François Hollande. Estonia is a fascinating country, well known for its digital society, and Arnaud is the best person to understand everything related to Estonia and the future of governance.

Estonia is the first country in the world to offer e-Residency. E-Residency is a government-issued digital identity that gives you access to the e-services that have helped to power the Republic of Estonia for decades, including the freedom to run a global, EU-company online from anywhere in the world.

We start the conversation by talking about how Arnaud ended up in Estonia. Then Arnaud gives a great explanation of the Estonian digital society and the mindset shift that led to the e-Residency. He explains the value of transparency in the country and describes how Estonia helps other countries set up the same model. After that, we cover the details of the e-Residency and how it helps entrepreneurs worldwide succeed by creating an Estonian company. We finish the conversation talking about the sauna culture in Estonia and the underrated book Arnaud enjoyed recently.

My favorite part of the conversation was when Arnaud explained that the value of optimism is crucial in Estonia and may be the reason for this great success.

Please, enjoy my conversation with Arnaud Castaignet!

You can find the show notes here.

The topics we cover in the discussion:

• The Estonian digital society
• The mindset shift that led to the e-Residency
• The importance of transparency in Estonia
• The value of optimism
• How Estonia is helping other countries set up digital residencies
• Why aren't more countries replicating the Estonian model?
• Estonian diplomacy
• How the e-Residency helps entrepreneurs succeed in Estonia
• The limits of the Estonian model and the future of digital societies
• The importance of functioning institutions and the case of charter cities
• The link between the digital society and the crypto state
• The culture of Sauna and cold exposure in Estonia
• The books Arnaud enjoyed recently

====================================

Thank you for listening to The Long Game Podcast!

All shares and reviews are appreciated!

• If you enjoy this podcast, you might like The Long Game Newsletter, my weekly newsletter about health, wellness, the future, better thinking, and entrepreneurship. Every week, receive a deep dive into the challenges of our time and the ideas, technologies, and businesses that will help overcome them.
• The purpose of The Long Game is to catalyze progress and innovation to make our future better.
• The newsletter features the work and ideas of tech industry leaders, scientists, entrepreneurs, and thinkers.

====================================

Get early access to Lifetizr - the solution to help you optimize your blood glucose levels for better health, improved energy levels, and optimized longevity.

Connect with me:

• Twitter: @mehdiyac
• Website: mehdiyacoubi.com
• Newsletter: mehdiyacoubi.substack.com
  

My guest today is Robert Miller. Robert is a friend of mine; we share a lot of the same interests. He writes an excellent newsletter about business, data, and emerging technologies in healthcare. He is an expert on Crypto, Blockchain, and all things related to healthcare, and he is a great thinker. He studied Economics at The London School of Economics and Political Science. He is currently building a better healthcare system at ConsenSys Health; a Spun out from an internal ConsenSys team.

• We start the conversation by discussing why so many people from the crypto world are now interested in biotech and longevity. 
• Then, we talk about internal motivation and social media.
• After that, we cover health optimization, and we discuss the idea of a "Strava for Health." Then Robert explains the idea behind prediction markets and how we might use them in the future.
• We also touch on the problems of the funding of scientific innovations and Eroom's Law.
• We finish the conversation talking about philosophy, why Robert loves Kierkegaard, and Robert's favorite underrated books.

Please, enjoy my conversation with Robert Miller!

You can find the show notes here.

====================================

Thank you for listening to The Long Game Podcast!

All shares and reviews are appreciated!

• If you enjoy this podcast, you might like The Long Game Newsletter, my weekly newsletter about health, wellness, the future, better thinking, and entrepreneurship. Every week, receive a deep dive into the challenges of our time and the ideas, technologies, and businesses that will help overcome them.
• The purpose of The Long Game is to catalyze progress and innovation to make our future better.
• The newsletter features the work and ideas of tech industry leaders, scientists, entrepreneurs, and thinkers.

====================================

Get early access to Lifetizr - the solution to help you optimize your blood glucose levels for better health, improved energy levels, and optimized longevity.

Connect with me:

• Twitter: @mehdiyac
• Website: mehdiyacoubi.com
• Newsletter: mehdiyacoubi.substack.com

My guest today is Anirudh Pai. Anirudh is the co-founder of the Conservative Curious podcast and the creator of the Dreams of Electric Sheep newsletter.

Anirudh is extremely knowledgeable about the challenges of our time, he is one of the smartest people I met. His newsletter is one of the best out there, covering topics like aging, charter cities, geopolitics, China, space exploration, and much more!

• We start the conversation with Aging and Longevity, discussing the recent progress in the field. 
• Then we talk about charter cities and how better institutions could help society progress more and faster. 
• After that, we cover the question of utopias, why they're important for society, and why we need new ones. 
• Then, we talk about the current geopolitical context and how we should view China. 
• We finish the conversation talking about space exploration and why it's important to create a space exploration ecosystem.

Please, enjoy my conversation with Anirudh Pai!

You can find the show notes here.

====================================

Thank you for listening to The Long Game Podcast!

All shares and reviews are appreciated!

• If you enjoy this podcast, you might like The Long Game Newsletter, my weekly newsletter about health, wellness, the future, better thinking, and entrepreneurship. Every week, receive a deep dive into the challenges of our time and the ideas, technologies, and businesses that will help overcome them.
• The purpose of The Long Game is to catalyze progress and innovation to make our future better.
• The newsletter features the work and ideas of tech industry leaders, scientists, entrepreneurs, and thinkers.
  

Connect with me:

• Twitter: @mehdiyac
• Website: mehdiyacoubi.com
• Newsletter: mehdiyacoubi.substack.com
• Email: mehdi@lifetizr.io

====================================

Get early access to Lifetizr - the solution to help you optimize your blood glucose levels for better health, improved energy levels, and optimized longevity.

My guest today is Nicolas Colin. Nicolas is the co-founder of The Family and the author of multiple books, including Hedge — A Greater Safety Net for the Entrepreneurial Age. He also writes the excellent newsletter European Straits about the European Tech ecosystem.

I'm a big fan of Nicolas's work. He has a unique understanding of European tech and of the economic and social challenges of our time.

• In this conversation, we first talk about why he wrote the book Hedge, the current geopolitical context with the rise of China, the great fragmentation, and the four internets.
• Then, we talk about the future of Europe and the need for a new playbook for European founders.
• My favorite part of the conversation was about the need for new and better institutions to keep progressing as a society.

Please, enjoy my conversation with Nicolas Colin.

You can find the show notes here!

====================================

Thank you for listening to The Long Game Podcast!

All shares and reviews are appreciated!

• If you enjoy this podcast, you might like The Long Game Newsletter, my weekly newsletter about health, wellness, the future, better thinking, and entrepreneurship. Every week, receive a deep dive into the challenges of our time and the ideas, technologies, and businesses that will help overcome them.
• The purpose of The Long Game is to catalyze progress and innovation to make our future better.
• The newsletter features the work and ideas of tech industry leaders, scientists, entrepreneurs, and thinkers.

Connect with me:

• Twitter: @mehdiyac
• Website: mehdiyacoubi.com
• Newsletter: mehdiyacoubi.substack.com
• Email: mehdi@lifetizr.io

====================================

Get early access to Lifetizr - the solution to help you optimize your blood glucose levels for better health, improved energy levels, and optimized longevity.