I stumbled across Jordan’s recent thread on Twitter laying out the first chapters of his journey with Hummingbird and was mentally transported back to my early adventures spending time in and about some of the most beautifully lawless places.  Fresh off being courted as a partner by Prime Movers Lab, his essay and selection of the some of the most contrarian investors pointed towards a potentially greater fit.

William Gibson wrote, “The future is already here – it’s just not evenly distributed.” Perhaps nowhere is this more clear than in the financial systems, internet, clean energy, healthcare, housing, and smart infrastructure sectors. These “boring” systems are where arguably the greatest opportunities exist to elevate the world. Recognizing these systems and their protocols as “not boring” is one of several areas where I align with recent breakout GP Packy McCormick’s Not Boring Capital.

Packy first caught my attention, like many, through his free substack newsletter with semi-regular deep dives on emerging technology.  He was a story teller focused on helping founders find their voice and share their narrative who also saw his words and love of markets accelerate as he hacked together an all-star portfolio as a solo GP.

I also vibe with how transparent Packy (and it sounds like in some ways Hummingbird) are about making it up as we go. Operating with an entrepreneurial mindset and a process to engage and model in ambiguous environments is where I thrive as a data scientist. If these past few years have taught us anything it’s that much of the talent now lives on the internet bridging the lawless areas from IRL to URL and back again.

As an emerging solo GP, Packy’s transparency and willingness to engage to help other founders and investors reminds me of a long running conviction to help underrepresented startups with nonlinear journeys. It also parallels my own entrepreneurial and investment activities. And while I admire several other investors in the w3 and deeptech spaces, Packy is also active investing in global markets.  One recent investment that struck me was a play in Zambian fintech Union54. Having made friends with several Africans over my career arc, I’ve long been interested in the potential for technology to educate and elevate the many fragmented markets via simple, boring, but scalable technologies like banking APIs.

“People connect with people” not transactions and finding ways to understand and contribute to narratives is integral to doing good and bringing real change to the AUM. I believe as a founder it’s our duty to increase emotional intelligence in the world via technology and create virtuous cycles by investing in others. Creating real connections is also a quintessential unfair advantage to entré and winning deals.

Oh yeah, and if I had $10mm of Hummingbird’s money to invest I’d allocate the bulk ⅔  towards emergent fund managers with access and signal like Not Boring and the rest to small stage deals with focused, non-traditional founder operators around the world.