I Believe in Butterflies

I believe in butterflies.  The kind you get in the pit of your stomach at certain eventful times in your life.  You know, that “fluttery feeling” before you make a big decision, close a big deal, take a big test, etc.  I’ve had that feeling a handful of times in my life and have learned to listen to those feelings.

I was reminded of this fact when recounting to a neighbor recently how I met my wife.  She walked into the room and my stomach did back-flips and I instantly knew she was the one.  I listened to my butterflies, pursued her, convinced her I was a decent enough guy, and the rest is history.  The second time I had this feeling was when deciding between joining Intel or prominent law firm.  Intel felt right, I joined, and the rest is history.  My butterflies returned for a third time when I was presented with the opportunity to launch Okapi and told, Field of Dreams-style (i.e., “if you build it, we will invest”).  To put this leap of faith in perspective, I was one removed from Paul Otellini (CEO of Intel) running strategy and business development worldwide for the software and solutions group…and imminently expecting the birth of our first child…when I was approached and made the decision.  I made the leap and Okapi is on track for a truly phenomenal history.  The next two instances were around two particular investments (one of which we have already sold…for 4x in 30 months) and I expect more such moments in the years ahead.

My most recent “butterfly moment” was the launch of our second fund as I view the next several years an all time moment in time to invest in early-stage start-ups given the evolving dynamics.

Listen to your butterflies.