When I was a kid I played competitive chess through most of middle school. My parents used to take me around the country to play tournaments. One of the trips I remember most fondly was when my mom, who was remarkably supportive and patient, took me and two of my friends to NYC for a couple of days for a tournament in the area. We hit up all the iconic chess spots like the Village Chess Shop and Washington Square Park. It was epic
At the time my friends and I were somewhere between 10-12 years old. We sat down in the southwest corner of Washington Square at the permanent stone chess tables. There, a group of expert chess players play people speed chess for money. Spectators gather around and form crowds observing exciting games. They banter. Trash is talked abundantly. The energy is high and the stakes are low (think $2-5 per game). It is straight out of Searching for Bobby Fischer (or vice versa, really). That day we hustled the hustlers, and I’ve been going back ever since.
There’s an adrenaline rush I get playing low-stakes speed chess in the park. I play speed chess every day on chess.com. But what I’ve always wanted is a product that replicates the feeling of playing chess at Washington Square Park. I want low-stakes games (on crypto rails of course) for players and spectators. I want them to be publicly accessible. I want virtual crowds. I want the analog buzz delivered digitally. And I think there is a massive global market for this, especially when you couple it with other games like backgammon, mahjong, and more. I love the idea of very deliberately trying to reproduce the feelings we get from physical spaces online, but with their own digitally native twist.
In 2023 I took a 12-month hiatus to recharge after building startups nonstop since graduating college. During that period of time, I had a rule that I would only commit to something if its gravitational force was completely inescapable. The opportunity to join USV was that thing for me, but along the way I explored a variety of different startup ideas.
One of those ideas was around helping people not die of heart disease. I published some of my early learnings on this blog last October, and it was one of the most-read articles I've written. I came very close to incorporating a company and creating a service that would help people understand their risk factors and get screened for heart disease, and then create personalized plans for them so they wouldn't succumb to the world's leading cause of death.
Every time I told someone about the idea and what I had learned, they soaked it all up. But when I asked if they ever got the tests I recommended, they usually didn't. So
Universal healthcare is a doctor that:
you can speak with 24/7, is infinitely patient, and never rushes you
has access to all of the latest medical knowledge and literature
has a superb bedside manner
can communicate with you however and whenever you want: text, voice, or video
knows all about your medical history and doesn't have to ask you the same question twice
has memorized the results of all the medical tests you've had
focuses on keeping you healthy and proactively checks in on you
has breadth and depth - it can be your primary care physician and a specialist
can create a personalized wellness plan that's unique to you and help you stick to it
is free to interact with or as close to free as possible
This is universal healthcare, and it's around the corner. It will be available to everyone.
