Now
About this Page
This is a /now page inspired by Derek Sivers. This is the place where I describe what I’ve been up to recently, what I’m currently focused on, and talk about some short-term goals. When I first learned about this concept, it immediately appeared very appealing to me because I rarely use social media.
The concept is quite straightforward, and if you would like to learn more about it, visit this website. If you have your own personal website, you may want to consider making a /now page too.
Current Focus
For now, I am focused on my current job, which can be quite challenging and requires significant brainpower at times. I’ve always imagined working sell-side to be demanding, and that’s exactly what it’s been. However, I’m incredibly happy to have met so many startup founders and CEOs who are striving to improve the world we live in and, hopefully, save many lives.
I will be traveling to Singapore later this month, and I’m incredibly excited. It’s my first time visiting this amazing country, and I can’t wait to explore all the restaurants and bars on my list and try their delicious Laksa.
Learning Update
Since the end of summer 2023, I started a new job in a field that is completely new to me – biotechnology. I joined a startup accelerator that is mainly focused on providing new cell and gene therapy (CGT) ventures with assistance and expertise in fundraising and business development.
Transitioning into this new field has not been easy. In the last few months, I’ve spent countless hours learning about the most important concepts in regenerative medicine and startup development at the same time. There is still a long way ahead of me, but for now, I feel quite satisfied with the progress I’ve achieved.
So far, I found the venture building/finance-related part of my job most interesting and accessible. This is the list of resources I’ve been studying whenever I have some free time (some of them I’m still going through):
- Principles of Corporate Finance by Richard Brealey, Stewart Myers, and Franklin Allen - this book does an incredible job of explaining all sorts of financial terms and concepts in an easy-to-understand way.
- Valuation by Aswath Damodaran - Aswath teaches finance and valuation at NYU, I’ve used many resources from his website/blog and watched hours of his lectures from the very expensive NYU courses that are published on YouTube for free.
In the future, I plan to create a dedicated page outlining all the learning resources that have been valuable to me throughout my journey.
What I’m Currently Reading
- The Joys of Compounding: The Passionate Pursuit of Lifelong Learning by Gautam Baid
- The Partnership: The Making of Goldman Sachs by Charles D. Ellis
What I’m Currently Playing
- Diablo® IV: Vessel of Hatred on Xbox Series S
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on Xbox Series S
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong on Nintendo Switch
Most Recent Quote I Saved
There are two things in business that matter, and you can learn this in two minutes—you don’t have to go to business school for two years: high gross margins and cash flow. All the other financial metrics you can forget. The accountants can get the numbers into the boxes eventually, but if you have a product with high gross margins, and Fairchild did, it generates huge cash flow. And that means you can grow the company as fast as the market will allow.
- Donald T. Valentine
Last updated on 14 February 2025 in Taipei, Taiwan 🇹🇼.