It has been three years this month since Wattpad was at the centre of one of the largest tech acquisitions in Canadian history. At that time, as team captain, I celebrated an Olympic gold medal win along with the amazing Wattpad team.

Today, a year and a half has passed since I stepped aside from my CEO role, a position I held for 15 years since founding the company. Even a few years before the acquisition, I had already decided it would be my last stint as a CEO. As much as I loved my role, the idea of starting another company from scratch is not appealing to me, as I didn’t want to repeat the same journey over and over again. That’s why I said it’s the final curtain call of my career as a CEO. There was no ‘never say never’ in my decision.

But if you think I would simply sail into the sunset, you are mistaken. That is simply not who I am.

I am naturally a very curious person, always eager to understand how things work. My interests span a wide range of science and technology, from software to semiconductors, quantum to telecom, and everything in between. That’s my obsession.

To me, being ‘the coach’ of a winning team is far more fulfilling than being ‘the captain’ one more time. It is a different challenge, yet it fully utilizes my knowledge, skill, and experience in scaling from 0 to 100. Moreover, the timing couldn’t be better as we are experiencing a once-in-a-decade ‘platform shift’ in the midst of global AI disruption across all industries. Having pioneered AI-driven storytelling at Wattpad, AI is in fact one of my superpowers!

But why limit myself to just one team? Supporting multiple amazing teams simultaneously in building world-class, iconic tech giants and category creators is even better!

It’s a long-winded way of saying that after a year and a half in my post-CEO life, I can 110% confirm that being a venture capitalist is my dream vocation. I can do this forever!

The beast is now fully awakened. My burning desire for more wins has never been stronger. I feel like I am going to the Olympics again, only this time as an investor. Look forward to an amazing 2024, when TSFV and our portfolio companies bring home more gold medals.

Happy New Year, everyone!

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