Finding Your Why Over the past few months, as I've shared glimpses of my transition back to the builder's seat with 37Maru, I've been knee-deep in conversations with more than 60 investors about our first venture, First Press. It's been invigorating to reconnect with old colleagues, to meet new faces, and to pitch the vision for what we're setting out to create in the music space. But amid the enthusiasm, two questions keep surfacing with striking consistency: "Why would you want to go back to being a Founder after building a successful VC firm?" and "Why choose to tackle something in music when it's a notoriously tough industry to crack?" To be clear, these aren't just casual inquiries. Investors are probing the core of what drives me. And honestly, they're fair questions. After 17 years as a co-Founder and Investor at QED Investors, why would I walk away from what I helped build to embrace the chaos of zero-to-one again? Why dive into music, an ecosystem riddled with entrenched players, fragmented rights, and razor-thin margins, where "impossible" is often the default label? The answer boils down to one profound word: Why. Not the Investors' why, but my why. Finding your why isn't just motivational fluff. When you dig deep, it's the compass that keeps you oriented through storms, the fuel that sustains you when the grind feels endless, and the anchor that ensures you're living a life of fulfillment rather than regret. Without it, even the greatest successes can feel hollow. With it, the hardest paths become inevitable. Let me peel back the layers on mine. The truth is that I'm a remarkably simple person. I'm not a jack-of-all-trades. In fact, I'm not particularly good at most things in life. But I've been gifted with a few skills that light me up in ways nothing else does. Simply put, I have an uncanny ability to learn deeply about how companies and ecosystem work. And I’m not talking about the surface level mechanics. I’m talking about really understanding the underlying physics of how ecosystems evolve, how competitors maneuver, how buyers buy products and how users’ behaviors shift in subtle, predictable patterns. Once I feel grounded, I can deconstruct impossibly complex problems into their atomic units, reassemble them with a fresh perspective, and forge solutions that others might dismiss as too thorny or outright impossible. This isn't hyperbole. It's what I've done my whole career. Applying this lens to music feels like just another test. It’s a space where creativity collides with commerce in profound ways that have created structural flaws that are begging for reinvention. Solving these "impossible" puzzles is where I hope to find my deepest joy. It's simply about the thrill of creation, the satisfaction of turning chaos into order, and the quiet fulfillment of knowing I'm taking on a challenge that others won’t. So, why return to founding at a time when I'm about to hit double nickels in a few weeks? Why build in the music space first and fintech later when reversing the order would have been an easier path? Because this is who I am. Denying it would mean chasing someone else's definition of success instead of my own. If you're wrestling with your own why, whether in your career, your next pivot, or your daily hustle, take a moment to dig deep. It might just lead you to the most rewarding adventure of your life. Onwards and upwards, Fintechjunkie