Why Give a Damn:

We recently asked some of our very busy Mentors and Scribes why they choose to give their time and energy to Unreasonable. We thought their answers would intrigue and inspire you.


The author of this post, Chris Yeh, has been building internet businesses since 1995 and currently serves as the VP of Marketing for PBworks, as well as a General Partner at Wasabi Ventures.


I know that I’m one of the luckiest people on the planet.  As Warren Buffett has said, simply by being born in the United States of America at the right time in history, I’ve already won the ovarian lottery.  Add in the fact that I’ve had the good fortune of attending some of the world’s finest educational institutions, and it’s really an embarrassment of riches.
 

It’s only right that I do my part to be someone else’s luck

Because I know how lucky I’ve been, I have no illusions that I pulled myself up by my bootstraps, or that any successes I achieved came on a level playing field.  The game was rigged in my favor, practically from birth, and so I feel it’s only right that I do my part to be someone else’s luck.
 
I mentor at the Unreasonable Institute because the highest leverage activity I can perform is working with entrepreneurs who can change the world.  I do this in Silicon Valley as well, but very few of the companies I encounter here are working towards social good as well as financial gain.  At best, their benefits are indirect, though I do believe that companies like Google have done tremendous good for the world by making knowledge more accessible.
 
The Unreasonable Institute gives me the opportunity to help entrepreneurs who have a chance to make an enormous impact.  I’m realistic enough to know that I’m not the kind of visionary who changes the world.  But I do think I can do my part to help those who are.

The highest leverage activity I can perform is working with entrepreneurs who can change the world

Chris Yeh

Author Chris Yeh

Chris is the VP Marketing for PBworks, partner at Wasabi Ventures, and an avid startup investor and advisor. He is also a co-author of The Alliance and serial tech entrepreneur in Silicon Valley.

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