My 2021 retrospective, Hello 2022
While in 2020, I was separated for almost 6 months from my daughters with Covid international travel restrictions, I am glad to say that every day of 2021 was a family day. In addition to a full year of normal schooling, we spent 2–3 months of the year in the Hawaï of China, Sanya island, where we just got back from.
Health — A year without alcohol.
I most likely was influenced by my friend, Pascal — four-time taekwondo heavyweight World Cup Champion, and Captain of the French taekwondo team, with whom I train and now among others can do fun stuff like (assisted) muscle-ups.
And I feel more festive than ever. I am going to make 2022 a sugar-free year too (no Refined Sugar as part of my diet for Longevity). Got a feeling that’s going to be more challenging, yet let’s do it!
Work-wise, it was a great year. I have made more investments including in Novos — a longevity company based in NYC, Hopium — a new car company, think Tesla of Hydrogen, WeStyle — an AI-collaborated fashion platform in China, and doubled down on Aleia — an Artificial Intelligence Platform as a Service in Europe.
Most of my previous investment companies did well and raised a new round of funding this year — with a healthy lift in valuation including Fraction — a real estate marketplace based in Hong Kong / SEA turning real estate into NFTs after Thai License grant, Lila Games — a gaming company based in Silicon Valley.
Two of my investments became unicorns (meaning companies valued at over one billion dollars) this year, Chiliz in Malta — a fan engagement company (+500% in 2021), and Asia Innovation Group in Beijing — a live streaming and entertainment company (planning US IPO).
My book, “Atomic Scaling — small teams with huge impact”, is currently with the editor and publisher. In this book, I share best practices and stories of High-Performance Organizations (HPO) in the gaming and tech industries — and introduce the “3P3R” method & tools.
I converted it already into online workshops and assessment tools. I delivered speeches and conducted HPO workshops with Fortune 500 like Mercedes and Unilever, large conglomerates like Suy Sing in the Philippines, or tech startups like Aleia — in which am a board member.
My last interview reached four hundred and twenty thousand views, sharing my views on the impact of AI, investment opportunities, and French fellow Yann Lecun — Turing Award winner and Chief AI scientist at Meta (formerly Facebook)’s latest book, “Quand la Machine Apprend”. I also joined following the recommendation of my friend, Fredrik, the speaker tour — being now officially listed as a Speaker at the London Speaker Bureau — along with Francois Hollande — former President of France, Patty McCord — Former Chief Talent Officer at Netflix, or Peter Diamandis — chairman of the X Prize Foundation.
On the entrepreneurial front, I enjoy making investments and working with entrepreneurs — both traditionally through venture investments but also in crypto, including being part of a new Algo Trading Company. While 2021 was already a great year, and already my 4th year being exposed to crypto-assets, I plan to double down on crypto investment in 2022.
Hello, 2022!
Health
While I gained flexibility & strength in 2021 and enjoyed good sleep, I also gained weight and feel the need for speed. Going sugar-free should already do a chunk of the job on the weight side — while activities like muscle-up and running could help on the speed side.
I also plan to get back into coaching mode, preparing my team of 6 girls for the next Spartan Race.
Relationship
Jiang & I enjoy precious time together with our kids and understand as our kids are getting older that now is the time to be and do stuff together. While we hope to spend most of the 2022 summer in Europe, we also plan more time on the beach and nature together, being in Sanya or elsewhere depending on travel restrictions.
As a blessed family, we also plan to do more for charity and impact. Our priority focus is on Education & Poverty Alleviation — while how to avoid a Climate Disaster remains a generational challenge for decades to come. On that front, my investment in Hopium is as motivated by the greatness of the team as by its potential positive impact on the environment.
Transportation is responsible for over a quarter of the global carbon emissions so it clearly needs a reboot. Are electric vehicles the real future of green transportation? Transportation is going Electrical with Tesla representing two-thirds of the EV sold in USA. Yet, the batteries in electric vehicles, for example, charge on power that is coming straight off the electric grid — which is itself often powered by fossil fuels — still over 40% from coal for example in countries like China. So while EV has lower carbon footprint than traditional combustion engines, half of the energy is still coming from high carbon footprint source. On the other end, hydrogen-powered cars may not replace EVs. Hydrogen will complement electric power, and there’s a good reason for this: it is the cleanest fuel possible. The climate is changing faster than the worst-case scenarios suggested, we might need to raise our ambitions.
Work
I will continue investing in ventures and doubling down on crypto. I plan to deliver more speeches and High-Performance Organization workshops along with my book being published. I enjoy the diversity of working with Fortune 500 and startups — and look forward to being at the service of more entrepreneurs and executives. I also plan to contribute and share with political cause and foundation.
I enjoy the art of writing — and the discipline it takes to write a book. I could see myself doubling down on storytelling and being involved in the making of a film or a tv series. Jeff Skoll at Participant Media remains my role model since 2008 in the type of stories I want to tell and share with the world — entertaining yet intended to spur social change.
Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys and girls. Make your lives extraordinary and enjoy every moment here and now. May we all have a wonderful year 2022, health — happiness, and abundance!
