Date: 2026-10-08, 2:00 PM EDT Granola: https://notes.granola.ai/d/5a623701-a533-4344-9d79-6c1a4fee14d7
Attendees
- Blake Stewart (Megaphone AM, note creator)
- Blake Emal (Megaphone)
- Michelle Kwok (Draper Associates, client, michelle@draper.vc)
- Tatem Lindner (JOLT! content, joined mid-call for TikTok intro)
Summary
Content sync covering Michelle’s current investment thinking plus a TikTok strategy intro with Tatem. Two main content threads: a biosecurity thesis post asking the audience for education/founder referrals, and a LinkedIn post on the lack of conviction in modern VC. Tatem joined for the second half to explore TikTok formats; Michelle wants personality-driven and repeatable, not scripted news recaps.
Decisions Made
- Draft a LinkedIn post asking what is happening in biosecurity, soliciting founder/expert introductions (asking format, not position piece).
- Tatem to send Michelle bullet-point TikTok concept examples (Meta glasses day-in-life, Office-style shorts with Max, confessional diary) for her to react to before committing to a format.
- Michelle confirmed: bullet points over full scripts; format must be quick and repeatable.
Action Items
| Owner | Action |
|---|---|
| Blake (AM) | Draft biosecurity LinkedIn post for Michelle review |
| Tatem | Send 3-5 TikTok concept bullet points matching Michelle’s creative direction |
| Michelle | Review TikTok concepts; flag preferred direction |
Notable Excerpts
On biosecurity thesis:
“As bio heats up, the good and the bad will come with it. Just with everything else - as internet heated up, cybersecurity on the other side needed to build up as well.”
On valuation discipline:
“Pre-seed rounds now at $40-100M valuations vs. historical $5-20M. Companies valued at $10B after weeks of existence, with no paying customers. I just feel like we’ve lost all vision.”
On VC conviction:
“Real conviction sounds like: I spent 7 hours with this founder and I’d back them no matter what. When I ask people why they did a deal, they say oh a16z came into the round. I don’t get conviction from that.”
On data monetization:
“I think it’s going to be a revenue stop, not a venture-scale outcome. Merkle and Scale already dominate. Specialized niche data might just get rolled up for a few million each.”
On TikTok vision:
“The whole idea of my account is trying to make VC less opaque. I wanted to wear Meta glasses and film my day in the life, but have my cousin do the voiceover and be like, why the hell is she going here?”
For full transcript, see Granola: https://notes.granola.ai/d/5a623701-a533-4344-9d79-6c1a4fee14d7