What we try to hold.

The world is a ratchet: winners become more-winners. Capital finds capital. Attention finds attention. The already-funded get funded faster than the first-time founder with the better idea.

We do not pretend to fix that. We refuse to replicate it in this room. The composition is roughly 60% non-winners and 40% winners, on purpose. When that ratio flips, we recalibrate. A room where the established voice is always the loudest is a room that teaches everyone to sound established instead of right.

Zero tolerance, no negotiation, no "it was a joke". The room is too small and the work too important to let any of it in.

Yes, previous accomplishments matter. We are not pretending otherwise. They simply matter less here than they do outside. What we pay attention to is your obsession and your value proposition. What are you unreasonably fixated on, and who does it help?

Blunt is allowed. Cruel is not. If your advice would be useful to a friend at the exact stage this person is at, say it. If it is only useful for making yourself sound clever, keep it to yourself.

In the long run, this club should run on its culture, not on its founder. No one needs another founder-cult.

In the early days, @yeargun makes sure the culture sets properly and the standards stay high: picks the room, defends the values, calls out drift. Not because he knows best, but because someone has to hold the line while the habits set in. When the culture holds itself, that role goes away.