Jeremy leaves behind a legacy of being so much to so many people. I will only speak for myself.

For me, Jeremy was the mentor whom I needed but hardly deserved. He lifted me out of one of the lowest points of my life. He repeatedly chances on me and advocated for me to others, helping me regain my confidence in myself. He treated me as an equal, despite the fact he had already had a legendary career in fintech as one of the first capital markets hires and leaders at SoFi, Lending Club, Affirm, and Aven before we had really begun to work together. In a world that feels increasingly less positive sum, less gracious, and less authentic (where everyone shills for their own thing), Jeremy only ever pushed for the best outcome for me and others.

Let me share a story.

After two years at Affirm, I left in December 2019 to try to find a job outside of data science. I looked at roles in product management, venture capital, and business operations. I stumbled through rejection after rejection (“you’re a data scientist from a no-name company - why would we hire you? You’re not an investment banker, consultant, or product manager”), and when Covid hit in March 2020, and the entire job market froze over, it felt as if I had made a number of existential mistakes. Leaving Affirm, doing data science, studying applied math. I began to think that I should have studied economics and joined a consulting firm like my brilliant housemate. The isolation of the Covid bubble only made it feel worse.

At my lowest point, Jeremy offered me an opportunity to intern at Nyca Partners, the venture firm he had just joined - thus taking a huge chance on me. I hadn’t really gotten to know Jeremy at Affirm itself. The only time I had met him at Affirm was in a disastrous meeting: my manager and I were 15 minutes late, and Jeremy (who was the Chief Capital Officer at the time), dropped in unexpectedly to tell us that my efforts to change how Affirm fundamentally did loan underwriting was a horrible idea. In retrospect: a hilarious beginning to our relationship…

After Affirm, I had gotten to know Jeremy better. We discussed our respective careers and aspirations, his recent move to Nyca Partners, and my interest in venture capital. He spoke to me like an equal, not as a kid (the way people older and more advanced in their careers often do). And when he offered me the internship, he wasn’t condescending to me, the way some folks were throughout my job search (“beggars can’t be choosers”). Also, he didn’t sell the role to me: he was transparent in sharing what he thought were the pros and cons, most notably that this role would not lead to a full-time offer. The way he treated me and my interest in venture capital convinced me to join Nyca Partners for the summer.

The summer was grueling. I woke up every day at 5AM PT (to work ET hours), worked till the late afternoon, and then did interview prep for data and product roles for hours in the evenings. The bubble remained, and I continued to feel isolated. But always, like clockwork, Jeremy would check in to see how I was doing, both personally and professionally, and took responsibility for ensuring my success.

A little over a month in, Nyca surprised me by offering me a full-time role at the firm. I expressed my uncertainty to Jeremy: I loved the team at Nyca and loved working with him, but I wasn’t sure whether an intense two-year stint focused on mostly enterprise fintech would make me happy. Classic Jeremy kicked in: never selling, only pushing for what we jointly thought would be the best for me. I took far longer to decide than I should have. Most firms would have moved on, but Jeremy - ever patient - gave me space. And when I ultimately turned him down and took a data science job at a startup - one that I believed would fit my future aspirations, Jeremy told me that he understood.

Jeremy really did understand, exemplifying so much grace that it still stuns me to this day. The week I started the data science role, I stumbled upon an opportunity to run a scout fund at Caffeinated Capital. I didn’t know much about the firm or its founder Ray Tonsing. To my surprise, Jeremy encouraged me to apply, suggested I seek a referral from Max Levchin (the CEO of Affirm, and a close friend of Ray’s), and offered to serve as a reference to Ray. Most importantly, he told me that he understood how the role at Caffeinated was very different from the Nyca role I had turned down just weeks earlier. A referral from Max unlocked an introduction to Ray, and the rest is ongoing history. When I got the role at Caffeinated, Jeremy told me he was thrilled for me, gave me advice on how to graciously leave my data science role only four weeks in, and then checked in with me periodically over the subsequent five years.

Through real actions, Jeremy helped get me to where I am today. And I know I was just one of countless individuals Jeremy helped in this way.

I had a long, pleasant lunch with Jeremy a few days before the accident. We chatted about his family, the folks at Nyca, the state of fintech, fundraising, and his upcoming vacation with his family. I left feeling excited about the future.

Jeremy showed me how to be a better person. I will miss him dearly. I hope I live a life that would have made him proud, and I hope we can all strive to be better people in honor of his legacy.

I have been uninterested in reading J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring for most of my life, mostly because I’ve watched the movies over ten times and have heard many say that the movies are an exceptional adaptation of the books.

I finally bought a newer print of Fellowship from McNally Jackson Books Williamsburg while on a “book crawl.” Reading the book left me with three burning thoughts:

First, I wish I had read the book before the movies, long ago, as a kid. How would my mind first envision chunky hobbits, starry Elves, and old Wizards, using only Tolkien’s descriptions unfiltered by the movie’s visuals? How much more of the book would I notice if I wasn’t distracted by constantly comparing and contrasting scenes from the book with those of the movie?

Yet, Peter Jackson’s film served as a reference to help me visualize the narrative and landscapes better. The dwarf kingdom of Moria? Dark winding caverns and stairways, stale air. The elvish forest of Lothlorien? Massive trees with winding stairs up to treehouses lit by the stars of the night. The One Ring of Power? A simple golden circle, elegant and enthralling.

Second, I saw myself in Frodo. No, not the courageous and foolhardy Frodo who promises a council of big and important people to take the ring to Mordor; I’m not that courageous. And no, not the charismatic Frodo that friends Samwise, Merry, Pippin, and Fatty follow, with few questions asked and even fewer answered.

I saw myself in Frodo as we initially meet him - a man who learns about adventure from others (his uncle Bilbo), yearns for it (in contrast to most other hobbits), when finally presented with an opportunity for adventure, resists it until he is literally forced to depart (by the Ringwraiths), and when finally on his adventure, constantly reminisces about home (the Shire).

I suspect for Frodo, and certainly for me, home represents control. While we yearn for adventure, we do not wish to depart unless we know the outcome in advance. It is not until that control is wrested from us, or we give up the desire for control, that we embark upon our adventures.

Third, experiencing the world “out there” is the only true measure of reality, at least as it currently stands. The world is changing, but The Shire and many other regions of Middle Earth are wrapped by layers of myths, geographical boundaries, and prejudices that calcify and shroud knowledge of the outside world. Hobbits are chunky, unrefined, and simple-minded. Dwarves and Elves distrust each other, Men are considered weak, and nobody besides Wizards seems to really care about Middle Earth. Lothlorien, Fangorn, and Mirkwood are all dangerous forests. And the Enemy is who we think it is.

The journey illuminates the truth (or even creates a new truth): hobbits can be brave (Samwise) and sophisticated (Frodo), dwarves can hold the natural beauty of the Elves higher than their own crafts (Gimli’s view of Galadriel and her hair), Elves can befriend Dwarves (Legolas and Gimli), Men can be honorable (Aragorn), and the Fellowship pushes on to Mordor for the sake of Middle Earth even after the fall of its leader, the Wizard Gandalf.

What did you think of the book?

Mentat is my effort to prove to myself that I can do the opposite: distill my thoughts quickly and in short form.

Expect brief notes on:

• Books I read

• Ideas I stumble upon

• Startups I invest in or that intrigue me

• Friends whose company I enjoy

And perhaps a grab bag of others…

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