Luke Burgis has co-created and led four Silicon Valley companies in wellness, consumer products, and technology. He is the author of the best selling book "Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life", which breaks down the theories of French philosopher René Girard. Luke is currently Entrepreneur-in-Residence and Director of Programs at the Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship, where he also teaches business at The Catholic University of America.

Girard's theories explain most human-related interactions, such as the virality of social media, the rise of Facebook, political beliefs, cancel culture and how the best investors pick the best companies. Luke deep dives into mimesis and his life's work with Iman and Cyrus on this latest Rational VC podcast.

Luke's website: https://lukeburgis.com/
Luke's Twitter: https://twitter.com/lukeburgis

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
01:37 Intro to Luke
02:58 Working in bars
05:30 Luke's background
09:03 Shark tankification of worth
12:13 Mimetic tips for founders
14:52 Mimesis in venture capital
17:17 Cultivating an interdisciplinary mind
21:02 How to write well
25:40 René Girard intro
27:48 Mimesis
31:04 Finding a spouse
34:33 Idols
38:20 Mediators and comedians
41:10 Rituals
48:56 Anti-mimesis
52:54 Negative mimesis
55:20 Mimesis in PR
57:08 Deep silence
1:00:51 Navigating without GPS
1:04:24 How to reach Luke

Rational VC provides regular content on technology investing and technology building. We also write long-form memos. You can sign up for these monthly memo newsletters on the website: https://www.rationalvc.com/

We break everything down to first principles, to simplify the complex technology world. We aim to bring you content that is insightful, logical, and rational.

We cover tech products and tech companies across the lifecycle, from pre-seed to seed, Series A to D+, to IPOs and beyond. We also cover all investing methods including Angel Investing, Venture Capital, Private Equity, Hedge Funds, Public Markets, etc.

For more information on Cyrus, Iman and the channel, check out:
https://www.rationalvc.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyrusyari/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/imanolya1/
https://twitter.com/CyrusYari
https://twitter.com/iman_olya

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/rational-vc/id1537462327

Your feedback and comments are very welcome. We hope you enjoy listening as we embark on a journey to understand this space; clearly, and rationally, of course.

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Disclaimer: The content and materials provided are solely for informational purposes and do not constitute investment or legal advice. All opinions expressed by hosts and guests are solely their own opinions and do not reflect the opinion of their employer(s). No copyright infringement intended.

#044 - Luke Burgis: Author of Wanting, Mimetic Theory in Business, Investing, Life and Relationships

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