Invest Like the Best

Key Takeaways

Knowledge, money, and power are connecting in ways that we have not seen for the last 500 years
- “This moment is probably the most interesting moment of the last 100 years in terms of the opportunity set that is going to come from it.” – Micky Malka
There is no winning and losing if you are playing an infinite game; once you are ahead, you have to change the rules of the game so that you will fall behind
The game is better played when you are trying to get ahead and not when you are ahead and trying to prevent people from passing you
Every time money becomes better, people live better lives
Burn the bridge that got you here; whatever got you here will not get you to the next phase
Be more concentrated and have more conviction
Life and business principles from Micky Malka:
- 1. Never forget where you came from
- 2. Fewer decisions is best
- 3. Be genuine to yourself and those around you
How to build a strong team: Instead of identifying a job title and then looking for a person to fill it, just look for amazing people that you want to work with, then hire them
We will need streaming data and streaming money to enable automated services; people who understand both of these fields can build paradigm-shifting technologies
Returns are an output metric; focus on the input and let the output take care of itself
How to create magical outputs: (1) Create a team that is passionate about meeting others, engaging, and learning, and (2) Ensure that the inputs to the team’s machine will make the world better

My guest today is Micky Malka. Micky is the founder of Ribbit Capital, a global venture capital firm that focuses exclusively on financial technology investments. He is a renowned investor for his adaptability and visionary approach and a believer in killing the thing that got you to where you are in pursuit of what’s next. We discuss his perspective on fintech’s evolution and why his firm boldly declares that “fintech is dead.” We dive into his theory of the "grid," which examines how knowledge, wealth, and power are being transformed by technological changes, particularly through the rise of AI, cryptocurrency, and network states. And we also explore Micky’s deep interest in digital art and NFTs, which he sees as early indicators of broader cultural and technological shifts. You’ll soon hear how he is truly taking a generative approach on all fronts. Please enjoy this in-depth conversation with Micky Malka.

My guests today For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
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This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp’s mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Ramp is the fastest-growing FinTech company in history, and it’s backed by more of my favorite past guests (at least 16 of them!) than probably any other company I’m aware of. It’s also notable that many best-in-class businesses use Ramp—companies like Airbnb, Anduril, and Shopify, as well as investors like Sequoia Capital and Vista Equity. They use Ramp to manage their spending, automate tedious financial processes, and reinvest saved dollars and hours into growth. At Colossus and Positive Sum, we use Ramp for exactly the same reason. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus.
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Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
Show Notes:
(00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best
(00:06:37) The Rebel Spirit of Ribbit
(00:07:36) Ribbit's Unique Structure and Philosophy
(00:08:07) The First Fund and Institutional Partners
(00:09:03) Founding Principles and No Labels Approach
(00:13:44) Early Investments and the Crypto Angle
(00:16:42) The FinTech Evolution and Market Dynamics
(00:22:30) Navigating Challenges: The Robinhood Story
(00:28:57) The Global Digital Grid Concept
(00:36:09) The Future of Digital Identity and Tokenization
(00:41:00) The Role of Stablecoins in the Modern Economy
(00:50:16) The Challenge of Adaptability
(00:53:05) The Role of Heart in Business
(00:55:19) The Walmart Partnership Story
(01:00:07) Lessons from NuBank
(01:02:49) Building a Strong Team
(01:09:28) The Importance of Brand
(01:11:52) Art and Its Future
(01:17:20) The Impact of Better Money
(01:19:27) Reflections and Future Plans
(01:28:03) Handling Crises and Embracing Movement
(01:31:40) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Done For Micky

Micky Malka - Building Ribbit - [Invest Like the Best, EP.400]

Podcast Notes Playlist: Startup