Nait Jones

Basic Information

• Full Name: Nait Jones (also known as Naithan Jones)
• Location: Austin, TX (recently relocated from Bay Area after A16Z departure)
• Current Role: CEO and Founder of Oyi Labs (AdTwin.ai)
• Background: Serial entrepreneur, investor, former a16z partner, prophetic ministry calling
• Connection: Social media mutuals
• Last interaction: 2025-08-18 (Three-way brunch at Two Hands, Austin with Gary and James Morin)

Professional Background

• Current: CEO/Founder of Oyi Labs, developing AdTwin.ai (generative AI for marketers)
• Previous: Head of Growth and Board Member at Royal (web3 music platform, $80M raised, valued at $500M)
• Previous: Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), led Talent x Opportunity Initiative (TxO), $200M+ in profits generated
• Previous: Clubhouse prominence (4M followers), WME talent deal, HarperCollins book offer
• Founded: AgLocal (early direct-to-consumer food delivery marketplace)
• Previous: Roles at Gartner and Kauffman Foundation
• Entertainment Industry: 3-year close relationship with Kanye West (Yeezus to Pablo era), direct witness to Kim Kardashian affair breakdown

Personal Background

• Age: Mid-40s (has 18-year-old daughter, was 32 when first child born)
• Family:
  • Two daughters (20 and 19 years old); Also has a 15 year old step son.
  • Wife: Met during spiritual "wilderness" period, profound character and faith
  • Previous marriage ended due to different values
• Faith: Deep Christian faith, prophetic calling recognized at age 16
• Ministry Experience: Was ordained minister within a year, left church after seeing corruption
• Mother: Ongoing recovery from major stroke, requires intensive care and emotional support
• Sobriety: Clean lifestyle, intentional about substance use and spiritual discernment
• Marriage: Current wife demonstrated unconditional love during his "crash out" period (2022-2023)

Alpha School Experience (Major Issue)

• Timeline: First cohort of Alpha School high school program (couple years ago)
• Outcome: Extremely negative experience, children hurt by the system
• Key Issues:
  • Constantly changing success metrics and learning objectives
  • In-group/out-group dynamics favoring Arno's and McKenzie's children
  • Accreditation problems - year's work not recognized by Texas
  • High switching costs designed to trap families
  • Daughter expelled for not being "alpha type" despite good performance
  • Image used without permission for diversity marketing at SXSW EDU

Personal Philosophy & Values

• Core Belief: "All the grace and mercy that God's given me directly related to my ability to forgive grace for other people"
• Ministry Approach: Believes in planting seeds, not forcing conversions
• Trauma Response: Chose forgiveness over revenge regarding Alpha School situation
• Parenting: Protective of children, learned from protecting mother from domestic violence
• Sobriety: Hasn't drunk alcohol for almost 6 years

Current Interests & Projects

• Tea House Concept: Wants to create immersive, sober social spaces with adaptogens, beautiful visuals
• Men's Ministry: Runs WhatsApp group (started with 7, now 25 men) for high-achieving men pursuing faith and family
• Community Building: Vision for redesigned church/community spaces
• Montana Retreat: Planning November pop-up experience

Key Relationships & Connections

• Richie Cruz: Mutual connection who introduced him to Gary
• Kenneth Ng: Connection through Ethereum Foundation
• John (Kanye's team): 7-year relationship, recently reconnected for diversification help
• Various Celebrities: Has network through ministry and business work
• James Morin: New connection through Gary, tech entrepreneur seeking faith integration
• Scott Hippo: Friend who lives in Vegas, loves golf

Business Insights & Observations

• Pattern Recognition: "Right observation, wrong conclusion" - describes Joe Liemandt perfectly
• Discernment: Highly values ability to discern people and situations
• Network: Connects high-achieving Christian men in various industries
• Startup Focus: Currently deep in building his AI company

Tulsa Connections

• Friends: Has friends in Broken Arrow and other Tulsa areas
• Perspective: Sees Tulsa as having "under the surface light/vibe"
• Travel: Higher odds for dating in Tulsa vs Austin
• Interest: Open to connections and opportunities there

Personal Struggles & Growth

• 2022-2023: Difficult testing period with multiple challenges
• Current Phase: "Return to greatness" era, stacking wins
• Daily Practice: Constant prayer and checking ego/pride
• Wisdom: "Every day you get up you're like, what am I going to do? You are going to do nothing. I'll tell you what to do."

Spiritual Insights

• Ministry Calling: Recently realized his men's WhatsApp group is his ministry
• Evangelism Philosophy: Plant seeds where God tells you, don't worry about results
• Faith vs Ego: "Our ego is in a constant battle against our faith"
• Timing: Believes everything is God's timing

Unique Qualities

• Gift-Giving: Brought vinyl records as first meeting gifts (Earl Caesar, gospel queens, influential civil rights era broadcaster)
• Discernment: Can detect people's vibe and character quickly
• Cultural Bridge: Smart black man in tech who loves culture and maintains faith
• Resilience: Has dealt with "serpents" and manipulation without cracking

Recent Developments

• Mother's Recovery: Ongoing challenges with panic attacks and memory issues requiring family support
• Business Growth: Deep in startup development, preparing for major fundraising round ($750K-$1M)
• Network Expansion: Continuing to build faith-centered business community
• Spiritual Warfare Recognition: Intense spiritual warfare experiences affecting sleep and family
• Cultural Evolution: Moving away from secular music (hip-hop) toward spiritual affirmation music
• Prophetic Recognition: Acknowledging his calling to minister to tech/business leaders ("kings of industry")
• Daughter's College: Moving daughter into Texas State dorm (August 2025)
• Vegas Trips: Regular visits to Las Vegas to spend time with Ben Horowitz and their circle
• Board Responsibilities: Serves on board of We Can Now (homeless feeding ministry in East Austin)

Connection to Gary's Work

• Shared Values: Faith, family, community building, discernment
• Complementary Skills: Gary's vision/networking, Nait's execution/ministry
• Mutual Interest: Both interested in Dr. Lael Alexander's work in Tulsa
• Timing: Perfect timing for connection during Gary's transition period

Notable Quotes

• "I've seen shit you can't even imagine... unreal levels of manipulation, trickery, dishonesty... and rewarded for it"
• "You don't own the Word. You get to choose who gets the Word? No."
• "Who are you to decide where my work is? When I wrote the word, I didn't say co-author with Nathan Jones"
• "It's not for you, it's not about you. That's the thing you got to remember every day"
• "Right observation, wrong conclusion... He's one of them. Spot on observation, bad conclusion"
• "The sum total of a man's life comes down to five decisions they will make in their whole life... You won't know what they are"
• "Someone asked me a question the other day... if you could talk to the version of you when you're a 20-year-old and you say you're successful... not according to what the 20-year-old views as success. But my definition, it isn't that the bar has changed. It's that I have changed"
• "The trade-off really actually isn't worth it... I actually believe I would have achieved everything. Maybe even, ironically, maybe even more so"
• "Your business is not uninvestable. You're talking to the wrong investors"
• "Take your fund cap off. Talk to me like a human right now"

Areas for Future Collaboration

• Tulsa Development: Potential role in Dr. Alexander's reindustrialization vision
• Faith-Based Business: Building Christian entrepreneur networks
• Ministry Work: Supporting men's spiritual development, recognized prophetic calling
• Community Spaces: Tea house and retreat concepts, frequency music development
• Startup Ecosystem: Connecting faith-driven entrepreneurs
• Music Ministry: Creating spiritual affirmation music over "dope melodies" with Daniel (R&B artist)
• Spiritual Warfare Counseling: Supporting families through demonic attacks and cultural pressures
• Tech Industry Ministry: Evangelizing to tech leaders and Silicon Valley elite
• Fundraising Mentorship: Advising entrepreneurs on angel vs. institutional investor strategies
• Austin Community Building: Developing authentic relationship networks over transactional networking

A16Z Experience and Silicon Valley Insights

• Tenure: 3+ years as partner, generated over $200M in profits for firm
• Racial Dynamics: Experienced systematic racism and professional ceiling due to "getting too powerful"
• Network Access: Could facilitate meetings with major studios, celebrities (Mariah Carey, Jamie Foxx, Kanye)
• Departure: Left due to disrespectful treatment and artificial ceiling on advancement
• Ben Horowitz Relationship: Ongoing spiritual mentorship relationship, witnessing Ben's spiritual journey
• Platform Rise and Fall: Experienced meteoric rise (4M Clubhouse followers, WME deal) followed by complete shutdown

Kanye West Relationship (2015-2018)

• Timeline: Close relationship during Yeezus to Pablo recording periods
• Insider Access: Present at Pablo recording sessions, helped with Yeezus mask, appeared on Kardashians
• Breakdown Witness: Direct observer of Kanye's mental health deterioration during Pablo creation
• Kim Kardashian Affair: Insider knowledge of cheating that destroyed Kanye's emotional stability
• Final Concert: Witnessed Pablo tour breakdown at San Jose show with Kid Cudi intervention
• Assessment: Kanye's genius (fixation ability) became his weakness when applied to destructive relationships

Spiritual Warfare and Technology Insights

• AI Concerns: Recognizes Chat GPT as "dangerous" and "sycophantic," predicts AI psychosis epidemic
• Cognitive Security: Anticipates need for "cogsec" ministries to help people recover from AI addiction
• Silicon Valley Spiritual Warfare: Understands tech industry as actively hostile to authentic Christianity
• Tech Leader Assessment: Provides sophisticated spiritual discernment on figures like Naval Ravikant, Sam Altman
• Cultural Frequency: Deep understanding of music/entertainment as spiritual programming

Prophetic Calling and Ministry

• Age 16 Prophecy: "Business. God's gonna put you before kings of industry. To convert them. Because you're a prophet."
• Current Fulfillment: Direct access and ministry to Ben Horowitz and other tech leaders
• Ministry Philosophy: Plant seeds, God handles results; focus on authentic relationship over conversions
• Jonah Parallel: Recognizes his journey through pride/fall/humbling as preparation for ministry calling
• Family Spiritual Warfare: Successfully battled demonic attack on daughter's gender identity through fasting/prayer

Business and Cultural Analysis

• Pattern Recognition: "Right observation, wrong conclusion" - ability to see truth but discern faulty responses
• Racial Business Dynamics: Sophisticated understanding of how racism operates in elite business environments
• Cultural Programming: Recognizes K-pop, hip-hop, and other entertainment as spiritual warfare tools
• Entrepreneurship vs Employment: Values independence and self-determination over institutional loyalty
• Faith Integration: Successfully integrates deep spiritual discernment with practical business strategy

Transcripts

Transcript ID	Date	Summary
2025-07-29-gary-sheng-nait-jones-palomino-coffee-spiritual-brotherhood-convergence	2025-07-29	4+ hour spiritual conversation at Palomino Coffee covering tech industry corruption, prophetic calling, and spiritual warfare
2025-07-10-conversation-with-nait-jones	2025-07-10	Two-hour Austin coffee shop conversation covering faith, ministry, Alpha School experience, and spiritual entrepreneurship
2025-08-18-gary-james-nait-austin-brunch-conversation	2025-08-18	Three-way conversation with Gary Sheng and James Morin at Two Hands restaurant covering entrepreneurship, faith integration, and fundraising strategy