Nick Porter

Background

• 27 years old (as of May 2025)
• Virgo (September birthdate)
• Born in Germany, grew up in Colorado
• New York-based, with girlfriend who works in finance at Goldman Sachs on the West Side Highway
• Attended NYU studying finance and data science
• Previously worked at HSBC in retail apparel coverage (first job)
• Described having "a beautiful friend" that introduced him to his current girlfriend

Professional Background

• Currently involved in the "Muny project" for Central City, Colorado (digital twin city initiative)
• Working on scaling "two underground infrastructure companies"
• Started in finance at HSBC covering retail clients from "small mom and pop shops in Jersey and the garment district to multinationals and IKFs and Walmart"
• Transitioned to Web3 in 2021 after Memorial Day weekend in the Catskills
• Connected with Rich the Kid and other hip-hop artists to help them navigate Web3/crypto
• Became disillusioned with Web3 when he found most opportunities weren't about strategy but rather "marketing, events, price go up"
• Had at one point convinced the mayor of Central City to consider renaming the city in a crypto-related initiative (pre-FTX collapse)

Current Projects & Interests

• Leading a digital twin initiative for Central City, Colorado (a small 1 square mile municipality 45 minutes from Denver)
• Creating drone capture platforms to enable cost-effective maintenance and 3D model expansion
• Building "a living, breathing brain for the city" through digital twin technology
• Exploring ways to use technology to foster more human connection rather than isolation
• Passionate about "the intersection of technology and how it makes us more human"
• Expressed concern about social media and other technologies that "isolate us from ourselves"

Connection Points

• Connected with Gary through a mutual friend in summer 2018 while interning at HSBC
• Their connection was based on "shared values" and "visions for some alignment"
• Maintained contact over the years with intention to collaborate
• May have connections to the Daniels Foundation (largest nonprofit for education in Colorado)
• Mentioned potential connections to the Colorado Department of Education

Key Insights

• Critical of technologies that create "isolation" rather than connection
• Believes in technology that fosters "internal alignment with yourself"
• Values long-term relationship building as demonstrated in his personal story of patience in pursuing his girlfriend over two years
• Has strong Colorado connections while being based in New York
• Recognizes the power of using AI and other technologies to create "10x engineers" or highly efficient workers across domains

Potential Collaboration Areas

• Digital twin technology applications for Alpha Schools
• Connecting Alpha Schools with Colorado education initiatives through his networks
• Potential immersive learning environments that leverage his experience with digital modeling
• Interface between education and urban planning/city management
• Interactive learning modules that could integrate with Alpha's educational platform

Interaction History

• Summer 2018: First met Gary at a party on a rooftop (possibly at Dream Downtown hotel)
• 2025-05-18: Meeting with Gary Sheng, Ron Roberts, and T'ziah Wood-Smith in New York

Notes

Nick appears to be technically skilled and well-connected in both finance/tech worlds and Colorado. His work on digital twin technology for municipal management has interesting parallels to Alpha's educational approach - both are about creating systems that enhance human capability and connection. His connections to education foundations in Colorado could be valuable for Alpha's expansion, and his perspective on technology that enhances rather than replaces human connection aligns with Alpha's philosophy.

Transcripts

Transcript ID	Date	Summary

| 2025-05-18-nyc-breakfast-strategic-discussion | 2025-05-18 | NYC Strategic Discussion - May 18, 2025 |