Conversation with Nav Singh (with Christian Elam joining at end)

Summary

This conversation with Nav Singh, an investor and financial manager at Nexum, covered topics from music preferences to tokenization of collectibles and ultimately evolved into a discussion about creating new renaissance cities. Gary shared his vision for "America 2.0" and the need for new approaches to urban development. Toward the end, Christian Elam briefly joined and mentioned his work on the Kids Online Safety Act. Throughout the conversation, Nav provided insights on simplifying messaging about Alpha Schools and shared details about his involvement with a rare Pokemon card collection tokenization project.

Key Discussion Points

Alpha Schools Strategy

• Nav reinforced the importance of keeping messaging about Alpha Schools simple
• Discussed Gary's plans for meeting with Rufus and focusing on Alpha Schools' AI education
• Nav emphasized the strategy of "do one thing really well" before expanding

"Your message is so... Alpha School. Everything else can open up later."

"Build trust. Do one thing really well. And then expand from there."

Tokenization & Investment Projects

• Nav discussed his involvement in tokenizing a valuable Pokemon card collection
• The collection belongs to someone who made "billions" and is now "chilling"
• Nav is helping with securitization rather than cryptocurrency-based tokenization
• Gary drew parallels to record collecting as another form of collectibles/value storage

"There's a collection of like 100,000 of them... It's like a one-of-one. And so I'm actually gonna like securitize everything."

Music & Entertainment

• Discussed musical preferences including Rufus, Ty the Music, and Wanda
• Nav mentioned attending a Rufus concert in LA at a "little high stadium"
• Brief discussion of clubs and music scenes

"I went to Rufus' concert in L.A. It was at this little high stadium. With a little computer there. That was crazy. It was amazing."

Political Connections & Government

• Nav mentioned his friend Shaz who was just sworn in as Undersecretary at Department of Transportation
• Nav planned to visit his friend at DOT after the meeting
• Discussion about alignment on political perspectives (indicated alignment with "the right" but in a "neutral" way)

"I may swing by and go see my buddy at Department of Transportation. He just got sworn in... Yeah, second in charge. He just got sworn in. Got a big job."

Urban Development & "America 2.0" Vision

• Gary shared his vision for creating new cities/renaissance zones
• Discussed frustrations with existing infrastructure in cities like Austin and DC
• Proposed the concept of a "second capital" with better planning and transportation
• Emphasized the need for cross-disciplinary collaboration between various "geniuses" (cultural, financial, construction, marketing)
• Referenced Dr. Lael Alexander as someone who could contribute to such projects
• Discussed the risks of cities falling into "Detroitification" without innovation

"If Trump wanted to solidify his power as like an American shadow president, he would create the most beautifully planned city that you can get anywhere to anywhere super fast."

"America 2.0 is not going to get, we're not going to get to that golden age that Trump talks about... But like, what he needs to know is that like, if he doesn't like do everything he can to unleash the Freedom Cities agenda that he had on his campaign promise and empower people like you..."

"The need to get ahead of the Detroitification of just about every city and state, I don't know what number you put to that demand, that need, but it's just going to thrive out here."

Smart Cities & Innovation

• Nav commented on the lack of smart cities in the US compared to China
• Discussed issues with existing cities like New York despite their economic importance
• Gary mentioned excessive costs and inefficiencies in public projects ($3 million for a small public toilet)

"We don't have any smart cities. If you look at China, they're like one of the smartest cities. The U.S. has nothing like that. If you look at New York City, which is like financial capital of Europe, and it's like Oh, it's terrible. It smells like shit."

Kids Online Safety Act (Christian Elam)

• Christian joined at the end and briefly mentioned his bill
• Discussed alarming statistics about children's suicide rates increasing due to online content
• Described widespread bipartisan support (91-3 in the Senate)

"It's to remove mainly like tutorial videos talking to kids who have committed suicide... YouTube videos on how to tie a noose and hang themselves."

"Children ages 5 to 11, the suicide rates increased 6x in the last five years because of it."

"We got 91 senators to pass in the senate last year. 91 to 3."

Memorable Quotes

"I'm excited to, and we can talk more actually in New York, by the way. I'll be there, you know, literally at 9 p.m. today."

"We are massively underperforming in terms of innovation and quality of life for the level of intelligence that we have bottled up in this country."

"What happens... if Trump actually fulfilled on his promise of like pushing forward Freedom Cities is... people would start fucking doing it. And also he could do executive orders, whatever."

"I think it's like the best time to be alive. Especially if you have friends that are able to think at a certain level. And are willing to move the network and ultimately the money and the talent to like work on, I would say, sufficiently large scale of projects that actually move the needle on like where our society needs to go."

Action Items

1. Follow-up in New York: Gary and Nav planned to reconnect in New York later that weekend/Monday
2. Alpha Schools Messaging: Maintain focus on Alpha Schools as the primary message for upcoming meetings
3. Urban Development Concept: Further explore the concept of renaissance zones/Freedom Cities
4. DOT Connection: Potential follow-up with Nav's friend Shaz at Department of Transportation
5. Kids Online Safety Act: Potential follow-up with Christian Elam regarding his bill and its progress

Next Steps

Nav and Gary agreed to continue their discussion in New York, with Gary planning to arrive there by 9 PM that day. The conversation laid groundwork for potential collaboration around urban development concepts and the vision for "America 2.0." Christian Elam's brief appearance opened a potential avenue for discussion around digital safety policy and education.

Observations

• Nav appears to have a practical, focused approach to messaging and project development
• There's a shared frustration with existing infrastructure and urban planning
• Both Gary and Nav seem politically aligned in their critique of current systems while being forward-thinking about solutions
• The conversation revealed potential synergies between Nav's investment approach and Gary's visionary ideas
• Nav seemed receptive to Gary's ideas about city-scale development but remained pragmatic
• Christian's brief appearance showcased the serious policy work underway addressing digital safety for children