Everyone wants to be early. Early to AI. Early to crypto. Early to the next vertical. But early is not where value lives. It is where volatility lives.
Being early feels exciting. You get to say you saw it first. But in practice, being early often means carrying risk no one has priced yet. You spend your time explaining the market instead of building inside it.
The companies that win are not the ones that predict the future. They are the ones that catch the moment when the future becomes practical.
We have seen this in every wave. The early AI companies burned out under pressure. The ones that built quietly through 2023 and 2024 are the ones now running essential tools inside governments, enterprises, and everyday workflows.
In crypto, the hype phase consumed years. But what survived was not the flash. It was custody tools. Data layers. Legal infrastructure. The unsexy parts.
That is where I look now. Not for hype, but for gravitational pull. I want companies that will be useful long after the marketing cycle is over. That serve real needs under the noise.
Founders love to say they are early. But the truth is, compounding starts when friction disappears. When the market has caught up. When the product fits without explanation.
Being early is a signal. But staying relevant is a skill. And the difference is everything.