November Update: Reflecting on TKS...
My life mission is to maximize global human potential. Here's a glimpse into my journey.
It’s been around 6 years since my brother and I started TKS.
I didn’t know what to expect. At the time, I felt strongly that young people should be exposed to the future, because when I was in school I wasn’t taught about programming and around me companies like Facebook and YouTube were blowing up. There was an extremely small probability that I would have pursued a career in tech - I had no idea what tech and startups were until I was 20 years old.
In 2011, I got lucky. Despite not being exposed to the world of startups and tech in the formal education system, I happen to make a friend who knew about that world, which led me to attend a hackathon called Startup Weekend in Toronto. Cut scene, I moved to Silicon Valley and built a tech startup called Airpost, which was acquired by Box (NYSE:BOX) in 2014, where I became head of product for artificial intelligence, building out solutions like smart data classification and automated security controls for the world’s biggest organizations.
If I hadn’t met that friend in 2011, I wouldn’t have known about the tech world.
I got lucky.
Nothing has changed today. But now it’s not about programming, instead young people aren’t being exposed to their future, which includes:
artificial intelligence
blockchain and web3
quantum computing
genetic engineering
human longevity
nucelar fusion
brain-computer interfaces
optogenetics
nanotechnology
synthetic biology
metaverse
haptics
metabolomics
… and so much more.
When my brother and I launched TKS in 2016 we wanted to fill the gap between where the world is going, and what students are learning in school. It started with exposing young people to emerging technologies and sciences. Then we started adding other areas that schools were missing:
real-world skills - eg. networking, presenting, first principles thinking, project management, and productivity hacks.
mindsets - eg. antifragility, “boss mentality”, 10x thinking, done > perfect, seeking perspective, mindfulness…
community - eg. games nights, braindates, and philosophical discussions.
TKS evolved from an innovation program to a human accelerator that supported young ambitious students holistically. It became a supportive and encouraging environment for young people who wanted to make impact, who thought differently than their peers at school, and who enjoyed investing in rapid personal growth.
It wasn’t long before students were invited to speak on global stages like Web Summit, TED, Singularity, SXSW, Fortune, CES, AWE, Collision, Elevate, and C2 Montreal. They received internship offers at companies like Microsoft, IBM, Deloitte, KPMG, CIBC, Muse, RBC, Layer 6, TribalScale, Zero Gravity Labs, Rigetti, Interac, Xanadu, Zapata, TD, and The Vector Institute.
In the meantime, we kept iterating on the program to make sure students loved TKS and achieved tangible results. Speaking at conferences and getting internships was only part of the training - it was never success for us. We are playing the long-game and want to see our alumni make real positive impact in the world. Internally, we measured 2 main metrics: Friendships and Focuses. We saw that if students had meaningful friendships, they were more likely to feel encouraged and motivated during the program (and now as alumni, continue that growth trajectory).
Follow our Instagram for a peek inside TKS, like this video.
Focuses is a term we use internally, based on the “Focus Process” we developed. In a nutshell, it’s a series of objectives where students build projects and create content to explain what they built. TKS was designed to be structurally unstructured, so each student chooses their own Focus topic (eg. quantum computing, blockchain, etc.), and has guidance on what steps to take to achieve a level of competence in the vertical.
Reflecting back, the two main needle-movers were (1) the Focus Process and (2) the culture we built. Students who completed a strong Focus, while building meaningful friendships and developing foundational mindsets have been on an accelerated trajectory.
This year we continued to double down on both those areas. I’m already seeing early projects and it’s only been 2 months into the 2022 program. Here are some interesting projects I’ve stumbled on:
The secret to achieving these levels of asymmetric outcomes is to help each student discover what excites them, then coach them on how to turn their interest into tangible results.
I think we do this really well.
In TKS students can access 40+ modules to explore various emerging technologies and sciences - which helps students discover their interests and find what gets them excited. They can schedule 1on1 coaching calls with their program directors during the week, and they have monthly group coaching calls with their directors. In these calls they get support to remove blockers, feedback on their projects and plans, and discuss ways to improve their productivity and time management. Starting this year, most Focus areas now have special Focus Mentors who are domain experts that can provide specific technical guidance. Everyone is also on Slack. They can post questions, engage in discussions, and access their program directors, alumni, and even myself anytime. When I was in school I don’t think I spoke to my teachers outside the classroom. Kinda crazy looking back now.
I’m looking forward to the next few months as students continue to dive deeper into their Focus areas, build projects, and connect with mentors and real-world experts.
In my next post, I’ll share more about some startups TKS alumni are building.
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