Innovation Is Out of Boba (But I'm Still Brewing Ideas)

“Why I’m Not Giving Up on the Future, One Sip at a Time”

Let me just say this: innovation is basically on life support right now. You know how when you go to a buffet, and all that’s left are the soggy vegetables and that one weird dessert no one touches? Yeah, that’s what innovation feels like today. All the best stuff? Gone. The Teslas, the Edisons—they came early, took all the good ideas, and left us with… what, smart toasters? Really? Is this the peak of human ingenuity? Because my grandma's rice cooker from the 80s could basically do the same thing.

Here I am, coming late to this innovation party, trying to find my seat, and everyone’s already doing AI and blockchain like they invented it. And I’m just standing here, clutching my bubble tea like, “Wait, is there anything left to discover, or… are we just reinventing the wheel with better marketing?”

The Low-Hanging Fruit Dilemma

Honestly, all the low-hanging fruit has been picked clean. If innovation were a tree, the early inventors got the juiciest, easiest-to-reach fruits—the electricity, the cars, the internet. Meanwhile, we’re left with the top branches, way up there, like, “Uh… anyone have a ladder?” But no, of course we don’t have a ladder. We’ve got to invent that too. 🙄

And I don’t know about you, but it feels like everything these days is just a slightly improved version of something from the past. I mean, I saw an ad for a “smart fork” that tells you when you’re eating too fast. Excuse me? In my family, if you weren’t eating fast enough, you were missing out on the good stuff at the dinner table. AI fork? I don’t need technology to judge me—I already have my mom for that.

Why is Innovation Slowing Down?

Here’s the real issue: innovation has gotten hard. We’re not in the age of “I just rubbed two sticks together and discovered fire!” anymore. Nope. Today, you need a degree, a VC fund, and a 100-page pitch deck just to try building a prototype for something that may or may not be the next big thing. Meanwhile, you’ve got Web3 bros trying to sell you virtual real estate for the metaverse. Grandma’s still trying to figure out how to use Zoom, and these guys are like, “Wanna buy a pixelated house next to Snoop Dogg?”

Don’t get me wrong—there’s cool stuff happening in AI, Web 3, and crypto. But let’s admit it: part of the appeal is that no one fully understands it. It’s like when you go to a family gathering and someone brings a mystery dish. You don’t know what it is, but you’re like, “Sure, I’ll try it. Could be great, could give me food poisoning. Who knows?”

Crypto, Web 3, and AI: The Last Frontier of Crazy Ideas

Look, back in the day, you could accidentally invent something by mistake and change the world. Like, “Oops, I dropped my phone in water, but hey, now we have waterproof gadgets!” But now? You need a team of scientists, a blockchain expert, and probably a monk to align your chakras before you even come close to creating something new.

That’s why people are flocking to crypto, Web 3, and AI—it’s like the last playground for weird ideas. And trust me, there’s plenty of weird going on. I mean, people are selling NFTs of pixelated pandas for millions of dollars, and I can’t even convince my mom to buy something online without asking, “Eh, got discount code or not?”

I swear, it’s like going to a street market and buying some strange, unidentifiable snack just because the stall owner said, “Very good, must try.” Web 3 is that snack. You don’t really know what you’re buying, but hey, it might be the next big thing—or it might just taste weird and leave you wondering what you just ate.

Late to the Party, But I’m Still Showing Up

Look, I’m not gonna lie. As someone who’s coming into this space a little later than the tech bros who’ve been coding since diapers, it can feel like I missed out on the easy wins. I mean, growing up, I was taught to play it safe, get a good degree, and aim for stability. No one said, “Hey, go out there and invent a robot that makes bubble tea!” (Though, let’s be real, someone’s probably already patented that idea.)

But here’s the thing: just because we’re late to the game doesn’t mean the game is over. Yes, the easy stuff is done, but innovation isn’t dead—it’s just hiding in the most unexpected places. Now, we’ve got to look for the crazy, out-of-the-box ideas, even if that means jumping into AI, Web 3, or the metaverse. And sure, I might not understand half of it, but I’m here, ready to invest in someone who does.

My POV: So What’s Next?

So, what’s the takeaway here? As a VC, I’ve realized that while the low-hanging fruit is gone, the high-risk, high-reward space is where the action is now. And yeah, it’s gonna get weird. You’ll see pitches that sound like they came from a sci-fi movie, but that’s exactly what we should be looking out for. We need to embrace the strange, because the next big thing won’t be an improved microwave—it’ll be a whole new way of thinking.

And for those of us who showed up late to this party? Don’t worry, there’s still room for us. We just have to hustle harder, think crazier, and take risks in the spaces no one else is looking at—whether that’s AI, blockchain, or something so out there, we can’t even describe it yet.

Stay tuned for my next article, where I’ll dive deeper into how to spot the real breakthroughs hiding in this chaotic landscape. Because trust me, innovation isn’t dead—it’s just wearing a really good disguise.

If you want to chat about the latest tech trends, share your favorite bubble tea spots, or just connect, you can find me here.