A few nights ago, inside a quiet room lined with centuries-old books at the Oxford Union, we gathered for an intimate circle conversation with Hemant Taneja — one of the most influential voices in venture capital today.

Fun facts: Mr. Taneja holds five (!) degrees from MIT. He led General Catalyst’s investments in Stripe, Snap, Grammarly, and more. General Catalyst reports over $43 billion in assets under management as of mid-2025, and recently raised an $8 billion fund in 2024. Forbes currently estimates Mr. Taneja’s net worth at $3.6B.

What he shared with us felt strikingly relevant to the world we’re stepping into — and to the global learning community we’re building at 10 Nexus Global.

Here are the Top Five ideas that stayed with me:

Hemant spoke with refreshing directness

🧠 “Education is one of the hardest industries to transform… but disruptions due to AI and societal needs may force its hand.”

He believes the future of college will no longer be a four-year degree in our early 20s.

Instead, it will look like:

• a lifelong subscription

• continuous re-skilling

• global communities of practice

• learning from diverse perspectives

• spaces for co-creation, collaboration, and reflection

This is exactly the blueprint we’re shaping at 10 Nexus Global — a school, a home, a lifelong global living room.

One of his most memorable insights:

💡 “The four best investments we made in the last 20 years were companies that pivoted.”

Ideas evolve. Markets move. Products shift.

But what provides a much better signal?

The founder.

The real due diligence is understanding:

• Who are you?

• What insight is driving you?

• Is there a real signal behind it?

• And if the initial direction doesn’t work — will you iterate until something does?

Which leads to Hemant’s favorite question:

“Why are you starting this company?”

He said the way a founder answers — right there in that moment — tells him almost everything.

We talked about the need for strong guardrails in AI — and why labs like Anthropic matter in shaping the right future.

One of Hemant’s most powerful reframes:

💡 “AI will solve many problems for us — so our job is to get better at asking better questions.”

This is the new literacy.

Not just prompt engineering…

But the art of powerful questioning.

This is how leaders will thrive in the age of generative intelligence.

Hemant talked about why B-Corp thinking matters in the next century of entrepreneurship.

Companies that win will be the ones that:

• serve real human needs

• build trust at scale

• and integrate purpose into the flywheel of talent, networks, and innovation

As someone building a global school and community, this resonated deeply.

Purpose is a competitive advantage — when lived, not branded.

Hemant spoke about both identifying/ getting clear on our purpose, and having the courage to follow it.

This resonated deeply with my journey building 10 Nexus Global:

a lifelong learning community — part school, part home, part global living room — where leaders can grow, create, and elevate together across cultures.

Standing in our historic Oxford library, I felt the gentle collision of past and future:

Ancient books, centuries of legacy, and the next generation of AI.

Traditional institutions and the future of lifelong learning.

Global challenges… and the global leaders who will shape what comes next.

Our emerging community — 10 Nexus Global — stands right at that intersection.

A home for people who believe in:

responsible innovation, meaningful leadership, diverse perspectives, global citizenship, and deep human connection.

This is why we gather.

This is why we tell stories.

This is why we learn together.

This is why Empower Circles exists.

Welcome home, leaders, builders, and creators.

Let’s co-elevate. ✨🌏🗝️

As we step into Thanksgiving Week, I’m feeling deeply grateful — for the conversations, the people, and the energy shaping this next chapter.

For the first time in a long time, I feel fully aligned.

And heck yes, I feel ready :) — boldly, joyfully — to build this with you for the next 10–20 years.

Thank You for being a part of our budding global community. The next chapter is truly exciting!

I wish us a holiday season filled with joyful moments, learning opportunities, and good luck and flow for our journeys ahead.

With Gratitude,

Henry