Hello! I'm Raaid (pronounced "Ra-yeed", no "h" sound). I spend most of my time with friends and family, absorbing information, writing, building, tinkering, and investing. I'm most interested in decision-making, the seam between the analog and digital worlds, how systems actually work, and using all of that to build great teams and drive outsized impact.
I've had one obsession my whole life: understanding how systems work.
In high school it was debate. Understanding the structure of an argument, how to construct a good one, and how to understand ones from people with completely different approaches. In college I studied computer science, probability, and statistics, which gave me the quantitative tools to go deeper. Poker came in there too, but that one was really about understanding why people do what they do when something is on the line.
After college I went to Bridgewater, where the entire advantage is built on a differential understanding of cause-and-effect relationships in markets. Then a decade in Silicon Valley doing data science, crypto, and AI. Same obsession, better tools. Raised and deployed a top-quartile venture fund. Eye-opening experience.
Over time I've found a pattern that works for me. Understand what the consensus view is. Build a mental model from first principles. Look at the numbers nobody else is looking at, or look at the same ones more carefully. That's usually where the opportunity is.
I'm currently Head of Data at Headway, where we're trying to make mental healthcare affordable for everyone.
None of this shows up on a resume, but honestly these taught me more about markets, incentives, and human behavior than anything that does.
If you want to talk about data, AI, building teams, fantasy sports, or anything else on this site: raaid@raaid.net. I read everything.