BW SIMIYUPersto et praesto.
FOUNDER / ANGEL INVESTOR
I BUILD AT THE EDGES.
I’m Brian. I turn complex systems into things people can actually use — in tech, investments, and wherever my curiosity leads.
PUT IDEAS TO WORK
A FEW POINTS
OF REFERENCE.
Angel investor
Angel investor
Angel investor
I started in finance, where the numbers tell a story — but rarely the whole one. Building companies taught me to look for the part the spreadsheet misses.
From Kilifi Creek to the Bay Area, that question connects the companies I build, the founders I back, and the systems I want to change.
Different arenas.
The same instinct.
DribbleFOUNDER · BUILDING NOW
Football has no shortage of opinions. Dribble gives fans, creators, and analysts the data and tools to make a better case — from player comparisons to scouting reports and simulations.
*Reported at the Dribble 2.0 launch.
FOUNDER · TECHSTARS ’24
I founded Circle+ to make startup metrics useful. Co.founder connects the numbers to the work: understanding the business, thinking through decisions, and helping founders act.
My intention to open-source Circle+ was inspired by Social Capital’s 8-ball project — a shared framework for making startup metrics more useful. I also loved YC president Garry Tan’s modern take on capital-as-a-service on My First Million.
The historical dataset that helped shape Circle+.
Explore Co.Founder
CombineFOUNDER · RESEARCH & PROTOTYPING
With Combine, I’m exploring solar-assisted compute for small AI labs — so independent builders and small teams can adapt open-weight models and run private AI on their own hardware.
What becomes possible when the tools to build intelligence are within reach?
03 / WORKING THEORIES
Three ideas.
Pick one.
Push back.
A METRIC SHOULD CHANGE
YOUR NEXT MOVE.
A dashboard is only the beginning. The interesting question is what happens after you understand the numbers. Can the software help you decide, delegate, and actually do the work?
The thinking behind Co.FounderWHAT IF GIVING UP CONTROL
IS HOW YOU GAIN SCALE?
When every founder has to interpret the same metrics differently, the whole ecosystem pays. Shared tools and open standards can make the foundation stronger for everyone building on it.
Why I made the case for open sourceTHE NEXT BUILDER MIGHT
BE WAITING FOR BETTER TOOLS.
Useful intelligence shouldn’t depend on being in the right room, on the right continent, or inside the biggest lab. I’m interested in what smaller teams can do when the infrastructure gets within reach.
Explore the Combine concept
Before and alongside the startups: investment work at Blue Kite Ventures, ecosystem research with Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropy, and systems work with Harambeans.
I guess my fascination with the Rubik's cube & the abacus in my younger years accurately suggests that I am someone who has always loved his numbers having a little imagination.
Also: an Arsenal supporter, a founding member of my alma mater’s chess club, and someone who gets a lot of solace from five-a-sides, sailing & meditation.
MoreWHAT I’M LISTENING TO & READING
01 / ON REPEAT
Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire
If you’re building something ambitious, rethinking a familiar system, or have a good counterargument — I’d like to hear it.
NO SPAM, PLEASE :)
