John Henderson

I am obsessed with audiobooks and podcasts. Every free moment I get - commuting, running, cooking, cleaning - I’m listening. I’m always looking for recommendations. Come at me with science, technology, history, philosophy and society. Or, better, something that makes me uncomfortable.

I’m all in on Web3.  AirTree is all about the web and decentralisation is its future. I’m obsessed with DAOs, DeFi, NFTs and more and am keen to support more projects and communities taking the internet back to its decentralised roots. If you suggest something degen in DeFi or something I should add to my JPEG collection, that’s a guaranteed way to get me excited!

I contribute to communities, participate in governance, have diamond hands, and actively use products and protocols myself. I totally get that some aspects of Web2 don’t work in Web3 and operate accordingly. Gm.

Our political dialogue is mired by short termism and misses the incredible potential of job creation via technology.  We need a new narrative. I’m trying to help our industry tell our story better.

I’m a games-aholic. But sadly, I’m not great at any of them. If you’re into chess, ocean swimming, squash, cycling, go, tennis, touch footy, golf, running or mixed netball … I’m up for a game.

At AirTree, we back founders for their strengths, not for their lack of weaknesses. I want to learn why you’ll win, not why you won’t lose.

One of our investors in Summly was Stephen Fry. He was always the most interesting person in the room on any topic. It was astonishing. When I grow up I want to be like Stephen.

I’m inspired by those who struggle and grind it out trying to find product market fit when they could easily be earning big money at Google. I want to work with those founders.

People underestimate the pressure founders feel. Not only is their reputation and often their sense of self-worth tied up in their company, they are also responsible for the livelihoods of their team. That can be dozens or hundreds of people. And their families. Mental health matters.

Recruiting is really hard. I try to help founders by showing them what “great” looks like. If you know what you’re looking for, you make better hires.