Founder & CEO, TerraForge Systems - Decarbonizing industrial manufacturing through modular carbon capture. We retrofit cement plants and steel mills. Currently closing Series B. Revenue positive, 67 employees, $12M ARR. I’m on the road 40% of the time visiting industrial sites.

Core Project: Designing a global regulatory framework for carbon accounting that doesn’t incentivize greenwashing. This involves bi-monthly trips to DC and Brussels, plus quiet warfare with legacy energy lobbyists.

Stamina: I’ve worked 100-hour weeks for three years straight. I’m currently implementing “strategic rest” which means I sleep 7 hours instead of 5 and take one weekend day completely offline. Progress.

My Life Thesis: Industrial civilization needs a firmware update. I’m writing the patch. Everything else is commentary.

5-Year Horizon: Take TerraForge public, spin out a policy think tank, then transition into a chairman role to focus on systems-level climate strategy. I’m also building a small compound in the Sierra Nevadas that’s completely off-grid but has fiber internet and functions as a retreat center for other founders working on civilizational problems. Breaking ground in 2026.

Daily Routine (Weekday):

• 5:30 AM: Wake, espresso, review engineering reports from EU team
• 6:00-8:00 AM: Deep work (usually fundraising decks or technical specs)
• 8:00-9:00 AM: Run 6-8 miles (trail if possible, podcast-free, thinking time)
• 9:00 AM-12:00 PM: Back-to-back calls with investors, regulators, team leads
• 12:00-1:00 PM: Working lunch (usually at desk, protein-heavy)
• 1:00-6:00 PM: Operational firefighting + strategic planning blocks
• 6:00-7:30 PM: Gym (powerlifting 3x/week, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 2x/week)
• 7:30-9:00 PM: Dinner + decompress with audiobook (history, biographies, systems theory)
• 9:00-11:00 PM: Reading or writing (currently drafting a book on industrial decarbonization)
• 11:00 PM: Sleep tracking begins

Daily Routine (Weekend):

• One day is for complete system reset: long trail run, meal prep, reading, zero work email
• One day is for social infrastructure: group activities with other founders, intellectual dinner parties, or volunteer trail maintenance with Bay Area conservation groups

Financial Transparency: I pay myself $140k/year. Net worth is ~$8M on paper (stock). Liquid assets are intentionally low because I believe in maximal reinvestment. No debt. I own a 2018 Tacoma (paid off) and rent a 800 sq ft apartment in Berkeley that I barely see. My last vacation was 3 years ago (a hiking trip in Patagonia before I raised seed). I have no plans for luxury consumption until we’ve sequestered 1 megaton of CO2. Then maybe I’ll buy a nice watch.

Cognitive Style: Systems-first, then drill down to details. I see everything as interconnected feedback loops. I make decisions using a weighted rubric that includes second-order effects, time horizon, and reversibility. I have a personal Slack channel where I leave notes to myself at 2 AM when my brain won’t shut up.

Communication: Direct, data-driven, but with emotional intelligence. I’ve worked intentionally on not being the stereotypical “abrasive founder.” I give feedback in real-time, expect the same. I have zero tolerance for passive aggression or expectation mind-reading. If I need something, I say it. If you need something, tell me. We’ll solve it.

Conflict Resolution: I view disagreement as collaborative debugging. My goal isn’t to win—it’s to reach the most robust solution. I’m comfortable being wrong and will change my position immediately when presented with better data. I expect the same from a partner. We can argue intensely at 9 PM and be laughing by 10. Intellectual combat is foreplay.

Love Languages (if we must use this framework):

• Primary: Acts of Service (showing up, solving problems, making each other’s lives strategically easier)
• Secondary: Quality Time (focused, present interaction—not just being in the same room)
• Tertiary: Words of Affirmation (but only when specific and earned; I don’t do blanket praise)

I don’t speak Gifts or Physical Touch as love languages, though I’m physically affectionate. I’m just not going to intuit that you need a hug when you’re stressed—I need you to say “I need physical comfort right now.”

Agency as Default: You have a project, mission, or build that you prioritize. Not as a hobby—as the central organizing principle of your life. You’re not looking for “balance.” You’re looking for amplification. You’ve been called “intense” or “a lot” by multiple people and you wear it as a compliment.

Intellectual Horsepower: You can hold complex, abstract concepts in working memory. You read non-fiction for pleasure. You have opinions about things like urban planning, monetary policy, or materials science. You want to be with someone who can challenge you and isn’t afraid of your intelligence.

Emotional Maturity: You have a therapist, coach, or regular practice for self-examination. You take responsibility for your triggers and don’t weaponize them. You can name your needs without shame. You’ve done at least one hard thing that broke you and rebuilt yourself. You understand that vulnerability is a strength, not a liability.

Physical Vigor: You prioritize your body as a tool for impact. You train, move, push physical boundaries. Not for aesthetics—for capability. You’d rather go on a 20-mile sufferfest hike than a spa day. You sleep and eat with intention because you can’t think clearly otherwise.

Aligned Values:

• Impact > Income (though high income usually follows impact)
• Truth > Comfort
• Build > Consume
• Long-term thinking > Short-term optimization
• Collaboration > Competition (in personal relationships)

Relationship Structure: I’m open to many forms but the core is this: we’re two complete people choosing to build something together. Not two halves completing each other. I want a partner, not a dependent. I want co-creation, not caretaking. I’m not interested in traditional gender roles. We’re either co-CEOs of our relationship or I’m not interested.

Time Expectations: I’m not available for daily 3-hour phone calls or texting all day. I want quality, focused time—intense weekends together, working sessions where we’re in parallel deep work, strategic planning retreats for our relationship. I’m looking for depth, not constant contact. If you need someone who can be “on call” emotionally 24/7, we’re not compatible.

I Don’t Want Kids: Not because I don’t like them, but because my mission is my legacy. I want to build things that outlast me, but I don’t want the time/energy investment of biological children. I’m open to being a mentor/uncle figure to many. If you have kids, that’s fine—we’ll navigate it. If you want kids, we’re incompatible.

I’m Not Traditional: I don’t care about marriage as an institution, though I’m open to a long-term commitment ceremony if it’s important to you. I don’t believe in merging finances completely. I want transparent separate accounts with a shared pool for joint projects. I believe in prenups that protect both parties’ intellectual property and mission-related assets.

I’m Radically Transparent: I’ll share my company’s cap table, my therapist’s notes (if relevant), my complete dating history, my medical records. I expect the same. Secrets are inefficiencies.

I Travel for Work: Constantly. If you can’t handle me being in Germany for 2 weeks with 4-hour time difference and limited availability, this won’t work. I want someone who either travels similarly or whose life is full enough that my absence is a feature, not a bug.

I Have a High Risk Tolerance: My company could fail. I’m okay with that. I’m playing an infinite game. If you need stability and predictable income, I’m not your person. I need someone who sees risk as necessary for impact, not as something to be eliminated.

Primary Photo: Close-up headshot in direct sunlight. I’m wearing a worn gray t-shirt, 5-day stubble, looking directly at camera with a slight smirk. Background is blurred steel mill infrastructure. Shot taken by my COO during a site visit in Pennsylvania. I look tired but energized, like I’ve just solved a hard problem. Minor scar above left eyebrow from a climbing fall. No filter, no professional photography—just an iPhone portrait mode shot that captured a real moment.

Secondary Photo: Full body shot on a mountain trail. I’m wearing running shorts and muddy trail shoes, hands on knees, catching breath at a summit. Sweat-soaked, genuine exhausted smile. Shot from behind by a friend as I looked out over the valley. Shows lean, functional build—140 lbs at 5’9”, obviously not bodybuilding but clearly endurance-trained. Background is Sierra Nevada granite and pine. Captures the type 2 fun I chase.

Tertiary Photo: Candid shot at a whiteboard in our office. I’m drawing systems diagrams, surrounded by engineers. Wearing jeans and a Patagonia Better Sweater (the unofficial uniform). Hair is messy, I’m gesturing emphatically. You can see the energy in the blur of my hand. This is how I spend 60% of my waking hours. Photo taken by our office manager during a product sprint.

Quaternary Photo: Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu action shot. I’m mid-roll, applying a submission (triangle choke) to a training partner. Gi is plain white, I’m focused but not aggressive. Face shows concentration. Gym is no-frills with weathered mats. Shows a different kind of intensity. I compete 2-3 times per year at blue belt level. It’s where I practice losing and rebuilding ego.

Quinary Photo: Cooking shot in my tiny apartment kitchen. I’m making a massive batch of chicken and vegetables for the week, surrounded by glass meal prep containers. Wearing an apron I stole from my mom. Counter is cluttered with ingredients but organized chaos. Shows the “boring” discipline that underpins everything else. Taken on self-timer because I wanted to remember that these quiet rituals matter.

I Can Be Emotionally Unavailable: When I’m in execution mode (which is often), I’m walled off. I’m working on recognizing this and communicating it: “I’m in heads-down mode for the next 48 hours, I’ll be distant but not absent, here’s what I need.” But I fail at this sometimes.

I Struggle with Receiving Care: I’m so used to being the solver that I don’t know how to let someone take care of me. When I’m sick or depleted, I push through alone. I need a partner who can see through this and show up anyway without making me feel weak.

I Have a Temper (That I’ve Channeled): I used to have explosive anger at incompetence. Now it manifests as intense frustration that I process through exercise or journaling. But if you’re conflict-averse, my intensity will scare you. I need someone who can meet me in that energy without shutting down.

I’m Afraid of Mediocrity: My deepest fear is building something that doesn’t matter. Sometimes this makes me ruthlessly discard things—relationships, people, projects—that aren’t “epic” enough. I’m working on finding the epic in the mundane, but it’s a practice.

Weekday Mornings: Parallel deep work. You in your office, me in mine. Coffee together at 6 AM, quick sync on our respective priorities. Maybe a 7 AM run together if our schedules align. Brief check-in texts during the day—mostly “thinking of you, hope your presentation crushed it.”

Weekday Evenings: Decompression ritual. 30 minutes of sharing the hardest problem we solved that day, the surprise we didn’t see coming, the decision we’re wrestling with. Then separate wind-down activities—me reading, you doing whatever fills your cup. Physical connection if we’re both energized for it.

Weekends: Every other weekend is “adventure mode”—backpacking, climbing, something physically demanding and mentally clarifying. Alternate weekends are “building mode”—working on our respective projects in parallel, hosting a dinner party for other interesting humans, having a long 1:1 strategy session about our relationship or collaborative projects.

Vacations: 2-3 weeks per year, planned 6 months in advance. One week is a complete digital detox in nature. One week is an “immersion trip”—learning something new together (Portuguese in Lisbon, diving in Indonesia, etc.). One week is for attending a conference or program where we’re both learning and building network.

Conflict: We schedule it. Seriously. “We need 2 hours to work through this disagreement. Here’s my availability.” We come prepared with data, feelings, proposed solutions. We fight to understand, not to win. We have a shared doc where we track recurring issues and their resolutions.

Celebrations: We celebrate launches, closes, publications, breakthroughs—hard milestones. Not with gifts, but with experiences. A last-minute trip to celebrate your Series A. A private dinner at our favorite restaurant when you finish your book manuscript. We invest in each other’s milestones because they’re shared wins.

Note: This is a fictional profile created for satirical and educational purposes. There is no actual contact method available.

Subject Line (If this were real): Use “Co-Conspirator: [Your Most Ambitious Project]”

Required in First Message:

1. What specifically in this profile made you feel seen?
2. What are you building right now that requires 90% of your energy?
3. What’s a belief you hold that most people find threatening?
4. What’s your relationship to “traditional” partnership structures?
5. How do you feel about scheduled intimacy (emotional and physical)?

I Respond To:

• Specificity over flattery
• Questions over statements
• Vulnerability over performance
• Evidence of self-awareness

Final Thought:

I’m not looking for someone to complete me. I’m looking for someone whose mission is so compelling that partnering with them accelerates both our trajectories. I want to be the person who brings you coffee at 5 AM before your launch, who helps you rehearse your Senate testimony, who holds you when the weight of what you’re building almost breaks you—and I want you to be that person for me.

If that makes sense to you, you know what to do.

—Kai