Metropolis
portfolio deal
Metropolis - Deal Memo
Status: Stock Options (Employee) Stage: N/A - Not an investment Thesis: Documenting how I saw Alex's vision early
Summary
Founder: Alex Israel
Why This Matters:
This isn't a traditional angel investment. I hold Metropolis stock through exercised employee options. I'm documenting this here because it represents one of the most important pattern recognition moments in my career.
I saw Alex's vision before it was obvious.
When I joined Metropolis, Alex had the same quality I later recognized in George at Honey - absolute conviction that he would solve the problem. Not hope, not aspiration. Certainty.
The Vision Test
Alex is one of the ~5 founders out of 1000+ I've encountered who passed what I now call the "vision test":
- Can you see their vision? Not just hear it - see it. Feel it.
- Is their conviction tangible? Do they believe they will solve this problem, not hope to?
- Obsession check: Would they keep working on this if they had $100M in the bank?
Alex passed all three. When you spoke with him about parking and urban mobility, you could see the future he was describing. That quality is extremely rare.
Outcome
Metropolis is now valued at $5B+. The thesis played out.
This experience - along with George at Honey ($4B exit) - is why I now explicitly filter for the "vision test" in every founder I evaluate. It's the single highest-signal indicator I've found.
Why I Document This
I keep this in my portfolio folder as a reminder:
- Pattern recognition matters - I identified this quality in Alex early, as an employee betting my career
- The vision test works - Both George and Alex had it. Both built massive outcomes.
- Trust the signal - When you feel that quality in a founder, pay attention
This is the archetype I'm looking for in every angel investment.
Documents
(signed) 20M04 Special Equity Option (Lin).pdf20M04 Special Equity Option (Lin).pdfCertificate CS-52 for Tiwen Lin.pdfCertificate CS-54 for Tiwen Lin.pdfCertificate CS-56 for Tiwen Lin.pdfSpecial Equity Option Overview (Highly Confidential - Lin).pdf
Contacts — Metropolis
Founders
| Name | Role | Phone | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | — | — |
Relationship Timeline
No interactions logged yet.
Last Touchpoint
- Date: —
- Status: Invested
- Next Action: —
Notes — Metropolis
New entries at top.
No notes yet.