Soho House Conversation - May 19, 2025

Overview

This was a multi-participant conversation at Soho House Austin involving Gary Sheng, Zachary Smith, Dawson, Sina, and Daniel Soos, with references to Matt Holm (who wasn't present). The wide-ranging discussion covered Gary's recent governmental connections, educational initiatives, real estate development concepts, networking philosophies, and various participant backgrounds.

Key Topics

Gary's Government & Faith Office Connections

Gary shared information about his connections with the Trump administration's faith initiatives:

Gary: "I'm going to be advising Paula White, who is the head of Trump's faith office, which has a representative in every government agent, every department."

When asked about getting an official email address or desk at the White House, Gary confirmed:

Gary: "Oh yeah, probably. Yeah. That would be sick."

Gary explained that while he would serve in a volunteer capacity, he hopes this role will provide:

Gary: "The main thing I want from that, besides like serving the country, is connection to Christian billionaires. Christian billionaires. Because I have like a Christian music festival idea that I want, I want funders for."

First Step Act & Government Initiatives

Gary discussed potential opportunities involving the First Step Act:

Gary: "It's, um, they appropriated $720 million a year to like help rehabilitate inmates to reintegrate into society... And so that was passed in 2021, but they didn't really allocate any, they didn't really distribute any of the money because they couldn't find competent executors of the policy. And so I'm putting together a proposal to like actually take the money."

This led to a broader realization:

Gary: "So that's, that really like opened up a whole, like if I do a good job on that, then there's a whole like genre of unfulfilled past, but put past policies that I feel like my network can get money from."

AI-First Education Model

Gary described his work with a cutting-edge educational initiative:

Gary: "The main thing that I'm working on is... Getting AI-first K-12 started. K-12. And the reason that is possible now is because... my client... Has spent the last 10 years iterating on... A personalized adaptive AI tutor. That gets you through the common core curriculum in the first two hours of the day. And so you spend the rest of the day... Basically Montessori-ing."

On the education model's approach:

Gary: "The humans are not... Trying to regurgitate the Pythagorean theorem. They're supporting the students in... Learning how to set goals and achieve those goals. And learn how to... Constantly be learning."

Gary described the market positioning:

Gary: "Our biggest... Our biggest competitor... In New York... Or the one that we want to beat on a basis. They charge 65k so we're charging 65k."

America's 250th Anniversary Initiative

Gary expressed frustration with the lack of planning for America's 250th anniversary (2026):

Gary: "I'm trying to like. Help take over. The 250th anniversary celebration... America's 250th anniversary celebration... Next year. No one the fuck knows. 2026. No one knows. And it's an. Utter failure. By the US government."

His vision for the celebration:

Gary: "A World's Fair... Probably. Near Austin."

Gary: "All I need Trump is to basically endorse it... As like this is legitimate. And then I can raise all the money on my own... It's the easiest sell. To random billionaires... You want to be a founding father of the next chapter of America. That's literally the sell."

On the significance:

Gary: "There's so much. That has happened in the last 250 years. That needs to be commemorated. And also just like. We kind of need to bar mitzvah. Our fucking country... I'm not saying the last two years. In fact I'm saying almost like the. Opposite. In some ways. I'm saying like that was just a childhood... It's time to grow up."

"Trump World" & New City Development

Gary shared his vision for collaborative city development:

Gary: "I wanna create Trump world. In outside of Austin and outside of Gigafactory."

Gary: "Creating joint. Create joint venture cities with every country... I want all American citizens to win. And I believe that. It should. We should also want other countries to win. But how do you do that? You literally tokenize the real estate. Of charter cities that you start in other countries. And you give a slice. To every citizen in America."

On the global vision:

Gary: "So that's the future of UBI. It's not fucking free printed money. It's equity in new cities. Around the fucking world. And so that's the new like. Colonization. That's not colonization."

Career & Business Insights from Dawson

Dawson shared his experiences transitioning from employee to contractor:

Dawson: "In the first few years, like, I basically built this podcast and sold that lingerie for, like, five million, probably. Didn't see it that time. Wasn't even in the conversation."

On gaining leverage:

Dawson: "Now that I'm a contractor, it's like, I have this leverage to be like, here's my idea. Like, I'll build this on these terms. And if you don't want it, that's fine."

Dawson: "Sort of like, now looking at the angle of like, how do I grow revenue for podcasts? And then, just, that's the angle. Like, let me boost your revenue, and then, obviously, if I do that, it'll be expensive."

Ultra Native & Psychedelics Insights from Sina

Sina described his work at Ultra Native:

Sina: "We're a venture studio. It's called Ultra Native. We invest in early stage tech companies. Early stage and some like growth stage as well. But our whole theme is investing in companies that elevate the state of humanity and the planet. And the verticals we focus in today, we focus in psychedelics, cannabis, and then like just broadly like healthcare tech."

On psychedelics policy work:

Sina: "Rick Perry is actually leading that... The Texas Ibogaine Initiative. It's basically. It's going through the legislature right now. But the scope of the bill is to like allow for the usage of Ibogaine in Texas. And to like for the state to put up like 50 million in funding."

On potential regulatory changes:

Sina: "With this current administration, you'll see things change... You think that they'll do something about psychedelics?... I definitely think that they will at minimum shift the precedent around how. How it's talked about."

Networking Philosophy

Zachary Smith shared insights on making introductions:

Zachary: "The psychological experience of introducing people. Like, you seem like the kind of person who likes introducing other people to each other. But, like, even if you're that type of person, you typically will also think, what happens if this is a bad intro and it reflects poorly on me?"

Zachary: "But, the reality of it is that, net-net, if you become the person that makes connections for people, you win."

Zachary: "Are there going to be times where you get fucked because of it? Yes. But net-net, you fucking crush."

Key Relationships Referenced

• Paula White: Head of Trump's faith office
• Rick Perry: Leading the Texas Ibogaine Initiative
• Zach Levi: Actor who offered his ranch to Zachary for events
• Dave Rubin: Had worked with Zachary on an Arena Hall event
• Olivia Del: Connected to Zachary, possibly from the Dell family
• Brigham Bueller: Wellness leader mentioned in relation to SXSW event
• Mark Hyman: Wellness leader mentioned in relation to SXSW event
• Kali: Referenced in relation to a SXSW event
• Mackenzie Price: Described by Gary as Alpha's "visionary founder" who has "met with 50 billionaires over the past two years"
• Joe: Referenced as a billionaire funding Gary's educational initiative

Key Organizations Referenced

• Alpha Schools: Gary's client, developing an AI-first education model
• Ultra Native: Sina's venture studio focusing on psychedelics, cannabis, and healthcare tech
• Moonwalk: Cannabis beverage company mentioned by Sina
• Waterloo Sparkling Brands: Partner on the Moonwalk venture
• Soho House: The venue where the conversation took place
• Arena Hall: Venue where Zachary had previously organized events
• American Renaissance: Organization possibly connected to Dawson

Next Steps & Potential Collaborations

1. Gary offered to connect Daniel with his mentor who specializes in prefab homes
2. Zachary and Gary discussed hanging out more over the next week before Zachary leaves for Spain
3. Gary appeared interested in learning more about Sina's work in psychedelics and cannabis
4. Multiple participants expressed interest in staying connected and potential future gatherings

Location Context

The conversation took place at Soho House Austin. Several references were made to the venue:

Daniel: "It's funny how they like switched the color. It used to be like this was like a chill area. But now it's like... It's kind of like this is now the restaurant area. We're like sitting in the corner of the restaurant."

Daniel: "The one in Mexico was really awesome. It was. I was technically a member of the Mexico house."

Membership costs were discussed:

Gary: "How much is it per year? 3000?... It depends on like whether... You choose this to be the only location or if you go global. I think it's like a significant... Increase. It's like 10k?... No. For the global one? I think it's like 5k."