rites of passage

This past Monday was my birthday. Twenty-eight.

Birthdays force an honest accounting — the year you just lived, and the one walking toward you. This week I went back through old writings of mine, pages of notes from a project that never became what I planned. And I kept stopping, because there it was: the story of my last year, written before I'd lived it.

One page was titled "Rites of Passage." My words, my year, no filter.

Two years ago I started raising NPC Labs' seed round — doing what founders do: the calls, the maybes, the "come back when you have traction." What came in was a few angel checks and strategic solo investors — enough to keep building, never enough to feel safe. About a year in, I had to be honest with myself: the raise wasn't working.

I wrote this in my notes back then, and it still holds true: "It's a waste of time to convince people who don't want to be convinced. There's plenty of people in the world but only a limited amount of time and resources at your disposal. You really only have enough to spend on those who actually want to learn with you, grow with you, and help you get where you're going."

I stopped chasing the unconvinced. And the what ifs — because there's envy in that season, watching peers announce rounds while you're grinding. My notes had an answer: "Don't be envious of people living the life you hope to live. Instead, develop a plan to follow your passions as quickly and sustainably as time will allow, and start living the life you’re supposed to live right now."

Then came the grind, and I'll be honest about what that means. "Bootstrapping" sounds noble until you're living it — then it's just math. Money in has to beat money out, every month, no safety net. Scarcity sets in. So I worked: advising, AI testing, trading, OTC deals — sold my property, went south, from New Jersey to New Mexico — unglamorous, unpopular, wire-by-wire work, that’s never quite enough — to keep the company alive, the mission in view, without selling pieces of it cheap.

Nobody claps for this chapter. There's no headline for it.

My notes back then got it exactly right:

"No one is coming to save you. You have to try your best to save yourself first."

"Get comfortable with being uncomfortable" — I lived inside that sentence for years.

Now the part I need to say plainly. I know not everyone reading this experienced the year we hoped for. Some of you are still waiting on things owed — payouts, answers, follow-through. You cannot dress that up or write around it. The work isn't finished, and I know it. Every step I take from here, I'm taking with that in full focus.

And in the middle of all of it — I got married.

June 2026. Two ceremonies in New Jersey — one in Princeton and one in Newark — where it all started for me.

A vibrant Yoruba traditional wedding on June 26th, and a white wedding on June 27th.

My notes saw it coming before I did:

"Most long term projects like building a business or a lasting marriage boils down to commitment, duty, and integrity at the end of the day. When all the passion and fun fades away, are you still going to push forward or fold?"

We keep our promises. However long it takes. That's the whole thing, really — in marriage and in business. You don't go through the fire to come out alone.

Cherish the moment.

Our wedding films, produced by A-DE Studios:

The year, as I shared it:

• The philosophy: Taking The Road Less Traveled

• The ethos: "Be relentless. Blessings favor the bold."

• On sacrifice: "I've been sacrificing ever since"

• Creating value from nothing: "The Subtle Art of Creating Value"

• The faith that carried it: "Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God"

• The wedding:

  • Yoruba traditional

  • American traditional

• Evolution: my 28th birthday reflection

So what now?

The weekly newsletter and frequent updates had its season, and this is me closing it properly. There’s no keeping up with the Joneses. I'm done with the old way of doing things — the chasing, the performing, the noise. What comes next is quieter and more deliberate. There's a lot of work still to do, projects in the works, and changes coming — announcements and collaborations I'll share when fully realized, not before.

Posts won't be frequent. But when they come, they'll be worth your time.

One more thing before I go — a company from my portfolio worth knowing. TRACN is building what they call the Living Context Network: infrastructure that turns static market records into living memory graphs for analysts and AI agents. Their engine is already live, and they're onboarding early beta partners now — sign up for the waitlist for early access: https://tracn.com/

I'm an investor because I believe the next decade belongs to whoever owns their context. Watch this one.

If you want to keep evolving along with me:

• All my links: Still Early — day-to-day, first announcements, the bigger picture

• The Thinking Out Loud Show — new episodes, longer conversations

• NPC Labs — the building continues

Two years ago I was an entrepreneur trying to find his footing. Today I'm a founder still building, a husband, and a man evolving every day.

That's what a rite of passage does. It doesn't just change your circumstances. It changes you.

"Leave giant footsteps behind you so the next person can walk your path as well, if they so choose to."

Step by step, relentlessly.

Thank you for walking this one with me. Until next time — [email protected].

— Bayo