Angelica Anton

When I founded SILK, the mission was to build an organisation that learns from the future, not only from the past, recognising that technology provides a common language for building the world that future generations will want to inhabit—enriched, healthy and sustainable—for both people and the environment.

Passion for the future of humanity is part of my brain’s anatomy. My first professional undertaking was a one-year project designing a space station that was presented to a committee at NASA. I often daydream that, one day, some of us will be using the systems my team and I designed for that space colony.

My journey so far has involved many chasms and I always jumped without looking back. I’ve come to realise that none of those chasms were as wide as they seemed from the other side. You can always jump to a higher orbit of achievement when you realise that you don’t need incremental growth to do that.

I never had expectations from life, but was always conscious of the expectations life had from me and, sometimes, I had to follow the uncommon sense. Along the way, I learnt that growth often masquerades as challenge, or even as temporary failure. So I’ve started looking at mistakes and challenges as some of the best teachers I’ve had in life.

As a teenager, I wanted to compete in the national piano competitions despite lacking sufficient formal training. My classmates had every reason to doubt my ability to perform at that level, but I chose to only doubt my limits. As a finalist, I learnt to trust the power of relentless pursuit. The magnificent obsession that lights the fire in your heart holds the force to move you beyond ordinary limits. Later on, I discovered that I could apply the same passion to study Maths, Computer Science, Economics, and more.

When Oxford University offered me a scholarship for postgraduate studies, I thought I knew something that others didn’t. But I soon experienced the wonderful feeling of being surrounded by much smarter people and I started to speak less and listen more.

I moved to China in 2012 without knowing anyone there and kept going back ever since, celebrating my 80th trip in 2019. Working with the Chinese Government as an Investment Advisor—helping foreign CEOs navigate the complexities of China’s economic and regulatory environment—made me understand what being an outsider is like.

The most successful founders I’ve invested in over the years employ unconventional approaches; they are courageous and proceed with a sense of urgency. They disdain attachment to any strategies that worked in the past and focus on possibilities rather than on logical limits. They understood that real limits are far beyond the artificial mental boundaries.

What do I do in my spare time? — I travel to new places and seek to meet extraordinary minds. I also collect art, including pieces I don’t understand — they remind me that everyone sees the world through a unique lens and help me better appreciate those who disagree with my views.

As for my advice to founders — heed the heart. Set your sights far above what seems reasonable. Aim for the extraordinary, pursue something you want passionately, and trust in the teleological pull of your goals. What are the highest ambitions haunting your mind? They carry the DNA of your best possibilities.

The most important piece of advice I’ve ever gotten came from a tree: “Stand tall and confident. Go out on a limb. Reach for the sky. Adapt to changing seasons. Branch out. Stay grounded. Remember your roots. Drink plenty of water. Get rid of dead wood. Never stop growing. And enjoy the view.”