I'm David Elikwu
To be brutally honest, I'm just a nerd with some fountain pens who hasn't stopped writing since he was five.
- I'm doing my best to make sense of the world around me.
- I'm a prolific learner - absorbing knowledge is my superpower.
- I started sharing everything I learned online and a few thousand people signed up to come along for the ride.
- This is the place where I share everything you'll need to know about learning more and living better.
- 'The Knowledge' is named after one of the hardest exams in the world - an infamously gruelling test for taxi drivers in London. London 'cabbies' study the Knowledge to memorise the 25,000 roads, alleys, nooks and crannies spread across a sprawling city. Likewise, this platform maps data points for navigating the world around us. I'm building a cognitive compass. A place you go to figure things out.
- In addition to my newsletter and podcast, I run a course helping people like you build kick-ass careers!
My career journey
As a more professional introduction, I started my career early, working on marketing campaigns for companies like Amazon, Krispy Kreme, and Credit Suisse.
I interned at Google, moved to Shanghai, came back when I ran out of money and nabbed a grad job in consulting. I hadn't graduated but I brought on four Tier-1 clients in 6 months before being offered my 'dream job' working on billion dollar deals in Corporate Law.
It took half a decade to realise I had bigger dreams. At some point I'd picked up photography as a hobby, was shooting New York and London fashion weeks within two years, and turned the side gig into a brand strategy consulting practice.
After consulting for a bunch of startups I pivoted to technology full-time, joining a startup as Chief of Staff and then transitioning to Product Operations.
I built a few other businesses along the way including a travel club for 2000+ millennial travellers, and a social impact brand supporting global artisanship through African coffee and biodynamic wine.
That's the boring stuff out of the way! If you want brutally honest accounts of my early career experiences, go here and here.
But trust me - the content only gets better once you subscribe.
David Elikwu
David Elikwu
David Elikwu
Why subscribe?
Because none of us know everything about what it takes to navigate this spinning blue marble, but by communicating ideas and learnings we can have a bloody good crack at it. I’m addicted to learning. The things I study are consolidated here for you to read and share.
Subscribe for frank, oft sarcastic, and generally humorous thoughts on things I’m exploring and ideas that matter.
Stay up-to-date
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Join the crew
Be part of a growing community of wide-eyed individuals trying to make sense of the world around them!
You can also keep up with me:
- On the Podcast - Join me as I unpack wisdom from the successful, intellectual, and downright curious, highlighting everything you need to know to navigate the world around you. Check out the latest episode here!
On Twitter - To watch me say the first thing that comes to mind whenever I see anything interesting. Sometimes it’s wise, sage-like advice, or cutting edge analysis, and the rest is whimsy:
Deciding whether you are someone who smokes, reads, invests, or runs every morning, is a decision you can make at any time, but the compounding impact is best felt when you start early.
— David (@Delikwu) September 29, 2021
The future of NFTs will be realised in 2027 when drug syndicates can launder millions by emailing each other memes
— David (@Delikwu) March 16, 2021
If I could pick ONE sentence as the biggest indicator for success, it's 'I can fix that'.
— David (@Delikwu) July 16, 2021
The more opportunities you have to say those four words, the more successful you'll be. Start early - develop foundational skills and your ability to creatively identify + solve problems. pic.twitter.com/NwjawuoHm3