A flask of electrolyte enhanced water, a simple energy bar, and thou

The Rubbayat of Omar Khayyam as translated by Edward Fitzgerald includes the lovely quote "A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread--and Thou", extolling the virtues of the simple pleasures. As a venture capitalist, my translation is related to how I look at business plans that come in:

A Jug of Wine -- a heady vision, a well structured flavor complicated enough to stand on its own, but simple enough to understand, and never causing a hang over.

A Loaf of Bread -- real substance, probably a strong technology base, with a great recipe to produce something that smells good right out of the oven and will bring customers back again and again

And Thou -- yes you, the most important part of any business plan: the entrepreneurs - energetic, passionate, hungry, and willing to live on energy bars and electrolyte water until the first round of funding closes.

As a venture cyclist I can close out this circle:

A Jug of Wine -- a flask of 365 brand electrolyte enhanced water from Whole Foods ... this tastes like water and gets a TEN out of ten on my search for the perfect electrolyte drink.

A Loaf of Bread -- a YouBar ... the nirvana of energy bars ... putting the others to shame ... not cheap, but really worth it. YouBar allows you to make up your own recipe for energy bars. You get to choose which base, protein powder, nuts, fruits, sweeteners, seasonings, grains and infusions go into the bar. Most ingredients are organic. There are no preservatives, so the "use by" date is pretty close... but they freeze fabulously... just put them in your bike bag straight from the freezer and they will be ready to eat by the time you are getting peckish. The company will even answer the phone and help you make up a recipe that will work.

And Thou -- yes, you ... I love company on bike rides, although even riding alone is great. Join me on the Hazon NY Jewish Environmental Bike Ride this Labor Day weekend.