Believe in Something
Why This Exists
I'm Jihad Esmail — indie consultant, writer, and venture contributor. I'm roughly interested in 'media, markets, & morality,' exploring questions like how technology can enable individual agency, what comes after the 'startup,' and how narratives shape networks. I believe great writing shapes the world, and founders should write better and more often.
Believe in Something is simple: support my work if it matters to you. This isn't primarily about exclusivity (though you get some perks). It's about sustaining freely accessible work that would otherwise not exist.
Why This Name?
"Believe in Something" reflects my core philosophy: Specific, optimistic visions of the future are rare and valuable. They are the stories that capital, labor, and attention can rally around. They are how we direct our agency.
We don't just need acceleration or optimism – we need intentionality and imagination. We need visions of the future worth rallying around. We need better taste in worldviews.
That's what I'm exploring, and what you'd be supporting.
What Members Get
- Monthly members-only newsletter with thoughts on work and works in progress
- Access to Telegram journal/log — raw, unfiltered daily thinking
- First dibs and special access to new projects before anyone else
What Your Support Makes Possible
Your membership "unlocks the commons" — enabling free work for everyone:
- Catching Strays newsletter – my ~weekly essay newsletter
- Light-touch work with founders building "agentic infrastructure"
- Special projects, including books, events, and more
By joining, you're saying this work should exist. You're supporting my mission to elevate writing quality in the founder and creator ecosystem.
Join if this resonates
There's one simple way to join: an annual subscription at $120.
Your support creates ripples far beyond what you might imagine. 10% of all proceeds are used to market buy $HIGHER to grant creatives and builders throughout the network.
Thank you for believing in something.