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From Prison Yard to Venture Fund | Daniel Dart

From Prison Yard to Venture Fund | Daniel Dart

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 Daniel Dart is the founder of Time Again, but before music, before venture capital, before MIT, he was homeless, gang-affiliated, and sentenced to decades in prison on kidnapping and carjacking-related charges. After fighting his case on appeal and earning a reduced sentence, Daniel rebuilt from nothing — working housekeeping jobs, getting sober, and deliberately surrounding himself with “winners.” That path led him into international development, work connected to the World Bank and the Bezos Family Foundation, two master’s degrees at the London School of Economics (without traditional prerequisites), and an MBA at MIT. Today he runs Rock Yard Ventures, invests in critical and foundational industries, and is pursuing a California governor’s pardon. This is a conversation about prison politics, systemic failure, stigma, merit, second chances, and what it actually takes to rebuild a life from the ground up. Thank you to our sponsors Ketone-IQ: ⁠ketone.com/rideout Code “RIDEOUT” Athletic Brewing: https://athleticbrewing.com Code "RIDEOUT" Athletic Nicotine: https://athleticnicotine.com/rideout Code "RIDEOUT" Chapters (00:00) Meet Daniel Dart (01:37) From Homelessness to Drive (02:50) Family Chaos and Placements (04:10) System Failures and Resentment (05:52) Life on the Streets (11:01) Gangs and Prison Reality (14:18) Finding Music and Purpose (17:45) Violence Risk and Prison Code (24:23) Charges Plea and Appeals (31:14) First Day Prison and Transfers (33:10) White Gangs Breakdown (33:20) Arizona Hunger Strike (34:37) Shackled Prison Transport (35:36) Cops as Gangs (36:11) Fighting the Appeal (39:51) Judge Offers Two Options (42:48) Release and Low Yard Life (47:29) Guard Stories and Violence (52:49) Sponsor Break Athletic Nicotine (53:44) Rebuilding After Prison (56:33) From Music to Policy (58:15) World Bank Mentors and LSE (59:08) Bezos Foundation Break (01:02:48) Two Masters at LSE (01:03:37) Saudi Merit Over Stigma (01:07:02) Stigma Hits Banking (01:08:24) Banking Stigma Fallout (01:09:33) From LSE to MIT MBA (01:12:57) Allies Who Changed Everything (01:15:02) Building Prison Reentry Program (01:17:27) Launching Rock Yard Fund (01:19:58) Imposter Syndrome to Conviction (01:22:58) Fundraising and Lead Investor Mindset (01:27:15) Missionary Founders and Long Game (01:28:53) Fund Strategy and Sticky Industries (01:38:04) Pardon Update and Final Wrap Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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