Podcast appearances and mentions of mike maples

Mike Maples of Floodgate joins Nick to discuss The OG Seed Investor, Mike Maples Jr., on Spotting Inflection Points, Living in the Future, and Why the Best Form of Competition Is No Competition. In this episode we cover: The Evolution of Seed Investing Identifying Exceptional Founders The Role of Inflections in Startups The Impact of AI on Startups Sea Changes and Business Model Migrations The Importance of Specificity and Narrative Design The Role of Pattern Recognition in Venture Capital Guest Links: Twitter/X (guest)  Guest's LinkedIn Company's LinkedIn Company's Website The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.

Jeff Shiner is the CEO of 1Password, the access management company used by over 100,000 businesses and millions of individuals worldwide. He joined 1Password as CEO in 2012, when the team was just under 20 people. Under Jeff's leadership, 1Password expanded into B2B, launched a SaaS platform, and scaled from a small family-run operation into a global company. In 2019, Jeff led 1Password through its first-ever funding round – a $200M Series A from Accel – to build out its go-to-market team and accelerate product development. Before joining 1Password, Jeff held senior roles at IBM and led teams through multiple acquisitions and integrations. --- In today's episode, we discuss: Why bootstrapping isn't always what it's cracked up to be The switch from a consumer product to B2B Launching before billing — and why that worked When being “too secure” nearly killed the product Becoming CEO… without telling anyone Much more --- Referenced: 1Password: https://1password.com Accel: https://www.accel.com Arun Mathew: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arun-mathew-b7186412/ David Teare: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveteare/ Floodgate: https://floodgate.com LastPass: https://www.lastpass.com Mike Maples: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maples/ Natalia Karimov: https://1password.com/company/meet-the-team/natalia-karimov Roustem Karimov: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roustem/?originalSubdomain=ca Sara Teare: https://1password.com/company/meet-the-team/sara-teare Shopify: https://www.shopify.com Tobi Lütke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiaslutke/ --- Where to find Jeff: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jshiner --- Where to find Brett: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-berson-9986094/ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/brettberson --- Where to find First Round Capital: Website: https://firstround.com/ First Round Review: https://review.firstround.com/ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/firstround YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstRoundCapital This podcast on all platforms: https://review.firstround.com/podcast --- Timestamps: 0:03 – How Jeff got involved with 1Password 2:01 – How 1Password was initially set up 10:41 – The secret CEO 13:44 – What Jeff's first six months encompassed 16:13 – The lightbulb moment that caused a pivot 17:50 – 1Password's unusual company journey 22:08 – Creating an aligned product roadmap 29:19 – Retaining a customer-centric focus at scale 30:40 – Why 1Password's first B2B product failed 39:43 – How Jeff thinks about competitors 46:44 – Building different go-to-market functions 52:45 – Staying bootstrapped for 15 years 57:17 – Jeff's one regret 1:02:00 – 1Password's most pivotal moments

Our sponsor for this episode is Microsoft. Want seamless collaboration without the cost? Microsoft Teams offers a robust free plan for individuals that delivers unlimited chat, 60-minute video meetings, and file sharing—all within one intuitive workspace that keeps your projects moving forward. Head to https://aka.ms/every to use Teams for free, and experience effortless collaboration, today.Mike Maples knows how AI startups can beat incumbents with billions of dollars. Mike—who wrote early checks to Twitter, Twitch, Okta, and Lyft, and now invests through Floodgate, the fund he cofounded—told me it's not about the smartest model, or raising the most money. Startups can win in AI with better strategy.AI is changing the economics of startups—both how they're started and how they're funded. A new breed of companies is emerging, and I invited Mike on the show to talk about how they can best strategize. Last year, Mike co-authored a book called Pattern Breakers, which is essentially a guidebook to why there's no guidebook to building companies. I really liked it, and my colleague Evan Armstrong reviewed it for Every, so I was glad to have him on. We talk about how shifts in technology create space for smaller players to compete—even with AI giants like OpenAI—and how to capitalize on them.If you found this episode interesting, please like, subscribe, comment, and share! Want even more?Sign up for Every to unlock our ultimate guide to prompting ChatGPT here: https://every.ck.page/ultimate-guide-to-prompting-chatgpt. It's usually only for paying subscribers, but you can get it here for free.To hear more from Dan Shipper:Subscribe to Every: https://every.to/subscribe Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/danshipper Timestamps for Spotify:Introduction: 00:02:20Innovate the business model, not just the product: 00:06:02How startups can compete against the likes of OpenAI: 00:15:49Mike's take on DeepSeek: 00:19:34Why the future has always belonged to the tinkerers: 00:21:44How small teams today can make big money: 00:24:03Find niches that incumbents can't or don't want to enter: 00:28:55The qualities of the truly AI-native: 00:47:08How AI changes the funding model for software companies: 00:53:46Knowledge work is moving toward systems-level thinking: 00:58:23Links to resources mentioned in the episode:Mike Maple: @m2jrThe fund Mike confounded, Floodgate: @floodgatefundEvan's piece reviewing Pattern Breakers: "A New Book of the Startup Bible" Dan's piece on the allocation economy: "The Knowledge Economy Is Over. Welcome to the Allocation Economy." 

Doogles highlights that El Salvador is calling in quits on Bitcoin as the national currency. Then he questions whether it's the right time to diversify outside the US. Skippy looks at the poor consumer sentiment in China. The episode wraps with two interview summaries with professional investors — Graham Duncan and Mike Maples.Join the Skippy and Doogles fan club. You can also get more details about the show at skippydoogles.com, show notes on our Substack, and send comments or questions to skippydoogles@gmail.com.

Today's guest is Mike Maples Jr. a partner at Floodgate, a pre-seed and seed-stage venture capital firm that's invested in companies like Twitter, Lyft, Twitch, Okta. He's also the author of Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future. In today's episode, Mike shares his framework for investing in successful early-stage companies. He explores the nature of startups as acts of disagreement with the status quo and the importance of being disagreeable in the entrepreneurial journey. Mike also touches on the evolving landscape of IPOs and private markets, the transformative power of AI, lessons from one of his first Limited Partners, Yale's David Swensen, and more. (0:00) Starts (1:06) Mike Maples' investment philosophy (7:26) Identifying pattern breaking startups (13:02) Spotting inflection points (23:14) Portfolio strategy (32:04) The future of private markets (38:58) AI's impact on investing (46:13) Early influences (53:55) AI in education (1:01:00) Controversial beliefs (1:03:58) Mike's most memorable investments ----- Follow Meb on X, LinkedIn and YouTube For detailed show notes, click here To learn more about our funds and follow us, subscribe to our mailing list or visit us at cambriainvestments.com ----- Follow The Idea Farm: X | LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok ----- Interested in sponsoring the show? Email us at Feedback@TheMebFaberShow.com ----- Past guests include Ed Thorp, Richard Thaler, Jeremy Grantham, Joel Greenblatt, Campbell Harvey, Ivy Zelman, Kathryn Kaminski, Jason Calacanis, Whitney Baker, Aswath Damodaran, Howard Marks, Tom Barton, and many more.  ----- Meb's invested in some awesome startups that have passed along discounts to our listeners. Check them out here!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chapters:0:00 Intro1:50 Gokul Rajaram on Google and what makes a great CEO14:30 Ishan Mukherjee on the State of LLMs22:23 Mark Pincus on how to come up with good ideas and build great products33:12 Anil Varanasi on how to spot great talent36:18 Rio Ferdinand on Leadership and Young Prodigies41:33 Hudzah on using Claude LLM to build products quickly47:29 Mike Maples on patterns for successful startups56:00 Career and life advice by Aarthi and Sriram1:06:55 Aravind Srinivas on Google's Larry Page being his favourite entrepreneur1:10:50 Bryan Johnson's 7 simple hacks to live longer Follow Sriram:https://www.instagram.com/sriramk/https://twitter.com/sriramkFollow Aarthi:https://www.instagram.com/aarthir/https://twitter.com/aarthirFollow the podcast:https://www.instagram.com/aarthiandsriramshow/https://twitter.com/aarthisrirampod

Mike Maples is one of the OG seed investors of the last two decades. As a co-founding Partner at Floodgate, Mike has been on the Forbes Midas List eight times in the last decade. Some of Mike's investments include Twitter, Twitch.tv, Clover Health, Okta, Outreach, Chegg, Demandforce, and Applied Intuition. In Today's Episode with Mike Maples We Discuss: 04:02 Does Seed Even Make Sense as an Asset Class?  05:16 Fund Size and Strategy: How to Do a 10x Fund? 08:12 Follow-On Investments: Are they BS? 16:41 Finding Inefficiencies in the Market 26:31 Exit Strategies and Liquidity Events: When to Sell? 35:14 How Floodgate Lost Billions Missing Airbnb and Pinterest 35:43 3 Frameworks for Evaluating Startups 36:23 Case Studies: Zoom and Okta 43:34 How to Truly Analyse Product-Market Fit 45:22 Challenges with Overfunding Startups 50:02 2024 in Review: Company and Fund of the Year 54:25 Predictions for 2025  

Join venture capitalist Mike Maples as he delves into the dynamics of startup success and the pivotal moments that define technological innovation. In this insightful episode, Mike shares his philosophy on "Pattern Breakers" and how disruptive companies redefine markets. He explores the essence of breakthrough thinking that enables startups to scale and succeed against the odds, offering a unique glimpse into the mindset and strategies that fuel Silicon Valley's most successful ventures.Incogni Personal Information: Removal ServiceIn today's digital world, your personal information can be more exposed than you think. Data brokers collect and sell your personal details, putting you at risk of scams, identity theft, and online harassment. But there's a solution: Incogni. Incogni is a service that works tirelessly to protect your personal information. They reach out to data brokers on your behalf, request the removal of your personal data, and handle any objections. This means you can enjoy peace of mind, knowing your personal information is being kept private and secure.As a listener of our show, we have a special offer for you.Use the code UNMISTAKABLE at the link here to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan: https://incogni.com/unmistakable. Subscribe for ad-free interviews and bonus episodes https://plus.acast.com/s/the-unmistakable-creative-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike Maples is the co-founding partner at Floodgate, a venture capital firm that focuses on early stage investments in technology companies. He has been featured on the Forbes Midas List eight times in the past decade, recognized as a “Rising Star” by FORTUNE, and profiled by Harvard Business School for his enduring contributions to entrepreneurship. As a founder and operating executive, Mike played pivotal roles in two successful IPOs: Tivoli Systems (later acquired by IBM) and Motive (acquired by Alcatel-Lucent). Mike's career as a seed investor has solidified his legendary status in Silicon Valley. Some of his notable investments include Twitter, Twitch.tv, Clover Health, Okta, Outreach, Chegg, Demandforce, and Applied Intuition. Together with Stanford Professor Peter Ziebelman, Mike developed insights on identifying "Pattern Breaking" concepts, referred to as "Inflections." These ideas form the foundation of his book, Pattern Breakers, which explores over 15 years of investment experience to reveal the sources of breakthrough potential in startups. The book is a National Bestseller and ranks as the #1 Venture Capital book on Amazon.On today's show, Alan and Mike dive into Mike's latest book, Pattern Breakers, exploring what pattern breakers are, their key components, and how they drive transformational change. They examine the concept of inflection points, pivotal moments that define the trajectory of a startup. Mike explains the importance of being radically different and the necessity of building a movement around your business and products to stand out in competitive markets. They also explore what truly makes a company radically different and how these elements come together to fuel extraordinary success.In this episode, you'll learn:Why being radically different is essential for startups and how to achieve itStrategies to identify and connect with your ideal customer base early Key startup principles that even large companies can adopt, plus actionable tips for collaborating with startupsKey Highlights:[02:17] Being a professional calligrapher  [03:32] Career path to Floodgate[05:50] Why is now the right time for the book, Pattern Breakers[08:53] Why startups need to be radically different[14:00] Is getting competition good or bad[15:58] How to find the customer base early on[18:59] How the principles of a startup can apply to large companies[22:28] Tips for large companies working with startups[23:46] Risk profiles and mindsets [26:16] Inflections [30:05] Different categories of growth[32:05] Inflections, pattern breakers, creating movements relating to marking[34:04] Does radically different only matter if its a commercial success[37:50] An experience from your past that defines you[41:35] Advice to your younger self- personal monopoly [43:50] A topic that you and other marketers need to learn more about - AI [50:12] Trends or subcultures others should follow[50:51] Largest opportunity or threat to marketers todayLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike Maples started Liquid Mike in 2021. In that short time, the band has already put out five albums of songs - including their most recent one, Paul Bunyan's Slingshot. Hailing from Marquette, Michigan (that's the Upper Peninsula, folks), Mike balances his job as a mailman with writing a ton of songs, playing guitar, singing and touring. You can check them out in Chicago at Concord Music Hall on 12-11-2024.Time Stamps:2:20: So many different ways to describe your music, how do you describe Liquid Mike's sound?4: Is the shortened length of songs inspired by any musicians?9:30: When did you start playing guitar and writing your own songs?13:45: How has the relative geographic isolation of living in the U.P. impacted your music?16:31: What was it like to be out on your first big tour?19: How is your first Chicago show at Riot Fest?21:13: Have you been approached by any labels?23:30: Are there other great bands playing in the U.P.?28: What was it like when your music started blowing up?31:40: Are you intentional about not being intentional about your use of social media?38: How did your upcoming tours come together?44:10: How many times have you been to Chicago?45: Deep dish or thin crust pizza?49: What does Chicago music mean to you?51:33: Did you stick around Riot Fest and check out any bands?54:08: What is your go-to cheap drink?58: Anything else you want to plug on the way on out of here?

Nick Chirls, GP at Asylum Ventures,  and Beezer Clarkson, LP at Sapphire Partners go deep into their recent conversation with Wesley Chan, the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of FPV Ventures. They unpack Wesley's direct learnings from Sergey Brin coming up at Google, how it is the job of the investor to spot greatness, his views on company pivots (and how they oppose another recent guest, Mike Maples' views on pivots), the difficulties of thinking independently in Silicon Valley, and the serendipitous way Wesley and Sapphire Partners wound up working together in the first place. Plus Nick, it turns out, is kind of a tax guy. He and Beezer discuss the hidden benefits of being an expert on QSBS. Learn more about Sapphire Partners: sapphireventures.com/sapphire-partners Learn more about OpenLP: openlp.vc Learn more about Asylum Ventures: asylum.vc Learn more about FPV Ventures: fpvventures.com Read Laura Thompson's article on QSBS: sapphireventures.com/blog/how-lps-gps-and-founders-can-leverage-qsbs-to-make-more-money/ Listen to Mike Maples & Jai Das discuss pivots: open.spotify.com/show/23H0tOX63xMChV2SErQKnZ?si=a9aab8b3e4c34dde Subscribe to the OpenLP newsletter for a monthly roundup of the latest venture insights, including the newest Origins episodes, delivered straight to your inbox.

Neel Doshi reveals how to build and sustain high performing cultures through total motivation. — YOU'LL LEARN — 1) The six motives at the root of culture 2) How to use metrics the wrong and right way 3) The questions that kill motivation Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep1013 for clickable versions of the links below. — ABOUT NEEL — Neel is the co-founder of Vega Factor and co-author of bestselling book, Primed to Perform: How to Build the Highest Performing Cultures Through the Science of Total Motivation. Previously, Neel was a Partner at McKinsey & Company, CTO and founding member of an award-winning tech startup, and employee of several mega-institutions. He studied engineering at MIT and received his MBA from Wharton. In his spare time, he's an avid yet mediocre woodworker and photographer.• Book: Primed to Perform: How to Build the Highest Performing Cultures Through the Science of Total Motivation• Website: Factor.ai— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW — • Study: “Poverty impedes cognitive function” by Anandi Mani, Sendhil Mullainathan, Eldar Shafir, and Jiaying Zhao• Book: Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future by Mike Maples and Peter Ziebelman— THANK YOU, SPONSORS! —• Lingoda. Visit try.lingoda.com/Awesome and save up to 20% off your sign up fee! Plus, get an extra $25 off with the code AWESOME • LinkedIn Jobs. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/beawesome• Jenni Kayne. Use the code AWESOME15 to get 15% off your order!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As soon as I finished our original interview, I knew I had to have Soleio on as the first repeat guest. He led early design efforts at Facebook and Dropbox. Now he invests in design-driven startups like Figma, Framer, Vercel, etc.So this week's episode is all about how designers and startups can succeed in a world where everything is changing. We go deep into:Ideal traits for a founding designerHow startups can strategically attack incumbentsWhy the future belongs to designers who can shipThe backstory behind Soleio's investment in PerplexityA potential future where one designer can service 5+ startupsWhat you can do to invest in your future founder journey todayHow Soleio approaches the design tooling space as an investorWhy we won't use smartphones the same way 5 years from nowa lot moreSoleio's first episodeMeng To's video editing product (episode coming soon)Granola (Sam and Chris are the founders)Interview with Perplexity's head of design (Henry Modisett)Pattern Breakers by Mike Maples, JrChapters 0:00 Intro 1:32 Designers who can ship 11:18 Dealing with the velocity of tech as an investor 13:27 The importance of brand for startups 18:00 Why Soleio beleives we won't be using smartphones the same way in 5 years 34:23 Qualities that Soleio looks for in first-time founders 36:58 How to succeed as a founding designer 44:53 Founders living in the future 55:05 How to invest in your future founder journey today

Nick Chirls, GP at Asylum Ventures,  and Beezer Clarkson, LP at Sapphire Partners, unpack their recent conversation with Jai Das, President + Partner at Sapphire Ventures and Mike Maples, Co-Founder + Partner at Floodgate,  to answer their burning question: What changes in the way seed and growth investors think, and what stays the same? They discuss the crushing importance of team no matter the stage; the parallels in LP land (at the end of the day, you're just backing people); the difference between small iterations on a business model vs a radical remaking of a company; and the imperfect information you get at Seed vs the luxury of canvasing an entire landscape at growth via customer calls and key metrics.   Learn more about Sapphire Partners: https://sapphireventures.com/sapphire-partners/ Learn more about OpenLP: https://openlp.sapphireventures.com/ Learn more about Asylum Ventures: asylum.vc Learn more about Floodgate: https://www.floodgate.com/ Subscribe to the OpenLP newsletter for a monthly roundup of the latest venture insights, including the newest Origins episodes, delivered straight to your inbox. CHAPTERS: 0:00-Intro & Takeaways 1:20-Is This the Team That's Going to IPO? 4:02-Early Stage Pivots 7:44-How Hard a Pivot is Too Hard? 12:23-LP Strategy for Picking Managers 13:09-The Importance of Timing 15:59-You Need to Call the Customers 18:05-Outro

Mike Maples Jr., Founding Partner at Floodgate, sits down with David Weisburd to discuss Mike's new book “Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future”. This is a masterclass on early-stage venture investing. Mike shares his views on identifying ideas and founders that led to his early investments in Lyft, Twitter, and Okta. They also cover how Mike thinks about fundraising from LPs, his learnings from legendary LP David Swensen, and the power and importance of pursuing non-consensus ideas. —

With a few dozen software exits under his belt (including Box, Square, Mulesoft & JFrog), nobody knows enterprise investing like Sapphire Ventures' President + PartnerJai Das. Likewise, Floodgate co-founder + Partner Mike Maples Jr. is often credited with pioneering seed investing as we know it, with names like Twitter, Twitch and Lyft in his portfolio. Together, they join Nick Chirls, GP at Asylum Ventures,  and Beezer Clarkson, LP at Sapphire Partners, to share how they pick winners at their respective stages. What does it take to spot someone who sees the future before it's here? How do inflection points like AI impact an investor's thesis? And are there more opportunities in the market for VCs today? Plus, Jai and Mike discuss the one throughline from seed to growth to lead to a successful exit: the management team. Learn more about Sapphire Partners: sapphireventures.com/sapphire-partners Learn more about OpenLP: openlp.vc Learn more about Asylum Ventures: asylum.vc Learn more about Sapphire Ventures: sapphireventures.com Learn more about Floodgate: floodgate.com Subscribe to the OpenLP newsletter for a monthly roundup of the latest venture insights, including the newest Origins episodes, delivered straight to your inbox. CHAPTERS: 0:00-Introduction & the Burning Question4:08-Intro to Sapphire Ventures 6:02-Intro to Floodgate7:56-Setting the Stage at Seed 10:30-Inflection Points: We're Going Through a Sea Change of Mass Cognition 13:43-What's Happening at the Growth Stage 15:17-More Choice in the Market 16:10-Importance of Management Team 17:44-Mike's New Book “Pattern Breakers” 23:09-The Three Things Floodgate Looks for in a Founder 25:25-Founder Future Fit & Pivots 27:56-In Enterprise Software, You Don't Always Have to Build a New Category29:52-AI: Over-Valued? Under-Valued? 32:50-Is There Anything Left in AI Non-Consensus? 34:37-How Sapphire Approaches GenAI Investing 37:31-The Exit Market Today 44:10-How to Approach Founder Liquidity

Mike Maples, Jr., co-founding partner of the VC firm Floodgate, is the veteran seed investor behind some of the 21st-century's great success stories, including Twitter, Twitch, and Applied Intuition. His book, Pattern Breakers (co-authored with Peter Ziebelman), articulates a new model of foundership, one built on the simple premise that transformative startups upend rather than improve current practices. My company, OSV, is built around my belief that the collapse of the old models presents enormous opportunities to those savvy enough to seize them, so I had a blast quizzing Mike on the nuts and bolts of pattern-breaking foundership, from finding true believers to waging asymmetric war on the status quo. If Mike's theory sounds as interesting to you as it did to me, check out our Substack, where we've distilled some pattern-breaking insights and shared the episode transcript. I also encourage you to buy Mike's excellent book. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did! Important Links: Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future; by Mike Maples, Jr & Peter Ziebelman Twitter Substack (Starting Greatness) Floodgate LinkedIn Show Notes: Seagull mode: an unexpected founder paradigm How to wage asymmetric war on the present Evading the comparison trap Finding your people: how to build a movement Why we should continually seek the truth The customer isn't always right, but the ones living in the future are Why disagreeableness is undervalued How to fix a pitch Franckendeck Don't use jargon as a substitute for clear thinking How to find the true believers How to live in the future How founders are like trainspotters Why wanting to be a founder is a bad reason to start a company Reading habits of a pattern-breaker The unreliability of memory Mike as emperor of the world MORE! Books Mentioned: Jonathan Livingston Seagull: A story; by Richard Bach The Genius of the Beast: A Radical Re-Vision of Capitalism; by Howard Bloom The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations that Transform The World; by David Deutsch What Works in Wall Street; by Jim O'Shaughnessy Poor Charlie's Almanac: The Essential Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger; by Charles T. Munger

Is there a secret recipe for start-up success? Probably not. But if you take a close enough look at some of the massive success stories like Twitter and Lyft, patterns start to emerge. Venture capitalists Mike Maples, Jr. and Peter Ziebelman pull back the curtain and examine how start-ups go from seedling ideas to billion-dollar companies in their book, Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future.Mike, Peter, and Greg discuss the roles that insight and implementation play in determining a start-up's chance at success, how investors distinguish between genius and crazy, and why the best founders are like artists.*unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*Episode Quotes:Distinguishing idea vs. insight25:33: [Mike Maples Jr.] A lot of people confuse risk and uncertainty. And so, like, I might have an idea in an existing market that there's a clear need for, but it's a bounded upside idea. But I can connect the dots between the idea, customers wanting it, and a successful business. I might, on the other hand, have an idea that's like Justin TV, right? Which is a reality 24/7 streaming TV show, which is crazy online. But it embodied a lot of inflections and insight. It was a terrible idea, but a great opportunity. And so what we're interested in is not certainty about the future, because if we're going after a non-consensus idea, if we have real insight, we can't know we're certain yet. All we can know is that we're non-consensus. Just because we don't know how the dots will forward connect doesn't mean they won't forward connect. And it doesn't mean that the expected value of the upside isn't higher. So that's what we kind of encourage people to say: just because you don't know how success will happen doesn't mean that it's not way better to pursue that path.The crucial elements that contribute to startup's breakthrough06:10: [Peter Ziebelman] There's still a lot of luck and perhaps intuition and guesswork to determine whether you're going to find a breakthrough or build a breakthrough. But having said that, we do believe there are elements that can tip the balance—inflections. Another element is seeing that the entrepreneur has insight, something they know to be true that others do not yet believe, and we believe insights are one of the things that explain a lot about startups.Being a founder is like being an artist52:34: [Mike Maples Jr.] A lot of people think about what type of business person is an entrepreneur. And what I've come to believe is that the right way to think about it is they're more like an artist than they are like an engineer, a salesperson, or anything else. [53:06] And by that, I mean two things. First of all, artists notice something that other people don't notice, right? And then the other thing that artists do is convince people to abandon their logic. And so, like, no rational employee would join a startup. No rational customer would buy from a startup. No rational investor would invest in a startup. [53:45] So the founder has to convince all of us to abandon logic and go on a journey where we're 85 percent likely to not succeed. And so the best founders I've ever met have those. Attributes of the artist, and they have the artistry to notice from their sensitivity, and they have the artistry to persuade and convince people. They have the artistry to notice from their sensitivity, and they have the artistry to persuade and convince people. How does a founder balance persistence with openness to new data and insights?21:06: [Mike Maples Jr.] If you have the right insight, when we talk about pivoting, your insight, like in basketball, is like your pivot foot. You hold it planted firm, and you move your body by either modifying your implementation, modifying the audience that you talk to, or some combination. But if you have to leave your pivot foot, you're no longer attached to anything as a startup, right? You might as well start over. You might as well try a new idea or just give up. And so that's where I think you reconcile it. You want to be flexible in your experimentation of navigating your insight to the desperate, but you want to be fixed about what you believe is different about the future.Show Links:Recommended Resources:Hamilton HelmerVilfredo Pareto Reed HastingsScott Cook Justin.tvFounders FundVinod KhoslaGuest Profile:Mike Maples, Jr. Professional Profile at FloodgateMike Maples, Jr. Podcast, Pattern BreakersPeter Ziebelman Professional Profile at Palo Alto Venture PartnersPeter Ziebelman Faculty Profile at Stanford Graduate School of BusinessTheir Work:Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future

Read the full transcript here. What mistakes do investors make when trying to predict which startups will succeed? Which matters more: a startup's team or its central idea? How do startup founders differ from other capitalists? What makes something a "pattern-breaking" idea or behavior? Are startup founders less sensitive to negative feedback than the average person? Is it possible to achieve startup success without challenging the status quo? Is it true that 90% of startups fail? What is founder-future match? At their core, what are movements? Can startup founders be too good at storytelling? Has the US become less innovative? What are Singapore and Israel doing right that enables them to have the highest number of "unicorn" startups per million people? What's the right amount of "shaking things up"?Mike Maples, Jr. is an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, podcaster, and the co-founder of FLOODGATE, a leading seed stage fund in Silicon Valley that invested in companies like Twitter, Twitch, Okta, and Outreach at the very beginning of their startup journeys. An eight-time member of the Forbes Midas List of Top Venture Capital investors, he was one of the pioneers of the seed investing movement, which started in the mid-2000s, and now is a mainstream part of startup funding. Follow him on Twitter at @m2jr.Further reading:Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future, by Mike Maples StaffSpencer Greenberg — Host / DirectorJosh Castle — ProducerRyan Kessler — Audio EngineerUri Bram — FactotumWeAmplify — TranscriptionistsMusicBroke for FreeJosh WoodwardLee RosevereQuiet Music for Tiny Robotswowamusiczapsplat.comAffiliatesClearer ThinkingGuidedTrackMind EasePositlyUpLift[Read more]

Are you making your daily choices with intention and awareness? When last did you allow yourself the chance to experiment without being attached to the outcome? Why does good capitalism not want to be in competition with others? In this podcast episode, Joe Sanok speaks about the value of being different and the meaning of […] The post The Value of Being Different and the Meaning of Life with Silicon Valley Investor Mike Maples Jnr. [One of Joe's favorite interviews ever!] | POP 1061 appeared first on How to Start, Grow, and Scale a Private Practice | Practice of the Practice.

In this insightful interview, Mike Maples, renowned VC and author of "Pattern Breakers," shares his wisdom on what makes startups thrive. We dive deep into the patterns of successful founders, the mission behind Elon Musk's Cybertruck, and why you shouldn't try to think of a startup idea. Mike also offers a compelling perspective on the transformative power of AI and why timing is the most challenging aspect to get right in the startup world. We also discuss Silicon Valley's evolving political landscape, Meta's challenges, and essential advice for both fund managers and founders. Show notes:(0:00) Intro(3:19) The genesis of Mike's book: Pattern Breakers(7:35) Patterns of successful startups(12:15) Common thread between great founders(14:38) Elon Musk's Cybertruck: Mision vs Practicality (16:02) BEST startup insight: Don't try to think of a startup(23:10) LLM startups as edge cases(26:48) AI is a sea change(30:11) Timing is the hardest thing to get right(34:02) Silicon Valley's political shift(44:38) Meta can't win with either political side(46:16) Advice for fund managers(51:29) Advice for foundersOther episodes you might enjoy:EP 74 - How To Fix Google's WOKE AI DisasterEP 63 - Lessons From Networking In Silicon ValleyEP 59 - Why We Moved to London, The Elon Musk Book, Should You Get An MBA

Mike Maples is an 8x Midas List investor and founding partner at Floodgate Fund. In our conversation, we dive into his latest book, "Pattern Breakers: Why Some Startups Change The Future." Mike shares his frameworks on how top startups beat incumbents by redefining categories, and he reflects on his worst and best decisions. We also discuss what the future of venture capital may look like over the next decade - here are a few favorite takeaways on what makes outstanding startups from one of the industry's most influential names.(00:00) Intro(01:12) Meet Mike Maples: Venture Capital Icon(04:20) The Genesis of Twitch and Startup Pivots(07:51) Understanding Inflections in Startups(14:38) The Role of Insights and Ideas in Startup Success(22:13) The Importance of Movements and Founder-Future Fit(26:10) Case Studies: Quibi, Tesla, and More(43:41) The Trap of Mundane Startup Ideas(45:36) The Inflection Stress Test for Startups(47:06) The Twitter Success Story(52:40) The Rise of Seed Funding(56:55) Traits of Successful Founders(59:39) The Importance of Storytelling in Startups(01:05:47) Navigating the Challenges of Disruptive Startups(01:08:31) Reflections on Early Investment Decisions(01:13:57) Entering the Venture Capital World(01:20:25) The Evolution of the Tech Industry(01:22:47) Reflecting on the Dot-Com Era(01:23:06) The Evolution of Cognition and AI(01:24:03) Investment Strategies and Market Trends(01:25:56) The AI and Dot-Com Bubble Comparison(01:33:46) The Rise of Bitcoin and Crypto(01:37:02) Navigating Venture Capital Cycles(01:49:57) Advice for Aspiring Investors(01:54:09) The Importance of Authenticity and Specialization(02:03:20) Closing Thoughts and Reflections Executive Producer: Rashad AssirProducer: Leah ClapperMixing and editing: Justin Hrabovsky Check out Unsupervised Learning, Redpoint's AI Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@UCUl-s_Vp-Kkk_XVyDylNwLA

Join venture capitalist Mike Maples as he delves into the dynamics of startup success and the pivotal moments that define technological innovation. In this insightful episode, Mike shares his philosophy on "Pattern Breakers" and how disruptive companies redefine markets. He explores the essence of breakthrough thinking that enables startups to scale and succeed against the odds, offering a unique glimpse into the mindset and strategies that fuel Silicon Valley's most successful ventures.Incogni Personal Information: Removal ServiceIn today's digital world, your personal information can be more exposed than you think. Data brokers collect and sell your personal details, putting you at risk of scams, identity theft, and online harassment. But there's a solution: Incogni. Incogni is a service that works tirelessly to protect your personal information. They reach out to data brokers on your behalf, request the removal of your personal data, and handle any objections. This means you can enjoy peace of mind, knowing your personal information is being kept private and secure.As a listener of our show, we have a special offer for you.Use the code UNMISTAKABLE at the link here to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan: https://incogni.com/unmistakableJoin us for our Life of Purpose series this month as we revisit some of our most impactful episodes. Dive deep into expert insights and practical strategies on health, performance, and community, helping you achieve personal and professional fulfillment. Subscribe for ad-free interviews and bonus episodes https://plus.acast.com/s/the-unmistakable-creative-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to an interview with the author of Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future, Mike Maples, Jr. In this book, Maples and coauthor Peter Ziebelman set out to discover the hidden forces that drive extraordinary start-up success. Pattern-breaking success, they reveal, demands a different mindset and actions to harness developments others miss or that may, at first, seem crazy.   Mike Maples, Jr is an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, podcaster, and the co-founder of FLOODGATE, a leading seed stage fund in Silicon Valley that invested in companies like Twitter, Twitch, Okta, and Outreach at the very beginning of their startup journeys.    An eight-time member of the Forbes Midas List of Top Venture Capital investors, he was one of the pioneers of the seed investing movement, which started in the mid-2000s and now is a mainstream part of startup funding.   Get Pattern Breakers here: https://rb.gy/z4l4i7   Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach   McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf   Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career ✓ Claim Key Takeaways Check out the episode pageRead the full notes @ podcastnotes.orgMike Maples, Jr. is a legendary early-stage startup investor and a co-founder and partner at Floodgate. He's made early bets on transformative companies like Twitter, Lyft, Twitch, Okta, Rappi, and Applied Intuition and is one of the pioneers of seed-stage investing as a category. He's been on the Forbes Midas List eight times and enjoys sharing the lessons he's learned from his years studying iconic companies. In his new book, Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future, co-authored with Peter Ziebelman, he discusses what he's found separates startups and founders that break through and change the world from those that don't. After spending years reviewing the notes and decks from the thousands of startups he's known over the past two decades, he's uncovered three ways that breakthrough founders think and act differently. In our conversation, Mike talks about:• The three elements of breakthrough startup ideas• Why you need to both think and act differently• How to avoid the “comparison trap” and “conformity trap”• The importance of movements, storytelling, and healthy disagreeableness in startup success• How to apply pattern-breaking principles within large companies• Mike's one piece of advice for founders• Much morePre-order Mike's book here and get a second signed copy for free. Limited copies are available, so order ASAP: patternbreakers.com/lenny.—Brought to you by:• Enterpret—Transform customer feedback into product growth• Anvil—The fastest way to build software for documents• Webflow—The web experience platform—Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-find-a-great-startup-idea-mike-maples-jr—Where to find Mike Maples, Jr.:• X: https://x.com/m2jr• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maples/• Substack: https://greatness.substack.com/• Website: https://www.floodgate.com/—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Mike's background(03:10) The inspiration behind Pattern Breakers(08:09) Uncovering startup insights(11:37) A quick summary of Pattern Breakers(13:52) Coming up with an idea(15:30) Inflections(17:09) Examples of inflections(28:10) Insights(36:58) The power of surprises(47:36) Founder-future fit(55:33) Advice for aspiring founders(56:41) Living in the future: valid opinions(55:34) Case study: Maddie Hall and Living Carbon(58:40) Identifying lighthouse customers(01:00:53) The importance of desperation in customer needs(01:03:57) Creating movements and storytelling(01:24:22) The role of disagreeableness in startups(01:34:42) Applying these principles within a company(01:40:43) Lightning round—Referenced:• Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future: https://www.amazon.com/Pattern-Breakers-Start-Ups-Change-Future/dp/1541704355• Justin.tv: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin.tv• Airbnb's CEO says a $40 cereal box changed the course of the multibillion-dollar company: https://fortune.com/2023/04/19/airbnb-ceo-cereal-box-investors-changed-everything-billion-dollar-company/• Brian Chesky's new playbook: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-cheskys-contrarian-approach• The Unconventional Exit: How Justin Kan Sold His First Startup on eBay: https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/the-unconventional-exit-how-justin-kan-sold-his-first-startup-on-ebay-4d705afe1354• Kyle Vogt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylevogt/• The State of Telehealth Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9035352/• The Craigslist Killers: https://www.gq.com/story/craigslist-killers• The social radar: Y Combinator's secret weapon | Jessica Livingston (co-founder of Y Combinator, author, podcast host): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-social-radar-jessica-livingston• Michael Seibel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwseibel/• The Airbnb Story: How Three Ordinary Guys Disrupted an Industry, Made Billions ... and Created Plenty of Controversy: https://www.amazon.com/Airbnb-Story-Ordinary-Disrupted-Controversy/dp/0544952669• Scott Cook: https://www.forbes.com/profile/scott-cook/• Chegg: https://www.chegg.com/• Aayush Phumbhra on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aayush/• Osman Rashid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/osmanrashid/• Okta: https://www.okta.com/• The Man Who Makes the Future: Wired Icon Marc Andreessen: https://www.wired.com/2012/04/ff-andreessen/• Peter Ludwig on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterwludwig/• Qasar Younis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/qasar/• Paul Allen's website: https://paulallen.com/• Louis Pasteur quote: https://www.forbes.com/quotes/6145/• What was Atrium and why did it fail? https://www.failory.com/cemetery/atrium• Patrick Collison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickcollison/• Drew Houston on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewhouston/• William Gibson's quote: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/681-the-future-is-already-here-it-s-just-not-evenly• Maddie Hall on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maddie-hall-76293135/• Living Carbon: https://www.livingcarbon.com• Zenefits (now Trinet): https://connect.trinet.com/• Sam Altman on X: https://x.com/sama• Steve Wozniak on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wozniaksteve/• Horsley Bridge Partners: https://www.horsleybridge.com/• David Swensen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_F._Swensen• Judith Elsea on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judithelsea/• 7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy: https://www.amazon.com/7-Powers-Foundations-Business-Strategy/dp/0998116319• Business strategy with Hamilton Helmer (author of 7 Powers): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/business-strategy-with-hamilton-helmer• Lyft's Focus on Community and the Story Behind the Pink Mustache: https://techcrunch.com/2012/09/17/lyfts-focus-on-community-and-the-story-behind-the-pink-mustache/• Logan Green on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/logangreen/• John Zimmer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnzimmer11/• Storytelling with Nancy Duarte: How to craft compelling presentations and tell a story that sticks: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/storytelling-with-nancy-duarte-how• Steve Jobs Introducing the iPhone at MacWorld 2007: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7qPAY9JqE4• Jonathan Livingston Seagull: https://www.amazon.com/Jonathan-Livingston-Seagull-Richard-Bach/dp/0743278909• The paths to power: How to grow your influence and advance your career | Jeffrey Pfeffer (author of 7 Rules of Power, professor at Stanford GSB): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-paths-to-power-jeffrey-pfeffer• Robin Roberts on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-roberts-393a934b/• Skunkworks: https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/who-we-are/business-areas/aeronautics/skunkworks.html• Vision, conviction, and hype: How to build 0 to 1 inside a company | Mihika Kapoor (Product at Figma): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/vision-conviction-hype-mihika-kapoor• Hard-won lessons building 0 to 1 inside Atlassian | Tanguy Crusson (Head of Jira Product Discovery): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/building-0-to-1-inside-atlassian-tanguy-crusson• Figma: https://www.figma.com/• Atlassian: https://www.atlassian.com/• Vinod Khosla: https://www.khoslaventures.com/team/vinod-khosla/• Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing: https://www.amazon.com/Top-Five-Regrets-Dying-Transformed-ebook/dp/B07KNRLY1L• Chase, Chance, and Creativity: The Lucky Art of Novelty: https://www.amazon.com/Chase-Chance-Creativity-Lucky-Novelty/dp/0262511355• Clay Christensen's books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Clayton-M.-Christensen/author/B000APPD3Y• Resonate: Present Visual Stories That Transform: https://www.amazon.com/Resonate-Present-Stories-Transform-Audiences/dp/0470632011• Ferrari on Prime: https://www.amazon.com/Ferrari-Adam-Driver/dp/B0CNDBN672• Montblanc fountain pens: https://www.montblanc.com/en-us—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

Mike Maples is a pioneering Silicon Valley investor who founded Floodgate Ventures in 2005, introducing the concept of seed investing. He achieved major successes with early investments in Twitter, Twitch, and Lyft.His curiosity about what it takes to create a world-changing startup led him to explore how revolutionary ideas often appear crazy at first. This journey inspired his new book, "Pattern Breakers," where he delves into the dynamics of breakthrough startups shaping the future.

Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career ✓ Claim Key Takeaways Check out the episode pageRead the full notes @ podcastnotes.orgMike Maples, Jr. is a legendary early-stage startup investor and a co-founder and partner at Floodgate. He's made early bets on transformative companies like Twitter, Lyft, Twitch, Okta, Rappi, and Applied Intuition and is one of the pioneers of seed-stage investing as a category. He's been on the Forbes Midas List eight times and enjoys sharing the lessons he's learned from his years studying iconic companies. In his new book, Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future, co-authored with Peter Ziebelman, he discusses what he's found separates startups and founders that break through and change the world from those that don't. After spending years reviewing the notes and decks from the thousands of startups he's known over the past two decades, he's uncovered three ways that breakthrough founders think and act differently. In our conversation, Mike talks about:• The three elements of breakthrough startup ideas• Why you need to both think and act differently• How to avoid the “comparison trap” and “conformity trap”• The importance of movements, storytelling, and healthy disagreeableness in startup success• How to apply pattern-breaking principles within large companies• Mike's one piece of advice for founders• Much morePre-order Mike's book here and get a second signed copy for free. Limited copies are available, so order ASAP: patternbreakers.com/lenny.—Brought to you by:• Enterpret—Transform customer feedback into product growth• Anvil—The fastest way to build software for documents• Webflow—The web experience platform—Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-find-a-great-startup-idea-mike-maples-jr—Where to find Mike Maples, Jr.:• X: https://x.com/m2jr• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maples/• Substack: https://greatness.substack.com/• Website: https://www.floodgate.com/—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Mike's background(03:10) The inspiration behind Pattern Breakers(08:09) Uncovering startup insights(11:37) A quick summary of Pattern Breakers(13:52) Coming up with an idea(15:30) Inflections(17:09) Examples of inflections(28:10) Insights(36:58) The power of surprises(47:36) Founder-future fit(55:33) Advice for aspiring founders(56:41) Living in the future: valid opinions(55:34) Case study: Maddie Hall and Living Carbon(58:40) Identifying lighthouse customers(01:00:53) The importance of desperation in customer needs(01:03:57) Creating movements and storytelling(01:24:22) The role of disagreeableness in startups(01:34:42) Applying these principles within a company(01:40:43) Lightning round—Referenced:• Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future: https://www.amazon.com/Pattern-Breakers-Start-Ups-Change-Future/dp/1541704355• Justin.tv: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin.tv• Airbnb's CEO says a $40 cereal box changed the course of the multibillion-dollar company: https://fortune.com/2023/04/19/airbnb-ceo-cereal-box-investors-changed-everything-billion-dollar-company/• Brian Chesky's new playbook: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-cheskys-contrarian-approach• The Unconventional Exit: How Justin Kan Sold His First Startup on eBay: https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/the-unconventional-exit-how-justin-kan-sold-his-first-startup-on-ebay-4d705afe1354• Kyle Vogt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylevogt/• The State of Telehealth Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9035352/• The Craigslist Killers: https://www.gq.com/story/craigslist-killers• The social radar: Y Combinator's secret weapon | Jessica Livingston (co-founder of Y Combinator, author, podcast host): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-social-radar-jessica-livingston• Michael Seibel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwseibel/• The Airbnb Story: How Three Ordinary Guys Disrupted an Industry, Made Billions ... and Created Plenty of Controversy: https://www.amazon.com/Airbnb-Story-Ordinary-Disrupted-Controversy/dp/0544952669• Scott Cook: https://www.forbes.com/profile/scott-cook/• Chegg: https://www.chegg.com/• Aayush Phumbhra on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aayush/• Osman Rashid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/osmanrashid/• Okta: https://www.okta.com/• The Man Who Makes the Future: Wired Icon Marc Andreessen: https://www.wired.com/2012/04/ff-andreessen/• Peter Ludwig on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterwludwig/• Qasar Younis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/qasar/• Paul Allen's website: https://paulallen.com/• Louis Pasteur quote: https://www.forbes.com/quotes/6145/• What was Atrium and why did it fail? https://www.failory.com/cemetery/atrium• Patrick Collison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickcollison/• Drew Houston on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewhouston/• William Gibson's quote: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/681-the-future-is-already-here-it-s-just-not-evenly• Maddie Hall on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maddie-hall-76293135/• Living Carbon: https://www.livingcarbon.com• Zenefits (now Trinet): https://connect.trinet.com/• Sam Altman on X: https://x.com/sama• Steve Wozniak on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wozniaksteve/• Horsley Bridge Partners: https://www.horsleybridge.com/• David Swensen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_F._Swensen• Judith Elsea on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judithelsea/• 7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy: https://www.amazon.com/7-Powers-Foundations-Business-Strategy/dp/0998116319• Business strategy with Hamilton Helmer (author of 7 Powers): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/business-strategy-with-hamilton-helmer• Lyft's Focus on Community and the Story Behind the Pink Mustache: https://techcrunch.com/2012/09/17/lyfts-focus-on-community-and-the-story-behind-the-pink-mustache/• Logan Green on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/logangreen/• John Zimmer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnzimmer11/• Storytelling with Nancy Duarte: How to craft compelling presentations and tell a story that sticks: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/storytelling-with-nancy-duarte-how• Steve Jobs Introducing the iPhone at MacWorld 2007: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7qPAY9JqE4• Jonathan Livingston Seagull: https://www.amazon.com/Jonathan-Livingston-Seagull-Richard-Bach/dp/0743278909• The paths to power: How to grow your influence and advance your career | Jeffrey Pfeffer (author of 7 Rules of Power, professor at Stanford GSB): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-paths-to-power-jeffrey-pfeffer• Robin Roberts on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-roberts-393a934b/• Skunkworks: https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/who-we-are/business-areas/aeronautics/skunkworks.html• Vision, conviction, and hype: How to build 0 to 1 inside a company | Mihika Kapoor (Product at Figma): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/vision-conviction-hype-mihika-kapoor• Hard-won lessons building 0 to 1 inside Atlassian | Tanguy Crusson (Head of Jira Product Discovery): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/building-0-to-1-inside-atlassian-tanguy-crusson• Figma: https://www.figma.com/• Atlassian: https://www.atlassian.com/• Vinod Khosla: https://www.khoslaventures.com/team/vinod-khosla/• Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing: https://www.amazon.com/Top-Five-Regrets-Dying-Transformed-ebook/dp/B07KNRLY1L• Chase, Chance, and Creativity: The Lucky Art of Novelty: https://www.amazon.com/Chase-Chance-Creativity-Lucky-Novelty/dp/0262511355• Clay Christensen's books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Clayton-M.-Christensen/author/B000APPD3Y• Resonate: Present Visual Stories That Transform: https://www.amazon.com/Resonate-Present-Stories-Transform-Audiences/dp/0470632011• Ferrari on Prime: https://www.amazon.com/Ferrari-Adam-Driver/dp/B0CNDBN672• Montblanc fountain pens: https://www.montblanc.com/en-us—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

Promising startups often fail despite following best practices, while rule-breakers and those running through chaos can achieve massive success. Why? Mike Maples Jr, Founding Partner at Floodgate, tackles this paradox in his book "Pattern Breakers." We discuss his Inflection Theory, why some pivots work and others don't, unexpected inspirations like Lord of the Rings, and explore the nature of breakthrough innovation and startups. Episode HighlightsThe genesis of Mike Maples' new book "Pattern Breakers" originated from his realization that over 80% of his exit profits came from startups that had pivoted significantly from their original ideas, leading him down the rabbit hole of why.Business is never a fair fight, and the key is deciding who gets to fight unfair; startups create value by changing the subject and denying the premise of existing rules.Inflection theory shows how breakthrough startups harness powerful technological or societal inflection points, combine them with founders' non-obvious insights, and then build movements around new ideas that fundamentally change how things are done. Living in the future to develop non-obvious insights is crucial for breakthrough startups, and founder-future fit is key to understanding what makes the right team that can turn that future vision into reality. What's Next?"I like to ask myself is in what world will certain types of cognition become asymptotically free and where, how will that shift power dynamics?... My instinct is it won't be the same way that the big companies of today monetize it. And my instinct is that an era of mass cognition will shift the balance of power in some very profound ways."Mike Maples Jr: X/Twitter, LinkedInPattern Breakers: Book, Podcast, Newsletter Floodgate: Website, X/Twitter, LinkedIn -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn

Mike Maples is a co-founding partner at the venture capital firm, Floodgate. He's also the author of the new book, “Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future.” Alex Friedman caught up with Maples for a conversation about: How to spot true visionaries. Missing out on an early investment opportunity in Airbnb. Whether the AI future will be defined by incumbents or upstarts. Companies mentioned: AMZN, LYFT, OKTA, CHGG, AAPL, MSFT Host: Alex Friedman Guest: Mike Maples, Jr. Producer: Mary Long Engineers: Dez Jones, Tim Sparks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is a two-for-one, and that's because the podcast recently hit its 10-year anniversary and passed one billion downloads. To celebrate, I've curated some of the best of the best—some of my favorites—from more than 700 episodes over the last decade. I could not be more excited. The episode features segments from episode #60 "Arnold Schwarzenegger on Psychological Warfare" and #331 "Ann Miura-Ko — The Path from Shyness to World-Class Debater and Investor."Please enjoy!Sponsors:AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: https://DrinkAG1.com/Tim (1-year supply of Vitamin D (and 5 free AG1 travel packs) with your first subscription purchase.)Eight Sleep's Pod 4 Ultra sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: https://eightsleep.com/tim (save $350 on the Pod 4 Ultra)Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business: https://shopify.com/tim (one-dollar-per-month trial period)Timestamps:[04:08] Notes about this supercombo format.[05:11] Enter Arnold Schwarzenegger.[05:45] Where did Arnold develop his cast iron confidence?[09:15] Mastering the psychological warfare of bodybuilding.[13:58] Transferring this skill set to Hollywood.[17:13] On making millions before becoming a movie star.[19:48] Playing good bricklayer/bad bricklayer with Franco Columbu.[24:41] How Twins came together.[29:14] Meditation as one of many answers.[35:47] Enter Ann-Miura Ko.[36:14] Ann's childhood shyness.[38:14] The Japanese phrase Ann used as a hostile kid in Michigan.[40:20] How Ann overcame introversion.[43:13] Ann's first solo stage speech.[44:22] Why Ann continued with speech and debate.[45:17] Ann's love for competition.[46:54] Ann's extreme efforts for pizza.[48:57] The catalyst for Ann's debate improvement.[53:01] Debate competition format.[56:56] Ann's recommended resources for improving debate skills.[59:56] Observations on modern debate in politics and family.[1:02:01] The most important lesson from Ann's debating years.[1:04:50] Differences between debate and negotiation.[1:06:53] Ann's father's journey to America and favorite phrase.[1:10:29] Ann's world-class effort in menial job tasks.[1:13:15] How a Yale tour led to shadowing a CEO.[1:18:36] Ann's first job experience.[1:20:20] Ann's favorite office supplies.[1:21:32] Ann's cherished personal artifacts.[1:23:06] Ann's experience teaching Mayfield Fellows at Stanford.[1:24:42] A reading list and plans for Ann's Stanford startup class.[1:28:05] Spotting artificial inflation in startup valuations.[1:31:29] Why Ann changed her career path from medicine.[1:34:45] What Ann knew about herself that her parents and test scores didn't.[1:38:55] Ann's entry into venture capital and startup investing.[1:39:29] An encounter with Steve Jobs.[1:40:40] A job offer based on shared interests.[1:44:40] Ann's experience at CRV during 9/11.[1:47:55] The most expensive words in investing.[1:48:16] First principles thinking and common leadership decisions.[1:50:52] Winning strategy vs. strategy not to lose.[1:51:59] Manifestations of hedging as a defensive strategy.[1:53:46] The importance of focusing on your own race.[1:55:47] A need for aggressiveness to win.[1:56:38] How Ann met Mike Maples, Jr.[1:59:26] Ann's PhD plans and shift to working with Mike.[2:02:12] Ann's reaction to Mike's unusual proposition.[2:06:40] Ann's hectic first year at Floodgate.[2:08:41] Ann's real first name.[2:09:21] Ann's struggles and coping mechanisms.[2:14:56] Ann's superpowers.[2:18:44] Thunder lizards and Ann's pursuit of them.[2:20:20] Ann's view on AI and machine learning's impact.[2:23:11] Philosophy exercises and real-world applications.[2:24:50] Aligning collective and self-interests in problem-solving.[2:27:08] Books Ann has gifted or reread most.[2:29:09] A recent, game-changing purchase under $100.[2:30:28] Ann's billboard.[2:31:19] The meaning of Ann's Japanese name characters.[2:32:19] Ann's online presence and Floodgate's name origin.[2:34:58] Parting thoughts.*For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsorsSign up for Tim's email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Discover Tim's books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissYouTube: youtube.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, Margaret Atwood, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Dr. Gabor Maté, Anne Lamott, Sarah Silverman, Dr. Andrew Huberman, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mike Maples Jr. is a prolific angel investor and co-founder of early-stage venture firm Floodgate. Over the years, he's taken a lot of bets. Some have paid off handsomely (Twitter, Twitch, Lyft and Bazaarvoice, for example). Others have not.On today's episode of Equity, Mary Ann sat down with Mike to dig into a number of topics, including some of his most memorable investments, the one that got away, what he looks for when evaluating startups that pitch him - and what Godzilla has to do with it. We also talked a bit about his new book that he co-authored with Peter Ziebelman called “Pattern Breakers. Why some startups change the future.” Press play and join the conversation!Equity is TechCrunch's flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts.You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. For the full episode transcript, for those who prefer reading over listening, check out our full archive of episodes over at Simplecast. Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. Bryce Durbin is our Illustrator. We'd also like to thank the audience development team and Henry Pickavet, who manages TechCrunch audio products.

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape.We're re-joined by Mike Maples, Jr. of Floodgate, this time to discuss his just released new book "Pattern Breakers."Mike was first on the pod in 2021 and it was great to catch up again, this time to discuss the importance of identifying founders who are true pattern breakers. We spoke about how his observations on the last 14 years at Floodgate inspired him to write the book. We went through concepts such as founder-future fit, the winning formula of inflections and insights, and his experience that 80% of their returns have been from companies with some major insight or pivot.   You can find Mike's book "Pattern Breakers" and additional insights on his substack at patternbreakers.substack.com.About Mike Maples, Jr.:Mike Maples, Jr. is a co-founding Partner at Floodgate. He has been on the Forbes Midas List eight times in the last decade and was also named a “Rising Star” by FORTUNE and profiled by Harvard Business School for his lifetime contributions to entrepreneurship. Before becoming a full-time investor, Mike was involved as a founder and operating executive at back-to-back startup IPOs, including Tivoli Systems (IPO TIVS, acquired by IBM) and Motive (IPO MOTV, acquired by Alcatel-Lucent.)Some of Mike's investments include Twitter, Twitch.tv, Clover Health, Okta, Outreach, ngmoco, Chegg, Bazaarvoice, and Demandforce.Mike is known for coining the term “Thunder Lizards,” which is a metaphor derived from Godzilla that describes the tiny number of truly exceptional companies that are wildly disruptive capitalist mutations. Mike likes to think of himself as a hunter of the “atomic eggs” that beget these companies.Mike is the host of the Pattern Breakers podcast, which shares startup lessons from the super performers.In this episode, we discuss:(02:00) The story behind writing "Pattern Breakers" and the investment in Twitch and the importance of pivots(04:07) Insights from returns on pivots and major insider pivots(05:02) The concept of founder-future fit and initial skepticism(07:04) The inflection point of Twitch pivoting from Justin.tv(10:28) Authenticity and insights in startup founders(14:32) The role of pattern recognition in startup success(16:24) Creating movements and attracting early believers(21:12) Importance of inflection points in startup success(25:00) Non-obvious inflection points and backcasting(29:52) The formula of inflection plus insight(32:00) Non-consensus and right: key to venture success(34:52) Venture capital and risk-taking(38:00) Inflections and protecting unconventional ideas(41:00) Patience as a form of arbitrage in venture investing(45:00) Insights from Annie Duke on decision-making in venture capitalI'd love to know what you took away from this conversation with Mike. Follow me @SamirKaji and give me your insights and questions with the hashtag #ventureunlocked. If you'd like to be considered as a guest or have someone you'd like to hear from (GP or LP), drop me a direct message on Twitter.Podcast Production support provided by Agent Bee This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ventureunlocked.substack.com

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 464, featuring an interview with the author of Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future, Mike Maples, Jr. In this book, Maples and coauthor Peter Ziebelman set out to discover the hidden forces that drive extraordinary start-up success. Pattern-breaking success, they reveal, demands a different mindset and actions to harness developments others miss or that may, at first, seem crazy.   Mike Maples, Jr is an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, podcaster, and the co-founder of FLOODGATE, a leading seed stage fund in Silicon Valley that invested in companies like Twitter, Twitch, Okta, and Outreach at the very beginning of their startup journeys.    An eight-time member of the Forbes Midas List of Top Venture Capital investors, he was one of the pioneers of the seed investing movement, which started in the mid-2000s and now is a mainstream part of startup funding.   Get Pattern Breakers here: https://rb.gy/z4l4i7   Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach   McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf   Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo  

Earlier this week, I visited the offices of Floodgate Partners in Menlo Park to talk with its co-founding partner Mike Maples. As an early investor in Twitter, Twitch.tv and many other successful start-ups, Maples is one of Silicon Valley's most respected venture capitalists. He is, to borrow the title of his new book, an investor in “Pattern Breakers” - entrepreneurs whose radical innovations challenge preexisting conventions and, quite literally, change the future. But, as he explained, while pattern breakers might sometimes have to be disagreeable, that doesn't justify what he calls the “jerks “who all-too-often do a disservice to the business of building the future. Mike Maples is a co-founding Partner at Floodgate.  He has been on the Forbes Midas List eight times in the last decade and was also named a “Rising Star” by FORTUNE and profiled by Harvard Business School for his lifetime contributions to entrepreneurship. Before becoming a full-time investor, Mike was involved as a founder and operating executive at back-to-back startup IPOs, including Tivoli Systems (IPO TIVS, acquired by IBM) and Motive (IPO MOTV, acquired by Alcatel-Lucent.) Some of Mike's investments include Twitter, Twitch.tv, Clover Health, Okta, Outreach, ngmoco, Chegg, Bazaarvoice, and Demandforce. Mike is known for coining the term “Thunder Lizards,” which is a metaphor derived from Godzilla that describes the tiny number of truly exceptional companies that are wildly disruptive capitalist mutations. Mike likes to think of himself as a hunter of the “atomic eggs” that beget these companies. Mike is the host of the Starting Greatness podcast, which shares startup lessons from the super performers.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.Keen On is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

Mike Maples is a Founding Partner at Floodgate, and the author of a brand new book called, “Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change The Future.” In this conversation, we talk about startup capitalism vs corporate capitalism, how startups win, evaluating founders, stress testing ideas, pattern breaking actions, embracing chaos, finding opportunities, startup investments, and his new book. ======================= Buy and sell cryptocurrency in a tax-advantaged crypto IRA with iTrustCapital. Enjoy 24/7 access, lowest fees in the industry, and tax benefits for your retirement.Open and fund an account today at ⁠https://www.itrustcapital.com/pomp⁠ to receive a $100 USD funding bonus. ======================= Introducing Espresso - the world's most interactive portable display. They have a portable screen that is incredibly light, comes with a nice stand, and the user interface is very easy. Anyone who listens to this podcast can go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠us.espres.so/pomp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. They have a brand new offer waiting for you.  ======================= Meanwhile is the world's first licensed and regulated life insurance company built for the Bitcoin economy. Protect your loved ones with sound money built to manage life's uncertainty and a broken financial system. Their BTC-denominated Whole Life Insurance policies allow HODLers to pass more BTC on to their loved ones and a tax-advantaged way to access BTC for liquidity during their lifetime. Visit their website at ⁠https://meanwhile.bm/⁠ to join the waitlist for a policy and to learn more. ======================= Pomp writes a daily letter to over 265,000+ investors about business, technology, and finance. He breaks down complex topics into easy-to-understand language while sharing opinions on various aspects of each industry. You can subscribe at https://pomp.substack.com/ ======================= View 10k+ open startup jobs: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://dreamstartupjob.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Enroll in my Crypto Academy: https://www.thecryptoacademy.io/

Mike Maples, Jr. is a legendary early-stage startup investor and a co-founder and partner at Floodgate. He's made early bets on transformative companies like Twitter, Lyft, Twitch, Okta, Rappi, and Applied Intuition and is one of the pioneers of seed-stage investing as a category. He's been on the Forbes Midas List eight times and enjoys sharing the lessons he's learned from his years studying iconic companies. In his new book, Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future, co-authored with Peter Ziebelman, he discusses what he's found separates startups and founders that break through and change the world from those that don't. After spending years reviewing the notes and decks from the thousands of startups he's known over the past two decades, he's uncovered three ways that breakthrough founders think and act differently. In our conversation, Mike talks about:• The three elements of breakthrough startup ideas• Why you need to both think and act differently• How to avoid the “comparison trap” and “conformity trap”• The importance of movements, storytelling, and healthy disagreeableness in startup success• How to apply pattern-breaking principles within large companies• Mike's one piece of advice for founders• Much morePre-order Mike's book here and get a second signed copy for free. Limited copies are available, so order ASAP: patternbreakers.com/lenny.—Brought to you by:• Enterpret—Transform customer feedback into product growth• Anvil—The fastest way to build software for documents• Webflow—The web experience platform—Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-find-a-great-startup-idea-mike-maples-jr—Where to find Mike Maples, Jr.:• X: https://x.com/m2jr• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maples/• Substack: https://greatness.substack.com/• Website: https://www.floodgate.com/—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Mike's background(03:10) The inspiration behind Pattern Breakers(08:09) Uncovering startup insights(11:37) A quick summary of Pattern Breakers(13:52) Coming up with an idea(15:30) Inflections(17:09) Examples of inflections(28:10) Insights(36:58) The power of surprises(47:36) Founder-future fit(55:33) Advice for aspiring founders(56:41) Living in the future: valid opinions(55:34) Case study: Maddie Hall and Living Carbon(58:40) Identifying lighthouse customers(01:00:53) The importance of desperation in customer needs(01:03:57) Creating movements and storytelling(01:24:22) The role of disagreeableness in startups(01:34:42) Applying these principles within a company(01:40:43) Lightning round—Referenced:• Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future: https://www.amazon.com/Pattern-Breakers-Start-Ups-Change-Future/dp/1541704355• Justin.tv: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin.tv• Airbnb's CEO says a $40 cereal box changed the course of the multibillion-dollar company: https://fortune.com/2023/04/19/airbnb-ceo-cereal-box-investors-changed-everything-billion-dollar-company/• Brian Chesky's new playbook: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-cheskys-contrarian-approach• The Unconventional Exit: How Justin Kan Sold His First Startup on eBay: https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/the-unconventional-exit-how-justin-kan-sold-his-first-startup-on-ebay-4d705afe1354• Kyle Vogt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylevogt/• The State of Telehealth Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9035352/• The Craigslist Killers: https://www.gq.com/story/craigslist-killers• The social radar: Y Combinator's secret weapon | Jessica Livingston (co-founder of Y Combinator, author, podcast host): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-social-radar-jessica-livingston• Michael Seibel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwseibel/• The Airbnb Story: How Three Ordinary Guys Disrupted an Industry, Made Billions ... and Created Plenty of Controversy: https://www.amazon.com/Airbnb-Story-Ordinary-Disrupted-Controversy/dp/0544952669• Scott Cook: https://www.forbes.com/profile/scott-cook/• Chegg: https://www.chegg.com/• Aayush Phumbhra on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aayush/• Osman Rashid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/osmanrashid/• Okta: https://www.okta.com/• The Man Who Makes the Future: Wired Icon Marc Andreessen: https://www.wired.com/2012/04/ff-andreessen/• Peter Ludwig on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterwludwig/• Qasar Younis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/qasar/• Paul Allen's website: https://paulallen.com/• Louis Pasteur quote: https://www.forbes.com/quotes/6145/• What was Atrium and why did it fail? https://www.failory.com/cemetery/atrium• Patrick Collison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickcollison/• Drew Houston on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewhouston/• William Gibson's quote: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/681-the-future-is-already-here-it-s-just-not-evenly• Maddie Hall on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maddie-hall-76293135/• Living Carbon: https://www.livingcarbon.com• Zenefits (now Trinet): https://connect.trinet.com/• Sam Altman on X: https://x.com/sama• Steve Wozniak on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wozniaksteve/• Horsley Bridge Partners: https://www.horsleybridge.com/• David Swensen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_F._Swensen• Judith Elsea on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judithelsea/• 7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy: https://www.amazon.com/7-Powers-Foundations-Business-Strategy/dp/0998116319• Business strategy with Hamilton Helmer (author of 7 Powers): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/business-strategy-with-hamilton-helmer• Lyft's Focus on Community and the Story Behind the Pink Mustache: https://techcrunch.com/2012/09/17/lyfts-focus-on-community-and-the-story-behind-the-pink-mustache/• Logan Green on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/logangreen/• John Zimmer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnzimmer11/• Storytelling with Nancy Duarte: How to craft compelling presentations and tell a story that sticks: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/storytelling-with-nancy-duarte-how• Steve Jobs Introducing the iPhone at MacWorld 2007: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7qPAY9JqE4• Jonathan Livingston Seagull: https://www.amazon.com/Jonathan-Livingston-Seagull-Richard-Bach/dp/0743278909• The paths to power: How to grow your influence and advance your career | Jeffrey Pfeffer (author of 7 Rules of Power, professor at Stanford GSB): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-paths-to-power-jeffrey-pfeffer• Robin Roberts on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-roberts-393a934b/• Skunkworks: https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/who-we-are/business-areas/aeronautics/skunkworks.html• Vision, conviction, and hype: How to build 0 to 1 inside a company | Mihika Kapoor (Product at Figma): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/vision-conviction-hype-mihika-kapoor• Hard-won lessons building 0 to 1 inside Atlassian | Tanguy Crusson (Head of Jira Product Discovery): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/building-0-to-1-inside-atlassian-tanguy-crusson• Figma: https://www.figma.com/• Atlassian: https://www.atlassian.com/• Vinod Khosla: https://www.khoslaventures.com/team/vinod-khosla/• Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing: https://www.amazon.com/Top-Five-Regrets-Dying-Transformed-ebook/dp/B07KNRLY1L• Chase, Chance, and Creativity: The Lucky Art of Novelty: https://www.amazon.com/Chase-Chance-Creativity-Lucky-Novelty/dp/0262511355• Clay Christensen's books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Clayton-M.-Christensen/author/B000APPD3Y• Resonate: Present Visual Stories That Transform: https://www.amazon.com/Resonate-Present-Stories-Transform-Audiences/dp/0470632011• Ferrari on Prime: https://www.amazon.com/Ferrari-Adam-Driver/dp/B0CNDBN672• Montblanc fountain pens: https://www.montblanc.com/en-us—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

Michael Seibel didn't set out to become a legendary startup founder. As a young man, his sights were set on politics, dreaming of a future on the Supreme Court. But his friendship with fellow Yale classmate Justin Kan led to a fortuitous cross-country trip to California that changed everything. In this episode, Mike Maples, Jr. of Floodgate talks with Seibel about the creation of Justin.tv and Twitch, and the wisdom he shares with aspiring founders as a partner and managing director at Y Combinator. Check out the new Pattern Breakers Blog at patternbreakers.substack.com for even more Pattern Breaking content from Mike.

In the early days of a startup, finding product-market fit is paramount. Once you have it, failure is almost impossible. Without it, you can do everything else right, and still fail. In this Breakthrough Lesson, Mike Maples, Jr of Floodgate discusses three heuristics for maximizing the odds of success: Find the right North Star, offer a Delta 4 experience, and don't fool yourself. Check out the new Pattern Breakers Blog at patternbreakers.substack.com for even more Pattern Breaking content from Mike.

Mike Maples, Jr. of Floodgate is back with a new season of his podcast, once called Starting Greatness, now renamed Pattern Breakers. The focus remains, but with increased ambitions. In this season intro, Mike explains his reasons for expanding the podcast's scope, what listeners can anticipate going forward, and details about a forthcoming book set to release this summer. Subscribe now so you don't miss an episode, and check out the new Pattern Breakers letter on Substack at www.patternbreakers.substack.com to read essays and receive updates about what we can learn from the rare startups that achieved outlier success. It's go time for Pattern Breakers! Check out the new Pattern Breakers Blog at patternbreakers.substack.com for even more Pattern Breaking content from Mike.

This episode features an interview with Mike Maples, Jr, the co-founder of Floodgate, that took place in 2020. Mike's interview on Turpentine VC from September 2023 is one of our most popular episode to date, and this earlier interview offers relevant context to his success and discipline. The conversation covers how Mike got his first fund from Austin Ventures, his view on "Thunder Lizard," missed opportunities like Airbnb, and what VC could look like in the future. --- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: History 102 with WhatifAltHist   Every week, creator of WhatifAltHist Rudyard Lynch and Erik Torenberg cover a major topic in history in depth -- in under an hour. This season will cover classical Greece, early America, the Vikings, medieval Islam, ancient China, the fall of the Roman Empire, and more. Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36Kqo3BMMUBGTDo1IEYihm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-102-with-whatifalthists-rudyard-lynch-and/id1730633913 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@History102-qg5oj --- SPONSOR: BRAVE Get first-party targeting with Brave's private ad platform: cookieless and future proof ad formats for all your business needs. Performance meets privacy. Head to brave.com/ads and mention “MoZ” when signing up for a 25% discount on your first campaign. --- Join our free newsletter: https://turpentinevc.substack.com/ --- RELATED SHOWS: 10X Capital Podcast If you like Turpentine VC, check out our show The 10x Capital Podcast with David Weisburd, where David talks to the investors behind the investors: https://10xcapitalpodcast.com/ --- X / TWITTER: @m2jr (Mike) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @turpentinemedia @turpentineVC --- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (00:33) Building Successful Venture Firms (04:13) Journey from Insight to Growth (07:30) Insight Hacking in Entrepreneurship (08:57) Startup Success (10:48) Market Timing in Startups (14:11) Sponsor: Brave (18:04) Picking Co-Founders (33:54) Understanding the Venture Landscape (38:53) Power of Indexing: A Case Study of AngelList (41:32) Role of Brand in Venture Capital (42:45) Future of Venture Capital (46:52) Relationship Between VCs and LPs (53:48) Investing in Non-Tech Businesses (57:21) Potential Impact of Crypto on Venture Capital (01:05:38) Importance of Ownership in Venture Capital (01:09:16) Blitzscaling in Startup Growth (01:15:43) Wrap This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We're launching new shows every week, and we're looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co.

Eric Paley is the Managing Partner at Founder Collective, one of the world's most successful seed funds with investments in the likes of Uber, The Trade Desk, Coupang and Airtable. Mike Maples is one of the OGs of seed investing. As the Co-Founder of Floodgate, he has backed the likes of Twitch, Okta, Lyft, Twitter and more. Jason Lemkin is the Founder @ SaaStr one of the best-performing early-stage venture funds with a portfolio including Algolia, Pipedrive, Salesloft, TalkDesk, and RevenueCat to name a few. In Today's Episode on Is the Venture Model Broken? : Is the classic seed model dead? Can seed funds play in a world of $25M valuations? Why is having a firm grasp of the present the best thing an early-stage investor can have? Why does Mike Maples believe no company with true product-market-fit has ever failed? Why does Eric Paley believe "go faster" is the worst startup advice? Why does Mike Maples believe there is a direct relationship between price and risk? Why does Mike Maples believe that outliers by their very nature are lower priced? Why does Eric Paley not focus on ownership? Why can it be dangerous? What are the biggest risks for founders raising at valuations that are too high? Why does Eric Paley believe we will have the biggest chasm between TVPI and DPI in the prior vintage of venture capital returns? Why does Eric believe the majority of SPACs were BS and great companies can always go public? Why does Jason believe that if multiples do not reflate, the venture model is broken? Why does Jason believe we will see the biggest hiring spree in tech next year? How has illiquidity allowed Eric Paley to make some of the best investment decisions? What is Mike Maples biggest lesson from selling Twitter stock early at $1BN?

This week, Erik is joined by Mike Maples, Jr, co-founder of Floodgate, a storied seed firm that's invested in Lyft, Okta, Twitch, and Twitter, to name a few unicorn portcos. If you're looking to improve your sourcing, tracking, and due diligence, check out: https://synaptic.com/turpentine We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com. --- SPONSORS: Synaptic unifies over one hundred real-time company performance metrics across alternative datasets like user traffic, employee data, app downloads, product reviews, and more. It's your all-in-one source for alternative data that helps you make better investment decisions. To learn how Synaptic can improve your sourcing, tracking, and due diligence, visit https://synaptic.com/turpentine --- RECOMMENDED PODCAST:  Every week investor and writer of the popular newsletter The Diff, Byrne Hobart, and co-host Erik Torenberg discuss today's major inflection points in technology, business, and markets – and help listeners build a diversified portfolio of trends and ideas for the future. Subscribe to “The Riff” with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg: https://link.chtbl.com/theriff RECOMMENDED PODCAST: LIVE PLAYERS Join host Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg as they analyze the mindsets of today's most intriguing business leaders, investors, and innovators through the lens of their bold actions and contrarian worldviews. You'll come away with a deeper understanding of the development of technology, business, political power, culture and more. LIsten and subscribe everywhere you get your podcasts: https://link.chtbl.com/liveplayers. --- Join our free newsletter to get Erik's top 3 insights from each episode every week: https://turpentinevc.substack.com/ --- RELATED SHOWS: If you like Turpentine VC, check out our show The Limited Partner with David Weisburd, where David talks to the investors behind the investors: https://link.chtbl.com/thelimitedpartner --- X / TWITTER: @m2jr (Mike) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @floodgatefund @TurpentineVC --- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode Preview (01:00) The biggest inflection points in Floodgate's history (03:03) Force a choice, not a comparison (07:16) Why didn't Floodgate scale like a16z did? (11:28) Sponsor: Synaptic (12:31) How to bet on people before they have a company (15:38) On how to pull out signal from founder references (17:38) What questions would Mike be asking fund managers as an LP? (20:46) On how venture has evolved (24:12) On YC and their non-consensus economics (25:58) Will Floodgate pursue incubation? (28:05) Frameworks for identifying good ideas (32:35) How Mike thinks about AI (37:59) If Mike started Floodgate today, what would be his differentiating approach? (40:07) What kind of firms will flourish in the next 10 years? (42:10) On firm differentiation (47:57) Mike's take on Sam Lessin's thesis on seed investing

Helene Servillon is a first generation Filipino-American from San Francisco that is a multi-faceted entrepreneur, operator and venture capitalist across emerging industries. She is a Founding Partner of JourneyOne Ventures, a 100% woman and minority-owned cannabis and psychedelics fund who was named a top global exec to watch in the cannabis industry by Benzinga. Outside of JourneyOne, Helene is a Senior Advisor at Bowen, a growth tech investment bank with a 20 year track record in M&A. She also spends her time advising women-led companies and entrepreneur organizations.    We discuss empowering women through an AAPI lens and the importance of creating our own space. Helene shares her Filipino heritage and the challenges of being a first-generation Filipino in San Francisco and navigating a space that is mostly white and male dominated. Join us for this insightful conversation as we dive into her incredible career and experiences.    Five golden nuggets on how to get started as an investor: Listen to Podcasts: There's a wealth of free information available through podcasts. Engage with podcasts like "20 Minute VC" by Harry Stebbing and "Starting Greatness" by Mike Maples, Jr., which interview various investors and provide insights into their investment journeys. Identify Strengths and Weaknesses: Know your strengths and weaknesses as an investor. If you have expertise in a specific sector, follow newsletters, LinkedIn profiles, and Twitter accounts of venture funds and partners who invest in that sector to stay updated on their investments and insights. Scout Programs: Some venture funds offer Scout programs, where individuals with specialized networks or industry expertise can become scouts. You can introduce potential founders to the fund, and if an investment is made, you could receive compensation and potential future profit from the company. Networking: Networking is a crucial aspect of being a successful venture capitalist investor. Attend industry events like startup tech weeks or tech events in your city to build connections and make yourself known within the startup and investing community. Pay It Forward: Always be willing to help others in the industry. If someone is kind and helpful to you, offer assistance in return. Building a reputation for being helpful and collaborative can benefit your network and reputation as an investor. Connect with Herlene: LinkedIn: Helene Servillon Twitter: @HServillon Instagram: @yahuh431   Connect with JourneyOne Social: Website: JourneyOne Ventures Newsletter: JourneyOne Ventures The Roll Up LinkedIn: JourneyOne Ventures Twitter: @JourneyOneVC Instagram: @journeyone.vc Connect with me: Email: mayly@donutprincessla.com Business Website: www.donutprincessla.com YouTube: Mayly Tao / DONUT PRINCESS LA Instagram: @donutprincessla / @maylytao Facebook: Donut Princess Los Angeles Twitter: Donut Princess LA  Tiktok: teochewdaily LinkedIn: Mayly Tao Apple Podcast: Short N' Sweet: A Donut Princess Podcast  *Help me self-publish my mom's book about her journey to America: https://gofund.me/e2569649 *Watch the Donut King Film here: thedonutkingfilm.com (also available on Apple TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Now)  

“My whole business isn't about how often I lose but it's about the magnitude of the rightness when I win”  Mike Maples is a co-founding Partner at Floodgate.  He has been on the Forbes Midas List eight times in the last decade and was also named a “Rising Star” by FORTUNE and profiled by Harvard Business School for his lifetime contributions to entrepreneurship.  Before becoming a full-time investor, Mike was involved as a founder and operating executive at back-to-back startup IPOs, including Tivoli Systems (IPO TIVS, acquired by IBM) and Motive (IPO MOTV, acquired by Alcatel-Lucent.) Some of Mike's investments include Twitter, Twitch.tv, Clover Health, Okta, Outreach, ngmoco, Chegg, Bazaarvoice, and Demandforce. Mike is the host of the Starting Greatness podcast, which shares startup lessons from the super performers. On this episode Mike shares the mindset that has had the greatest impact on his life, what is true about the greatest startup founders and the key to unlocking greatness in investments.  Interested in having Sean DeLaney be your executive coach? CLICK HERE  Caldera Lab– Get 20% off high performance men's skincare!  – Click HERE Marketer Hire– Get $500 off your first hire! – Click HERE https://youunleashedcourse.com/ You Unleashed is an online personal development course created by Sean DeLaney after spending years working with and interviewing high achievers.The online course that helps you ‘Unleash your potential'! You Unleashed teaches you the MINDSETS, ROUTINES and BEHAVIORS you need to unleash your potential and discover what you're capable of. You know you're capable of more and want to bring out that untapped potential inside of you. We teach you how. Enroll Today!- Click Here Subscribe to my Momentum Monday Newsletter Connect with us! Whatgotyouthere TikTok YouTube Twitter Instagram   

Leeor Mushin is a Principal at Floodgate, an early-stage venture capital firm in Silicon Valley. Floodgate has been an early investor in such iconic companies as Lyft, Twitter, Okta, Twitch, Task Rabbit, and many others. Leeor attended the University of Texas at Austin, and more recently graduated with an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business (the GSB). He previously worked in the energy sector, and also co-founded a digital marketing company. While at Stanford, he co-founded the GSB 2020 Fund, a venture capital fund that invests in startups founded by his classmates, which was the first such fund at the GSB, and which has been repeated by each subsequent class. Since graduating, Leeor been working as a principal at Floodgate Fund, alongside the founding partners, Mike Maples and Ann Miura-Ko. 

Founders are naturally drawn to the tantalizing potential of their product reaching a vast market, but the route to victory starts with nailing a niche before going for the broader opportunity. In this lesson of greatness, Mike Maples, Jr of FLOODGATE calls on the lessons of Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek to examine how this is done: Identify a stronghold where you can dominate, deliver a Delta 4 experience, and do everything possible to create unfair advantages in your favor.

When he was a little boy growing up in Sweden, Daniel Ek was obsessed with two things: the binary realm of computers and the artistry of music. As a young adult, he combined his love for both by co-founding Spotify, which became the global standard-bearer for streaming, Spotify now has more than 500 million users per month. In this episode, Mike Maples, Jr of FLOODGATE interviews Daniel Ek to break down the importance of recognizing technology infections, securing the perfect niche to secure early product-market fit, and how creating something radically different changed the music industry while redefining consumer listening habits.

Startup founders dealt with uncertainty, stress and trauma in the wake of the run on Silicon Valley Bank, but the most important lessons from this crisis never showed up in social media. In this lesson of greatness, Mike Maples, Jr of FLOODGATE calls on the actions of a variety of founders who showed incredible courage and competence to showcase three crucial lessons for founders for how to deal with another potential crisis: Scenario planning, financial agility, and crisis communication.

The recent run on Silicon Valley Bank led to a variety of accusations, recriminations and finger-pointing on social media, but how can FOUNDERS actually learn from the crisis? And what lessons can we learn from the founders who crushed it under tough circumstances? In this episode, Mike Maples, Jr welcomes FLOODGATE co-founder Ann Miura-Ko on the show to discuss these topics. Mike and Ann also speak with SmarterDx CEO Michael Gao about how he handled a wild weekend for his company, and legendary marketing guru Christopher Lochhead stops by to discuss the best strategies for crisis communications.

Mike Maples is one of the OGs of seed investing. As the Co-Founder of Floodgate, he has backed the likes of Twitch, Okta, Lyft, Twitter and more. Mike has been on the Forbes Midas List eight times in the last decade and was also named a “Rising Star” by FORTUNE and profiled by Harvard Business School for his lifetime contributions to entrepreneurship.  In Today's Episode with Mike Maples We Discuss 1.) Lesson from SVB #1: The Importance of Scenario Planning: What is the right way to do scenario planning in startups? What is the difference between good vs bad scenario planning? What do the best scenario plans include and involve? What is the right way to communicate these scenario plans to your stakeholders? 2.) Lesson from SVB #2: The Importance of Financial Agility: What does it mean for a startup to be "financially agile"? From a banking relationships perspective, what can startups do to be financially agile? How many accounts should a startup have? How much runway should be in each? Should startups bank with startup banks as well as traditional banks? Should startups have their money in sweep accounts and money market accounts? 3.) Lesson from SVB #3: How to Master Crisis Communications: Why is it so important for founder to over-communicate in tough times? How transparent should they be in these communications? What does Mike mean when he says "be radically human"? If Mike were to face a crisis, what would he do differently in the way he communicates to his LPs? 4.) Lessons from SVB: The Wider World: Why does Mike believe the level of quantitative easing that occurred in COVID was scandalous? Does Mike believe the USD will continue to be the reserve currency of the world? Will we be in a better or worse macro situation by the end of the year? Has Mike ever had a company that achieved true PMF and failed?