Alex Pall is half of the Grammy Award-winning duo The Chainsmokers. Beyond music, Alex is entrepreneur and co-founder of Mantis VC, a venture firm that invests opportunistically in early stage tech-enabled startups. Some of their investments include Alchemy, Chainguard, Kalshi, Roblox, and Rogo. We had a wide ranging conversation that broke down the creative stories behind a few of their top hits including “Closer,” “Something Just Like This,” and “Don’t Let Me Down.” We also explored the creative process at the highest level and how Alex’s experience in music influences the way he approaches venture investing.
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Timestamps:
(0:00) Intro
(1:04) Stories behind the songs
(4:58) Coldplay collaboration
(9:57) Creating Closer
(13:25) Dependencies vs creative fuel
(18:09) Letting songs be promiscuous
(19:45) How “Don’t Let Me Down” happened
(22:57) Art vs playing the favorites
(26:18) Balancing music and business
(29:49) Albums telling stories
(35:42) Tension behind growth as an artist
(39:28) Inspiration drives creativity
(41:20) AIs impact on music
(44:34) Outlier talent
(47:22) Building a venture firm
(54:46) Experiencing elite circles
(1:01:17) Importance of momentum
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More on Alex:
https://www.mantisvc.com/
https://x.com/AlexPallNY
More on Jack:
https://www.altcap.com/
https://x.com/jaltma
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