It’s not every day you get to hear space industry perspectives from a former Hollywood talent agent turned investor. Today we're joined by Mike Palank, General Partner at MaC Venture Capital, who shares his career path and insights into the world of VC. Mike, with a background in the entertainment industry, including working at WME as a talent agent, with Will Smith and co-founding MaC Venture Capital, brings a unique perspective on identifying talent and investing in innovative startups.
MaC Venture Capital, founded in 2019, focuses on early-stage investments, emphasizing diversity and unique backgrounds among its partners and portfolio. Our conversation delves into Mike's strategic vision and track record. We also explore:
- The transition from talent agent to venture capitalist and the skills that overlap
- Key investment areas within aerospace, defense, and diverse tech sectors
- The importance of diversity in the venture capital industry and how it impacts investment decisions
- What’s next in space investing
And much more...
• Chapters •
00:00 - Intro
01:56 - Mike's background
07:23 - From talent agency to VC
11:07 - Spotting talent
13:33 - MaC's structure, investment thesis, and thoughts about space
26:00 - How to get up to speed on new industries and the state of startups in the current market as an investor
33:07 - Notable investments
44:02 - Common founder mistakes
51:24 - Mike's view on diversity in the space industry
57:22 - Hyped and overhyped sectors in the market
• Show notes •
MaC Venture Capital website — https://macventurecapital.com/
Mike’s socials — https://twitter.com/mpalank101
Mo's socials — https://twitter.com/itsmoislam
Payload’s socials — https://twitter.com/payloadspace / https://www.linkedin.com/company/payloadspace
Pathfinder archive — Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@payloadspace
Pathfinder archive — Listen: https://pod.payloadspace.com/episodes
• About us •
Pathfinder is brought to you by Payload, a modern space media brand built from the ground up for a new age of space exploration and commercialization. We deliver need-to-know news and insights daily to 19,000+ commercial, civil, and military space leaders. Payload is read by decision-makers at every leading new space company, along with c-suite leaders at all of the aerospace & defense primes. We’re also read on Capitol Hill, in the Pentagon, and at space agencies around the world.
Payload began as a weekly email sent to a few friends and coworkers. Today, we’re a team distributed across four time zones and two continents, publishing five media properties across multiple platforms:
1) Payload, our flagship daily newsletter, sends M-F @ 9am Eastern
2) Pathfinder publishes weekly on Tuesday mornings (pod.payloadspace.com)
3) Polaris, our weekly policy briefing, publishes weekly on Tuesdays
4) Payload Research, our weekly research and analysis piece, comes out on Wednesdays
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