Capital Allocators – Inside the Institutional Investment Industry Mike Maples Jr. - Identifying Startup Pattern Breakers (EP.406)
60 snips
Sep 16, 2024 
Mike Maples Jr., partner at Floodgate and a celebrated venture capitalist, has backed early-stage giants like Twitter and Lyft. In this engaging discussion, he reveals his journey into venture capital and the insights that inspired his book, "Pattern Breakers." The conversation dives into his transformative concept of 'inflections' that disrupt markets, the importance of founder-future fit, and how curiosity can unlock innovation. With anecdotes from his experiences, Mike highlights strategies for identifying successful startups and the journey from rejection to adoption in the tech landscape.
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Early Entrepreneurial Spirit
- Mike Maples Jr. developed entrepreneurial skills early, charging for calligraphy services in fifth grade.
- He later sold software and worked at Silicon Graphics before attending business school and co-founding startups in Austin.
Saving the Quarter
- With one hour left in the quarter and $1 million short, Motive's CEO secured a $1.5 million purchase order.
- He offered a bottle of Macallan scotch to a customer's CTO for a quick callback.
Identifying a Gap
- Mike Maples Jr. saw an unmet need for institutional seed funding for lean startups.
- He observed founders seeking smaller amounts than traditional VCs offered.
