E29: Mike Maples on Building Successful Startups and Venture Funds

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.

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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/

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X / TWITTER:

@m2jr (Mike)

@eriktorenberg (Erik)

@turpentinemedia

@turpentineVC

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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.