Mike Maples in Boston
Mike Maples spent two days in Boston this week sharing stories from his career in startups, operating companies, venture capital, and discussing his book Pattern Breakers, co-authored with Peter Ziebelman.
The events were vital for Boston's entrepreneurial and academic community, providing new insights and diverse perspectives to enrich local innovation dialogue.
Mike Maples Jr., co-founding partner at Floodgate, has appeared on the Forbes Midas List eight times and was named a "Rising Star" by Fortune. He previously played key roles at Tivoli Systems and Motive, both of which went public, and his investments include Twitter, Twitch.tv, Okta, and more.
On Wednesday evening, October 23, 2024, he spoke at a Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council (MTLC) event at Aethos, moderated by Sam Rowe. On Thursday evening, October 24, 2024, he addressed nearly 200 students in-person at Harvard Business School (see photo above) and more than 50 students online in session moderated by Debi Kleiman.
Ed Pease from Mintz Levin hosted a luncheon on Thursday for VCs where Mike discussed the differences between Silicon Valley's and Boston's venture capital funding approaches, startup ecosystems, and current investment trends.
Some of Mike’s observations include:
“One of my favorite questions to ask startups during a pitch is: ‘How does your company address a future need?’”
“Eighty percent of Floodgate's exit profits came from companies that pivoted."
“The only way to make a radical difference is to be radically different.”
“People buy things from startups as ‘co-conspirators’ who want to be part of a movement.”
“A startup narrative helps position customers and investors within the context of the company's journey and growth.”
“Many carefully planned startups fail, while those that eventually achieve breakout success often appear radical and chaotic in their early stages.”
“The job of startups is to do disagreeable things. Being disagreeable in the service of the cause is part of fulfilling the mission."
This is just a glimpse of the insights and key lessons from Mike. For more, dive into his book Pattern Breakers.