The Narrative Monopoly

#19 - Mike Maples, Jr., Relentless Optimist

Episode Summary

A conversation with Mike Maples, Jr., a venture capitalist and relentless optimist

Episode Notes

Bio

Mike is a co-founding Partner at Floodgate, a venture firm in the bay area. Some of Mike’s investments include Twitter, Twitch.tv, Lyft, Clover Health, Okta, and Chegg. Before founding Floodgate Mike was founder and operating executive at back-to-back startup IPOs, including Tivoli Systems and Motive. Mike is the host of the Starting Greatness podcast, which shares startup lessons from the super performers.

Times

• 1:10 - Intro to Mike
• 2:10 - Centralization vs decentralization
• 13:40 - Metcalfe’s law & deploying capital based on it
• 17:10 - How does network capitalism and decentralization connect?
• 21:40 - Federalism & Austin
• 23:25 - Nihilism vs A Time to Build
• 28:40 - How do you get people to believe in progress?
• 36:00 - Impact of culture
• 39:40 - Technology & institutions
• 43:00 - Nation states vs micro-sovereignties (like bitcoin)
• 46:40 - Mike’s framework for companies of Beer Slammer vs Wine Sipper applied to ideas
• 58:10 - Choices, agency, & optimism
• 1:00:10 -  Mayor Francis Suarez
• 1:03:00 - Mike’s closing wisdom

Links

Mike's podcast

Mike's twitter

narrativemonopoly.com