Mike Maples Jr.

Partner at FLOODGATE, a seed-stage venture firm he co-founded. Author of Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future. Known for the inflection theory of startup success: breakthrough companies ride a wave of change in technology, regulation, or behaviour — they do not create it from scratch. Early backer of Twitter, Lyft, Twitch, and Okta. Former entrepreneur before moving to venture. Developed the concept of “founder-future fit” as a complement to product-market fit — the idea that certain founders are uniquely positioned to exploit a specific moment in time.

Episodes

• Mike Maples Jr. on Pattern Breakers, Inflections, and Founder-Future Fit — Lenny’s Podcast