Mike Maples Jr.

Mike Maples Jr. is a venture capitalist and the co-founding partner of Floodgate. He is considered one of the most successful early-stage investors in Silicon Valley, having backed companies like Twitter, Twitch, and Lyft before they were household names. Maples is known for his ability to spot "Thunder Lizards"—startups that grow so big they disrupt the entire ecosystem.\n\nHe is the co-author of Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future. Maples argues that the best founders are not just rule-followers who execute well; they are non-conformists who break the established patterns of their industry. He shares the mental models he uses to evaluate founders and ideas. His work is a study in contrarian thinking, explaining why the most valuable ideas often look crazy at first.