# Mike Maples Jr.

> Mike Maples Jr. is a legendary Silicon Valley seed investor and co-founder of Floodgate, the firm behind some of the most category-defining startups of the internet era - including Twitter, Twitch, Lyft, and Okta. An 8-time Forbes Midas List honoree, Maples pioneered seed-stage venture capital before it was a recognized asset class, developing frameworks like 'Thunder Lizards' and 'Inflection Theory' that have shaped how the VC world thinks about breakthrough startups. His 2024 book 'Pattern Breakers' became a USA Today national bestseller.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and Partner at Floodgate
- **Organizations:** Floodgate, Y Combinator (Visiting Partner, Spring 2026), Stanford Technology Ventures Program, One Mind Accelerator
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. Industrial Engineering, Stanford University, MBA, Harvard Business School
- **Known for:** 8-time Forbes Midas List honoree, Pioneered seed-stage venture capital as an asset class, alongside Josh Kopelman, First investor in Twitter (via Odeo pivot) with a $25K check

## Career timeline

- **~1990** — Joined Silicon Graphics in business development and product management
- **1994** — Joined Tivoli Systems as Director of Product Marketing; helped lead 1995 IPO and 1996 IBM acquisition
- **1997** — Co-founded Motive Communications as CMO/CSO; led 2004 IPO and eventual Alcatel-Lucent acquisition
- **2004** — Founded Maples Investments (personal angel vehicle); made first investment in Odeo, which pivoted to Twitter
- **2006** — Raised first formal $15M seed fund; renamed firm Floodgate; partnered with Ann Miura-Ko
- **2007** — Met Justin Kan at a party wearing a live-streaming webcam hat; invested in Justin.tv (later Twitch)
- **2010** — Floodgate formally incorporated; coined 'Thunder Lizard' framework for breakthrough startups
- **2013** — Twitter IPO - one of Floodgate's landmark exits
- **2014** — Twitch acquired by Amazon for ~$970M - another landmark Floodgate exit
- **2017** — Okta IPO; Lyft reaches major scale - multiple Floodgate portfolio companies achieve unicorn status
- **2019** — Lyft IPO; launched Starting Greatness podcast
- **2021** — Raised Floodgate Fund VII at $146M - largest fund to date
- **2024** — Published 'Pattern Breakers' with Peter Ziebelman - became USA Today national bestseller
- **2025** — Father Mike Maples Sr. passed away January 9, 2025
- **2026** — Joined Y Combinator as Visiting Partner for Spring 2026 batch

## Achievements

- 8-time Forbes Midas List honoree
- Pioneered seed-stage venture capital as an asset class, alongside Josh Kopelman
- First investor in Twitter (via Odeo pivot) with a $25K check
- Early investor in Twitch, Lyft, Okta, Applied Intuition, Chegg, TaskRabbit
- Raised 7 funds at Floodgate growing from $15M to $146M
- Published 'Pattern Breakers' (2024) - USA Today national bestseller, Axiom Gold Medalist
- Coined the 'Thunder Lizard' metaphor, now widely used in VC
- Developed Inflection Theory framework for identifying breakthrough startup opportunities
- Guest lecturer at Stanford Technology Ventures Program
- Tim Ferriss called him 'one of the most splendid human beings' and 'the man who taught me how to invest'
- Joined Y Combinator as Visiting Partner, Spring 2026

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Serving as Visiting Partner at Y Combinator for the Spring 2026 batch, working alongside Tom Blomfield; paused new Floodgate investments during this period
- **2026-01** — Published 'Reality Doesn't Negotiate' on Medium, continuing his writing on startup philosophy
- **2025-10** — Published 'Languaging: The Software of Belief' on Substack - exploring how language shapes startup belief systems
- **2025-09** — Published 'The Heresy of Breakthrough Startups' on Substack
- **2025-07** — Published 'The Reframe is the Startup' on Substack
- **2025-01** — Mourned the passing of his father, Mike Maples Sr. (1942-2025), publicly on X/Twitter; Mike Sr. was Executive Vice President at Microsoft alongside Gates and Ballmer
- **2024-07** — Published 'Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future' - became a USA Today national bestseller and Axiom Gold Medalist

## Links

- Website: https://floodgate.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maples
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/m2jr
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPEDrQhFmspjeZhHIpXJibg
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/m2jr/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/mike-maples-jr
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-05