4.0
3.7 
2.8 
2.8 
3.4 Mike is a Great Guy
Fund: FLOODGATE
Posted by SleeplessInSeattle on 2009-02-22
I first met Mike more than 10 years ago when he interviewed me for a job for Motive, a company he helped found in the late 90s in Austin, TX. He also struck me as a sharp guy and I was not surprised to see him show many years later as an investor.
I was impressed with the quality of companies he is involved with and after not really talking to him for 10 years I reached out and asked him for feedback on my start-up. We were looking to raise our Series B round (don't think Mike does B rounds), we're not in a geography where he invests (we're in Seattle), but he still agreed to meet with me.
He gave me great feedback on how to position the company and distill down our vision into something more succinct. I notice that founders can often have a hard time doing this; perhaps because we are so into the details on a daily basis. This makes it very hard to quickly communicate the "gist" of the company and the opportunity to prospective investors.
In addition to his many positive attributes, I have to say his strategic/competitive positioning skills are the best, by a wide margin, of anyone I've every come across. PERIOD.
If you are fortunate enough to have him interested in what you are doing, seriously consider it. I'd also take note of his incredible track record after only a short period of time. Very hard to ignore.
Note: He hasn't invested in my company. While I would consider us "friendly" we are certainly not friends.
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