After mentoring over 100 startups at the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) over the last eight years, Mike noticed something: no matter the technology or product, the same set of mistakes and issues kept resurfacing. He asked himself how could he make this process more efficient and give startups a head start in accelerator programs and as they grow?

With his recent book Accelerating Startups – Lessons from Mentors, Mike aims to do just that, bringing together a dozen other mentors for the project, and with a foreword by CDL founder, Professor Ajay Agarwal. 

Mike’s talk captures the key lessons from this inquiry and from his forty-year diverse career. Audiences will learn how to answer the fundamental question: Is the startup life right for me? The presentation will explore how to find and refine a company’s value proposition, pitch with clarity, build a resilient team, and create a go-to-market strategy that delivers real traction.

Mike will address thinking strategically about fundraising—when to bootstrap, apply for grants, or raise seed and venture rounds—and how to approach finances in early stage ventures. Legal essentials are presented as practical safeguards, covering corporate governance, intellectual property, contracts, licensing, and dispute resolution. International opportunities and the role of mentors are highlighted as critical accelerants of growth. 

Main Takeaways:

• Presents a startup roadmap tailored to both early-stage founders and intrapreneurs within larger firms seeking to innovate and grow.

• Highlights a practical framework for funding, marketing, branding, and legal decision-making.

• Provides insights on starting and scaling a business while avoiding common pitfalls.

• Explores how to harness entrepreneurial energy—whether building a startup, investing in one, or fostering intrapreneurship inside established organizations.

To go international—or not—that is the question!

In a globalized economy, international expansion can transform a company’s trajectory—but it can also drain resources and prove an unfortunate distraction if pursued at the wrong time or in the wrong way. Mike’s presentation harnesses his experience advising firms entering markets worldwide to deliver candid insights into how to expand internationally in a strategic and prudent manner.  

Many recommend waiting to expand internationally only once the company’s domestic market is well-established. This may be correct, but Mike presents a different perspective: Leaders should think beyond their domestic market and ask where can the business most rapidly and efficiently sell to customers in a fashion that also supports the company’s longer-term strategy and valuation growth.

This talk explores why and when companies should expand internationally, and when it may be wiser to wait. It highlights the advantages—diversified revenue, expanded markets access, enhanced investor appeal, and new strategic opportunities—while also addressing risks such as cultural misalignment, regulatory complexity, and strained domestic operations. Mike provides practical advice on entry strategies including partnerships, licensing, joint ventures, acquisitions, or establishing local offices. 

For talks outside the U.S. there is a special focus on entering the U.S. market, highlighting why it is both transformative and demanding.

Main Takeaways:

• Don’t delay unnecessarily—expand internationally where the best customer opportunities exist.

• Weigh challenges, costs, and risks that may justify delaying expansion, including potential lost opportunities in your domestic market if resources are limited.

• Leverage international growth to diversify and increase revenue, spread fixed costs, and unlock strategic opportunities.

• Ensure alignment among your team, board, and shareholders—international expansion requires significant time and resources.

• Anticipate regional differences in culture, language, regulations, taxes, political stability, IP protection, and business practices.

• Evaluate market fit based on local purchasing power, product adaptation needs, competitive landscape, financial resources, and ease of payment.

• Safeguard domestic relationships by ensuring international moves don’t undermine ties with home-market customers or governments.

• Choose the right entry strategy—local offices, agents, licensing, joint ventures, or acquisitions—each with distinct pros and cons.

• For non-U.S. firms, understand the unique challenges of entering the U.S.—the world’s largest and most competitive startup ecosystem.

On March 17, 1988, I was at the table with America’s top banking and financial government leaders as they determined how to manage the most significant bank run in the country’s history since the Great Depression. As the Special Assistant to FDIC Chairman William Seidman, I was a 28-year-old eyewitness to arguably the most consequential financial sector meeting in American postwar history.

In this presentation I explain how the S&L Crisis evolved and what it also meant for the banking sector as a whole. The economics, the history, the politics, and the creation of a new government agency—the Resolution Trust Corporation—to manage the crisis. A problem initially estimated as a $15 billion liability in 1987, quickly exploded into a $200 billion crisis.

Along the way I will share some “war” stories: going to the so-called Predator’s Ball with the Chairman to meet Mike Milken to address a major institution problem; joining that incredible meeting in March 1988; traveling to a bank closing in Oklahoma to report back to the Chairman on the process; and visiting the Phoenician Hotel, built by Charles Keating, and now in RTC’s inventory.

The government needed to act more like a private investment bank in many ways during this period, structuring new strategies to manage billions of assets, and hundreds of failed institutions, while facilitating their return to private hands in a transparent and revenue-maximizing fashion. It was a government startup. People in bureaucracies—public or private sector—often care more about turf and job security than about creativity and risk taking, and this was a challenge, but we managed and the people at the agency did a stellar job. 

We also needed to determine if a failure was caused by fraud, or as was often the case, simply bad business judgement. All without internal staff corruption when dealing with billions of dollars, and working under the microscope of Congress and the press.  

Main Takeaways:

• I was fortunate to work for one of the smartest and most capable public servants, William Seidman, and this will be a story from one of the few left who was at the table.

• The management of the S&L crisis was a major success, and there are lessons for other financial issues, including the danger of forbearance.

• Those managing the 2008 Financial Crisis missed many of these lessons.

• Consider these lessons for the cryptocurrency sector, including its potential vulnerability to instability and runs without government regulations.

Adventure, work, and family are not mutually exclusive—they are actually complementary.

Learn how Mike has been able to plan and integrate incredible adventures in over 110 countries in a way that is also supportive of his business and family priorities.  From climbing Mount Kilimanjaro at age 25 and 65, to diving 2,500 meters to the hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor in a Russian MIR submersible, to witnessing space launches he helped organize lift off from the Russian space launch facility in Baikonur, to sailing his boat for a year in the Caribbean, to undertaking over 30 self-supported European cycling adventures -- are not just thrilling stories—they are lessons in risk management, strategic planning, and prioritization. Mike weaves together these adventures with his business experiences to present how exploration and adventure can create unique business and life opportunities. 

The presentation can focus on one or more of these adventures, depending on the group’s direction and depth sought for each subject. Here are Mike’s adventures that can be presented:

• Kilimanjaro. In 1984, Mike climbed Mount Kilimanjaro after law school with a friend and a single porter each—up and down in just over three days, on a shoestring budget. Decades later, he climbed again with his son, this time with a support team of 14 over eight days on the mountain, at nearly 20 times the cost of the first trek. Each climb offered unique challenges and lessons. The most recent trek featured nearly nonstop rain during the “dry” season but also forged a special bond between Mike and his son and reinforced their resilience. A highlight was getting to know the incredible Tanzanian team in a way that many travelers miss. Mike’s son called it the greatest experience of his life.

• MIR Submersible. As General Counsel for Deep Ocean Expeditions, Mike had the choice of visiting the Titanic or the hydrothermal vents. He chose the vents, believing it would be the closest he could get to another planet. In 2003, he joined a three-week expedition aboard the Russian Keldysh and dove in the MIR-2 submersible 2,500 meters down to the black smokers. It was the most thrilling and fascinating day of his life. Aware of the risks, he even updated his will the day before the dive. But he trusted the skilled Russian crew and the certified vessel. Deep Ocean Expeditions supported research and media productions—including collaborations with James Cameron—and adventure trips for paying participants..

• First Space Tourists.  As VP of Business Development and General Counsel at Space Adventures, Mike helped organize the world’s first space tourist flights, beginning with Dennis Tito in April 2001. These missions launched on Russian Soyuz rockets from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The effort faced enormous hurdles—not least NASA leadership’s firm opposition—but their success helped catalyze today’s commercial space industry. By pushing boundaries, Space Adventures helped paved the way for the public–private partnerships that NASA now embraces.

• Sailing Caribbean. After years of work in distressed real estate in the early 1990s, Mike bought a 45-foot sailboat and spent a year sailing from Annapolis to Venezuela and back. Few endeavors demand as much self-reliance as life at sea—you must be navigator, electrician, plumber, mechanic, rigger, cook, cleaner, captain, and leader. Whether taking a long voyage, keeping a boat in local waters, or chartering internationally (as Mike does today), sailing offers one of life’s most rewarding adventures. Over the years, Mike has hosted hundreds of people aboard, many of whom describe the experience as life-changing.

• European Cycle Adventures. Every summer for the past three decades, Mike has ventured along Europe’s cycling paths that follow its great rivers—first with his uncle (who rode until age 87) and, more recently, with his son. These adventures have included a 2,600-kilometer ride from the Danube’s source in Germany to the Black Sea and, most recently, a ride from the Swiss Alps down the Rhône River to the Mediterranean. In his talks, Mike shares not only practical tips—routes, gear, accommodations, and logistics—but also why cycling is one of the best ways to experience Europe away from the crowds. Cycle touring forces you to slow down, reflect, and recalibrate, traveling at just the right pace to immerse yourself in local culture (and enjoy the food!). Mike even takes his laptop to stay connected to work on the road. He has written numerous articles and two books on cycle touring, including Cycling Along Europe’s Rivers: Bicycle Touring Made Easy and Affordable and Cycling Europe: Great Day Rides.

• Backpacking Around the World. Some of Mike’s most formative experiences have come from extended international backpacking trips—visiting more than 110 countries in total. These journeys gave him invaluable global perspective, which continues to enrich his business career. Few things break the ice in a meeting better than having visited someone’s country, appreciating their history, and sharing their cuisine. His first major trip came between college and law school, when he spent three months traveling from Japan to Bali, including three weeks in China in July 1981—when nearly everyone still wore identical green uniforms. He later spent nine months traveling after law school, working at firms in London and Sydney to fund the journey. Highlights included two months riding Indian trains in 1984, when he witnessed firsthand the turmoil following Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination. Mike often tells young professionals that to thrive in a global economy, they must understand India—and that requires time spent on the ground. His travels also took him through South Africa, both during the early post-apartheid period in 1996 and while working on Mark Shuttleworth’s spaceflight.

• Zero Gravity and Jet Flights: Astronauts have long trained on zero-gravity flights, and Mike has joined these unique experiences more than once. His first was in Moscow with Space Adventures aboard a massive Ilyushin-76 flown by unshaven pilots who looked five minutes from their last vodka. Later, as General Counsel of Zero Gravity Corp in the U.S., he flew again, this time aboard a modified Boeing 727. These weren’t just joyrides: the company built businesses around astronaut training, scientific research, media productions, and adventure tourism—all in a highly regulated, capital-intensive environment. Mike is proud to say he never lived up to the nickname for these flights: “The Vomit Comet.” His aviation adventures also included high-G spins in a military centrifuge and near-supersonic flights in a fighter jet.

Main Takeaways:

• Adventure, business, and family are not mutually exclusive—in fact, they can reinforce one another.

• Design adventures that strengthen family and business connections. If your family joins you, you’ve already won—build the rest of the trip around them.

• Recognize the parallels between adventure and business: both demand careful planning, resilience, and clear-eyed risk management.

• Use global experiences to enhance networking. Spending time in different countries and on unique adventures strengthens cross-cultural communication and relationship-building skills.

• Look to exploration for business insights. Many of the best ideas emerge from seeing challenges through analogy and fresh perspectives.

• Maintain fitness. Staying healthy extends both what you can do and how long you can keep doing it.