Forget Ivy League. Build Your Own Startup Empire.From Peter Thiel’s Fellowship revolution to building the 1517 Fund, Michael Gibson has made a career out of betting on outsiders. In this episode, he reveals how Thiel’s philosophy, back people, not pedigrees, shaped his mission to fund dropouts, renegades, and deep-tech builders rewriting the future.We unpack how to spot unconventional talent before the world does, why early bets on unproven founders can outperform safe money, and how the next wave of transformative startups won’t emerge from Ivy League halls, but from the edges of the system.Chapters00:00 From Journalism to Venture Capital: A Unique Journey07:05 The Dynamics of Founders and VCs12:50 The Role of Experience in Venture Capital17:32 Investing in Young Founders: The 1517 Fund22:56 Backing Renegades: A New Approach to Investment24:36 The Democratization of Innovation25:36 Identifying the Renegade Mindset28:10 The Impact of Educational Systems on Creativity32:25 Curiosity as a Key Trait36:20 The Role of Unorthodox Thinking38:40 Challenging the 10,000 Hour Rule42:16 The Importance of Unique Perspectives45:48 Managing Investor ExpectationsGuest BioMichael Gibson is the co-founder and general partner of 1517 Fund, a venture firm dedicated to backing dropouts, renegade students, and deep tech scientists who challenge the traditional path. Before starting 1517, he was Vice President of Grants at the Thiel Foundation, where he helped launch and run the Thiel Fellowship, and worked at Thiel Capital. With an academic background in philosophy from Oxford and early editorial roles at places like MIT Technology Review, Michael brings both intellectual depth and contrarian edge to venture capital. At 1517, he’s leading a reformation of how innovation is funded, betting on people with the courage to break from convention.Michael Gibson LinksLinkedInXBook: "Paper Belt on Fire"Who Should ListenFounders who’ve taken the unconventional path — dropouts, outsiders, or builders challenging industry norms.Aspiring entrepreneurs looking for insight into how Peter Thiel’s philosophy still shapes venture investing today.VCs and angel investors who want to understand how to spot raw, uncredentialed talent before it becomes obvious.Operators and innovators curious about how deep-tech and frontier thinkers are funded at the idea stage.Music Credit“Neptuno” – Phondupe (Album: Onykia)Access All Areas.Listen: Apple || Spotify || YouTubeSubscribe: SubstackCommunity & Events: Founders CircleConnect: LinkedInSocials: TikTok || Instagram || XWeb: startupsdecoded.com
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Forget Ivy League. Build Your Own Startup Empire.From Peter Thiel’s Fellowship revolution to building the 1517 Fund, Michael Gibson has made a career out of betting on outsiders. In this episode, he reveals how Thiel’s philosophy, back people, not pedigrees, shaped his mission to fund dropouts, renegades, and deep-tech builders rewriting the future.We unpack how to spot unconventional talent before the world does, why early bets on unproven founders can outperform safe money, and how the next wave of transformative startups won’t emerge from Ivy League halls, but from the edges of the system.Chapters00:00 From Journalism to Venture Capital: A Unique Journey07:05 The Dynamics of Founders and VCs12:50 The Role of Experience in Venture Capital17:32 Investing in Young Founders: The 1517 Fund22:56 Backing Renegades: A New Approach to Investment24:36 The Democratization of Innovation25:36 Identifying the Renegade Mindset28:10 The Impact of Educational Systems on Creativity32:25 Curiosity as a Key Trait36:20 The Role of Unorthodox Thinking38:40 Challenging the 10,000 Hour Rule42:16 The Importance of Unique Perspectives45:48 Managing Investor ExpectationsGuest BioMichael Gibson is the co-founder and general partner of 1517 Fund, a venture firm dedicated to backing dropouts, renegade students, and deep tech scientists who challenge the traditional path. Before starting 1517, he was Vice President of Grants at the Thiel Foundation, where he helped launch and run the Thiel Fellowship, and worked at Thiel Capital. With an academic background in philosophy from Oxford and early editorial roles at places like MIT Technology Review, Michael brings both intellectual depth and contrarian edge to venture capital. At 1517, he’s leading a reformation of how innovation is funded, betting on people with the courage to break from convention.Michael Gibson LinksLinkedInXBook: "Paper Belt on Fire"Who Should ListenFounders who’ve taken the unconventional path — dropouts, outsiders, or builders challenging industry norms.Aspiring entrepreneurs looking for insight into how Peter Thiel’s philosophy still shapes venture investing today.VCs and angel investors who want to understand how to spot raw, uncredentialed talent before it becomes obvious.Operators and innovators curious about how deep-tech and frontier thinkers are funded at the idea stage.Music Credit“Neptuno” – Phondupe (Album: Onykia)Access All Areas.Listen: Apple || Spotify || YouTubeSubscribe: SubstackCommunity & Events: Founders CircleConnect: LinkedInSocials: TikTok || Instagram || XWeb: startupsdecoded.com
S2E9: From Peter Thiel’s Fellowship to 1517 Fund — The VC Who Funds Rebels (Michael Gibson)
Startups Decoded
50 minutes
1 week ago
S2E9: From Peter Thiel’s Fellowship to 1517 Fund — The VC Who Funds Rebels (Michael Gibson)
Forget Ivy League. Build Your Own Startup Empire.From Peter Thiel’s Fellowship revolution to building the 1517 Fund, Michael Gibson has made a career out of betting on outsiders. In this episode, he reveals how Thiel’s philosophy, back people, not pedigrees, shaped his mission to fund dropouts, renegades, and deep-tech builders rewriting the future.We unpack how to spot unconventional talent before the world does, why early bets on unproven founders can outperform safe money, and how the next wave of transformative startups won’t emerge from Ivy League halls, but from the edges of the system.Chapters00:00 From Journalism to Venture Capital: A Unique Journey07:05 The Dynamics of Founders and VCs12:50 The Role of Experience in Venture Capital17:32 Investing in Young Founders: The 1517 Fund22:56 Backing Renegades: A New Approach to Investment24:36 The Democratization of Innovation25:36 Identifying the Renegade Mindset28:10 The Impact of Educational Systems on Creativity32:25 Curiosity as a Key Trait36:20 The Role of Unorthodox Thinking38:40 Challenging the 10,000 Hour Rule42:16 The Importance of Unique Perspectives45:48 Managing Investor ExpectationsGuest BioMichael Gibson is the co-founder and general partner of 1517 Fund, a venture firm dedicated to backing dropouts, renegade students, and deep tech scientists who challenge the traditional path. Before starting 1517, he was Vice President of Grants at the Thiel Foundation, where he helped launch and run the Thiel Fellowship, and worked at Thiel Capital. With an academic background in philosophy from Oxford and early editorial roles at places like MIT Technology Review, Michael brings both intellectual depth and contrarian edge to venture capital. At 1517, he’s leading a reformation of how innovation is funded, betting on people with the courage to break from convention.Michael Gibson LinksLinkedInXBook: "Paper Belt on Fire"Who Should ListenFounders who’ve taken the unconventional path — dropouts, outsiders, or builders challenging industry norms.Aspiring entrepreneurs looking for insight into how Peter Thiel’s philosophy still shapes venture investing today.VCs and angel investors who want to understand how to spot raw, uncredentialed talent before it becomes obvious.Operators and innovators curious about how deep-tech and frontier thinkers are funded at the idea stage.Music Credit“Neptuno” – Phondupe (Album: Onykia)Access All Areas.Listen: Apple || Spotify || YouTubeSubscribe: SubstackCommunity & Events: Founders CircleConnect: LinkedInSocials: TikTok || Instagram || XWeb: startupsdecoded.com
Startups Decoded
Forget Ivy League. Build Your Own Startup Empire.From Peter Thiel’s Fellowship revolution to building the 1517 Fund, Michael Gibson has made a career out of betting on outsiders. In this episode, he reveals how Thiel’s philosophy, back people, not pedigrees, shaped his mission to fund dropouts, renegades, and deep-tech builders rewriting the future.We unpack how to spot unconventional talent before the world does, why early bets on unproven founders can outperform safe money, and how the next wave of transformative startups won’t emerge from Ivy League halls, but from the edges of the system.Chapters00:00 From Journalism to Venture Capital: A Unique Journey07:05 The Dynamics of Founders and VCs12:50 The Role of Experience in Venture Capital17:32 Investing in Young Founders: The 1517 Fund22:56 Backing Renegades: A New Approach to Investment24:36 The Democratization of Innovation25:36 Identifying the Renegade Mindset28:10 The Impact of Educational Systems on Creativity32:25 Curiosity as a Key Trait36:20 The Role of Unorthodox Thinking38:40 Challenging the 10,000 Hour Rule42:16 The Importance of Unique Perspectives45:48 Managing Investor ExpectationsGuest BioMichael Gibson is the co-founder and general partner of 1517 Fund, a venture firm dedicated to backing dropouts, renegade students, and deep tech scientists who challenge the traditional path. Before starting 1517, he was Vice President of Grants at the Thiel Foundation, where he helped launch and run the Thiel Fellowship, and worked at Thiel Capital. With an academic background in philosophy from Oxford and early editorial roles at places like MIT Technology Review, Michael brings both intellectual depth and contrarian edge to venture capital. At 1517, he’s leading a reformation of how innovation is funded, betting on people with the courage to break from convention.Michael Gibson LinksLinkedInXBook: "Paper Belt on Fire"Who Should ListenFounders who’ve taken the unconventional path — dropouts, outsiders, or builders challenging industry norms.Aspiring entrepreneurs looking for insight into how Peter Thiel’s philosophy still shapes venture investing today.VCs and angel investors who want to understand how to spot raw, uncredentialed talent before it becomes obvious.Operators and innovators curious about how deep-tech and frontier thinkers are funded at the idea stage.Music Credit“Neptuno” – Phondupe (Album: Onykia)Access All Areas.Listen: Apple || Spotify || YouTubeSubscribe: SubstackCommunity & Events: Founders CircleConnect: LinkedInSocials: TikTok || Instagram || XWeb: startupsdecoded.com
