Michael Smith

Michael Smith is a writer, entrepreneur, and investor who has spent three decades spotting signals. An English major, he worked in his college writing lab where his boss was William Shakespeare—literally. Before founding companies, he worked in product marketing for software companies, led usability research for Fortune 500 companies, and pitched products from trade-show stages. He later managed hedge funds, backed startups, and earned a Forbes “Best of the Web” nod for his decision support tool acquired by TD Ameritrade. In his most cinematic moment, he stopped a bank robbery in Washington, DC by hurling his 10-pound laptop into the knees of the escaping armed assailant. Today, he’s less heroic and more curious—decoding what makes winners win and sharing the patterns at ModelingWinners.