Max Michaels
About Max Michaels
Max Michaels is a former global head of IBM Network Services. His Crunchbase bio also lists executive roles at AT&T, Tyco Electronics and Cisco Systems, and describes him as an investor, board advisor, strategist and ethical AI evangelist. Crunchbase lists his education as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
His LinkedIn profile shows he was General Manager of IBM Network Services. It lists IBM publications from 2017 on cloud transformation and software-defined infrastructure, including a talk at IBM Analyst Day in New York. It also lists a 2017 VMware Global Innovation Award for IBM. Earlier, he was at McKinsey & Co and co-authored over 40 articles and white papers on corporate finance and strategy.
His LinkedIn headline says he leads a global AI foundation, the Mindful AI Foundation, while managing a venture capital firm. The profile gives his location as the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Crunchbase lists Cupertino, California.
Crunchbase records two personal investments, both with undisclosed amounts. The first was a seed round in Arundo Analytics in December 2015. The most recent was a pre-seed round in Clasp in September 2019. Crunchbase shows no lead investments and no exits. It tags him as an individual/angel investor at the seed stage and lists one current board or advisor role.
No AI-specific investments are documented in the public sources reviewed. His public AI work is on governance. In recent LinkedIn posts he argues that AI governance should treat the deployed AI system, not the model, as the unit that matters. He says each deployment should meet common expectations on identity, provenance, accountability, human oversight and public redress. He calls himself an ethical AI evangelist.
Crunchbase lists his investor stage as seed, and his two recorded rounds were pre-seed and seed. No sectors, geographies or check size are stated publicly. Founders with an AI governance, safety or accountability angle may find his public writing relevant, but he has not published a formal thesis.
- Arundo Analytics: seed round, December 2015, amount undisclosed (Crunchbase).
- Clasp: pre-seed round, September 2019, amount undisclosed (Crunchbase).
Investing activity
Max Michaels has made 2 investments according to Crunchbase across 2 portfolio companies, and has founded 1 company.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Max Michaels
Does Max Michaels invest in AI startups?
His two recorded investments, Arundo Analytics and Clasp, are not labelled as AI deals in the sources reviewed. He is active in AI governance as a leader of the Mindful AI Foundation and describes himself as an ethical AI evangelist.
What stage does Max Michaels invest in?
Crunchbase lists him as a seed-stage individual/angel investor. His recorded rounds are a December 2015 seed round and a September 2019 pre-seed round.
What is Max Michaels' check size?
His check size is not public. Crunchbase lists both of his investments as undisclosed amounts.
What is Max Michaels' background?
He was global head of IBM Network Services, where LinkedIn lists him as General Manager. He also held executive roles at AT&T, Tyco Electronics and Cisco Systems, and earlier worked at McKinsey. He studied at MIT.
Where is Max Michaels based?
Crunchbase lists Cupertino, California. His LinkedIn profile shows the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
How can founders contact Max Michaels?
His public LinkedIn profile is linkedin.com/in/maxmichaels. No personal website or X account was found.
Is Max Michaels an angel investor?
Yes. Max Michaels invests personally as an angel. Crunchbase counts 2 investments.
How can founders reach Max Michaels?
Founders on Lounge can see Max Michaels's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with them under Warm Paths, and add Max Michaels to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.