Michael Smerklo

Michael Smerklo is a renowned entrepreneur, investor, and business leader who has successfully scaled a small business into a publicly traded company worth nearly a billion dollars in value. He has extensive experience in turning ideas into reality and understands the hard work, dedication, and grit required to become a successful entrepreneur. Michael is the co-founder and managing director of Next Coast Ventures, where he champions a new generation of entrepreneurs building disruptive companies in big markets. He is also the author of a new book, Mr. Monkey and Me, a real talk guide for entrepreneurs who want to cultivate a mindset that supports greatness.

Michael holds an MBA in Marketing and Organizational Development from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and a BS in Business from Miami University. He has served on the board of several companies, including Stoplight, Submittable, Tenfold, Everlywell, Alert Media Communications, and LeanDNA. Michael is also a former board member at SPS Commerce and is the founder and board chairman of the Service Executive Industry Board. He has previously held positions as chairman of the board of directors and CEO at ServiceSource, director of business development at Opsware, and worked in investment banking at Morgan Stanley and Lehman Brothers.