Entrepreneur. Investor.
Part-Time Author.
The entrepreneur’s journey is really, really hard work – but there is no other job like it in the world. My goal is to help other entrepreneurs be successful by sharing the non-obvious insights from my own journey.
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About Mike
Mike Smerklo is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Next Coast Ventures, investing in a new generation of entrepreneurs building disruptive companies in big markets. Prior to this, Mike bought and scaled a small business into a publicly-traded company, ServiceSource, worth nearly a billion dollars in value. More than anything, though, he’s an entrepreneur driven by the desire to turn ideas into reality.
Recent Blogs
Entrepreneurship and the False Positives of Early Sales Win
“We just won the Dell account! This deal is close to $500k in ARR and will...
Monkey Masters: Rusty Shelton
For my fourth Monkey Masters installment, I am thrilled to interview Rusty...
Monkey Masters: Jason Dorsey
For my third interview of Monkey Masters, I am thrilled to interview Jason...
Recent Press
Life as Leadership Podcast: Overcome Your Negative “Monkey Voice” with Mike Smerklo
Mike Smerklo is an entrepreneur, investor, and business leader driven by the desire to turn ideas into reality. He is the co-founder and managing...
Next Coast Ventures Raises $310M to Invest in Entrepreneurs Across ‘Next Coast’ Markets
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Next Coast Ventures today announced the closing of $310 million in capital across three different funds. With a...
The Thoughtful Entrepreneur: Being a Self-Aware Entrepreneur with Next Coast Venture’s Mike Smerklo
The Thoughtful Entrepreneur March 14, 2022 In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks to the co-founder and...
Testimonials
About Mr. Monkey and Me
What if the secret to being a successful entrepreneur had nothing to do with your business plan, resources, market size, or strategy? If your success or failure weren’t dependent on how much money you have, where you grew up or the level of education you received?
Here’s the truth: the difference between success and failure is right between your ears.


Do you have the mental toughness to survive the marathon ahead?
The Entrepreneurial Survival Test
Becoming an entrepreneur is a lot like running a marathon: it takes time, sacrifice, and hard work. You need the right training and, even more importantly, you need an incredibly high level of mental strength. As an aspiring entrepreneur, do you have the mental toughness to survive the marathon ahead – or could you use more training? Take the quiz to find out!
Contact Mike