Mike Smerklo is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Next Coast Ventures. See sector focus and contact routes.
Mike Smerklo is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Next Coast Ventures, an Austin-based venture capital firm with over $600 million in assets under management that he built after scaling ServiceSource to a NASDAQ-listed public company and serving as its CEO. His investment thesis targets Series A and Series B companies in enterprise software, consumer, and emerging platforms, with a geographic focus on Texas and other non-coastal “Next Coast Markets” rather than traditional hubs like Silicon Valley. Smerklo typically leads investments, writes check sizes averaging between $5 million and $15 million, and joins boards while avoiding follow-on roles. Notable portfolio companies include Everlywell, Submittable, Navegate, and Bridgespan, reflecting the firm’s backing of more than 40 startups across its funds. He distinguishes his approach by underwriting to pragmatic, realistic outcomes rather than super-technical or cutting-edge bets, and he emphasizes operational support for founders who already show product-market fit. Smerklo is also the author of the 2020 book *Mr. Monkey and Me: A Real Survival Guide for Entrepreneurs* and maintains an a
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