Michael Houck

Megaphone

We create high-converting LinkedIn, X, and newsletter content for over 50 founders and send it viral with the help of over 400 creators with tens of millions of followers.

Founder

Founding Journey

Helping founders build, grow, and raise capital for their startups.

launch house

An early stage venture fund for companies building the New Silicon Valley. It began as a membership club built around IRL coliving residencies in LA, NYC, Tulum, Aspen, Miami, and Lisbon.

Co-Founder

Airbnb

Product Manager

Uber

Product Analytics, Uber Eats

TherapyNotes, LLC

Software Engineer

85,000+ founders read my free weekly newsletter. Follow me to learn about startups and venture capital.

I didn't know what a startup was until after college. I wasn't lucky with connections or mentors.

But within a few years my startup raised $23 million from a16z + other investors.

Along the way I:
· Cold emailed my way into an early role at Uber Eats
· Got laid off by Airbnb during COVID
· Built an audience of ~100K across LinkedIn and X
· Started a coliving residency for startup founders in Tulum
· Co-founded a venture fund and made over 50+ early stage investments (incl. Figure and Beehiiv)

More recently I've bootstrapped my personal holdco from $0 to $100K MRR in under 2 years. We help founders through content, connections, capital, and services:

· megaphonestudio.com → let my content agency build your newsletter or social media audience
· megaphone.network → partner with big creators in your niche

· join.foundingjourney.com → get my weekly playbooks and advice alongside 75k founders (for free)
· upgrade.foundingjourney.com → get ~100 fundraising case studies from founders I interviewed
· go.foundingjourney.com/fundraising → get connected with investors (including me)

I'm also building a new YouTube channel. Here's a recent video on the history of Silicon Valley: youtu.be/alUQxEldEMM

A weekly newsletter designed to help you build, grow, and raise capital for your startup.

Plaza

Plaza is building the future of commercial real estate in Latin America. We provide real estate brokerages with software tools powered by generative AI and a lease guarantee product that enable them to close more deals.

Co-founder and CEO

Latitud

Consultant

Grupo ZAP

I led the property acquisitions team at ZAP Home, the iBuyer Business Unit from Grupo ZAP.

- Hired and led a team of closers and analysts that acquired dozens of properties in less than six months
- Developed commercial processes and data sharing policies to fasten deal flow and manage the relationship with hundreds of property agents.
- Led a fundraising project to raise capital for acquiring properties in partnership with REIT managers.

Head of Acquisitions | ZAP Home

InfoProp - Compartilhe Informações, Feche mais Negócios

I started InfoProp to bring transparency and increase liquidity for apartments in Brazil

- Hired and led the product and software development team that launched version 1.0
- Led sales to 3,000+ real estate agents, and 200+ real estate brokerages, acquiring 150,000+ transactional data points in 10+ cities.
- Led an important pivot to become an iBuyer and offer liquidity to property owners

The company was acquired by Grupo ZAP (ZAP / VivaReal) the largest property portal in Brazil.

Founder and CEO (InfoProp was acquired by Grupo ZAP VivaReal in 2019)

Brazil Forum UK

Brazil Forum is an event which brings together extremely relevant decision makers from Brazil to the UK to debate the economic, political, entrepreneurial, and social context in Brazil.

I was among the founders and leaders of the project and helped to implement this project which has fostered important discussions about the future of Brazil. The debates have been published in the main Brazil's media outlets such as Valor Economico, Jornal Extra, O Globo, Folha de São Paulo, and BBC Brasil.

This was one of the most challenging projects I have been part of. We went from designing and planning the event to implementing it in only 1 month and 15 days. During this time, we brought sponsors, organised the premises and logistics, and brought 27 important leaders from Brazil to speak and debate Brazilian affairs at the London School of Economics and also the University of Oxford.

More information at www.brazilforum.co.uk

Anglo American

• Led the financial modelling and long term financial processes for three businesses in Brazil (Nickel, Niobium and Phosphates).
• Led the Capital Allocation process during a critical phase of the business that needed to prioritise CAPEX by assessing risks and value creation of a portfolio of more than 1,500 projects.
• Developed a new financial model for the Phosphates business which provided accurate financial information for strategic decisions taken by the senior management.
• Responsible for providing investment appraisal expertise for capital projects.

Strategy and Finance Specialist

• Resposible for the valuation and economic analysis of Goias II, an expansion project with a $1.5 billion CAPEX.
• Built the new financial model to evaluate the project
• Applied an innovative tool to quantify social and environmental impacts on large mining projects called Sustainability Valuation in order to prevent environmental disasters.
• Provided assistance to the CFO and Strategy Manager in order to find growth opportunities for the Phosphates Business.

Financial Analyst

• Assistant of the PMO Director who was responsible for developing a tool called cost value tree in order to reduce costs and provide evidence based information to operation managers and directors for the Phosphates and Niobium Businesses.
• Assistant of the senior operation manager at Cubatão fertiliser plant to provide evidence based analysis to reduce costs.
• Assistant of the CFO for analysing the Phosphates market in Brazil.
• Job rotation and practical training in technical areas such as geology, mining, business improvement and operations planning.

Finance Trainee

Mca Consultores & Associados

Project Finance consultancy for SME companies in Brazil's Northeast. I had a sales and operational role in this function. 

Most relevant achievements and activities:

• Helped and led 27 SME companies to raise over BRL 55 million from development banks by overseeing the creation of DCF analyses and business plans.
• Worked directly with development banks analysts to ensure accuracy during the  investment appraisal process (BNDES and Banco do Nordeste).
• Secured clients for the company, one of which was the largest of the company in 2010 with an investment of R$11 million.

Project Manager

Intern with important administrative responsibilities.

Most relevant activities:

•	Supported the Managing Director in evaluating potential funding to companies
•	Responsible for the facilities of the office
•	Responsible for Safety and Security of the office

Intern

Passionate about building things to help people and businesses improve their lives. I begun my career as a finance person and turned tech entrepreneur.

Since 2017, I have been focused on transforming the real estate industry in Brazil as an entrepreneur, operator, and angel investor. Currently I'm building Plaza which represents the future of CRE industry in Latin America. 

On the side, I've been helping other entrepreneurs as an angel investor.

Always hiring and partnering with great people.

Let's build!

taplio

The Battle

Michael Houck

Julio Viana

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