founder.university 
launch.co
https://linktr.ee/calacanis
email jmc@launch.co
visit thisweekinstartups.com for my podcast

Jason Calacanis

40% of Students in Japan want to found a startup or work for one!

Kathy Matsui says this is a HISTORIC shift from risk aversion to entrepreneurialism in Japan.

Kathy tells me that the labor shortage in Japan means that workers have their pick of jobs. Workers can always go back to the corporate world, life is too short not to take a risk! Could this shift be the start of “Japanese Dynamism” in the 21st century?

I invest in 100 new startups a year... get a meeting with my team at launch.co/apply, or learn how to start a company by joining founder.university (our 12-week course). watch thisweekinstartups.com if you love startups

Looking for two important roles at LAUNCH / This Week in Startups 

Community manager 
Video / podcast editor 

Email me editor@launch.co / community@launch.co your resume and what you’ve done 

We’re looking for folks with experience and who are at the top of their game

NOTE: If you’d like to connect but we haven’t met (at all or recently), I’d appreciate a short note in your request. 

SUMMARY:

Investor and non-profit advisory board member with over a decade of experience managing multi-asset portfolios at both a world-class buy-side investment firm and a $10 BN+ endowment.

Trusted advisor to a global network of peers and investors.

“Investing is investing” with extensive experience across both public and private markets in investment diligence and monitoring, legal negotiations and structuring, sourcing, underwriting and monitoring of investments.

Covered, sourced or traveled to diligence investment opportunities on six continents across all asset classes:
• Public markets including, long only, hedge funds (long/short, credit, relative value, insurance linked, global macro) and fixed income.
• Private markets including venture capital, buyout, growth equity and real estate.
• Directs and co-investments.

Advocate for the arts and diversity, equity, inclusion.


FULL BIO:

Michael Billings is an investor and non profit advisory board member.

Previously, Billings was an Investment Manager at Vanderbilt University’s Office of Investments. He served as a generalist where he contributed to both the public and private portfolios.

Prior to Vanderbilt, Mr. Billings was an Analyst at First Pacific Advisors, L.L.C. (FPA) for the FPA Multi-Advisor Funds. Before joining FPA, he was a consulting Investment Analyst at Dougan & Associates, a single-family office with legacy investments in energy and technology, media and telecommunications. 

He began his professional career at The Clinton Foundation, which was founded by The Honorable William J. Clinton, after working as a production assistant on Season 1 of The Apprentice, a reality television program created by President Donald J. Trump and Mark Burnett. During the Obama/Biden administration he served in a volunteer capacity doing trip advance for then Vice President Biden.

Billings earned a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a M.S. in Finance from the University of Utah. He was selected as a member of the inaugural Ron Brown scholar program class and graduated from Rowland Hall St. Mark’s high school which he attended on a full merit scholarship as a David Cumming Scholar.

He enjoys skiing at Alta/Snowbird (and Deer Valley or Snowbasin), hiking, paddle boarding and travel (having visited 5 continents, 21 countries and 40 U.S. states).

Michael Billings

I’m pumped for FUTURE TITANS this Tuesday, January 27th in Austin, TX (if you don’t have a flight and 3 back-ups booked than do you even want to be there?).

Jan 27th at 6:00 PM CST, The Evening After in partnership with Carta is open to ALL my Austin peeps.  Don’t wait, register NOW: https://lnkd.in/geP9PggE

Daniel Dart is one of the MOST infectiously positive and inspiring people that I’ve ever met. I pinch myself that I’m able to call him a friend. 

There’s few people I’d cut short a ski trip to Japan during the most epic storms of storms of the decade to beeline it to Austin, TX for my birthday cupcake (and one of the most unskiable storm of storms of the century!).

Learn more at: futuretitans.vc

WEATHER UPDATE: RAIN, SNOW, OR HELLFIRE THIS EVENT IS GOING TO HAPPEN

Major storms are hitting the East Coast this week, and we're hearing about flight disruptions. The summit is happening no matter what — rain, snow, or hellfire.

LFG

GP at Rock Yard Ventures. MIT Sloan. LSE. Former Rockstar.

The first 15 speakers for FUTURE TITANS are locked in! 🔥

These are people who’ve built, backed, and scaled some of the most respected firms in the industry, and they’ll be sharing exactly what it takes to make it happen. So pumped to kick off 2026 with a bang! 

More names dropping soon! 👀 

And there is still time to apply at futuretitans.vc 

CONFIRMED!
- Bill Gurley | Benchmark
- Zal Bilimoria | Refactor
- Yuri Lee | Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS)
- Allie Cefalo | Kleiner Perkins
- Jeremy J. Heer | University of Illinois Foundation
- Matt Hershey | Marron Capital
- Benjamin Birnbaum | Keyframe
- Nina Labatt | S32
- Benjamin Bayles | Teacher Retirement System of Texas
- Case Fell | Third Lake Partners, LLC
- Annie Luchsinger | Breakers
- Steve Kim | Verdis Investment Management
- Edgar Smith | Beyond26 Investment Advisors
- Kyle Swenson |  Waycrosse, Inc
- Alda Leu Dennis | Hawktail

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The Battle

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Michael Billings

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taplio

The Battle

Jason Calacanis

Michael Billings

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Jason Calacanis's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreMichael Billings's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreJason Calacanis's LinkedIn Performance