Adaptive
thinkers—

Unconventional but intentional in everything we do.

The way you do anything is the way you do everything.

At MaxQ, we harness our Adaptive Quotient DNA to invest wherever opportunity lives.

Two colleagues in an office are sitting at a desk and talking to each other while looking at a laptop.

What is AQ?

Adaptive Quotient (AQ) is a holistic measure, similar to IQ or EQ, rooted in Bayesian methodology. It is the belief that uncertainty can be managed through probabilistic decision-making—and this is exactly what we do.

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Why is AQ important?

We believe that AQ is imperative for flexible, intelligent investing that moves beyond the bounds of verticalized constrictions.

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What does AQ look like in practice?

Adaptivity is woven into everything we do. We constantly hypercycle data through the sourcing and dealmaking stages, allowing us to maximize upside, minimize downside, and lend constructive insight to our partners throughout. We also look for adaptive thinking in the partners we pursue, because we believe this kind of thinking is critical to success.

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How does this adaptivity make us different?

We operate with a “strong convictions, loosely held” disposition that is different from most venture firms. This mindset and approach is designed to match the innovation, disruption, and changing market forces that shape people and business.

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Adaptivity shapes our investing process

And it helps us deliver on the promise of serial success.

1

Sourcing

By leveraging the deep networks of our partners and managers, MaxQ is able to shrink the degrees of separation between our investment team and the top echelon of innovators across a vast set of geographies and thematic areas—our unique vantage point grants us both incredible breadth and depth of opportunity.

2

Selecting

A maniacal focus on data-driven analytic rigor combined with constant input from a best-in-class network of experts culminates in MaxQ’s unique Bayesian underwriting methodology, which allows us to identify key markers of success far sooner and more accurately than simple checklists or “gut feelings.”

3

Securing

Capital is a commodity—the teams solving the biggest challenges today need a partner who is as intensely passionate, relentless, and thoughtful as they are. With a highly sophisticated team of builders and problem solvers, we relish the opportunity to roll up our sleeves and jump in to tackle the most complex problems side-by-side.

4

Supporting

Impassioned desire to see our partners succeed is paired with a thoughtful, creative, and performance-driven mindset to help our partners overcome challenges and accelerate breakout success. Rather than offer a fixed toolkit, MaxQ’s adaptive ethos enables us to assist wherever and however is the most critical for our partners, all while delivering transparent, evidence-based feedback.

5

Graduating

Building value via creative disruption requires an investing methodology that is as dynamic as the industry it supports. Far from the typical “static hold,” MaxQ is constantly evaluating the risk-reward of our investments and leverages our deep expertise in capital markets to identify the opportunities for liquidity that generate the greatest risk-adjusted return.

6

Optimizing

The world is constantly evolving and improving—and so too is our portfolio at MaxQ. Using our focus on analytical, adaptive updating, the team is always in a state of prepared mind. As a result, MaxQ has the thoughtful conviction to double down where we see greater success to come, and the honest rationality to reduce exposures when we believe markets are acting irrationally.

Choosing our partners

We don't just invest in ideas. We invest in the people behind those ideas.

And we hold ourselves and our partners accountable to high expectations, because this is key to yielding high returns. Our partners tell us that:

"Their depth of capital markets expertise and breadth of their industry awareness, while also understanding the idiosyncrasies of venture capital puts them in a league of their own as Limited Partners to emerging managers. I cannot stress enough how rare that combination is."

"[MaxQ] is constantly thinking about how they can help accelerate success at Wonder’s breakout companies and help create positive momentum in other areas of the portfolio where there is latent value waiting to be unlocked."

"They are always there to lend a helping hand and support us when things get difficult. From helping us navigate contracts and craft go-to-market strategy, to providing guidance on hiring and fundraising, the [MaxQ] team has been a huge asset to the company during a critical phase in our journey."