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👋 Time to rethink your side hustle strategy — The Chainsmokers just proved there's a third way to turn celebrity into cash. While most famous people either throw money at startups or slap their name on products, these DJs built a $225 million VC empire using a time boxing method that lets them dominate music charts and cap tables.

Read time: 4 minutes | 861 words

STORY 

🎧 The Grammy Winners Who Built a $225M VC Empire

Most celebrities throw money at startups and call themselves investors. Alex Pall and Drew Taggart of The Chainsmokers built something completely different: a $225 million venture capital empire that proves there's a third way to turn fame into fortune.

While other celebrities play angel investor or slap their name on products, The Chainsmokers created an entirely new model of celebrity entrepreneurship. They didn't just raise money - they institutionalized their celebrity into a bonafide VC firm that's competed with Silicon Valley's biggest names.

Here's what makes this breakthrough so powerful:

• They've done 170 deals across their three funds, including early bets on Liquid Death and Coinbase before it went public

• They leverage their network like no other VCs - playing private shows for 250+ Fortune 500 companies, turning every corporate gig into a fundraising and deal flow opportunity

• Their secret weapon is time boxing - Alex dedicates mornings to VC work (reviewing decks, meeting companies) and afternoons to music (writing songs, prepping shows)

The Birth of a New Celebrity Model

The duo started making music in 2012, chose their name for SEO reasons (neither actually smokes), and spent eight years building their brand in EDM. But in 2020, they made a pivot that changed everything: they launched their first venture capital fund.

This wasn't celebrity angel investing like Ashton Kutcher's passive stakes in Uber and Airbnb. This wasn't founder-led like Kim Kardashian actively building Skims. The Chainsmokers created something entirely new: institutional celebrity entrepreneurship.

• Mantis VC operates like any top-tier firm: Full team of analysts, San Francisco office, proprietary technology for assessing investments

• They invest other people's money, not just their own wealth like traditional celebrity investors

• Every corporate performance becomes business development - their private shows create relationships that lead to fundraising and deal sourcing

The Schedule That Unlocks Everything

The Chainsmokers discovered what most entrepreneurs miss: your scale is limited by your schedule. Alex Pall's daily routine reveals the secret:

Morning (VC Mode): Meeting companies, reviewing pitch decks, analyzing startup strategies

Afternoon (Music Mode): Writing songs, prepping performances, creating beats

This isn't multitasking - it's time boxing at the highest level. By dedicating specific time blocks to each venture, they can excel at both instead of being mediocre at everything.

The Network Effect Multiplier

What makes their model unstoppable is how their celebrity amplifies traditional VC work. When they invest in a company:

• The founders get access to Fortune 500 executives through Chainsmokers' corporate shows

• Products get distributed through their massive social following and event network

• Portfolio companies can leverage their celebrity for PR and partnerships

• Their LinkedIn thought leadership (yes, they're LinkedIn influencers now) drives additional deal flow

The Chainsmokers proved celebrities don't have to choose between passive investing and active founding. They created a third path that's more scalable than being a founder and more impactful than being an angel investor.

More: Full podcast discussing this and more here.

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INSIGHT + ACTION 

🎵 How to Build Dual Ventures

Alex Pall and Drew Taggart proved your schedule determines your scale. After building a $225M VC empire while staying Grammy-winning musicians, their time boxing method shows how to excel at multiple ventures simultaneously.

Leverage existing audiences for new ventures - Use your current platform to validate and promote adjacent business opportunities.

• Example: Newsletter writer launching a course? Your subscribers are your first customers. Podcast host starting consulting? Your listeners know your expertise.

Invest other people's money, not just your own - The Chainsmokers run a real VC fund, giving them more capital and credibility than personal angel investing.

• Example: Instead of just advising startups for equity, raise a fund to make larger investments and attract institutional co-investors.

Cross-pollinate your networks strategically - Let each venture feed opportunities to the other instead of keeping them separate.

• Example: Your consulting clients become podcast guests. Your podcast audience becomes consulting leads. Everything feeds everything.

Treat all ventures with equal professionalism - The Chainsmokers' VC firm has analysts, technology, and processes just like their music career has managers, studios, and tours.

• Example: Don't treat your "side business" like a hobby. Invest in proper systems, team members, and tools for every venture you're serious about scaling.

Your homework: Map out your ideal daily schedule using time boxing. What gets your morning focus time? What gets your afternoon energy? What gets eliminated entirely?

MEME