Michael PalankFounder

United States - Los Angeles, California,

I help entrepreneurs, artists, innovators and influencers develop and grow businesses. My experience has always been the synthesis of creative and business, of right and left brain, giving my work a unique perspective and approach. My career has taken me from the complex world of hedge funds to the high-intensity arena of talent representation, and the cutting-edge field of consumer-facing startups.

My experiences are diverse: I have consulted on key operational, business development and fundraising initiatives and built intricate financial models for early-stage startups. I have managed financial operations for a small independent record label. I’ve advised Will Smith on ways to leverage his brand to grow his businesses, and I’ve represented leading actors, directors and writers to help further their careers. Additionally, I was head of business development for an e-commerce company founded by Brian Lee and Science Media that raised $7MM from Google Ventures and Polairs Partners.

I excel at high-level strategic thinking, helping entrepreneurs formulate business models, sales and user acquisition strategies and fundraising plans, but where I am strongest is in execution. In 2014, I put together the corporate growth plan for BeautyCon, a fashion and beauty conference that connects digital influencers to their fans. I built the company’s financial model and led the effort to raise growth financing for expansion into content and commerce, resulting in a major investment from the Hearst Corporation. For other startups such as Beautiq, Made With Elastic and Kid & Coe, I’ve helped craft business plans and investor pitch decks.

Over the past decade, I have worked with entrepreneurs, startups, and creators including Will Smith, Tyler Perry, Prince, Forest Whitaker, Jennifer Hudson, Robert Evans, Amplify, WeDemand, Kid & Coe, Science Media, Gwyneth Paltrow, Perry Farrell, RallySong, Shapes Music, Beautiq, CleanSlate, and many others.