Pattern Breakers
By Mike Maples Jr & Peter Ziebelman

"The most important start-up book of the last ten years."

Steve Blank
Co-creator of the Lean Startup movement

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"Pattern Breakers flips the narrative on uncertainty, transforming it from a daunting obstacle to an offensive weapon. This strikingly different book reveals how elite founders don't just navigate uncertainty—they harness it to redefine what's possible."

Annie Duke
Best-selling author of Thinking in Bets
"Mike Maples and Peter Ziebelman are on a relentless pursuit to understand start-up outliers beyond anyone else."

Kevin Systrom
Co-founder of Instagram
"Pattern Breakers shows why the only path to breakthrough results is to break the mold and be non-consensus, not just right. Maples and Ziebelman offer concrete examples from some of the most impactful start-ups of our time and practical advice that founders can use in their own efforts to change the future."

Andy Rachleff
Co-founder of Benchmark Capital and Wealthfront

"Mike Maples and Peter Ziebelman are on a relentless pursuit to understand start-up outliers beyond anyone else."

Kevin Systrom
Co-founder of Instagram

"Pattern Breakers flips the narrative on uncertainty, transforming it from a daunting obstacle to an offensive weapon. This strikingly different book reveals how elite founders don't just navigate uncertainty—they harness it to redefine what's possible."

Annie Duke
Best-selling author of Thinking in Bets

"Pattern Breakers shows why the only path to breakthrough results is to break the mold and be non-consensus, not just right. Maples and Ziebelman offer concrete examples from some of the most impactful start-ups of our time and practical advice that founders can use in their own efforts to change the future."

Andy Rachleff
Co-founder of Benchmark Capital and Wealthfront

 A radical set of new ideas for how entrepreneurs, investors, and corporate leaders can dominate the future.

In this thought-provoking and actionable book, pioneering seed stage investor Mike Maples Jr and Stanford’s Lecturer in Management, Peter Ziebelman, reveal the hidden forces that drive outlier startup success. The world they illustrate is unexpected - where chaos is welcome, naysayers are a positive signal, and movements galvanize misfits who ultimately change the future. Pattern breaking success doesn’t follow a set playbook or recipe; it demands a different mindset and actions, which they lay out in detail.

What You'll Learn

Pattern-Breaking Ideas

You’ll learn about the three powerful and most often overlooked forces that lie under the surface of the most impactful startup breakthroughs.

Pattern-Breaking Actions

You’ll learn about eight pattern-breaking approaches that can transform your breakthrough ideas into real-world impact.

No Limits

You’ll learn how to avoid letting your own self-imposed limits govern how you think and act throughout your life.

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Meet the Authors

Mike Maples Jr.

Mike is an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, podcaster and the cofounder of Floodgate, a leading seed stage fund in Silicon Valley that invested in Twitter, Twitch, Okta, and Outreach at the very beginning of their startup journeys. Mike is also a professional calligrapher and works with causes such as Operation Hope.

Peter Ziebelman

Peter splits his time between academia and the business world. He is on the faculty at the Stanford Graduate School of Business where he teaches entrepreneurship. Peter is cofounder of the venture capital firm Palo Alto Venture Partners; he consults with Fortune 500 companies on entrepreneurship. Peter is also secretary and board member of the non-profit, National Council on Aging.