Max Michaels

Max Michaels is a seasoned executive, investor and entrepreneur who brings global perspectives and strategic insights from two decades of executive experience spanning IBM, AT&T, Tyco Electronics and Cisco Systems.  He has a successful track record of success across varied business and investment settings, with a quest for impact and a reputation for sound business judgment. He started his career advising Fortune 1000 companies at McKinsey & Co and subsequently at Morgan Stanley. Max earned a joint Masters degree from MIT School of Engineering and MIT Sloan School of Management.

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Max is the founding CEO of CRYZTAL CAPITAL, with a portfolio of 15 companies across EdTech, FinTech, Biotech, Metaverse, and IT Security. He brings learnings from $40B+ in strategic investments and $60B+ in M&As and IPOs. He is also the founding Chief Investment Officer of Stride Funding, a student financing company with over $160M under management. Max serves on the Advisory Boards of Private Ventures Group, PupilFirst, Strategic Management Review, Tanaak, Viron Therapeutics and Versa Networks.  He has served on the international board of MIT Alumni Association and as a member of the chairman’s circle of the US India Business Council.  He has been a charter member of TiE and has served as the chair of its CEO Council. He was a keynote speaker at the international conference on Cognitive Cloud Computing in Sweden. He has published award-winning articles in McKinsey Anthology on Strategy, Strategic Management Journal, and Corporate Finance Journal.

As the Global Head for IBM Network Services, Max managed a 3,000 strong cross-functional team of engineers and managers (from Networks, Cloud, Security, and Watson) serving large enterprise customers in partnership with companies such as Verizon, AT&T, Cisco, Juniper, VMware and Palo Alto Networks.  During his tenure the business line emerged as a leader in Software Defined Infrastructure delivering secure cloud networks, and the signings grew at 55% to exceed $3 billion for the first time, with several new customers such as Coca-Cola. Managed CIO relationships with customers as IBM executive sponsor, also led CXO interactions with partners such as VMware, Cisco and AT&T.

As the vice president of Corporate Strategy at AT&T – an integrated telecom company then with $160 billion in revenues – Max was responsible for developing strategic recommendations and action plans on cross-business unit issues for the CEO and the three Group Presidents. He has led projects on Integrated Carrier (e.g., Power of &, Content), Emerging Technologies (e.g., IoT, 5G); Business Planning (e.g., Digital Life); Scenario Planning (e.g., OTT); Market Intelligence (e.g., Google, Apple); and Growth Adjacencies (e.g., device security, smart buildings).

Previously, Max served Cisco Systems for five years in global roles spanning strategic planning, marketing and investments. As a founding member of the New Business Models team that shaped Cisco’s strategic transformation with investments in Software Defined Networking and Unified Communications. In his role as the head of strategy and business development of Emerging Markets, he evaluated and executed on its investments and acquisitions across emerging countries – South Africa, India, China, Russia, UAE, Mexico, Brazil, Chile – in partnership with leading telecom & IT companies, builders and private equity investors.

Max created significant value for the shareholders of two public companies – working directly with the CEOs – through strategic repositioning, acquisitions and spinoffs. As the head of corporate strategy and development at EDS – a global IT outsourcing company with $21 billion in revenues that was sold to HP in 2007 – and subsequently as the VP of Strategy & Corporate Development at Tyco Electronics – a global manufacturer of components for customers such as Cisco, Apple and Boeing.

At McKinsey & Co., he worked as a strategy consultant based in its London and New York offices.  Max advised asset management companies and private equity firms on growth strategies and co-led the Strategy Metrics Initiative. He led the team that won the McKinsey Global Olympics in 1996 for the idea of using option-pricing models to evaluate strategies under uncertainty. During his tenure at McKinsey he published award-winning articles in McKinsey Anthology on Strategy and Corporate Finance Journal. This work was cited by Robert Merton in his Nobel Acceptance speech in 1997.

Max was recruited by the CEO of Morgan Stanley Capital Partners – a former client at McKinsey – into a lateral role in the investment banking division. He played a strategy role that helped Morgan Stanley raise a $3B private equity fund. Member of teams that closed major M&A, IPO and Debt deals including GE Insurance, AIG, RGA, and Provident with aggregate value over $25B. He developed an investment strategy based on growth options for Morgan Stanley’s private equity division, and subsequently worked for two years in their investment banking division advising financial institutions on M&As and IPOs.

Max graduated from MIT Sloan School of Management with high honors in 1995.  At MIT he took graduate courses in technology management, product development, strategy and finance. He also completed a Masters thesis under Professor Stewart Myers on “Strategic Valuation of High Technology Companies.” His research on strategic management turned out to be an award-winning article entitled “Firm Effects and Industry Effects,” published in peer reviewed Strategic Management Journal.