Michael Smith '20 Contributor Since 2020

Michael Smith is a general partner at Regeneration.VC, a venture fund that invests capital in the founders and teams forging paths toward a fully circular economy. He has founded and operated media and real estate businesses and enjoyed an extensive career as a global touring DJ. He has led numerous environmental initiatives and has been an active investor in early- to later-stage impact companies.

Starting in the late ’90s, Smith ran marketing and digital platforms for Smith Broadcasting, a group of 20 network TV stations, which eventually sold to Boston Ventures. Shortly thereafter, he followed a lifelong passion in becoming a touring DJ, performing alongside Guns N’ Roses, Rihanna, and Diplo. In 2006, Michael launched and scaled The Playlist Generation, a leading background music provider to over 10,000 retail locations. In 2010, he co-founded Creative Space, an adaptive reuse real estate firm responsible for 80 projects in L.A. and San Francisco.

In 2015, he formed Ponvalley, an environmental initiative with philanthropic, research, and impact investing practices. Within two weeks following the 2016 election, Smith assembled an emergency climate summit with former Vice President Al Gore, Gen. Wesley Clark, representatives from the Department of Energy, and Harvard University leadership. He currently serves on the boards of PVBLIC Foundation, American Renewable Energy Institute, and Sustainable Change Alliance. He is a founding adviser to Salk Institute’s Harnessing Plants Initiative and served as a venture fellow at UC Santa Barbara’s Bren School of Environmental Science & Management.

Smith is a graduate of Northwestern University. He resides in Santa Barbara with his wife and two kids.