Michael Smith

Michael is a General Partner at Regeneration.VC, an early stage venture fund supercharging consumer-powered climate innovation. He has founded and operated media and real estate businesses and enjoyed an extensive career as a global touring DJ. He led numerous environmental initiatives and has been an active investor in early to later stage impact companies.

Starting in the late 90s, Michael 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 LA & SF.

In 2015, he formed Ponvalley, an environmental initiative with philanthropic, research, and impact investing practices. Within two weeks following the 2016 election, Michael assembled an emergency climate summit with Former VP Al Gore, Gen. Wesley Clark, the Dept. of Energy, and Harvard leadership. He currently serves on the boards of PVBLIC Foundation, the American Renewable Energy Institute, and the Sustainable Change Alliance. He is a founding advisor to Salk Institute’s Harnessing Plants Initiative and served as a Venture Fellow at UC Santa Barbara’s Bren School.

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