The Chainsmokers (Drew Taggart and Alex Pall) join Patrick O'Shaughnessy to discuss their evolution from DJs to global superstars to venture capitalists. They share insights on AI's impact on music creation, the creative process behind hits and how they built their early success through scrappy growth hacking tactics. The duo reveals their investment philosophy at Mantis, drawing parallels between artist development and startup building. They discuss the challenges of staying authentic while scaling, the importance of intentionality in art, and lessons learned from transitioning from music creators to investors. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 06:16 The Creative Process Behind Songwriting 07:33 Exploring the Emotional Depths of Music 11:50 Navigating the Music Industry and AI 17:45 The Importance of World Building in Music 21:27 Finding Your Creative Itch 35:04 The Chainsmokers' Journey and Work Ethic 40:37 The Business Side of the Chainsmokers 45:43 Venturing into Tech and Investments 51:39 The Evolution of Mantis 53:11 Overcoming Celebrity Investor Stereotypes 55:20 Supporting Founders Like Record Labels 57:26 The Art of Collaboration 01:04:02 The Grind to Success 01:13:49 Investing Insights and Evolution 01:26:39 The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done for Drew and Alex #Chainsmokers #VentureCapital #MusicBusiness #AIMusic #CreativeProcess #Entrepreneur #investment #Music #Startup #Business Presented by Ramp: https://ramp.com/business-cards?utm_s Sponsored by AlphaSense and Ridgeline: https://www.alpha-sense.com/invest/ https://www.ridgelineapps.com/ ****** Patrick O'Shaughnessy is the CEO of Positive Sum. All opinions expressed by Patrick and podcast guests are solely their own and do not reflect the opinion of Positive Sum. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions. Clients of Positive Sum may maintain positions in the securities discussed in this podcast. To learn more, visit psum.vc