Team
A platform is only as strong as the people behind it.
MAD brings together founders, fund builders, operators, investors, strategists, sector specialists, ambassadors, and partners with lived experience across venture creation, capital, governance, and scale.
Trust architecture
Team is not decoration.
For investors, team is not decoration.
It is trust architecture.
The people behind MAD must give investors confidence that capital will be handled with discipline, founders will be supported with experience, and the platform will be built with judgement.
Calibre & credentials
Built by people who have built and managed capital at global scale.
The MAD team brings together fund managers, operators, founders, and platform builders with lived experience across alternative, ethical, and impact investment, at the scale that matters.
$40B+
Collective funds-management experience across the team
150+
Years combined experience in capital, venture, and scale
14+
Countries operated across in financial markets
4×
BRW Fast 100 founder · 6 placements
- 01Designed, built, and managed global investment platforms across alternative, ethical, and impact strategies.
- 02Pioneers in sustainable, natural-capital, and social-impact funds, operating at multi-billion-dollar scale.
- 03Hyperscaled and exited multiple 8-figure businesses across dozens of industries.
- 04Led capital raises, M&A, and growth strategy across institutional and venture-backed companies.
- 05Senior advisors to government, fund managers, non-profits, and global investors on capital allocation and impact.
- 06Operating, board, and executive experience across blue-chip media, manufacturing, financial services, and consumer brands.
Verified backgrounds
Independently corroborated experience.
The institutions, firms, and programs where members of the MAD team have led, founded, served, or studied. Source-verifiable through public records, professional databases, and third-party press.
- Macquarie Bank
- Mirvac (ASX:MGR)
- New Forests
- Yale
- Harvard
- Australian Rugby Union
- Sparke Helmore
- Procter & Gamble
- Fairfax Media
- BASF chemovator
- Euro RSCG / Havas
- BRW Fast 100
- Australian Govt. Nature Finance Council
- UTS
- Bond University
- Univ. of Sydney
Sources include Bloomberg, ESPN, Yale School of Management, Crunchbase, Business News Australia, Investor Daily, Investor Strategy News, ScienceDirect, and the Australian Government Nature Finance Council. Full citations available on request.
Founders & Principals
The people leading MAD.
Mac Christopherson
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
- BCom, Univ. of Sydney
- BE Honours, Univ. of Sydney
- Co-author, The Venture Compass
- Architect, MAD Fund 80/20 model
Mac has spent over 20 years working alongside founders to build, scale, and finance high-growth businesses, helping companies move from early traction to investable platforms. He has led multiple multi-million-dollar capital raises and complex transactions with counterparties including Singtel, Macquarie Bank, Woolworths and Salesforce. At MAD, Mac leads investment strategy and platform architecture, and is the architect of the 80/20 structured capital model, which delivers investors yield with equity upside while reducing founder dilution. Co-author of The Venture Compass, a framework for assessing investment readiness and guiding capital deployment.
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Mark Falzon
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
- 4× BRW Fast 100 founder · 6 placements
- 5 published / forthcoming books
- $3B+ funds under advisement
- Multiple 8-figure exits
Mark is a four-time Australian BRW Fast 100 founder (six total placements) with 45+ years operating across finance, property, technology, education, media, and impact. Track record includes a $500M loan book, $3B+ funds under advisement, $1B+ in real estate sold, and multiple eight-figure exits. Author of MAD, Philanthropy as Amplifier, Co-Founders, The Hero's Journey and Co-author of The Venture Compass, a framework for assessing investment readiness and guiding capital deployment. At MAD, Mark leads the founder-development methodology and the VC Mastermind.
Connect on LinkedInAdvisory endorsements
Mark and Mac anticipate the concerns, motivations, and psychological triggers of both sides and then position an offer in a way that speaks directly to those concerns. That kind of multidimensional thinking is rare. Their ability to shepherd difficult negotiations toward productive outcomes is close to priceless.
Dr. Peter Pearson and Dr. Ellyn Bader
Co-founders, The Couples Institute · Therapists trained in 70+ countries
Mark and Mac from MAD are the real deal. Having complementary skills and wisdom they form a powerful duo who have been instrumental in the growth of my companies over a number of years. The depth and breadth of their abilities to add value spans from strategic planning to staffing, to capital raising, to leadership and C-Level support to name a few. They are very easy to work with and at the end of the day provide what matters most to a growing business, tangible progress.
Samuel Junghenn
Founder & CEO, Symbiosis Capital
Mark and Mac have been a tremendous support to me and F4S across financial and scenario modelling, structuring, capital raising, acquisitions, planning into the future, and as a non-judgmental sounding board. As individuals they have a unique confluence of heart, savvy and experience that makes each of them sharp, focused, and challenging. Together they are a force for good.
Michelle Duval
Founder & CEO, Fingerprint for Success
Executive Team & Ambassadors
The MAD team.
Operators, investors, and strategists at the top of their fields. Institutional discipline, scale-up execution. Lived experience across capital, scale, and sustainability. Embedded throughout MAD's platform, portfolio, and ambassador community.
Gary Flowers
Chairman
- Former COO, Mirvac (ASX:MGR)
- Former CEO, Australian Rugby Union
- Harvard Business School (SEF)
- FAICD Order of Merit
Gary brings 30+ years as Chief (CEO, MD, COO, CFO) across professional services, sport, media, entertainment, and diversified property and funds management. Former COO of Mirvac Group (ASX:MGR) through the GFC and the period in which Mirvac achieved #1 AREIT TSR. Former CEO of Australian Rugby Union and SANZAR, where he negotiated record broadcast and sponsorship deals. Former National Managing Partner / CEO of Sparke Helmore Lawyers, which he grew 600% to a top-10 national ranking. Currently Chairman of NSW Institute of Sport, Rawson Group, Mainbrace Constructions, and EMM Consulting.
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Radha Kuppalli
Chair, MAD Impact Advisory Board
- Former MD, New Forests ($11B AUM)
- Yale MBA + MEM
- Australian Govt. Nature Finance Council
- Bloomberg Daybreak: Asia (2022)
Radha spent 17 years at New Forests, helping grow it from $50M AUM with one client to $11B AUM globally. She founded the firm's US business in 2007 and managed the $100M Eco Products Fund (carbon, wetlands, biodiversity). Most recently Managing Director of Impact and Advocacy and a Director on the Board of New Forests Pty Ltd. Member, Australian Government Nature Finance Council. Non-Executive Director of Greening Australia, Accounting for Nature, and Hydrowood. Yale MBA and Master of Environmental Management.
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Craig Swanger
Investment Strategy & Innovation
- Former Global CIO, Macquarie Bank
- US$10B FUM at peak
- 14 countries, 30+ years
- Co-founder, Super Fierce
Craig spent 15 years at Macquarie Bank, ending as Chief Investment Officer (US$10B FUM) and Chief Innovation Officer, with experience across 14 countries. Prior senior roles included CEO of Macquarie Agricultural Funds Management ($1B+ AUM, 3.2M ha) and Head of Macquarie Global Investments. Active investor and advisor across a portfolio of fintechs and impact ventures including Wisr (ASX), Income Asset Management, and Stoic VC. Co-founder of Super Fierce, a for-purpose company closing the gender wealth gap in superannuation.
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Claire Mula
Scaling Coach & Advisor
- Founder & exit, Sprooki (ASX:IVO)
- Bond + VU Amsterdam MBAs
- Industry Fellow, UTS
- Harvard CEO Summit
Claire is a certified Scaling Up coach and 25-year operator across digital, tech, and consumer businesses in Asia-Pacific and Europe. Co-founded Sprooki, Asia's first mobile-commerce software platform for retail (Singapore HQ, exited to ASX-listed Invigor in 2017). Prior executive roles at Procter & Gamble, Fairfax Media, and ASTRO. Industry Fellow at the UTS Transdisciplinary School, former Entrepreneur in Residence at BASF's chemovator, advisory board member at NEXT MANNHEIM. Bond University and VU Amsterdam MBAs; Harvard CEO Summit.
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Douglas Penman
Brand & Venture Strategy
- Founder, Nukotoys (Tesla Prize)
- Former ECD, Euro RSCG / Havas
- Director, Ochre Ventures
- Advisor, SambaNova + Uniphore
Doug brings 30+ years across Silicon Valley operating, advertising, and venture roles. Former Partner and Executive Creative Director at Euro RSCG / Havas, leading work for Intel, Microsoft, Volvo, SanDisk, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Toyota Scion, YSL, Coca-Cola, Dell, Yahoo, Philips, Charles Schwab, and British Airways. Founder and CEO of Nukotoys (Tesla Prize for tablet innovation; partnerships with Discovery and Templar). Currently Director and Partner at Ochre Ventures, Investment Manager at Patagorang Group, and advisor to SambaNova Systems and Uniphore.
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