Planet MicroCap Podcast | MicroCap Investing Strategies

Public Venture Advantage with Chris Marlett, Co-Founder & CEO of MDB Capital Holdings

Feb 7, 2026

Chris Marlett, co-founder and CEO of MDB Capital Holdings, explains MDB’s public-venture merchant-bank model and why taking venture-stage companies public can be an alternative to traditional VC. He discusses the shrinking microcap universe, the real costs and benefits of being public, MDB’s IPO sweet spot, and the firm’s equity-aligned approach to scaling category leaders.

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ADVICE

Weigh Public Cost Against Market Optionality

Manage being public intentionally to keep annual incremental costs near $500k–$600k versus remaining private.
Compare that incremental cost to the optionality and valuation uplift available in public markets before deciding.

INSIGHT

Upmarket Shift Shrunk The Microcap Ecosystem

Investment banks and the ecosystem shifted upmarket after the dot-com bust, eroding small-cap IPO capacity.
That structural change, plus regulation, shrank the microcap pipeline and specialist firms that used to serve it.

INSIGHT

VC/PE Shakeup Creates A Window For Public IPOs

Private equity and large venture funds created a funding gap for early-stage and seed companies by focusing on bigger deals.
That gap plus over-marking in private portfolios opens opportunity for public venture to attract founders and capital now.

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In this episode of the Planet MicroCap Podcast, I'm joined by Chris Marlett, Co-Founder and CEO of MDB Capital Holdings (NASDAQ: MDBH), to unpack the firm’s differentiated “public venture” model and why he believes the traditional venture capital and private equity ecosystem is breaking down. Chris explains how MDB operates as a hands-on merchant bank—building and taking early-stage, big-idea companies public as an alternative to VC—while addressing the shrinking U.S. microcap universe, the misperceptions around the cost of being public, and the opportunity created by a severe shortage of high-quality public companies.

We also discuss MDB’s focus on category leaders with billion-dollar potential, its equity-aligned business model, and why public markets can offer founders a more attractive path to scale, liquidity, and long-term value creation. We mention a number of companies and sectors during this conversation, and I’m not a shareholder in any of them.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to MDB Capital Holdings
01:40 Chris Marlett's Journey in Microcap Financing
03:19 Founding MDB Capital Holdings
08:22 Understanding Public Venture vs. Big Ideas
10:55 The Cost of Going Public
15:31 The Shift in Private Equity and Venture Capital
20:26 Why Now is the Time for MDB Capital
26:42 Identifying the Sweet Spot for IPOs
27:18 The Importance of Unique IP in Deep Tech
28:34 Navigating the Public Venture Ecosystem
29:51 Differentiating in a Competitive Market
30:50 The Challenges of Investment Banking
33:16 The Future of Microcap Investment
36:28 Sourcing Profitable Companies
39:19 Expanding Focus Beyond Deep Tech
41:09 Engaging with Institutional Investors
43:24 The Need for Follow-On Financing
46:02 Upcoming Opportunities in the Pipeline
50:11 Determining Ideal IPO Sizes

For more information about MDB Capital Holdings, please visit: https://www.mdb.com/

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The purpose of this conversation is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as a recommendation to purchase or sell any security. Planet MicroCap Holdings LLC and MicroCapClub LLC are not registered investment advisors. Planet MicroCap Holdings LLC, MicroCapClub LLC, its partners, contractors, members, subscribers, guests, and affiliates may or may not hold positions in one or more of the securities mentioned on this program and may trade in such securities at any time. Do your own due diligence and seek counsel from a registered investment advisor before trading in any security.