Guinness Record, Pain, American Dynamism | Michelle Volz, fonder of Pax VC

Today I'm joined by Michelle Volz, solo GP of Pax, a VC fund focused on American Dynamism. Michelle is a Guinness World Record holder for the fastest aggregate marathon time across seven continents, a former Andreessen Horowitz investor, and a Palantir alumna.

We have a wide-ranging conversation about endurance, ambition, and what it takes to build hard things. Michelle opens up about her unconventional path from biomedical engineering to running marathons on every continent, to becoming one of the most active early-stage investors in defense tech and American Dynamism.

We explore the psychology of pain, the difference between process and outcome-oriented people, and why ego can be a powerful motivator when channeled correctly.

It's a thoughtful look at someone who's chosen the hard path repeatedly: whether it's running 100 kilometers through Zion National Park or leaving the comfort of a16z to start her own fund and why betting on yourself is the ultimate endurance sport.

Topics covered

• Guinness World Record for fastest seven-continent marathon aggregate time
• The psychology of loving pain and seeking hard challenges
• Why Marines and ultra-runners make great founders
• Ego as a tool: using external motivation to achieve internal goals
• Her path to Venture
• Why talent from Palantir, SpaceX, and Anduril is reshaping hard tech
• Starting a solo GP fund and the parallels to founding a company

and much more…

Timestamps

(00:00) Intro

(01:16) Guinness World Record Journey

(06:00) Being Process vs Outcome Orientation

(10:06) Training Philosophy and Competition

(13:57) The 100K Ultra Experience

(16:42) Type Two Fun and Founders

(17:26) The Love of Pain

(18:46) Marines and Pain-Seeking Personality

(25:54) High Ego, Low Discipline

(28:57) From Biomedical Engineering to Tech

(33:31) Working at Palantir Experience

(47:41) Mission vs Loving the Game

(51:10) MIT and Defense Tech Club

(56:11) Getting into a16z

(58:59) What is American Dynamism

(01:01:57) Palantir, SpaceX, and Anduril's Impact

(01:06:05) Cultural Shift Toward Hard Problems

(01:09:00) Bipartisan Nature of American Dynamism

(01:14:33) Working at Andreessen Horowitz

(01:18:21) Starting Pax

(01:20:37) Everyone Said Don't Do It

(01:24:36) LP Market and Fundraising Reality

(01:35:50) Time Management and Saying No

Links

Michelle Volz
X: https://x.com/MichelleVolz
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellevolz1/

Luba Yudasina
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifeoflubaa
X: https://x.com/LubaYudaisna
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yudasinal/