Earlier this fall, a few InSITE fellows sat down for breakfast with TechStars’ David Tisch (@davetisch). Techstars is one of the most prominent accelerators/incubators in the country. They currently have branches in Boston, Boulder, New York City, and Seattle. David is currently the Managing Director of TechStars in New York City. Our conversation ranged from how David ended up in his current position to what makes a great startup team to deal sourcing and more.
One of the most interesting aspects of our discussion centered around how David came to be one the figures in NYC’s startup ecosystem and the MD of TechStars NYC. In brief, David met David Cohen and initially suggested others for the role, but eventually found himself in a very atypical sort of interview. David essentially spent some time with the team in the Boulder office until it was clear that he should be on board.
Possibly the most surprising thing we learned about David is how much he likes to keep to himself. Given David’s presence in NYC and how engaged he was in our breakfast you would be hard pressed to identify an introvert in him. But David assured us that it takes effort for him to meet new people.
One thing that was clear from our meeting is that David is making his mark on the NYC startup ecosystem.
Ben, Victoria, Joe, Brian, and I would like to thank David again for taking the time out of his schedule to meet with us.
Adler Perotte, MD
Senior InSITE fellow