Practical Venture Capital
Founder, Managing Partner
Dave McClure
Founder: Practical Venture Capital, 500 Startups
Alumni: Founders Fund, PayPal, Johns Hopkins
Investor: Twilio CreditKarma Sendgrid Lyft Canva Udemy TalkDesk Lucid Intercom Iterable Barkbox Algolia Plangrid Vungle Slideshare Mint
Founder: Practical Venture Capital, 500 Startups
Alumni: Founders Fund, PayPal, Johns Hopkins
Investor: Twilio CreditKarma Sendgrid Lyft Canva Udemy TalkDesk Lucid Intercom Iterable Barkbox Algolia Plangrid Vungle Slideshare Mint
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Experience
Founder, Managing Partner
Founders Fund
Member, Investment Team
Exit
PayPal
Director Marketing
Exit
Twilio
Board Member
Exit
Slideshare
Advisor
Exit
Mint
Investor / Advisor
Founder
Employee
Advisor
Board Member
Education
About
Achievements
I was the founding partner of 500 Startups, a global VC fund and startup accelerator in Silicon Valley with over $1.8B AUM that has invested in 2,500 companies in 75+ countries including: Twilio (TWLO), SendGrid (SEND), Lyft (LYFT), The RealReal (REAL), Credit Karma, Canva, TalkDesk, Intercom, FabFitFun, GitLab, Udemy, Flywire (FLYW), Ipsy, PlanGrid, Vungle, MakerBot, Wildfire.
I've been an engineer and written code. I've been an entrepreneur, founded a company, been acquired. I've done developer and consumer marketing. I've been a writer/blogger. I've run user groups, events & conferences (for both nerds & normal folks). In 2016 & 2017 Forbes named me one of the top 100 VCs in the world.
I started the early-stage investment program for Founders Fund in 2008, and ran the Facebook fbFund incubator program in 2009. I created the "AARRR" startup metrics for pirates concept and framework. I've given hundreds of talks on startups and tech entrepreneurship. I swear a lot.
Describe the most impressive thing you've done.
Skills
Locations
Q&A
What's your favorite non-business book?
SnowCrash
What words of advice would you give your younger self?
hang in there, idiot.
Which founders or startups do you most admire?
Jeff Lawson, Twilio
Patrick Collison, Stripe
Ken Lin, Credit Karma
Melanie & Cliff, Canva
Justin Zhu, Iterable
Diishan Imira, Mayvenn
Tiago Paiva, TalkDesk
Tracy DiNunzio, Tradesy
Rashmi/Jon/Amit, Slideshare
Yishan Wong, Terraformation
What words of wisdom do you live by?
"Have Fun, Get Shit Done" #hfgsd (me)
"Fun is Good" (dr seuss / theodor geisel)
"It's not easy being green" (kermit the frog)
What was the most impactful class you took in school?
it wasn't in school.
What's an obstacle you've overcome?
getting over fear of public speaking (altho still happens). how? lots and lots of practice. and public embarrassment.
What's the most useful business-related book you've ever read?
not quite business, but:
Guns Germs & Steel (Diamond)
The Mystery of Capital (de Soto)
Spent (Miller)
Influence (Cialdini)
Don't Make Me Think (Krug)
What's your super power?
i help other people discover their super power.
What's something you wish you had done years earlier?
take some time off to stop and smell the roses. (preferably with someone you love)
What's the most creative thing you've ever done?
probably 500 Startups, although i’m a pretty good dancer too.
What aspects of your work are you most passionate about?
Helping people figure out how to solve problems.
What's the best way for people to get in touch with you?
thru other founders and investors usually.
If money were not an issue, what would you be doing right now?
what i’m doing right now.
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