Venture Studio

Originally recorded in April 2011, in this episode Dave interviewed the CEO and co-founder of Thrillist, Ben Lerer.

Dave and Ben talk about the founding story of Thrillist and its 2011 acquisition of JackThreads. Ben also discusses Lerer Ventures, a seed fund that he and his father started 2010. Now Lerer Hippeau Ventures, the fund has become one of the most active seed funds in New York. Some notable portfolio companies include MakerBot, Warby Parker, Refinery29, Plated, SailThru, Birchbox, Brit+Co, RebelMouse and Casper Mattresses.

Originally recorded in April 2011, in this episode, Dave interviewed David Tisch. At the time of the recording, David and his team had just completed Techstars New York’s first cycle - this interview took place two days after Techstars’ first demo day in New York at Webster Hall.

Dave and David talk about the origins of Techstars New York, how to build a great accelerator class, and some of the most exciting companies from that first Techstars NYC class.

David also discusses angel investing through his investment firm Box Group. At the time of the interview, Box Group had invested in 27 companies. Now, Box Group has become one of the most prolific New York-based seed investing firms, having backed over 150 companies including Warby Parker, Blue Apron, Class Pass, Harry’s, Handy, and Spring, which David co-founded. Box Group has some notable exits including Sunrise, Vine and Behance.