David Teten

David Teten is a Partner with Coolwater Capital, known as the “Y Combinator for emerging VCs.” Coolwater invests as an LP into fund management companies and runs an accelerator for emerging fund managers. Their graduates have raised over $3B collectively and invested in more than 6,000 companies. David also serves as Chair of PEVCTech, a community focused on driving alpha for private equity and VC funds through AI and advanced analytics, and is Chair of Founders’ Next Move, a network for founders exploring new ventures.

Previously, David was the Founder of Versatile Venture Capital, which supported “investment tech” firms aiding investors in maximizing returns. He also served as Managing Partner at HOF Capital, which now oversees $1.2B AUM, and as a Partner at ff Venture Capital, helping both firms expand their LP base and AUM more than tenfold. David has held advisory roles for notable investors including Birch Hill Equity Partners, Goldman Sachs Special Situations Group, and the Sawiris family’s Orascom TMT Investments. His board experience includes Ionic (acquired by Twilio), Authorea (acquired by Wiley), and Whisk (acquired by Deem).

David’s career also includes roles as Managing Director at Evalueserve, a 2,500-person research firm, and Founder of Circle of Experts, which Evalueserve acquired. Earlier, he worked in tech M&A at Bear Stearns and as a strategy consultant at mars & co in Latin America and the U.S. He founded an IT services company, growing it to 35 clients. David holds an MBA from Harvard and a BA from Yale, both with honors.

David’s insights on investing have been featured in Harvard Business Review, Institutional Investor, and TechCrunch. He is also the co-author of To University and Beyond: Launch Your Career in High Gear and The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors and Closing Deals Online.