01
Brands
Started in brand management at Procter & Gamble, then led marketing at Rockfish through its acquisition by WPP.
- Founding member, P&G Corporate Digital Strategy
- Rockfish revenue: $8M (2010) to $70M (2016)
Brands · Startups · Ecosystems
I work where big brands and startups collide.
CEO of Blue North, Senior Contributor at Forbes, author of Predicting The Turn and keynote speaker.
Worked with and spoke atP&GRockfish / WPPForbesNRFSXSWNACDTEDx
Three acts, one through-line
Twenty years where big brands and startups meet.
02
Startups
Co-founded an accelerator and a seed fund, backing founders from the first check.
- Co-founded The Brandery, a Top 10 US accelerator for multiple years
- Vine St Ventures exits: VNDLY (Workday), Ahalogy (Quotient)
03
Ecosystems
Now builds the places where corporations, founders and capital meet on purpose.
- Leads Blue North, Kentucky Innovation Hub for 17 counties
- Founded Brand Fusion: 3,754 meetings, 335 brands, 485 startups
Latest from Predicting The Turn
See all 185+ episodes How the people building brands see the turn coming.
Wildgrain Was Almost Called Gluten Box. Then Gluten-Free Took Off
Wildgrain co-founder Johanna Hartzheim nearly named her sourdough startup Gluten Box. Now almost 30% of new subscribers choose its gluten-free box.
The Most Iconic Name In Hospitality Just Bet On Grocery With Wilder
Danielle Axman is launching Wilder Market & Kitchen this fall in Miami as an 8,000-square-foot neighborhood market. Major Food Group has joined as a founding investor.
His Childhood Toys Were Ginseng. Now He Sells Sleep As Hot Cocoa
MoonBrew's Allan Shen grew up playing with ginseng in his parents' apothecary, then turned sleep into a nightly hot cocoa ritual headed for Target.
Board service
Commitment, not committees.
First independent director for founder-led companies, with hands-on work between meetings.
See board serviceSince 2014First independent director, Braxton Brewing
Since 2015First independent director, Hunt Club
2009–2010Board observer for P&G venture investments
Speaking
Book Dave to speak Keynotes on disruption, from someone who has sat on both sides of the table.
01Predicting The TurnHow startups reveal the future of your industry, and the four ways big companies respond.02The AI TurnThe forces reshaping business and how leaders respond.03Building the BridgeWhat actually works when corporations and startups try to work together.04Entrepreneur-Led Economic DevelopmentHow regions grow by building around their founders.
Few people can meaningfully speak of both the entrepreneur’s universe and the Fortune 50.
The book
Predicting The Turn
The High Stakes Game of Business Between Startups and Blue Chips. Four strategies big companies use when startups show them the future: acquire, invest, partner, build.
Acquire Invest Partner Build
★ Grand Prix · 2017 WPP Atticus AwardsFollow the turn.
New columns and episodes, as they publish.