David Cohen

There are not enough female VCs in an industry so traditionally dominated by males. There are not enough female mentors who are actively engaged with female founders. We need women VCs and entrepreneurs to stand up, get loud, and help guide their peers. ”

I wish I had had more mentorship and more access, not only for capital, but the critical thinking. ”

I've just always been interested in moving past the keyboard and mouse. ”

People look up to Techstars because they get funded by Techstars; they go through the accelerator. What we do impacts what they do. What we care about we hope has a meta impact on those entrepreneurs and how they think about the world. ”

In innovation, you're trying to create something from nothing. ”

If you look at the history of innovation, the innovations coming through the defence department have been some of the most important innovations ever. Little things like drones, sensors, and the Internet of Things are defence-type initiatives, but the big one is the Internet itself. ”

Clearly, there is a gender imbalance when it comes to venture capital and entrepreneurship. ”

Entrepreneurship transparency, I think, is important because there are so many problems that you just have to be real about them. There are so many ways for a startup to die, so the transparency attitude is key. ”

Meetings with no goal, also known as 'coffee shop' meetings, can be huge time wasters if you're not efficient with them. 'Always know why you're meeting, and make sure it's important - try to keep them to 30 minutes, max. ”

I had to quit a 'real job' to start my first company. ”