Operator, Investor (9 years, partner, Fintech VC, Anthemis) and internet entrepreneur (MRL Ventures (Yelp, Slide), Moreover, Origins), with 25+ years experience in London, San Francisco & New York. Formerly an architect, working for Norman Foster (designer of Apple HQ, Reichstag, Gherkin).

My operational expertise is in product, design, technology and marketing, I have built two venture studios and worked with corporates in strategy consulting.

Of four companies helped co-found, one went public (Yelp) one was acquired by Verisign, one (first Internet company in Shoreditch,1994) morphed into an online service, acquired by D.C.Thomson and one went nowhere: Wists.

Designed all sorts of things from skyscrapers to software applications, but now combine product design and business experience to ‘design’ companies, in a field that is called Venture Design.

Specialize in designing the ‘obvious’ but overlooked. Developed visual bookmark concept behind Pinterest, the one line bios used by Twitter and Facebook and co-created RSS.

Some personal essays about design and Venture Design process are here

Om Malik: “David has a nasty habit of predicting the future before everyone else.“

Work

2014-2023
Partner, Anthemis Group, Geneva & London, Financial Services VC. I started the Anthemis foundry (company builder) and developed investment insights and themes across all funds.

2011-2014
Partner, DWG, Geneva. Product and business strategy for startups.

2006-2011
Founder, Curations, New York. First social shopping services. Creation of the visual bookmarking concept: Wists that became the basis for Pinterest.

2004-2005
Entrepreneur in residence, MRL Ventures, San Francisco (Companies spun out include Yelp.com (NYSE:YELP) and Slide.com (acquired by Google))

1999-2003
Co-founder, Moreover.com, San Francisco. First news search engine, provider for Yahoo, MSN and enterprises. Acquired by Verisign.

1997-1998
Co-founder: Origins, London. Online genealogy service. First commercial Internet service to provide access to UK government data. Acquired by D.C. Thomson.

1994-1997
Co-founder: Realtime Anywhere, London. One of first Internet companies in UK. Developed first large scale Intranet in UK, managing contract staffing for 60 uk hospitals.

1993-1994
Architect: Fisher Park, London: Stadium rock concert set design for bands such as the Rolling Stones, U2 & Pink Floyd.

1992
Architect: Valode et Pistre, Paris. Paris Wine Vaults conversion.

1989-90 (1991 part-time)
Architect: Norman Foster and Partners, London: Cranfield Library, Kings Cross Masterplan, Norman Foster Apartment.

Teaching/Presenting:

Visiting Critic: Interactive Telecommunications Program, New York University.
Visiting Critic: Columbia University, Undergraduate Architecture Program.
Visiting Critic: University of North London, Undergraduate Architecture Dept.
Visiting Lecturer: University College London, Post Graduate Architecture Dept.
Speaker at various Internet conferences including SXSW and O’Reilly Media.

Education:

1993
RIBA Chartered Architect.

1990-1992
University College London/Turin Polytechnic, Italy: Architecture Post Graduate Dip Arch.

1986-1989
University College London: BSc. Architecture.

Publications/standards:

Co-author RSS 1.0 (widely used internet standard) Link
Co-author RSS Ping (a method for enabling real-time search across the web) Link
Co-author Bio, ‘One Line Bio’ (standard for simple biographical information, used by Facebook, Twitter, SixApart). Link About