4. What Non-Technical Founders Need to Know About Tech

David Segura is a perfect example of how non-techies can thrive in technology. His first venture, Giant Media, was a native video advertising exchange which David sold for millions to an ad tech company backed by TPG & JMI in 2014. Since then David has invested in almost 50 startups, many of which have technology at their core. 

I met David in the early Naughties, when we studied together at the University of Chicago College. At the time, it is fair to say we both had little knowledge of or interest in technology. Yet, after studying Political Science, David made a successful career in tech entrepreneurship and investing. He has never learnt to code. 

In this interview, David talks about:

• How he worked with his CTO at Giant Media to scale and sell an ad tech platform
• That you don’t actually need a CTO to get started if you are a non-technical founder
• Knowing how to work with the tech team being more important than coding
• Leading a syndicate to invest in a Y Combinator startup
• How to invest in tech and biotech without having technical or scientific training
• Why non-technical founders are usually more successful entrepreneurs

 

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