“In fourth grade my dad brought home a computer one day and it was an Apple 2. I think the only thing I was able to do on it was play Oregon Trail… I taught myself basic programming and as each new modem came out, I got a slightly faster modem. Really from age 10 to 15, I spent most of my time on a computer learning how to do things.

[regarding investing]

I don’t believe that investing is a science. I don’t believe that identifying early stage companies is a science. I believe it’s an art. And art is in the eye of the beholder, right? Some people are going to have a taste for something that other people don’t like… [The art of investing] gets enhanced by experience. It’s a combination of experience, intuition, gut, risk-taking, and pragmatic thinking that allows you to continually be finding stuff early.

[regarding Spring]

We are a mobile marketplace that allows brands to sell directly to consumers. We work directly with over 700 brands that are posting their products on Spring and selling directly to our consumers. The rationale is that it doesn’t make sense to download apps of individual brands, and those brands shouldn’t have to be in the business of building mobile apps… The work that we’re doing on the technical side is really rewarding for both the consumer and the brands, which I think is rewarding for the company.

[regarding the technology industry]

Focus on your strength and not on the areas that you need improvement in. I think a lot of people try to fill holes in their skillset and try to really put themselves in places where they can improve, and I think that’s the wrong mindset. Instead what you should be doing is saying what am I better than other people at and trying to focus your career around those things. Be great at what you’re great at. Not what you’re trying to be better at. In our industry there’s so much opportunity to contribute, someone should focus on their strengths.

Go for it. Take a risk.”

David Tisch is an angel investor through the BoxGroup, an early stage investment fund. He is also the Co-Founder of TechStars NYC, a leading startup accelerator and the founder of Spring, a mobile marketplace that allows brands to sell directly to consumers.

(Source: hackersofny.com)