Meet the Disrupt 2020 “TC10”
If 2020 hasn't been wild enough, there's an extra special twist going down at Disrupt 2020 beyond the fact that, for the first time ever, the conference will be fully virtual.
It also happens to be the show's 10th anniversary. Time flies when you're changing the world, eh?
As part of Disrupt's 10th anniversary celebration, we're doing something brand new. So it is with great pleasure that I introduce the TC10.
The TC10 is a group of entrepreneurs, investors, etc. that have been a staple of the Disrupt conference over the past decade. They've spoken at the show - either for a fireside chat or on a panel or as a Startup Battlefield judge - at least three times. (Some them have been there more times in the past 10 years than they haven't.)
The TC10 will all be featured in various ways throughout the show, from fireside chats to Startup Battlefield judges to the Pitch Deck Teardown! This is the piece I'm personally the most excited about.
The Pitch Deck Teardown takes a look at real startup pitch decks submitted by attendees of the show. These world-class investors and entrepreneurs will walk through each deck, slide by slide, and give feedback on what they like, what they don't, and how they would change it. Not only will this give entrepreneurs a crystal clear look at what investors are looking for in a pitch deck, but it will also show how many investors and entrepreneurs have different opinions on what makes a great deck, giving founders the insight they need to tailor their decks appropriately based on the intended audience.
You can apply to the Pitch Deck Teardown right here.
So without any further ado, I'm proud to announce the Disrupt 2020 TC10:
Aileen LeeAileen is the founder of Cowboy Ventures, a seed-stage focused fund. They seek to back exceptional teams building technology that re-imagines work and personal life in large and growing markets - what they call Life 2.0". She was formerly a partner with Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and the CEO of RMG Networks.
A graduate of MIT, Aileen has an MBA from Harvard Business School and is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute.
# of Disrupt Appearances: 9
Image Credits: Cowboy Ventures
Charles HudsonCharles Hudson is the Managing Partner and Founder of Precursor Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on investing in the first institutional round of investment for the most promising software and hardware companies. Prior to founding Precursor Ventures, Charles was a Partner at SoftTech VC. In this role, he focused on identifying investment opportunities in mobile infrastructure.
# of Disrupt Appearances: 3
Image Credits: Kathleen Dylan Studios
Cyan BanisterCyan is addicted to early stage angel investing. She spends a lot of her time dreaming about what the future could look like and invest in people who do the same but are creating it. Most recently she was at Founders Fund, a top tier fund in SF. Most of her successful investments have a common theme around job creation and flexibility, but I've invested in everything from rocket ships to sandwich delivery. She's currently a partner at Long Journey Ventures.
# of Disrupt Appearances: 6
Drew Houston is co-founder and CEO of Dropbox. Since founding the company in 2007 with Arash Ferdowsi, Drew has led the company's growth from a simple idea to a service used by over 600 million people around the world. Drew received his bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT in 2006. After graduating, he turned his frustration with carrying USB drives and emailing files to himself into a demo for what became Dropbox. Today, Dropbox is one of the world's leading business collaboration platforms, with 15 million paying subscribers and nearly 3000 employees across 12 global offices.
# of Disrupt Appearances: 3
Combining a unique and unconventional blend of professional history and acquired investment experience, Kirsten formed San Francisco-based Forerunner Ventures in 2010, where she serves as Founder and Managing Partner. Noticing that emerging purchasing processes were linear and ripe for improvement, Kirsten developed a pacesetter mentality and analytical eye to remain ahead of experience-driven retail trends and identify compelling brand platforms and visionary entrepreneurs.
# of Disrupt Appearances: 3
Image Credits: Forerunner Ventures
Megan QuinnMegan Quinn is the chief operating officer of Niantic where she oversees business operations and international development across the company. In 2015, Megan was a general partner at Spark Capital where she focused on growth stage investments, including Glossier, Handshake, Pendo, Rover, and InVision. During this period, she also led Spark Capital's investment in Niantic during the company's Series B funding round where she joined the company's board. She's held product leadership positions at Google and Square prior to getting into venture.
# of Disrupt Appearances: 3
Image Credits: Megan Quinn
Michelle ZatlynMichelle Zatlyn is co-founder and COO of Cloudflare, a leading Internet security, performance, and reliability company that was named to CNBC's Disruptor 50 List, selected by the Wall Street Journal as the Most Innovative Internet Technology Company for two successive years, and named a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum. Before co-founding Cloudflare, Michelle held positions at Google and Toshiba and launched two successful startups. She holds a BS degree, with distinction, from McGill University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she was awarded the Dubliner Prize for Entrepreneurship.
# of Disrupt Appearances: 3
Niko Bonatsos is a managing director at General Catalyst, a venture capital firm with approximately $5 billion in total capital raised. Working from the firm's San Francisco Bay Area offices, Niko focuses his investment strategy on finding first-time technology founders with strong product instincts, a robust appetite for learning, and a desire to create innovations with the potential to benefit millions. In his nine years with GC, Niko has been instrumental in the firm's investments in Atrium, Audius, Cover, Hive, HubHaus, ClassDojo, Paribus (acquired by CapitalOne), Sleeper, and Snap (NYSE: SNAP) among others.
# of Disrupt Appearances: 4
Image Credits: General Catalyst
Roelof BothaRoelof F. Botha has spent over 15 years building companies in Silicon Valley. He began within the walls of nascent PayPal, where he joined in March 2000 while completing his MBA at Stanford. He became CFO in 2001 and led the company through both its IPO in early 2002 and the subsequent acquisition by eBay. Roelof joined Sequoia Capital in 2003 to help founders build enduring businesses. In addition to leading the US office and serving as one of three Stewards of the global Sequoia Partnership, Roelof focuses on internet, services and software investments.
# of Disrupt Appearances: 8
Susan Lyne is co-founder and General Partner of BBG Ventures, an NYC-based, early-stage fund leading investments in companies built by underestimated founders that are transforming our collective and lived experiences. Since 2014, the fund has invested in 60 companies including Zola, The Wing, Modsy, Lola, KiwiCo, Glamsquad, HopSkipDrive, Spring Health, and Blueland. Before founding BBG Ventures Susan held leadership positions at media, technology, and entertainment companies of all sizes and stages, from startups to public companies.
# of Disrupt Appearances: 6
Join us and the TC10 at Disrupt 2020 from September 14-18 by getting your Digital Pro Pass today! Prices are discounted for just 72 hours during our flash sale so if you've been on the fence, now's the time to act!