Brian Devaney, an accomplished founder and startup growth leader, has made a name for himself as an early-stage venture capitalist and partner to founders. With years of experience working with companies at every stage of the funding process, he has played an instrumental role in taking startups from the idea stage all the way through to IPO. Devaney's work at Eventbrite, a successful online ticketing platform, saw him serving as VP of Growth and running a multimillion-dollar revenue line as General Manager. He founded a local services marketplace, SkillSlate, which was ultimately sold to TaskRabbit, and has served as an angel investor and growth advisor to dozens of startups.

Devaney holds an MBA in Finance and General Management from New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business, and a BS in Business Administration with a specialization in Entrepreneurship and Marketing from the University of Southern California. He has held positions at several prestigious organizations, including Scout at Sequoia Capital, Growth Advisory Council at Y Combinator, and Expert Network Advisor and Angel Track at First Round Capital.

Currently, Devaney serves as a partner at defy.vc. His extensive experience, coupled with his deep knowledge of the startup ecosystem, has made him a sought-after advisor and mentor to founders looking to scale their businesses.