David Mandel is a seasoned entrepreneur and an experienced early-stage technology venture capitalist who has built, operated, and successfully exited four firms in the Insurance and Finance industries. He is now Managing Partner at Emerging Ventures Fund, where he is actively investing in start-ups and using his expertise, contacts, and financial resources to help aspiring founders build their businesses. He has a rich educational background, including a Ph.D. dropout in Applied Mathematics from the University of Southern California, an MS in Applied Mathematics from California State University, Northridge, and a BS in Mathematics and Computer Science from the same institution. Over the years, David has held various positions in different organizations, ranging from Board Member at Pasadena Angels, Member at Pasadena Angels, and Investment Professional at Tech Coast Angels Los Angeles to Chairman, CEO at Platinum Group of Companies, Inc., Investment Professional at Tech Coast Angels Los Angeles, and EVP, General Manager Alliance United Insurance at Kemper, among others.