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Mark Davis
Partner at Interplay, Author, and Podcaster
Mark Peter Davis is a prominent venture capitalist and entrepreneur based in New York City, currently serving as the Managing Partner at Interplay Ventures, a firm focused on investing in and incubating innovative companies since 2012. His extensive background includes founding and co-founding several organizations, such as the Columbia Venture Community and the New York Venture Community, and he has invested in notable companies like Coinbase and Warby Parker.35
Education and Career
Davis holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and History from Duke University and an MBA in Venture Finance from Columbia Business School. His career spans over two decades in the venture capital and startup ecosystem, with previous roles including Senior Associate at Draper Fisher Jurvetson Gotham Ventures and Manager at KPMG's M&A Advisory.13
Contributions and Influence
In addition to his investment work, Davis is an author of The Fundraising Rules, which provides insights into the fundraising process for startups. He also hosts a podcast titled Innovation with Mark Peter Davis, where he discusses various topics related to entrepreneurship and innovation.256 His influence in the startup community has earned him recognition, including being named one of Business Insider's 100 Most Influential Digital New Yorkers.3
Davis is actively involved in mentoring and supporting emerging entrepreneurs through various initiatives and organizations, reflecting his commitment to fostering innovation and growth in the startup ecosystem.45
Highlights
To kick off a new season of the pod, I sat down with Patrick Butler, Founder CEO of BizDefender. Patrick, a seasoned founder with deep technical expertise, discusses his latest venture, BizDefender, a company co-founded and developed in @interplay's foundry.
BizDefender addresses the growing epidemic of fraud targeting small and medium-sized businesses. The conversation delves into the various types of business fraud, including hacking, social engineering, and brand spoofing. Patrick explains how BizDefender is stepping up with a simple, accessible solution, including a free-tier product, to help businesses monitor and mitigate these fraud risks, which are often invisible yet devastating. Small businesses are particularly vulnerable to fraud, with median losses that could cripple many companies. BizDefender aims to provide a much-needed defense, offering tools to monitor dark web activity, protect against phishing attacks, and offer human support to navigate the complex landscape of fraud prevention.
Check out the pod and give BizDefender a shot to see how it can help your company stay safe at https://t.co/rEDLY0MnkE.
On average, multi-brand retailers fail to sell 30% of their inventory, resulting in a financial loss with a material impact to the business. Today, no effective solution exists; liquidation solutions generate pennies on the dollar and existing software solutions all cater to large brands. Max Retail (https://t.co/qiJ8wM38U5) is solving the issue of excess inventory for SMB, multi-brand retailers with a platform that enables these businesses to efficiently sell excess inventory directly to end-consumers via its innovative zero-inventory technology platform. @interplay is extremely excited to be investors in Max Retail and to work with their team, led by @MelodievdB, as they help multi-brand retailers maximize sales.
Learn more about Max Retail via a great blog post by my fellow Interplay team member Caroline Elliott: https://t.co/b6dJZkEiVe
