David Booth
Mission: help the world's most ambitious people find and work on the world's most pressing problems. Method: blend technology, capital, and community in innovative/unique ways. Constantly experiment and learn. Pay it forward. Earn trust & respect. I'm an Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) & investor at Blackbird. That means I get to both sit on the investments team in NZ — on the lookout for ambitious Kiwis doing their life’s work, wherever in the world they may live today; and also build cool stuff... in my case communities, products you’ll be seeing more of soon. I'm a community builder at heart, and get a kick out of making connections. For nearly 7 years I did this at extreme scale as CEO of On Deck — where we built an “education institution for the internet”, helped 1000+ companies get started, find their first customers, hires, and investors, and raise over $2bn. I stepped back to Chairman in Jan '24 to make way for a new chapter - for me, and for the company.
Sunrise Sessions
As technology rapidly transforms the landscape of education, the way we teach and learn is evolving at an unprecedented pace. This session explores how AI and other technologies are reshaping education, from the content we teach to the methods we use. Join Penelope Barton, CEO of Crimson Global Academy, and Russell Burt, Principal of Point England School, as they share insights from the frontlines. Discover how they’re leveraging technology to prepare learners for a fast-changing world while addressing the unique challenges faced by their diverse student communities.