Ignite Singularity: The End of Venture as We Know It with David S. Rose | Ep267

What do you learn after building companies across five generations, and investing in thousands more?David S. Rose has been early to nearly every wave: PCs, the internet, mobile, and now AI. As the founder of Gust, he didn’t just invest in startups, he built the infrastructure that powers how startups raise money globally.He’s a serial entrepreneur, one of the most active angel investors in the world, founder of New York Angels, and the architect behind Gust, which now supports over 2 million founders and most major angel networks worldwide.In Today's Episode We Discuss:00:01 – Intro & David S. Rose background00:24 – Early entrepreneurial beginnings02:30 – College ventures & first hustles03:30 – First job with Senator Moynihan04:40 – Real estate career & early tech adoption05:20 – Inventing proptech06:50 – First startup experiences08:00 – WristMac and early wearable tech10:30 – Mobile messaging startup13:30 – Accidental Series A raise16:00 – Wireless software & early telecom17:30 – Internet disruption18:00 – AirMedia & wireless internet vision22:00 – Dot-com boom & expansion23:40 – Dot-com crash & shutdown24:40 – Transition to angel investing25:30 – Founding New York Angels26:30 – Building Gust platform29:00 – Gust Launch & company formation30:00 – Writing books & Quora33:00 – AI impact on startups35:00 – USREM & real estate marketplace37:00 – Current ventures & roles39:00 – Singularity University origins42:00 – Exponential technology & Ray Kurzweil49:00 – AI, AGI, and future predictions52:00 – Impact of AI on venture capital54:00 – Future of work & unemployment thesis58:00 – UBI and economic restructuring01:00:00 – Abundance & societal shifts01:01:30 – Entrepreneurship in AI era01:03:30 – Healthcare, robotics, and tech progress01:05:00 – Founder mindset & entrepreneurship01:07:30 – Startup success traits01:09:30 – Investment decision framework01:11:30 – Closing thoughts & where to find DavidAlong the way, he shares lessons from decades of building through booms, crashes, and paradigm shifts—and why today’s founders are playing a completely different game.“If a machine can do your job better, faster, and cheaper… by definition, that job disappears.”“Entrepreneurs are like cockroaches. You can’t kill us.”From selling firewood on his first day of college to powering global startup ecosystems, David’s story is a reminder: the tools change, the stakes get higher, but the mindset that builds companies stays constant.Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Ga6v0YUsHotLhjap67uu5Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ignite-conversations-on-startups-venture-capital-tech/id1709248824Follow David S. Rose on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidsrose/Follow David S. Rose on X: https://x.com/davidsroseFollow Brian on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bblinkedin/Visit Our Website: https://www.teamignite.venturesSubscribe to Our Newsletter: https://insights.teamignite.ventures/👂🎧 Watch, listen, and follow on your favorite platform: https://tr.ee/S2ayrbx_fL 🙏 Join the conversation on your favorite social network: https://linktr.ee/theignitepodcast