David Siminoff has never been one to shy away from taking chances.
Whether it was switching from law school to film school and ultimately to business school as a college student, or being on the ground floor of investing in some of the most well-known companies at the beginning of the dot*com era–think Google, Amazon, Yahoo, etc.–he’s never been afraid to take risks.
It’s why he says students must be willing to “bug the HR person at Apple to return their phone calls,” for example, as they enter the job market. It’s all about finding a way to get your foot in the door.
Siminoff, a noted Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor, presented “How Silicon Valley Creates Wealth: The Story of Intellectual (not Financial) Capital” in the USI Performance Center on Monday, September 22 in front of a full house of students, faculty and staff. The presentation was the inaugural event in the Romain Market Makers Speaker Series.
“You need to have courage. I wish (students) would go out there and understand that they’re quite talented,” Siminoff said. “Fortune favors the bold. Be bold.”
Siminoff’s presentation covered his career journey as an innovator in tech, or as he called it, “being a tech lottery winner,” and how he got his start as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist. He discussed starting his own portfolio at the age of 13 and how he was able to retire by the age of 38–although, he’s stayed busy by continuously investing.
He also chatted about what students are up against as they enter their respective careers with one common denominator being Artificial Intelligence (AI). He referred to it as both “a friend and a foe.” But he said there are plenty of ways for students to take advantage of it–in fact, he believes they should consider it as simply another part of their education.
“AI is not an optional thing to understand. You don't have to build it. You don't have to know how to code an AI algorithm. But you do have to know how to optimize it,” Siminoff said. “I would look at it as they should invest $100 a month in premium AI services all over the place just as part of their education.”
Throughout the day, Siminoff had a chance to speak with a large number of Romain College of Business students both in classes and during the presentation. He said he was impressed with what he saw and mentioned during the presentation that the top percentile at USI is no different than the top percentile at his alma mater, Stanford.
But if there’s one thing he would like to see more of from USI students, it’s to not be afraid to take chances.
“What I like about USI students is they have all the skill sets to be heavy hitters in whatever their fields are. But they kind of get right up to the edge without stepping through the door,” Siminoff said. “You have to just take that last step to ask for the deal or whatever. I want to see people wake up a bit to that mindset.”
With more than four decades of experience in technology and venture capital, Siminoff has been involved in over 1,100 Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) including early investments in PayPal, Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Yahoo. He co-founded Shmoop University, has served on the boards of major tech companies such as Crunchyroll, BlogHer, SlideShare, and Coupons.com, and was once described by The Wall Street Journal as part of Silicon Valley’s “It Couple” with his wife, Ellen.
Siminoff holds degrees from Stanford University and the University of Southern California and continues to play an influential role in shaping innovation and entrepreneurship.
The Romain College of Business’ new Romain Market Makers Speaker Series brings to campus innovative leaders and visionaries who have helped to “move the market” by shaping industries, driving growth and redefining the future of business.
