Name: Venture Trailblazers featuring David Hornik
Start: 2027-01-20T08:00:00-0800
End: 2027-01-20T09:00:00-0800

David Hornik joins Adeo Ressi for the next edition of Venture Trailblazers.

David Hornik is a Founding Partner of Lobby Capital, the early-stage firm he launched in 2021 after spending two decades as a General Partner at August Capital. Over more than 25 years in venture, he has backed category-defining infrastructure and SaaS companies like Splunk, Fastly, and GitLab, fintech businesses including Bill.com, WePay, and PayNearMe, and consumer services such as Evite, Ebates, and Remix AI. His firm was Splunk’s very first investor and still owned 15% of the company when it went public. He chairs the board of Fastly and has served as an independent director of BILL since 2016. Lobby Capital is built on one simple idea: venture is all about the people. It grew out of the Lobby Conferences, which have brought together more than 2,000 entrepreneurs, operators, and investors.

David has been one of venture’s most visible community builders for two decades. He launched VentureBlog and VentureCast, the industry’s first VC blog and podcast. He served as Tech Curator for TED, co-created and hosted TEDx Stanford, and founded the Lobby Conferences. Deloitte named him Venture Capitalist of the Year, and Forbes has included him on its Midas List. His education is eclectic: a BA in Computer Music from Stanford, an MPhil in Criminology from Cambridge, and a JD from Harvard Law School. He now lectures at Stanford GSB, Stanford Law School, and Harvard Law School, and is a Fellow at the Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum Technology. Outside of investing, he is a dedicated art collector. He serves as a commissioner of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, sits on the board of GLAAD, and is vice chair of the Stanford Alumni Association board.

What We’ll Cover:

David’s path from computer music major and Harvard-trained lawyer to more than 25 years as an enterprise software investor
How he did it: the judgment, habits, and relationships behind a track record that ranks among the best in venture
Lessons from early bets on Splunk, Fastly, GitLab, and Bill.com, and how to spot enterprise category leaders before the market does
Leaving an established franchise after 20 years to launch Lobby Capital, and what emerging managers can learn from building a new firm brand
Why “it’s all about the people”: using community, content, and conferences as a lasting sourcing edge
His boardroom perspective on scaling companies through IPO, plus his advice for founders and managers in today’s market

Who Should Attend:

Enterprise, SaaS, and fintech founders preparing for seed or Series A
Emerging managers building a differentiated brand and network-driven deal flow, including GPs considering a spinout
Angels and VCs studying long-term enterprise software returns and board-level company building
Ecosystem leaders and community builders using events and content to attract founders and investors

About VC Lab VC Lab (https://GoVCLab.com) is the leading venture capital accelerator worldwide. The four-month program is completely free for new and emerging managers. Top managers have launched nearly 300 ethical and enduring venture capital firms and venture builders worldwide with VC Lab. The VC Lab program includes all of the tools needed to efficiently complete a close in six months or less. VC Lab provides managers with weekly fund-building sprints to plan and launch the firm. Managers receive tactical advice from domain experts and join a supportive community of experts. VC Lab helps build essential fundraising skills and provides free access to the leading vertical SaaS platform for running a venture firm. In order to complete the VC Lab program, managers must launch a fund and close on fresh capital. This normally requires at least 25 hours per week for new managers and less time for emerging managers. Learn more at https://GoVCLab.com and apply to the program at https://FI.co/apply/vc