Duncan Davidson
Website: https://medium.com/@duncandavi
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncandavi
Twitter: https://twitter.com/duncandavi
Others: http://bullpencap.com/
Menlo Park, California, United States
Member since January 13, 2011
- About
| Type of investor | Accelerator |
| Typical investment size | $500k - $1M |
| Typical investments in a year | 12 |
| Locations of interest | |
| Credentials | Qualified Purchaser |
| 1975 Brown , BS , Physics |
| 1978 Michigan Law , JD , Law |
Investor
best doesn't always win
timing
get the whole product right
rock star team
listen to the market
Duncan is a serial entrepreneur who was a managing director at a major venture fund, VantagePoint Venture Partners, before forming Bullpen. At VantagePoint, Duncan focused on digital media and mobile. His deals include Widevine, the leading provider of digital rights management and adaptive streaming for online video, bought by Google; and Livescribe, the maker of an innovative digital smartpen that has received many awards for innovation.
In 1996 he founded Covad Communications, the leading independent DSL provider. On less than $12M of venture investment, Covad raised over $2B in debt and equity and went public in 1998, reaching a $9B market value.
In 1997, he joined InterTrust Technologies as SVP Business Development, and led the IPO in 1999 and the secondary in 2000, reaching over $8B market value at the peak. InterTrust was the inventor of digital rights management and after the IPO was bought by Sony and Philips.
In 2001 he formed SkyPilot Networks, developer of a robust outdoor wireless mesh system, which was sold to Trillium in 2009 for connectivity to smart meters.
In 2007 he helped form Xumii, Inc, which provides mobile social network technology to carriers. In 2009, Xumii was bought by Myriad Labs, a European mobile software provider. The Xumii product line now supports over 50M messeging customers worldwide, largely in emerging markets.
Prior to starting companies, Duncan ran Regis McKenna’s consulting firm, and before that was VP at Gemini Consulting, the management consulting arm of Cap Gemini. His clients included Apple, AMD, ATT, Disney. Intel, Hughes (DirecTV), Motorola, Nokia, and Tandem.
He began his career as a lawyer, and in 1983 joined a small venture fund, Cambridge Venture Partners, first as a deal attorney and later as a deal partner. In 1986 he went to Strategic Planning Associates to help with LBO advisory work.
He received an Sc.B. in physics/math from Brown University, with Honors, and a J.D. magna cum laude from Michigan Law School, were he was Order of the Coif and a member of the Law Review.
