Episode 374: Dave Blundin - Serial Entrepreneur & Investor

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Mar 22, 2025

Dave Blundin, serial entrepreneur and investor who co-founded companies like DataSage and EverQuote and founded Link Ventures and Cogo Labs. He revisits early AI work at MIT and pioneering neural nets. Conversation covers building big data and fintech companies, founding repeatable startup playbooks, the strategic role of chip manufacturing, and the emerging era of efficient, embedded AI.

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ANECDOTE

DataSage Prediction Work Drove Millions In Walmart Savings

DataSage partnered with Masspar to deploy neural nets at scale, landing clients like Walmart and saving millions by predicting store-level demand.
The project processed 20TB nightly Teradata dumps to forecast SKU sales across 2,000 stores, immediately reducing inventory waste.

ANECDOTE

Amazon Deal Turned Personalization Into DataSage's Breakout

Jeff Bezos hired DataSage to make Amazon's website personalized, calling data plus neural nets their one competitive weapon.
Landing Amazon as a reference accelerated DataSage's growth in 1998–99 and led to a rapid rise in demand for personalization.

INSIGHT

Early Personalization Market Created Rapid Acquisition Rush

Personalization at scale in the late 90s had only a few commercial players; DataSage and Personify led the market and acquisition interest spiked valuations.
DataSage accepted Vignette's stock deal that tripled post-close, effectively delivering a billion-dollar outcome.

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Episode 374 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Dave Blundin, serial entrepreneur & investor. Dave’s track record is legendary as one of the top entrepreneurs and investors in the Boston tech scene. He’s co-founded 23 companies… and many have been incredibly successful: * DataSage - acquired by Vignette for over $1B in today’s dollars * EverQuote - which went public * Vestmark - manages over $2 trillion in assets Companies like CourseAdvisor, Jobcase, Autotegrity, LeadKarma were all acquired. Plus he’s invested in CarGurus, TripAdvisor… and he is the Founder & General Partner of Link Ventures and he’s also the founder of the startup incubator, Cogo Labs. One might think that after all of this success, Dave would downshift and relax… but it is the exact opposite. He has been waiting for this moment since he was 14 years old and that is the current platform shift to AI. He studied AI at MIT back in 1984 and pioneered quantizing neural networks as early as 1992. Needless to say… his time is now and he believes that it has the potential to be the greatest thing that ever happened to humanity. He wants to savor the moment and work to train and build faster, better, & smarter AI. Chapters 00:00 Intro 02:43 Dave Blundin's Journey Begins 08:27 Founding DataSage and Early Innovations 15:55 Meeting Jeff Bezos & Building Personalization at Amazon 18:18 DataSage Acquisition by Vignette 20:59 Founding Story of Vestmark & Its Scale 27:39 Link Ventures & Cogo Labs - Building Consumer Companies at Scale 32:31 Story of EverQuote to IPO 35:04 The Best Friend Method for Investing 36:33 AI & The Importance of Chip Manufacturing 41:45 The AI Revolution & Opportunities 44:11 Liquid AI: General-Purpose AI Systems at Every Scale 47:45 Boston's Talent Density & MIT's Advantage 53:44 Personal Insights and Hobbies 57:40 Podcast & Book Recommendations Episode Sponsor: As a longtime champion of the local startup ecosystem, Silicon Valley Bank supports innovative companies with the solutions and financing they need through every stage of growth. With more than 1,500 bankers and relationship advisors, and $42B in loans as of Q2 2024 – SVB delivers the right people, service and resources to support your entire financial journey. Learn more at SVB.com.