David Cowan

Producer

Afghan Dreamers

As a venture capitalist with Bessemer Venture Partners in Silicon Valley, David Cowan has led early stage investments in Twitch, LinkedIn, Skybox, Twilio, Blue Nile, and 20 other startups that went IPO. Cowan also co-founded three cybersecurity companies: VeriSign, Good Technology (fka Visto), and Defense.Net. The Forbes Midas List of the top venture capitalists has included Cowan thirteen times, ranking him as high as #6.

Cowan wrote, directed, and performed in the acapella stage musical Lies in the Attic, which enjoyed a commercially successful run in San Jose in early 2016. He earned his BS (in C.S. and math) and his MBA degrees from Harvard University.

Participating Sessions

AFGHANISTAN IN CRISIS

As the Taliban swept back into power this month, the world witnessed a clamoring for escape among Afghans desperately trying to flee the return of the strict Islamist regime. At special risk were the often invisible corps of locals who make the work of foreign journalists and filmmakers possible. They include local employees of news organizations, fixers, interpreters, drivers, and others, without whom the world would know little of Afghanistan....