Andrew Ackerman

Head of REACH Labs / Strategic Advisor

2021 - Current

Second Century Ventures is the strategic venture arm of the National Association of Realtors (NAR), focusing on innovation in the real estate technology.

Adjunct Professor

2023

Fundamentals of Strategy, Entrepreneurship

Angel Investor

2005

• Recent investments via AA Ventures (my AngelList syndicate): Strayos, TRAXyL, SmartBarrel, ProDeal, NestEgg • Prior investments: ff Ventures, Wizpert, SpeakLike, Hx Technologies, Avid RP, etc.

Contributing Writer

2005

60+ published articles on startup related topics, venture investing, and corporate innovation in AlleyWatch and other publications including Fortune, Forbes, Propmodo, Hanley Woods, CREtech, EdSurge, The 74, etc. (See Publications section below)

Supercharger

2022

neonVest supercharges founders' networks by connecting early-stage founders to curated VCs and elite founder-operators for 1-on-1 coffee-chats. More info: neonvest.com

Advisory Board Member

2013

SignUp.com provides millions of people with free, easy to use tools and resources for coordinating people and activities. Whether it is a group of parents, friends, coworkers, students, or volunteers, SignUp.com makes every group activity a greater success.

Entrepreneur in Residence

2023 - 2023

Customer discovery and concept validation for a potential construction tech startup for this Venture Studio.

Strategic Advisor

2021 - 2022

Managing Director, UrbanTech

2017 - 2021

• Responsible for all aspects of launching the Urbantech program, including recruiting, evaluating & interviewing startup applicants, and developing customer & investor networks. • Responsible for sourcing startups for investment. Saw over 2000 startups per year and selected ~10. Managed a team of two (associate and program manager). • Prepared startups to raise funds and introduce them to institutional investors who can lead their A rounds by taking them into the VC’s offices for one-on-one, 20 minute “Investor Sprint” meetings. • Built network of ~100 corporate partners for "Customer Sprints." Described as “personal shopping for startups,” we bring our portfolio companies into the corporate partners’ offices to introduce them to senior decision makers resulting in 5-, 6- & even 7-figure contracts. • Assisted corporate partners develop and execute on their strategies for sourcing external innovation and encouraging internal innovation • Frequent speaker, panelist, and pitch competition judge at conferences throughout the US & abroad (e.g., S. Korea, Poland, Canada). • Generate unique, memorable, and actionable material for external presentation and internal training. • Raised capital for Dreamit Fund II & III

Managing Director, Edtech

2015 - 2017

• Launched the Edtech industry vertical from scratch • Reviewed thousands startup pitches including 1,756 applicants for 17 openings (<1% acceptance rate) in 2016 alone. • Worked closely with Penn State, Blackboard, and other key sponsors to source external and internal innovation and developed additional sponsors for the program. • Recruited partners for and ran 18 Customer Sprints. • Arranged over 240 curated Investor Sprint VC meetings.

Managing Director, NYC

2014 - 2015

• Responsible for every aspect of the New York startup accelerator program • Recruited startups for two industry-agnostic cohorts of pre-seed startups using a combination of events, online outreach & extensive personal network • Developed and refined curriculum. Recruited top speakers. • Oversaw all elements of Demo Days, with over 400+ angel & seed stage VCs in attendance. • Managed relationships with law & accounting sponsors of the NY program and developed new ones.

CEO

2012 - 2012

• Recruited to launch this dead-simple, family digital memory database app + website startup from scratch. • Identified and hired top-notch CTO • Took grand vision, drilled down to Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and phased implementation plan, defined data architecture, and wireframed app & site flow. • Raised angel funding, recruited advisors, and pitched at multiple events. • Transitioned day-to-day management to idea-founder.