Dave serves as Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors at Material. As former CEO of LRW (now Material), Dave helped the company grow from a $5MM local market research provider into an internationally renowned customer insights and strategy consultancy working in more than 40 countries. Material embodies Dave’s vision of helping companies embed deep human understanding into core business functions.
In 2015, Dave led a growth capital funding round from Tailwind Capital, a private equity firm focused on high-growth middle market companies. That year, he also delivered a TEDx talk in London on creating real change through virtual reality. He was named a Tech Visionary by SURVEY Magazine’s Technology Trendsetters for his work with AppliedVR®, the leading medical virtual reality company helping to solve America’s opioid crisis. Notably, AppliedVR® was the first virtual reality therapeutic to receive FDA approval.
In addition to AppliedVR®, where Dave serves as Chairman, he advises emerging entrepreneurs at USC’s Marshall School of Business, plays an advisory role to the UCLA Dean of Social Sciences, and is an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO). Dave is an avid tennis player and lives in Los Angeles with his wife of 40 years. He adores his three adult children, their spouses, and his five young grandchildren.