wharton – Page 2 – MENTOR dna

There was much intrigue amongst my classmates about the veterans in our class. I mean, who didn’t want to be a Top Gun pilot?! And who was tougher, the Navy SEAL or the Army Ranger?

Dan, aka PT*, was one of those vets in my class. Just a normal guy getting an MBA while raising small children with his lovely and fun wife; all while many of us were over-served on Thursday nights at pub.

Dan and I have spent the past 20+ years touching base on investment and business ideas, potential new ventures and board roles, and so much more. His approach is one of wanting to help and serve. He’s always making introductions and using his network to help others. He’s a true leader and I’m thrilled to have him on as MENTOR dna guest!

* Dan’s flight school buddies named him PT after the character Perfect Tommy from the 80s sci-fi comedy classic “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension”

Dan Beldy is a Partner at Canapi Ventures. Dan has spent the last 20 years in technology and finance as a venture capitalist. Previously, Dan was a managing director at Steamboat Ventures, the venture capital affiliate of The Walt Disney Company, where he led the U.S. venture team. Prior to that he was a partner at Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, the first venture firm to focus exclusively on software investments. Dan is also a founder of Airwing Ventures, and co-founder of PowerPlant Partners.

Dan has been involved with several successful companies as an investor and advisor including GoPro, Edgecast, acquired by Verizion, Vobile (HKEX:3738), Method, acquired by Ecover; upLynk, acquired by Verizon; Playdom, acquired by Disney; FreeWheel, acquired by Comcast; Greystripe, acquired by ValueClick; Employease, acquired by ADP; and Starmine, acquired by Thomson Reuters.

Earlier in his career Dan was an F/A-18 fighter pilot and instructor in the U.S. Navy, and served with the Brazilian Navy during an exchange program. Dan has a B.S. in Computer Science with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy and an MBA from The Wharton School. He enjoys family and friends, golf, triathlons and is an avid Springsteen fan. Dan has completed 290+ carrier landings, delivered 25,000+ copies of the NY Daily News, and has completed a triathlon at Alcatraz and a marathon in Antarctica.

When I hung my own shingle as a strategy, marketing and tech consultant, Liz Leung was my first client. She’s a fellow Wharton alumna and we bonded immediately when she hired me to work on a new printer launch. Liz is a humble leader and never seeks the spotlight.

Epson is a Japanese company and Liz leveraged her Chinese background and understanding of Asian cultures to ingratiate the executives in Japan. She studied Japanese and approached the parent company’s executives with deep and authentic reverence. In 2011, Liz was asked if she would shift her attention to help turn around the Latin America consumer printing business. She’d repeatedly gained executive buy-in for strategic initiatives in a positive and constructive manner – all while maintaining a big picture approach. She immediately started learning Spanish and while keeping the entire Latin America product team intact, she led them to turn the Epson printing business around with the introduction of its big tank printer EcoTank. That technology transformed the Latin America consumer printing market and pushed Epson to teh number 1 market share position in the region.

Liz’s advice for her 30 year old self:

Find a mentor or mentors. People who act as your tour guide within an organization, but also act as your mirror to reflect immediate and direct feedback
Plan. Observe what it takes to achieve the success you want within your organization and formulate your plan. Share that plan with your mentors and have them hold you accountable.
Network. Within and outside your organization. Be authentic. Give back.

About Liz Leung

Liz has over 20 years of leadership experience in a wide range of corporate functions. Most recently, Liz has been a marketing executive at Epson America, a Japanese owned technology company based in Long Beach, California. During her tenure at Epson, Liz has been responsible for the go-to-market strategies and life cycle management of product lines accounting for up to $700M in revenues. She has also led various successful new product market entries in both North and Latin Americas, achieving top market share position within a few years after the product introduction. As general manager of her product lines, Liz has managed a large team of product managers in both Americas, and played a leadership role in many large-scale, organizational development initiatives. As a corporate leader, she has regularly partnered with various functional groups, including Finance, Operations, Legal and Sales, to achieve the organization’s objectives. Earlier in her career, Liz led the Corporate Strategy department at Epson, and worked as a management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group.

Liz studied at Cornell and Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania. Before entering Wharton, she was a wedding dress designer. Liz is an avid gardener, travels extensively, sings in a jazz ensemble, and enjoys podcasts. Her daughter, Tess, is a professional ballerina in the Smuin Contemporary Ballet in San Francisco, California.

Category: wharton

Dan Beldy, Venture Capitalist

Liz Leung

About Liz Leung