Dan Beldy, Venture Capitalist

Dan Beldy

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.