DAVID COHEN

Clearly, there is a gender imbalance when it comes to venture capital and entrepreneurship.

The future is going to happen in Toronto or Berlin or Bengaluru and not necessarily in the Valley.

My attitude is there are at least hundreds of interesting startups that are going to get going in every year.

Deciding whether or not to bring in an outside CEO is one of the most gut-wrenching decisions that a founder will ever need to make.

Aspiring entrepreneurs are often advised to work at a startup for a couple of years first, to understand what's involved. But often, each company's approach to success is very narrow. So my advice is, 'Just do it.'

Meetings with no goal, also known as 'coffee shop' meetings, can be huge time wasters if you're not efficient with them. 'Always know why you're meeting, and make sure it's important - try to keep them to 30 minutes, max.

I think the best developers can learn any language; if they are a good developer, they can learn whatever. But the raw talent, the ability to learn it and do it and demonstrate the ability is helpful.

I think entrepreneurs really appreciate directness and honesty, coupled with empathy.

If you're not working on something you're passionate about, it's a long, hard road.

The rise of digital technologies has eroded boundaries: Anyone can participate, start a business, and reach a global audience.

I'm most proud of helping so many others achieve their dreams as founders.

When we talk about Techstars, we think of it as this worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed.

I think there are ways that perhaps organic partnerships can occur in local geographies with groups that are extremely focused on their communities. That's really how Techstars began, as a grassroots movement in Boulder, Colo., that happened to catch fire and expand around the world.

Rules designed to ensure competition ensure that innovators with new ideas can challenge incumbents on a level playing field.

If you're in a squeeze for capital and you have a solid, mutually beneficial relationship with a VC, your chances of raising will increase dramatically.

Consumers have zero time for products that are not simple, intuitive, and attractive to use. This is especially true with Internet products, where clean and useful design is a prerequisite to keeping anyone on your site for more than 30 seconds.

Ultimately, even if you follow the advice of a mentor or board member, it's still your fault if they were wrong!

There will always be a capital shortage from the perspective of entrepreneurs.

If I'm an entrepreneur and I have an idea, and I don't have the development talent around me but I need to find a developer, I would do my selection just like I would with hiring an employee.

The hot deal is often the one that does not work.

If I had a do over, I'd indubitably start investing in startups earlier in life!

What Techstars is fundamentally a global ecosystem in which entrepreneurs are enabled and empowered to bring new technologies to the market.

TechStars is mentorship-driven.

The Internet is full of choices, and nobody is going to make the choice to use a product that is hard to use or unattractive.

We're pretty broad as investors. Our thesis is work with great entrepreneurs that believe they can change the world.