David Valdman

Fam, let me put you on to David Valdman. This guy’s the real deal in the startup game. He’s a YC alum from S17, that’s summer 2017, so he’s been in the trenches for a minute. He’s one of those founders who jumped into the deep end early and crushed it.

His main gig right now is Standard AI, which used to be called Standard Cognition. These guys are working on AI-powered checkout tech for retail, basically, making shopping smooth and no bullshit. Think no lines, no cashiers, just walk out and go. It’s super futuristic but also super needed, and David is right there pushing it forward. He co-founded it with a crew that’s pretty solid, Jordan Fisher, Michael Suswal, John Novak, Brandon Ogle, Daniel Fischetti, and TJ Lutz. They’re based in SF, and the company’s been making waves in the YC scene, especially with how AI is transforming retail.

But hold up, David’s story didn’t start there. He’s got roots in a bunch of other tech and investment stuff. He’s worked at Mapzen and Famo.us, both known for modern tech and design. That shows he’s always been into innovation, not just the hype but real technical shit. Plus, he’s got a background in travel tech and investment, Gresham Investment, so he’s seen the startup world from multiple angles: building, investing, scaling.

And he’s a UCSB guy, that’s where he got his start, I guess, in the whole tech and entrepreneurship scene. From there, he jumped into startups, learned how to build, fail, iterate, and eventually, how to lead. His process screams one thing: he’s super motivated to build stuff that actually changes how we live and work. He’s not just chasing the shiny tech, he’s solving real problems, making retail smarter, faster, better.

What does this all say about him? Dude’s got a chip on his shoulder, in a good way. He’s seen what’s broken in the world, and instead of whining, he jumped in to fix it. He’s been around enough to know that building something meaningful means grinding, taking risks, and not settling for bullshit. That’s why he’s so important, he’s one of those founders who proves that with the right tech and mindset, you can really shake up industries.

So yeah, David Valdman isn’t just some startup guy, he’s a builder, a thinker, a guy who’s genuinely out here trying to make the future happen. And that’s why he’s worth paying attention to.