Mr. Nelsen is an award-winning CEO who has founded and run several companies including social media pioneer TalkShoe. He has raised more than $70,000,000 in Federal, angel investor, and venture capital funding. Most importantly, as a CEO himself, he has successfully tackled in his own businesses many of the same challenges his clients are now facing.

After earning a Masters degree in Operations Research at Stanford University in 1983, Dave spent twelve years at AT&T where he led marketing and product management of the firm’s high-speed InterSpan® Data Services line. Later, he helped networking start-up FORE Systems grow tenfold and become a major player in the Internet backbone. 

Mr. Nelsen co-founded and was CEO of CoManage until selling it to Canadian firm Syndesis after seven years. During this period, he was recognized as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Mr. Nelsen subsequently founded TalkShoe, which immersed him in the emerging social networking and social media phenomenon. During this period, he was recognized as CEO of the Year by the leading US technology trade association.

Dave is a founding member of Vistage 0676, part of the world’s largest CEO network. He has been repeatedly voted as “Most Valuable Contributor” by his CEO peers and now regularly speaks to groups of private company CEOs on the Vistage circuit.

Mr. Nelsen chaired the Audit and Compensation Committees of NASDAQ-traded NPSI. He is past Board Chairman of the Pittsburgh chapter of the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship and has served on the Board of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra among several other non-profits.

Dave is a professional speaker available through the Infinite Speakers Agency, appears on a bi-weekly radio show with host Ron Morris, and writes a monthly column for TEQ Magazine.

Mr. Nelsen is a marathoner, Adventure Racer, and triathlete. In his spare time, he makes award-winning red wines.