Daniel Becker

Dan holds an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, with majors in finance (PE/VC), entrepreneurship, and media management. He earned his BA from Marquette University, in anthropology and economics. 

​

Dan is an amateur sailor, holding BBC and Spinnaker skipper certifications, and the credentials for wanna-be race crew on the J/105 class. He also enjoys extended treks into the wilderness and off-the-beaten-path travel.

Daniel Becker is a co-founder and General Partner of Talents Fund, where he focuses on investments, portfolio company development, and the firm’s operations.

​

He brings more than two decades of experience as a venture investor, repeat venture-backed founder/operator, and corporate development leader. He invests and builds on the conviction that innovation occurs at the convergence of disciplines, cultures, and technologies.

​

Previously, Dan held investment, strategy, and corporate development leadership roles at Samsung Electronics, Gracenote/Tribune Media, and Impact Venture Capital. At Samsung, he helped establish the company’s corporate development group in South Korea before moving to Silicon Valley to help launch its Open Innovation Fund while leading corporate development for its Media Solution Center.

​

His company-building experience began abroad in the Peace Corps and in his hometown of Milwaukee, where he founded and led multiple economic development ventures. He started his professional career in management consulting with Accenture, advising Fortune 500 companies on technology transformation, strategy, and M&A.

​

Dan is a Kauffman Fellow (Class 16) and earned his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Dan is a member of Class 16. He served his fellowship at Samsung's Open Innovation Center and Media Solutions Center, under the mentorship of Brian Kang (Nautilus Venture Partners) and Seogju Lee (Samsung Corporate Development).