David Brown Broke Alumni Trust

In 2015, I found out Techstars anonymous feedback survey wasn’t anonymous when their CEO David Brown emailed me about mine.

After completing the Techstars program when I went through with hobbyDB, I filled out their alumni survey, as requested. The survey was supposed to be anonymous, and I used it as an opportunity to provide honest, constructive feedback. I wasn’t shy about voicing my concerns: I felt that the content was basic, several of the founders were arrogant or aggressive, and the work environment was unbearable, especially for someone like me who is autistic. The constant noise and distractions made it hard for me to focus, which is a big issue when you’re trying to get meaningful work done.

The feedback wasn’t all negative, but I made sure to be clear about the areas where Techstars was falling short. I thought the survey was an anonymous space for constructive criticism, but instead, it ended up being the start of something that left a bad taste in my mouth.

David Brown, the co-founder of Techstars (and CEO at the time), personally reached out to me. He wanted to discuss my feedback further, which seemed like a reasonable attempt to engage. But I was immediately taken aback. Not only was the feedback supposed to be anonymous, I was shocked to receive a personal invitation from someone so high up in the company.

The tone of the invitation was somewhat unsettling. I felt like I had said something wrong, and there was pressure for me to engage, even though I wasn’t comfortable with it. He asked if I’d be willing to come to his office to talk it through. I was scared. Terrified, honestly. I didn’t know what to expect from a face-to-face conversation with the co-founder of Techstars, especially after offering such candid feedback.

I didn’t respond to his first email, but then David reached out again, more insistent this time, asking again if I’d come into the office to discuss my thoughts. I still didn’t respond. I was too uncomfortable with the situation, and I feared the whole thing would feel more like an interrogation or a pressure tactic rather than a real conversation.

It was the first time I felt like I was being punished for speaking out. Instead of the feedback being taken in stride, it felt like a push to silence me or make me regret what I said.