David Carman

David Carman, Venture Critic for Blackline Review, selects, interviews, evaluates, and rates Chicago’s most promising high-growth startups. Prior to joining Blackline Review, David founded the BNC Venture Capital Group in October 2006 where three startups pitch every month to a sophisticated audience of entrepreneurs, senior-level executives, and investors. David also mentors startups for the Cleantech Open global competition, qualifies 10 later-stage companies to compete in the GCCA global competition, and frequently attends the quarterly New York Private Equity Forum where startups pay up to $15,000 to pitch in front of 200+ investors. At BNC, David has interviewed many of Chicago’s top entrepreneurs including Mark Achler of Redbox; George Deeb of iExplore and Media Recall; Mike Evans of GrubHub; Troy Henikoff of TechStars Chicago and SurePayroll; Ross Kimbarovsky of CrowdSPRING; Matt Moog of Viewpoints, ’1871,’ Built in Chicago, and the FireStarter Fund; Chuck Templeton of Impact Engine and Open Table; Genevieve Thiers of Sittercity, ContactKarma, and OperaModa; Ira Weiss of Hyde Park Angels and Hyde Park Venture Partners; Kevin Willer of the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center, ’1871,’ and New World Ventures; and Sam Yagan of TechStars Chicago, OK Cupid, TheSpark.com, and Match.com. David graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Washington University in St. Louis in 1975. He began his professional career at the Chicago Board Options Exchange where he traded in the pits for 19 years. After leaving the trading arena in 2003, David spent two years as a wealth advisor including a stint at Rothschild Investment Corporation — a privately-held investment boutique firm in the Chicago Loop.