Meet Polsky Member of the Month: David Dewane

March 2019 Polsky Member of the Month, David Dewane

As Polsky Member David Dewane puts it, he was born with “entrepreneurship in his blood.” Driven by a constant desire to create better options to solve a problem, rather than complaining, David has always been drawn to the life of an entrepreneur. And when he finally made the decision to transition out of his full-time job to go “all in” on his startup, Polsky was just the thing he needed to make it all come together.

David joined the Polsky Center just this past September and soon after became accepted into the Polsky Incubator program. For David, whose cofounding team is currently scattered all across the country, the decision to become a Polsky member was simple: “Without money or infrastructure or a local team… Polsky was clearly the best and most affordable option.” But, what ultimately sealed the deal for him was finding an already-established close community of other entrepreneurs

For David, this community has become essential to the development of his company. Being a part of the Polsky Incubator cohort has allowed him to easily reach out and work alongside companies that are all facing similar challenges and whose goals and priorities align with his own. The mentorship provided at Polsky has proven to be a particularly helpful aspect as well: “There are gaps in our team that mentors are helping us figure out how to fill or work through, which makes all the difference”.

David is a cofounder of Mouse Books, a company focused on making easily transportable, cell-phone sized physical books that can be carried all day. A company whose roots began as a reaction to the increasing pervasiveness of technology in our everyday lives, Mouse Books has already managed to put more than 30,000 of their books into the world – across every state in the US and in more than 40 countries.

A Mouse Book reader, taking a break from her work with a good book.

When asked what is the number one piece of advice he would give to other entrepreneurs, David answered, “Be really honest with yourself. Most entrepreneurs are driven and don’t have a problem with work – in fact, they may retreat into deep work just because it’s comfortable and they feel in control. But if you are not completely honest about what you’re doing and why, you can waste a lot of time answering the wrong questions.”

And of course, we pressed David for a bit more information (just for fun)…

What is your spirit animal and why?

Bald Eagle, because of their focus.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Nosce te ipsum – know thyself.

You’re trapped on a desert island and can only choose one book to read, movie to watch, and album to listen to for the rest of your life. Which do you choose?

Book: The complete poetry of Richard Brautigan. Movie: M*A*S*H. Album: Townes van Zant.