David Spielfogel serves as cofounder and managing partner of Ekistic Ventures, a group of problem-solvers actively cultivating a portfolio of disruptive companies bringing new solutions to urban problems. He has nearly two decades of experience at the highest levels of local government, political campaigns, and philanthropy, with a focus on setting short- and long-term strategies for implementation.

Until early 2016, Spielfogel was senior advisor to Mayor Rahm Emanuel, overseeing long-term planning and the implementation and communication of the mayor’s priority initiatives. He previously served as chief of staff at the MacArthur Foundation, where he worked on the foundation’s domestic and international programs, as deputy policy director for Barack Obama’s Senate campaign, and in the Clinton White House as the special assistant for policy to the president’s senior advisor on energy and environmental issues.

He earned his MS in international development management from the London School of Economics and his BS from the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment.