Available to book
David Awad
Venture Capital
Corporate Governance
Risk Management
David Awad is an investor, attorney, and engineer who helps organizations navigate complex technology risk and scale engineering teams effectively. Drawing on experience from CTO leadership at Tumblr and Ecoverse to strategic investments in SpaceX and other deep-tech ventures, he provides practical guidance on AI due diligence, technical evaluation, and startup growth.
Innovator
Digital Expert
Business Leader
Legal
Executive
Start-up
David Awad is an investor, attorney, and software engineer who helps technology companies in the United States and Middle East evaluate risk, scale operations, and structure high-stakes deals. He brings technical depth from roles spanning CTO positions to engineering leadership at organizations including Tumblr, Codecademy, and Ecoverse, a Bloomberg and Slow Ventures-backed company.
David serves as Principal Investor at the Dubai Future District Fund and works as fractional CTO for firms including Quinlan Partners. He is a member of the California State Bar and the IEEE Artificial Intelligence Policy Committee, and has participated in late-stage investments in SpaceX, Anduril, x.ai, and Groq. His background includes technical due diligence for private equity and venture capital firms, litigation strategy consulting, and deploying private blockchain solutions at R3 for financial institutions.
David's cross-functional expertise allows him to identify technical risks that others miss, whether evaluating architecture decisions, assessing engineering team quality, or spotting regulatory vulnerabilities before they become costly problems. He understands how legal frameworks, investment structures, and engineering realities intersect because he has operated in all three domains, from supporting Alpine Investors during acquisitions to modernizing infrastructure for telecom companies.
Audiences gain practical guidance on evaluating startups, building engineering teams, and navigating technical and legal challenges in high-growth environments. His presentations provide actionable insights for investors, founders, and technology leaders while illustrating the interplay between engineering decisions, legal frameworks, and business strategy.
Book David to gain an investor's perspective grounded in hands-on technical and legal experience across multiple asset classes and geographies.
Topics, sessions and talks
David Awad outlines a practical framework for evaluating startups from a technical perspective, covering architecture risk, engineering team quality, scalability, and security. He highlights how to identify red flags early in venture and private equity deals, providing insight into rigorous assessment and decision-making processes that bridge engineering and investment perspectives.
David Awad explores how legal, regulatory, and technical considerations intersect in modern technology companies. He examines litigation risk, intellectual property, and compliance, showing how engineers and lawyers can collaborate more effectively to manage technical and business risk.
Drawing from his experience as CTO and fractional CTO, David Awad shares lessons on hiring, leadership, system design, and scaling engineering teams. He addresses the challenges of growing technical capacity without slowing innovation, focusing on practical strategies for sustainable team growth.
David Awad highlights insights from transitioning between hands-on engineering leadership and venture investing. He explores how founders can communicate more effectively with investors and how investors can better support technical teams, bridging operational and financial perspectives.
David Awad examines modern cybersecurity threats across financial systems, critical infrastructure, and emerging technologies. Drawing from experience in blockchain, telecom, and public-sector initiatives, he presents practical frameworks for managing risk in complex technical environments.
David Awad blends deep technical, legal, and investment expertise to deliver actionable insights on scaling technology teams, evaluating risk, and structuring high-stakes deals. Book David to equip your audience with practical frameworks and strategies that drive real results in tech and investment.
often considered together
Erica Farmer
Artificial Intelligence
Future of Work
Leadership Development
Mark Kelly
Artificial Intelligence
Transformational Leadership
Business Strategy
Lisa Forte
Cybersecurity
Crisis Management
Risk Management
frequently asked questions
Something we've not covered here?
Email david.awad@getapeptalk.com or call PepTalk on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US), and one of our speaker agents will contact you within hours to confirm David's availability and fees. If you can, please include your budget upfront – it helps us fast-track your request. It’s also helpful to know the date, format (virtual or in-person), location, and a bit about your audience.
David Awad structures his sessions around a cross-functional framework that maps engineering decisions, legal exposure, and investment risk onto a single decision-making model, drawing from his concurrent roles as investor, attorney, and CTO.
David Awad speaks on technical due diligence for investors, technology risk at the intersection of law and code, and building and scaling engineering teams. He is a Principal Investor at the Dubai Future District Fund, a California State Bar member, and an IEEE Artificial Intelligence Policy Committee member, with prior engineering leadership roles at Tumblr and Codecademy.
No. PepTalk adds no booking fee, so you pay the speaker's fee and nothing beyond it. The service, from shortlist through to contracts and event-day logistics, is included. For repeat or multi-event bookings, PepTalk can agree preferential rates with your procurement team.
Share your event date, audience, format, objectives and budget, and PepTalk sends a hand-picked shortlist within 24 hours. Each suggestion comes with a profile, a fee and a recommendation on the strongest fit. Once you choose, PepTalk handles contracts, travel and logistics through to event day.
The typical fee range is the speaker's standard in-person fee in their home market, shown in their local currency. It moves with format, location, date and session length: virtual sessions and shorter slots usually cost less, while international travel and peak dates cost more. Send your brief to PepTalk and the team will confirm the exact fee in your currency.
Not all of them, and it makes no difference to your booking. PepTalk's network of 15,000+ speakers covers talent the team works with directly alongside speakers represented by agents and agencies worldwide. PepTalk approaches the speaker, negotiates the fee and handles contracting either way.
Three to six months ahead is comfortable for most events, and 12 months is better for large conferences, peak-season dates or one specific in-demand speaker. Shorter timelines are workable, and PepTalk regularly fills last-minute and replacement bookings within days. Availability is the constraint, so get in touch as soon as you have a date.
Get the right person
Tell us what you’re working on and we’ll match you with the talent your audience won’t stop talking about.
