Charlie O’Donnell is a highly sought-after coach to top venture capitalists and a faculty member teaching entrepreneurship at NYU’s Courant Institute. He is the founder of nextNYC, the most active tech community and events platform in New York City.

For over two decades, Charlie has been a mainstay in the NYC startup and innovation ecosystem. He began his career as the first analyst at Union Square Ventures after working in General Motors’ venture capital and private equity group. In 2009, he helped First Round Capital open its New York office, sourcing early investments in companies such as GroupMe, Singleplatform, Moat, and Backupify.

In 2012, he launched Brooklyn Bridge Ventures—the first venture fund based in Brooklyn—backing more than 100 local startups including Hungryroot, Petal, Brigit, Shortcut, Radformation, and Imagen. Known as the most accessible early-stage investor in New York, Charlie prioritized inclusivity: 40% of BBV’s portfolio companies were female-founded, 30% had a BIPOC founder, and 9% had a Black founder.

Charlie has been named to Business Insider’s 100 Most Influential People in NY Tech five times and featured on City & State’s Tech Power 50. He is recognized for his early eye for transformational companies. Nick Bilton cited him as an influence on Twitter’s earliest investors in Hatching Twitter, and Dennis Crowley credits him with helping kick off Foursquare’s first funding round. At First Round Capital, Charlie sourced investments in Singleplatform (acquired by Constant Contact), GroupMe (acquired by Skype), Backupify, and Refinery29.

Outside of tech, Charlie is passionate about expanding public access to New York’s waterways. In 2010, after seven years as a volunteer at Downtown Boathouse, he co-founded the Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse, which welcomed 9,000 paddlers to the East River in 2022 with the help of 150+ volunteers. He has returned to serve as President of the organization.

Charlie is also an endurance athlete, a longtime member of the Brooklyn Triathlon Club, and a 20-year veteran (and captain) of his local co-ed softball team. In winter, you’ll find him playing goalie at Prospect Park’s ice rink. He lives in Park Slope with his wife and daughter, where he is President of their co-op board.

Since 2004, Charlie has shared his writing at www.thisisgoingtobebig.com.