Alumni Spotlight interview – David Gertler, CEO of Treble
By Lawrence JonesSeptember 14, 2017Academic, Alumni, Biotechnology, Business, Entrepreneurship, Featured, Professional Development
Alumni Spotlight interview
David Gertler
CEO, Treble
Which division of the university did you graduate from?
The Whiting School
Please describe your current position(s) and your roles in the company Treble?
I'm CEO and co-founder of Treble. I'm working with a great team to create a revolution in business and career networking.
How has your JHU training prepared you for the path you have chosen
I earned my M.S. in Electrical Engineering from JHU and, at the time, my career was focused on cryptomathematics and systems engineering. While I no longer work in those fields, the disciplines of problem-solving, analytics and mathematical modeling have been a tremendous advantage for my career leading tech companies through rapid growth.
How important has mentorship been for your team in the beginning, now, and the future?
I believe the only way to truly master a subject is to teach others. And, if I want to surround myself with great talent, I know I need to give and receive advice, ideas, guidance and support. Ultimately, mentoring, like networking, must be part of who you are if you want to unlock the potential within yourself and those around you.
Are you currently involved in JHU alumni outreach? How so?
I'm currently serving on the Alumni Council and I've launched a Networking Webinar series of talks to help inspire alums to help each other with their career and business goals. I'm working with a few great alums on these webinars and we're really excited to see this become something special. Make sure you look for our Networking Webinars in GoHopOnline, especially the Sept 19th kickoff.
What was a key and pivotal step in getting Treble to this stage (scientifically and financially) where you are?
As an early-stage start-up, there are a few things that stand-out: 1) teaming with some amazingly talented people, 2) solving a problem we feel very deeply about and 3) finding others who also believe and can offer their time, talent and financial backing to "make a dent in the universe."
If any of our readers reading are interested in creating a tech company do you have any preliminary suggestions?
A quote often associated with Goethe goes: "Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." If you really have a passion to create something great – find a way. Get a great mentor; ask advice, share your passion and make a contribution you'll be proud of.
What do you consider is fundamentally different about the tech industry start-up landscape when you first started conceived Treble compared to now 2017?
Tough question – we started in 2016……
Where do you see tech, entrepreneurial opportunities focusing in the next five years? Have we reached a point of saturation of in technology?
The pace and need for technological solutions to human issues will grow and accelerate in ways we can't yet imagine. Yet, history shows similar patterns: new ideas can come out of the blue OR from well-established products/services. I think AR, Machine Learning, Drone technology, cybersecurity, identity verification and medical assistance are extremely promising right now.
Johns Hopkins has traditionally been a leader in science and engineering innovation, what is your perspective on the future of JHU entrepreneurial innovation momentum in the upcoming years?
I had the opportunity to attend a reception with some Hopkins engineering students and I was very impressed by their curiosity, ambition and willingness to explore new topics. I'm highly confident that the future of innovation is will rapidly expand to become more inclusive, diverse and impactful to our society.
Published by: Ememabasi Okoh
Editor-in-Chief, Hopkins Biotech Network