"But, what if it works?"
Daniel Wiegand
Associate
Hi, I'm Daniel.
I got my first taste of Entrepreneurship right out of college at Draper University in Silicon Valley, where I mentored more than 500 founders on everything from pitch prep to fundraising strategy, with startups I worked with going on to raise over $50M collectively. That experience sparked a deep appreciation for the grit and creativity it takes to build something from nothing, which carried me into co-founding Trailermade, an online marketplace for the van life community.
In 2021, I launched the Draper Startup House Accelerator, a global pre-seed program where I sourced and invested in 36 companies across multiple continents, helping those founders collectively raise over $100M in follow-on capital. Running the accelerator end to end, from sourcing through portfolio support, taught me what it really takes to back founders early and stick with them through the messy middle.
I hold a BBA from the University of Oregon and am based in Austin, Texas. Outside of Mudita, you'll find me playing any competitive sport I can get into, taking my dog Roux on hikes around Lady Bird Lake, and cheering on the Oregon Ducks.
Beyond the analytical side, I want to be the kind of investor I would have wanted as a founder. That means being responsive, being honest when something isn't a fit, and showing up for portfolio companies long after the wire hits.
The relationship doesn't end at the term sheet for me.
"...it sounds crazy and farfetched, but what if it works?"
At Mudita, I'm focused on backing early-stage AI-first B2B SaaS founders who are tackling real, unsexy problems in industries that have been underserved by software for too long. The companies that get me excited are the ones where the founders have lived the problem themselves, where the wedge is sharp, and where AI isn't a feature bolted on but the reason the product can exist at all.
More than anything, I want to work with founders who are building the world I want to live in and aren't afraid of big, crazy ideas. The lens I always look at a company through is, "it sounds crazy and farfetched, but what if it works?"
Some of the best outcomes in venture come from founders chasing visions that felt impossible until they weren't. I want to be in business with the people willing to run at those problems.
COMPANIES
Managed by Daniel
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