David Isserman
| David Isserman | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 31, 1983 Clayton, Missouri, U.S. |
| 🏡 Residence | Lisbon, Portugal |
| 🏳️ Nationality | American |
| 🎓 Alma mater | Indiana University (BS) Columbia Business School (MBA) |
| 💼 Occupation | Entrepreneur, conservationist |
| 👩 Spouse(s) | Anna Berger (m. 2014) |
| 🏅 Awards | Knight, Order of Saint Michael of the Wing (2023) |
David Isserman (born March 31, 1983) is an American entrepreneur and conservationist living in Lisbon, Portugal. He is the founder of Isserman Ventures, a firm that invests in and provides operational management to direct-to-consumer e-commerce companies.[1][2][3] From 2020 to 2026, he served on the board of directors of The Explorers Club.[4][5]
Isserman co-founded RareShare, an online platform for rare disease communities, in 2008,[6][7] and founded Venin Royale, a skincare company in Boulder, Colorado, in 2013.[8] Through Pangea Trust, a UK registered charity, he has supported rewilding projects in Portugal's Alentejo region, including the reintroduction of endangered Sorraia horses.[5] In 2023, Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza made him a Knight of the Order of Saint Michael of the Wing.[4][3]
Early life and education
Isserman grew up in Clayton, Missouri, and graduated from Clayton High School in 2001.[4] He began building websites for small businesses in middle school and had about 75 clients by high school.[9] At age 14, he approached A.G. Edwards to offer technology consulting services; Alfred Goldman, a corporate vice president at the firm's brokerage subsidiary, later nominated him for the St. Louis Business Journal's 30 Under 30 list, to which he was named in 2006.[9] He earned a Bachelor of Science from Indiana University[4] and an MBA from Columbia Business School.[7][4]
Career
Early ventures
While at Indiana University, Isserman founded Isserman Consulting LLC, a communications and web strategy firm in Clayton.[9] In 2006, television host Richard Wiese hired the firm to build his web presence, including a site for Wiese's nationally syndicated show Exploration with Richard Wiese.[10]
In 2008, while attending Columbia Business School, Isserman co-founded RareShare with Eric Steele.[7][6] The platform connected people affected by rare diseases with one another and with medical professionals.[11] RareShare won the social venture category at the 2008 Pace Pitch Contest hosted by Pace University's Lubin School of Business.[12] In December 2008, TechCrunch described the platform as covering more than 200 rare diseases and partnering with the National Institutes of Health and the Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders.[6] The Washington Post covered the platform in February 2009,[11] and the Toronto Star reported that it hosted discussion groups for hundreds of conditions.[13] RareShare grew to more than 850 communities before Isserman exited in 2014.[4] The platform has been cited in the academic literature on rare-disease drug discovery.[14]
Venin Royale
In 2013, Isserman founded Venin Royale, a skincare company in Boulder, Colorado, that used king cobra venom peptides in its products.[8][15] The products were developed with neuroscientist Paul Reid.[8] The line was sold through physician offices, medical spas, and specialty retailers.[8]
Touchstone Essentials
Isserman is chief operating officer of Touchstone Essentials, a health and wellness supplement company and certified B Corporation founded in 2012.[2][1][3][4] Direct Selling News has profiled Isserman's role at the company in features published in 2017 and 2024.[2][1]
Isserman Ventures
Isserman is the founder of Isserman Ventures, which invests in and provides operational management to direct-to-consumer e-commerce companies.[3]
Exploration and conservation
The Explorers Club
Isserman is a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School.[9] He joined The Explorers Club in 2002 as a life member.[16][3][4] From March 2020 to April 2026, he served on the club's board of directors.[4][3][5] He chaired the club's annual dinner (ECAD) and co-chaired its Conservation and Sustainability Committee.[4] The club's Global Exploration Summit (GLEX), held in the Azores, was described by Radio France Internationale as the largest gathering of explorers on the planet.[17] In 2025, Isserman contributed to the development of the club's membership app.[16]
In 2024, the Explorers Club awarded Flag No. 179 to the Pangea Trust's rewilding program in Portugal's Alentejo region, where Isserman supported the reintroduction of endangered Sorraia horses.[5][18] He returned the flag at the 2025 ECAD ceremony.[19]
In 2025, Isserman led the PaleoDiscovery Team on the Dino Dawn Expedition, an Explorers Club flag-bearing paleontological dig in Portugal's Algarve region led by paleontologist Ricardo Araújo.[20][18]
Pangea Trust
Pangea Trust is a UK registered charity that is developing an elephant sanctuary in the Alentejo region of Portugal.[3][21] The trust's projects also include rewilding work such as the Sorraia horse reintroduction.[5]
Civic engagement
Isserman is an advisory trustee of the Academy of Science of St. Louis.[4][22]
Honors
In 2023, Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza made Isserman a Knight of the Order of Saint Michael of the Wing, a dynastic order of the non-reigning House of Braganza.[4][3]
Personal life
Isserman married Anna Berger in June 2014.[23] They moved from the United States to Lisbon, Portugal, in 2022.[3] Anna Isserman chairs the Development Board of the Pangea Trust.[21][24]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Vetter, Jenny (March 2024). "Touchstone Essentials: Ahead of the Curve". Direct Selling News. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Martin, Heather (October 2017). "Defining Distributors versus Customers". Direct Selling News. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Duraes, Sara J. (March 30, 2024). "Portugal: The new place to be for innovators". The Portugal News. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 "Talk of the Towns: Notable Neighbors". Town and Style. November 1, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Brookes, Cristina da Costa (November 26, 2024). "Endangered Sorraia horses reintroduced to Alentejo in landmark rewilding effort". The Portugal News. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Kincaid, Jason (December 23, 2008). "RareShare: A Community For People With Rare Medical Problems". TechCrunch. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Wilcox, Joe (October 2, 2008). "RareShare social network builds an uncommon community". BetaNews. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Heckel, Aimee (July 31, 2015). "Cobra venom can erase wrinkles? Who knew?". Boulder Daily Camera. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 McDonald, Michele (July 16, 2006). "David Isserman, 23". St. Louis Business Journal. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ↑ "Isserman wins contract from TV host". St. Louis Business Journal. September 18, 2006. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Bhanoo, Sindya N. (February 10, 2009). "Sharing the Pain". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ↑ "Fifth Annual Pace Pitch Contest". Pace University Lubin School of Business. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ↑ "For people with rare ailments, a way to connect". Toronto Star. July 3, 2008. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ↑ Litterman, Nadia K.; Rhee, Michele; Swinney, David C.; Ekins, Sean (October 31, 2014). "Collaboration for rare disease drug discovery research". F1000Research. 3: 261. doi:10.12688/f1000research.5564.1. PMC 4314660. PMID 25685324.
- ↑ Weinderman, Coris (September 5, 2013). "Would you put King Cobra venom on your face to reduce wrinkles?". St. Louis Business Journal. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 "The Explorers Club Mobile App to launch November 12, 2025". The Explorers Club. November 10, 2025. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ↑ Quaresma, Luciana (June 14, 2023). "Amazonia e o tema central da maior convencao de exploradores do planeta". Radio France Internationale. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Flag Expeditions: Field Projects, 2024 and Beyond" (PDF). The Explorers Log. The Explorers Club. 56 (4): 14–17. Fall 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ↑ "ECAD Sunday". The Explorers Club. 2025. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ↑ "The Team". Dino Dawn Expedition. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Team". Pangea Trust. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ↑ "Board of Trustees". Academy of Science of St. Louis. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ↑ "Gem wins love and adventure for Anna and David". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. August 13, 2015. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ↑ "Conservation Forum hailed as a great success by all". Mirpuri Foundation. July 5, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
