Sherwood "Woodie" Neiss

BORN TO INNOVATE. From selling lollipops in elementary school to revolutionizing the startup funding mechanism, Sherwood “Woodie” Neiss has always been an entrepreneur at heart. Growing up in Pennsylvania and Connecticut as the youngest of six, Woodie was immersed in the world of business from a young age. His father, a CEO of pharmaceutical companies, taught him valuable lessons around the dinner table. “He ran a large corporation, and there were many lessons that I took from those dinners,” he recalls.

Woodie’s academic journey took him to Tulane University, where he studied Japanese and political science. It was during this time that he began to explore his identity, eventually coming out while studying abroad in Japan. Returning to Tulane, he embraced his true self, a decision that would later influence how he approached business—with an understanding of how important it is to be true to oneself and sensitive to the needs of others.

After earning his MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management, Woodie started his career on Wall Street. However, he quickly realized that the high-pressure environment wasn’t for him. This realization led him to Silicon Valley, where he worked at ERP firm PeopleSoft and discovered the excitement of the startup ecosystem. It was here that Woodie truly found his calling. “I learned the importance of treating everyone with respect. The idea that, if you bring them breakfast, they’ll stick around past dinner.”

Woodie’s first major entrepreneurial venture came with FLAVORx, a company he co-founded with his brother-in-law. The inspiration for FLAVORx was deeply personal—his niece, Hadley, suffered a medical mishap that left her with lifelong disabilities, making it difficult for her to take her medication. To help her, Woodie’s brother-in-law, a pharmacist, began flavoring her medicine. This small innovation grew into a nationwide business, with FLAVORx flavoring medicines for children across America.”

After a successful exit from FLAVORx, Woodie embarked on another global backpacking adventure, crossing off every travel goal on his list. But the wanderlust didn’t diminish his drive to make a difference. Returning to the U.S., Woodie set his sights on fixing what he saw as a broken funding mechanism for startups. He co-authored the “Crowdfunding Exemption Framework,” which eventually became the basis for Title III of the U.S. JOBS Act. With the help of Whoopi Goldberg via a close friend, Woodie successfully lobbied Congress to update securities laws for the Internet age. “How often do entrepreneurs create a fundamental change in securities laws?” Woodie reflects proudly.

Today, Woodie is the Managing General Partner of D3VC.ai, an early-stage venture fund that leverages AI and machine learning. The fund utilizes a proprietary dataset created by Woodie, which includes information on all companies raising funds through Regulation Crowdfunding, to pinpoint promising startups showing growth potential. Woodie also makes this information available in industry reports. “What the private capital markets need is a more effective vetting tool, especially for the numerous companies raising funds online,” Woodie explains. By creating an algorithm to identify promising startups, D3VC.ai aims to support both entrepreneurs and investors, ensuring that everyone has access to the same information and opportunities.

LEGACY OF LOVE. Despite his numerous professional achievements, Woodie places his greatest success in a different realm—fatherhood. After years of prioritizing his career, Woodie realized that having children was a dream he couldn’t let go of. At the age of 44, he began the surrogacy process and eventually he and his husband, Sean, welcomed two children, Max and Emily. “The love that I have for my children is just... it’s a different love,” Woodie shares.

Reflecting on his journey, Woodie advises new founders to “understand that adversity and negativity are part of the process. Believe in yourself and don’t give up.”