Wikipedia

David Isserman

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

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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

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Early ventures

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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]

RareShare

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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

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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

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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

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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

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The Explorers Club

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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]

The Explorers Club Flag No. 179 expedition team at the Pangea Trust reserve in Portugal's Alentejo region, 2024. From left: Ruth Ganesh, Kate Moore, Anna Isserman, David Isserman (holding flag), HRH Princess Diana d'Orléans, Duchess of Cadaval, Gonçalo Matos, and José Fontes of Rewilding Portugal.

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

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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

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Isserman is an advisory trustee of the Academy of Science of St. Louis.[4][22]

Honors

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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

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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

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  1. 1 2 3 Vetter, Jenny (March 2024). "Touchstone Essentials: Ahead of the Curve". Direct Selling News. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Martin, Heather (October 2017). "Defining Distributors versus Customers". Direct Selling News. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Duraes, Sara J. (March 30, 2024). "Portugal: The new place to be for innovators". The Portugal News. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Talk of the Towns: Notable Neighbors". Town and Style. November 1, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 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. 1 2 3 Kincaid, Jason (December 23, 2008). "RareShare: A Community For People With Rare Medical Problems". TechCrunch. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 Wilcox, Joe (October 2, 2008). "RareShare social network builds an uncommon community". BetaNews. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Heckel, Aimee (July 31, 2015). "Cobra venom can erase wrinkles? Who knew?". Boulder Daily Camera. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 4 McDonald, Michele (July 16, 2006). "David Isserman, 23". St. Louis Business Journal. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Isserman wins contract from TV host". St. Louis Business Journal. September 18, 2006. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  11. 1 2 Bhanoo, Sindya N. (February 10, 2009). "Sharing the Pain". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Fifth Annual Pace Pitch Contest". Pace University Lubin School of Business. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  13. ↑ "For people with rare ailments, a way to connect". Toronto Star. July 3, 2008. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ 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. 1 2 "The Explorers Club Mobile App to launch November 12, 2025". The Explorers Club. November 10, 2025. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  17. ↑ 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. 1 2 "Flag Expeditions: Field Projects, 2024 and Beyond" (PDF). The Explorers Log. 56 (4). The Explorers Club: 14–17. Fall 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  19. ↑ "ECAD Sunday". The Explorers Club. 2025. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  20. ↑ "The Team". Dino Dawn Expedition. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  21. 1 2 "Team". Pangea Trust. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Board of Trustees". Academy of Science of St. Louis. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Gem wins love and adventure for Anna and David". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. August 13, 2015. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Conservation Forum hailed as a great success by all". Mirpuri Foundation. July 5, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
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