Technology entrepreneur, angel investor, and venture capitalist Andy Sack tells his story of inspiration, from his experience with the first Techstars Boston Startup Weekend to becoming one of the godfathers of the Seattle startup community.

Andy Sack has been a technology entrepreneur, angel investor, and venture capitalist for 25 years — he is one of the godfathers of the Seattle startup community. He was managing director for Techstars Seattle, founder and executive chairman for Lighter Capital, and cofounder of seed stage fund Founder's Co-op. He participated in the first Techstars Boston Startup Weekend and was so moved by the experience that he decided to run a Techstars Startup Weekend in Seattle.

As Andy says, “(I gave) a talk to the Techstars Boston class and it was supposed to be one hour. Three hours later after talking and answering questions, I left the building, and I was moved to tears.”

He rallied the venture capital community in Seattle to support entrepreneurs through Techstars, creating a vibrant startup ecosystem that didn't previously exist. Three unicorn startups — each valued at over a billion dollars — came out of Andy's 2011 Class of Techstars Seattle.

Follow Andy on Twitter: @AndySack

Learn more about his favorite charitable organizations:

Two Screens for Teachers - Gives teachers a second computer screen so they can see their students while teaching remotely.

Rainier Scholars - Creates pathways to college graduation for hard-working, low-income students and provides access to transformative educational opportunities.

REST - Helps women on the street get out of troubled situations and abusive relationships and gives them a place to live.