David Nussbaum: The Story Behind Proto Hologram
David Nussbaum’s route to founding Proto Hologram began with a different ambition: becoming a baseball broadcaster. Growing up with radio, he was drawn to the way a voice could make people feel connected. He wanted to call games for the New York Mets.
That ambition did not unfold as planned. His path through sports, radio and early podcasting led him toward entertainment technology—and eventually toward a question that would shape Proto: what if communication could make someone feel physically present, even when they were far away?
From a microphone to a feeling of presence
In his conversation with Jet Bunditwong on The Personal Side of Business, David describes himself as a broadcasting enthusiast rather than an engineer. The opportunity he saw was rooted in communication. After working with technology used for entertainment, he wanted to focus on connecting living people.
That distinction helps explain the business he set out to build. The displays attract attention, but David returns to the experience of presence: a person, teacher, performer or doctor feeling closer to the people on the other side.
Finding someone who believed in the idea
David recalls the difficulty of getting people to take the concept seriously. Demonstrations and enthusiasm did not immediately translate into support. An early believer, Doug Barry, helped bridge that gap.
In David’s account, the partnership brought complementary strengths. David could develop and communicate the vision while Doug helped build the business model and fundraising approach. He also describes early investment from Tim Draper as an important step in moving the company forward.
The lesson for another founder is practical: persistence matters, and so does finding someone who can turn belief into a workable plan.
Growing by making room for other leaders
As Proto grew, David needed people with expertise he did not have. He describes building around specialists in engineering, software, operations, sales and live events. That approach required more than hiring; it meant giving others room to make decisions.
David’s leadership advice is direct: if you hire someone, let them do their job. He explains how an internal leadership group, outside advisers and customer feedback help the company consider what to develop next.
For business owners who become the bottleneck in their own company, this is a useful distinction. Holding a vision does not require holding every responsibility.
Keeping the purpose while changing the product
The interview explores possible uses in healthcare, museums, education and AI-supported experiences. David discusses these as directions for Proto’s technology and describes customer testing as part of its development process.
He also talks about separating software from dedicated hardware through the Proto Player. At the time of the interview, he says customers were beta testing that approach. The broader idea is to make Proto’s communication tools useful on more types of display.
These are David’s descriptions of the company’s work and direction at the time of recording. His central business lesson is that a company can change how it delivers value while staying anchored to the problem it wants to solve.
The personal side of building something unconventional
David’s story brings together rejection, partnership and the willingness to keep learning. His original broadcasting dream changed form, but the interest underneath it—helping people connect—remained.
For entrepreneurs, the conversation offers a reminder to build around your strengths, invite capable people into the work and keep testing your assumptions as the business grows.
Listen, watch and keep learning
Listen to David’s full episode and read the transcript · Watch David’s interview on YouTube · Read the episode recap
Explore leadership and delegation · Explore founder resilience · Explore business tools and ideas
Connect: Proto Hologram · David Nussbaum on LinkedIn.