MENLO PARK, CA – The National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) today presented Ira Ehrenpreis, Managing Partner of DBL Partners, with the 2018 Outstanding Service Award at the 2018 NVCA Leadership Gala. Held at the Rosewood Sand Hill in Menlo Park, CA, the NVCA Leadership Gala celebrates the venture industry and honors those who have made significant contributions to foster innovation, advance technology and drive new company formation.
“For over two decades, Ira has been a fixture of the venture community and widely recognized as one of the most well-connected venture investors in the country,” said Bobby Franklin, President and CEO of NVCA. “Respected for his commitment to energy and impact investment, what makes Ira truly special is all he does to give back to the venture community through his ongoing work to convene the venture industry and facilitate connections among investors. We congratulate Ira for his well-deserved recognition and thank him for his outstanding contributions to our industry.”
Ira Ehrenpreis is Founder and Managing Partner of DBL Partners. Ira is a recognized leader in both the venture capital industry and the energy innovation sector. In 2007, Ira was named one of the “Top 50 Most Influential Men Under 45″ and in 2014 was inducted into the International Green Industry Hall of Fame. For many years, Ira led Technology Partners’ venture practice investing in energy innovation opportunities. Ira has invested in a wide range of companies, including SpaceX, and serves on the board of Tesla Motors, Mapbox and numerous other companies.
In the venture community, Ira has served on the Board and Executive Committee of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), was Chairman of the 2010 NVCA Annual Meeting, and serves as the President of the Western Association of Venture Capitalists (WAVC). Ira also serves as the Co-Chairman of the VCNetwork, the largest and most active California venture capital organization.
Ira is an active leader at Stanford University, where he has served on the Board of Visitors of Stanford Law School and has been an advisory board member of the Stanford Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP). Ira has also been a guest lecturer at Stanford, including helping to teach a course on Venture Capital. In addition to the foregoing, Ira served for many years on the Advisory Board of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs (FWE) and served as Co-Chairman of the Silicon Valley Technology and Entrepreneurship Forum (SVIEF). Ira received his JD/MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and Stanford Law School, where he was an Associate Editor of Stanford Law Review. He holds a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude.
About the Outstanding Service Award
The Outstanding Service Award was created to recognize the exceptional service of an NVCA Director or NVCA member who has committed an extraordinary amount of time, resources and dedication to Association efforts that in turn benefits the entire venture industry. The dedication has raised the visibility of the industry to key legislators and regulators and helped to educate them regarding the pivotal role of venture capital to this economy.
Previous recipients: Ross Jaffe, Diana Frazier, Josh Green, Kate Mitchell, Steve Frederick, Ted Schlein, Warburg Pincus, Jack Lasersohn, Sarah Reed, John Martinson, Robert Pavey, Rodney Goldstein, E. Roe Stamps, M. Kathleen Behrens, Steven Lazarus, Harry T. Rein, Patricia Cloherty, John Doerr and Christopher Brody.