Sapphire Ventures

Sapphire Ventures has developed a unique platform whose sole purpose is to help portfolio companies scale and reach their full potential.  The Portfolio Growth team achieves this by focusing on areas all entrepreneurs can use help with:

1. Introductions to customers and partners
2. Identifying and recruiting talent
3. Developing operational efficiencies

Portfolio Growth services are delivered by a team of seasoned business development, talent and marketing executives who understand how to add real value to entrepreneurs.

Sapphire’s Portfolio Growth team collaborates closely with C-level executives at Global 2000 companies across a variety of industries. These corporate leaders rely on us for insights into startup-led disruption, analysis of key emerging technologies, guidance on  innovation programs, and connections to a vetted pool of startups in our global network.

Sapphire Ventures helps Global 2000 executives connect with emerging startups that can help them solve business challenges.  We organize more than 50 innovation sessions and executive briefings annually, carefully matching conversations with portfolio companies.

Understanding what is top of mind for the CIO is key to helping us provide value to our portfolio companies and executive network. Our exclusive CIO network and invite-only CIO Summit conference arm our portfolio with sophisticated product and strategy feedback from potential customers and partners in the Global 2000 ranks.

Staying on top of the constantly evolving technology landscape is a challenge for today’s corporate innovators. SV Explorer is a free platform that makes it easier for corporate IT and business leaders to discover, evaluate and share emerging technologies through a searchable and curated list of start-ups.

Deciding what your next key executive hire will be or filling an open position are strategic and critical decisions for your business. Our experienced operators and talent professionals are here to provide insight, advice and mentorship as you build out your executive team.

We participate in the Venture Capital Executive Compensation Survey, which helps our CEOs understand industry pay practices. With inputs from 1,300+ startups, the VCECS  report provides robust insight into salary and equity compensation.

We believe that brilliant and tested leaders are key to helping companies scale quickly. The Sapphire Fellows Program matches experts across a variety of functional areas with our portfolio to help them as they rapidly grow and scale.

Are you a candidate looking for your next role with a market-leading start-up?  Sapphire aggregates open positions with our portfolio companies on our Careers page. Come explore the opportunities open now.

Successfully building your brand takes time, effort and planning. Our team is here to help entrepreneurs strategize and build the best plan to get your message out in the most impactful way.

Mastering the media landscape is daunting, but critical to building your brand. Our team will help connect you to right PR and media resources, letting you focus on sharing your brand and message.

We love to share, promote and amplify our portfolio’s news and thought leadership across our social channels. Let us know when you have something to share so we can help you spread the word.

We work with our portfolio companies to help them extend their runway with non-dilutive debt financing alternatives. We maintain strong relationships with dozens of commercial banks, non-bank lenders and mezzanine debt providers, and as a result, we can refer the right lenders at the right time and provide support to negotiate the best terms on behalf of our portfolio companies.

We provide strategic advice to help our portfolio companies plan and hit milestones to raise the next round at the best possible valuation to minimize founder dilution. And we work closely with our management teams on structuring and negotiating tuck-in acquisitions.

With 50+ exits since 2011, we have deep experience working with our portfolio companies on making timely corporate development introductions, selecting the right investment bankers, and setting the right expectations to create value in the markets post-IPO.

Each year, the Sapphire’s CIO Summit convenes hundreds of enterprise IT leaders, startup executives and investors to explore today’s most compelling and cutting-edge innovations in enterprise IT.

Sapphire hosts deep dive events focused on specific sectors, technologies or trends to build the conversation between start-ups, their customers and other investors.  Sign up for the Sapphire email list to learn about upcoming events.

Startup executives, across functions  benefit from meeting and learning from their peers and industry leaders. Every month, we host intimate dinners and salons geared toward connecting our portfolio executives with each other, and with leaders in their respective field.

With topics on everything from design thinking to ASC 606 planning to building your skills as a CFO, our workshops are designed to help our companies navigate the tactical challenges all businesses face as they rapidly scale and expand globally.