Laura Padilla Joins Sapphire as Portfolio Growth’s Newest Partner and Head of Business Development
MENLO PARK, Calif. – August 29, 2023 – Sapphire (Sapphire Ventures, LLC), a global software venture capital firm backing companies of consequence, today announced that Laura Padilla has joined Sapphire as Portfolio Growth’s newest partner and Head of Business Development. In her new role, Laura will provide strategic counsel to Sapphire’s portfolio companies across their business development needs. She will also oversee Sapphire’s vast enterprise and leading cloud company CIO and CXO network, connecting portfolio companies with new customers and partners, ultimately driving revenue acceleration for Sapphire’s portfolio.
An accomplished go-to-market leader, Laura will augment Sapphire’s expertise in SaaS GTM excellence. She brings nearly 20 years of technology experience, particularly in building and leading complex teams across business development, marketing and channel sales at SaaS and enterprise technology companies throughout Silicon Valley. Prior to Sapphire, Laura held leadership positions at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Airtable and Zoom Video Communications, as well as at exited Sapphire portfolio companies Nutanix and Box.
At Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Laura served as VP of GreenLake Marketplace and ISVs. While at Airtable, she led Global Partners and Professional Services, and as Head of Channel and Business Development at Zoom, Laura scaled the organization through exponential growth to a team of over 300 and $500M in ARR.
“Laura is a longtime friend and someone we have considered part of the Sapphire family. We are now thrilled to officially welcome her to the Sapphire Portfolio Growth team as she shares our unique vision, approach and commitment to our founders,” said Rami Brantizky, Partner at Sapphire and Head of Portfolio Growth. “Her operating experience through multiple economic cycles and at companies at varying stages of growth brings tremendous value to our portfolio companies navigating this unique startup environment.”
Sapphire Ventures’ Commitment to Scaling Companies of Consequence
Since its very beginning, the Portfolio Growth platform was designed to help scale Sapphire Ventures’ portfolio companies. Comprised of experienced operators, the team focuses on delivering meaningful value to Sapphire’s portfolio CEOs and their leaders across all go-to-market needs. This includes customer and partner introductions, executive and board talent placements, go-to-market and engineering excellence advisory and capital markets support. Previously a Sapphire Growth Advisor, Laura helped advise Sapphire’s portfolio companies on a range of BD and partner strategies and frameworks, Laura now joins Sapphire to help bolster Portfolio Growth’s impact.
“I have seen first-hand the power of Sapphire’s Portfolio Growth platform and the various ways it helps accelerate growth for portfolio companies,” said Laura Padilla, Partner and Head of Business Development, Portfolio Growth at Sapphire. “I am excited to join a team that’s laser-focused on the go-to-market challenges facing expansion stage startups, and lend my experience and robust network to enterprise founders scaling their companies to category leadership.”
About Sapphire
Sapphire is a global software venture capital firm with ~$10 billion in AUM(a) and team members across Austin, London, Menlo Park and San Francisco. For more than two decades, Sapphire has partnered with visionary management teams and venture funds to back companies of consequence. Since its founding, Sapphire has invested in more than 170 companies(b) globally resulting in more than 30 Public Listings and 45 acquisitions(c). The firm’s investment strategies — Sapphire Ventures, Sapphire Partners and Sapphire Sport — are focused on scaling companies and venture funds, elevating them to become category leaders. Sapphire’s Portfolio Growth team of experienced operators delivers a strategic blend of value-add services, tools and resources designed to support portfolio company leaders as they scale.
Disclaimer:
(a) “AUM” (Assets Under Management) represents Sapphire’s Regulatory Assets Under Management as of 12/31/2022 per ADV filed March 2023; (b) Figures represent all Sapphire direct growth investments made since the firm’s inception in 2011 to June 2023; (c) Figures represent all Sapphire direct growth investments that have had an IPO or public listing from the firm’s inception in 2011 to June 2023.
Nothing presented within this article is intended to constitute investment advice, and under no circumstances should any information provided herein be used or considered as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy an interest in any investment fund managed by Sapphire Ventures, LLC (“Sapphire”). Information provided reflects Sapphire’s views as of a time, whereby such views are subject to change at any point and Sapphire shall not be obligated to provide notice of any change.
Companies mentioned in this article are a representative sample of portfolio companies in which Sapphire has invested in which the author believes such companies fit the objective criteria stated in commentary, which do not reflect all investments made by Sapphire. A complete alphabetical list of Sapphire’s investments made by Its direct growth and sports investing strategies is available here. No assumptions should be made that investments described were or will be profitable. While Sapphire has used reasonable efforts to obtain information from reliable sources, Sapphire makes no representations or warranties as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of third-party information presented herein. Due to various risks and uncertainties, actual events, results or the actual experience may differ materially from those reflected or contemplated in these statements. Nothing contained in this article may be relied upon as a guarantee or assurance as to the future success of any particular company.
Past performance is not indicative of future results.