Sapphire Ventures Announces 2 New Partners, 6 Senior-Level Promotions and 3 New Offices in Austin, London and San Francisco

PALO ALTO, CA (January 26, 2021) — Sapphire Ventures, a leading venture capital firm that partners with visionary teams and venture funds to build companies of consequence, today announced the promotions of eight of its team members to senior-level positions, including two of its investors to partners. In addition, Sapphire has considerably bolstered the firm over the past year by welcoming 10 new employees and expanding into four new markets across the U.S. and Europe. 

“I’m incredibly proud of Sapphire’s success since becoming an independent firm 10 years ago. Much of what we’ve accomplished, including 65+ direct exits, 100+ current direct investments and annual commitments of $125M into early stage funds, is a result of the team’s tireless work and collaborative culture,” said Nino Marakovic, CEO and Partner at Sapphire Ventures. “I’m excited to congratulate eight of our team members on their well-deserved promotions, and to welcome Cathy Gao and Laura Thompson as partners. Sapphire has a strong history of cultivating talent from within, which has been key to our progress and will remain critical for Sapphire’s next stage of growth.”

Sapphire is Thrilled to Recognize the Following Exceptional Talent

• Cathy Gao: Promoted to Partner on the Sapphire Ventures team, Cathy focuses on enterprise software, security, HR tech and vertical software investments. In 2020, she worked on Sapphire’s investments in CircleCI, Gorgias, Medable, Moveworks and UJET. 
• Laura Thompson: Promoted to Partner on the Sapphire Partners team, Laura is an essential part of the team, investing in technology-focused venture funds globally. She works with established and emerging firms to advance the thinking in the limited partner space. Laura is a frequent contributor to OpenLP.com, which helps increase transparency across the venture ecosystem, and was named a VC Rising Star by Venture Capital Journal in 2021.
• Ashley Caldwell: Promoted to General Counsel, Ashley oversees legal due diligence and deal execution for all of Sapphire’s direct and fund investments across its three investment platforms. She also provides guidance on regulatory compliance, portfolio company exits, governance and other legal and operational matters for the firm. 
• Annalise Dragic: Promoted to Principal on the Sapphire Ventures team, Annalise is instrumental in analyzing new investments and assisting portfolio companies, primarily in Europe and Israel. Since joining Sapphire in 2020, she has been involved in investments in Adverity, Cazoo, Contentful, Currencycloud, Matillion and Wandera. In 2021, she was named a VC Rising Star by Venture Capital Journal.
• Nate Leung: Promoted to Principal on the Sapphire Partners team, Nate is critical to the team’s investments in early-stage venture capital funds. He is passionate about partnering with established and emerging VC firms, and supporting aspiring GPs.
• Thomas Moon: Promoted to Vice President on the Sapphire Partners team, Thomas supports the firm’s fund investments, conducting due diligence on current and potential investments. 
• Philipp Seifert: Promoted to Vice President on the Sapphire Ventures team, Philipp has been integral in conducting due diligence on new investments, while assisting the firm’s portfolio companies. Philipp has worked on investments in ActivTrak, AllyO, Clari, Current, DataRobot, InfluxData, Matillion, Phoenix Labs (acquired by Garena), project44, Reonomy and Segment (acquired by Twilio). In 2019, Philipp was recognized by Business Insider as a rising star in venture capital.
• Casber Wang: Promoted to Vice President on the Sapphire Ventures team, Casber focuses on security, enterprise infrastructure, and data and analytics investments. An indispensable part of the team, he has worked on investments in Auth0, CircleCI, Exabeam, Outreach, Moveworks, Pendo, Side, StackHawk, Thoughtspot, Upytcs and Verbit. In 2020, he was recognized by Business Insider as a rising star in enterprise venture capital.

In addition, 10 new hires joined Sapphire in 2020, bringing the firm to more than 55 employees. For more information about the Sapphire team, visit: https://sapphireventures.com/team/ 

Sapphire Expands into Austin, London, New York City and San Francisco 

While remote work has proven to be successful over the past year, Sapphire believes that proximity to entrepreneurial hubs is critical for the firm’s continued growth. Sapphire is excited to share that it has opened a new office in London, is in the process of opening offices in Austin and San Francisco, and is increasing its presence in New York City.

The move broadens Sapphire’s investment footprint domestically and globally.

• Nino Marakovic, CEO and Partner of Sapphire Ventures and Beezer Clarkson, Partner and Head of Sapphire Partners, have spearheaded the opening of Sapphire’s Austin office by relocating to the market. 
• Kevin Diestel, Partner on the Sapphire Ventures team and Thomas Moon, Vice President on the Sapphire Partners team, will be relocated to London in Q1 2021 to join existing team members in the office, including Sapphire Ventures Partner Andreas Weiskam and Principal Annalise Dragic. 
• Michael Spirito, Partner of Sapphire Sport, will be based in New York City. 

With team members in these new markets, as well as the firm’s existing office in Palo Alto, Sapphire is well-positioned to be a strong partner to startups worldwide.

About Sapphire:

Sapphire Ventures is a leading venture capital firm that partners with visionary teams and venture funds to build companies of consequence. For nearly two decades, Sapphire has been investing capital, resources and expertise in innovative startups and technology-focused venture funds around the world. With more than $4B in AUM* across Sapphire Ventures, Sapphire Partners and Sapphire Sport, and with team members in Austin, London, Palo Alto and San Francisco, Sapphire is well-positioned to help scale companies and venture funds, elevating them to become global category leaders. To learn more about Sapphire Ventures, visit: https://sapphireventures.com/.