PALO ALTO, Calif., March 3, 2021 — Sapphire Ventures, a leading venture capital firm that partners with visionary teams and venture funds to build companies of consequence, today announced that Demi Obayomi and Abhishek Lahoti have joined the firm as vice presidents.
Demi Obayomi, Vice President, Sapphire Ventures
Demi Obayomi supports Sapphire Ventures’ investments in Series B through IPO enterprise technology companies. Prior to Sapphire, Demi was an investor at NextWorld Capital and before that, FirstMark Capital where he invested in early-stage B2B software companies. He started his career as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs.
Born and raised in Nigeria, Demi moved to the United States to study Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University where he graduated with Honors. He is passionate about entrepreneurship and continues to support the university’s ecosystem through A-Level Capital, an angel investment group he co-founded.
“Sapphire Ventures is excited to welcome Demi to the investment team. As we continue to partner with more companies of consequence, Demi’s experience in B2B software and passion for the entrepreneurial journey is an invaluable asset to the team,” said Jai Das, President and Partner at Sapphire Ventures.
Abhishek Lahoti, Vice President, Portfolio Growth
Abhishek Lahoti leads Sapphire’s Portfolio Growth efforts in Europe, and as part of the role, heads up the firm’s Global Expansion Center of Excellence. Based out of London, he is focused on expanding the Sapphire CXO network and helping portfolio companies accelerate their growth within the U.K. and European markets.
Prior to Sapphire, Abhishek led business development and distribution partnerships at Dropbox in Europe. While at Dropbox, and before that at Thismoment, Inc., Abhishek was a solutions architect and sales engineering lead where he sold to Global 2000 companies in the U.S. and Europe. He started his career in marketing analytics at Adobe Systems and is a graduate of Northwestern University where he earned a dual bachelors degree in economics and psychology. Originally from the U.S., he moved to the U.K. in 2017 from San Francisco.
“Abhishek is an incredible addition to the firm and the Portfolio Growth team. As Sapphire’s global reach and European investment strategy continues to grow, it’s critical for us to have on-the-ground portfolio company support in the region, providing assistance where needed and helping our portfolio companies scale,” said Rami Branitzky, Partner and Head of Portfolio Growth at Sapphire Ventures.
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 $5.7B in AUM(1) 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/.