Doug Higgins

Partner, Sapphire Sport

Doug Higgins

Partner, Sapphire Sport

Doug is a co-founder of Sapphire Ventures, as well as a founding partner and lead investor for Sapphire Sport. He currently manages the firm’s investments in Tonal, Convercent, Manticore Games, and PlayVS. Doug’s previous investments include LinkedIn, DocuSign (NASDAQ: DOCU), Phoenix Labs (acquired by Garena), Paytm, Fitbit (NYSE: FIT), Square (NYSE: SQ), and Ticketfly (acquired by Pandora). He is focused on investing in early-stage technology companies at the intersection of sports, media and entertainment technologies.

Doug has worked for a venture-backed startup as well as for one of his entrepreneurial heroes, George Lucas. He launched the business development group for Lucasfilm, creating strategic partnerships for Star Wars prequels.

Doug started his career in investment banking, with a focus on technology, at Robertson Stephens. More recently, he managed the Intel 64 fund at Intel Capital. Doug has lived in Madrid, Spain; Santiago, Chile; and Walker, Minnesota. He graduated with a bachelor’s from Duke University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, both with high honors.

Picking the right investor is one of the most important decisions you can make as an entrepreneur. For Tonal, picking Sapphire Sport was a no-brainer. Doug and the Sapphire Sport team are patient and experienced technology VCs with an industry-focused Rolodex to match.

Aly Orady, CEO and founder, Tonal

Investments

ALL
Current
Exited

M&A

Black Duck

Acquired by Synopsys (2017)
M&A

Convercent

Acquired by OneTrust (2021)
Culture Amp

One intuitive platform to collect, understand, and act on employee feedback.
IPO

DocuSign

The market leader and global standard for electronic signature.
M&A

Endeca

Acquired by Oracle (2011)
Fevo

Enables “social commerce” by making it easier to bring people together to create unforgettable group live event experiences.
IPO

Imprivata

Providing healthcare organizations globally with a security and identity platform.
iYogi

Fulfilling the potential of the Internet of Things (IoT).
M&A

Jibe

Acquired by iCIMS (2019)
IPO

LinkedIn

The world's largest professional network.
M&A

Localytics

Acquired by Upland Software (2020)
Manticore Games

A digital playground and community designed to unleash imagination and explore new play experiences.
M&A

mycujoo

Acquired by ELEVEN (2020)
IPO

Newgen

Leading provider of a unified digital transformation platform.
Overtime

The leading brand for the next generation of sports fans.
M&A

Phoenix Labs

Acquired by Garena (2020)
PlayVS

The leading amateur esports platform
M&A

Return Path

Acquired by Validity (2019)
M&A

SAVO

Acquired by Seismic (2018)
Spring

A global leader in enterprise mobility solutions.
Tonal

The world’s most intelligent fitness system and the first truly personalized approach to strength training.