Ira Ehrenpreis

Director

Ira Ehrenpreis is founder and managing partner of DBL Partners, a leading impact investing venture capital firm currently managing more than $1 billion of capital. DBL invests in companies that can deliver top-tier financial returns while simultaneously driving social or environmental change.

Ehrenpreis is a recognized leader in the venture capital industry, having served on the board, executive committee, and as annual meeting chair of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). He currently serves as the chair of the VCNetwork, the largest and most active California venture capital organization, and the president of the Western Association of Venture Capitalists, the oldest venture capital organization in California.

Ehrenpreis was awarded the NACD Directorship 100 for being "one of the most influential leaders in the boardroom and corporate governance community." In 2007, he was named one of the "Top 50 Most Influential Men Under 45" and in 2014 was inducted into the International Green Industry Hall of Fame. The NVCA awards one venture capitalist each year with the industry's "Outstanding Service Award" and in 2018 Ehrenpreis received that honor.

Ehrenpreis serves on the board of Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) and currently supports DBL's investments in several companies including Airspace, Apeel, The Boring Co., Mapbox, Menlo Micro, Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL), R-Zero, and SpaceX.

Ehrenpreis served for several years as the chair of the Silicon Valley Technology Innovation & Entrepreneurship Forum. He is the founder and chair of one of the most prominent annual energy innovation industry events, the World Energy Innovation Forum, which convenes the who's-who in the industry to discuss the important energy issues and opportunities of our time. Ehrenpreis also served for many years on the advisory board of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs.

Ehrenpreis is also an active leader at Stanford University, where he has served on the board of visitors of Stanford Law School and is currently an advisory board member of the Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy advisory council and the Global Climate and Energy Project at Stanford. Ehrenpreis has also been a frequent guest lecturer, including helping to teach a course on venture capital.

Ehrenpreis received his master of business administration and law degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Stanford Law School, where he was an associate editor of the Stanford Law Review. He holds a bachelor of arts from the University of California, Los Angeles, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude.