Our Leadership

Ira Ehrenpreis,  Managing Partner, DBL Partners

Ira Ehrenpreis is Founder and Managing Partner of DBLPartners.

Ira is a recognized leader in the venture capital industry, having served on the Board, Executive Committee, and as Annual Meeting Chairman of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA).  He currently serves as the President of the Western Association of Venture Capitalists (WAVC) and as the Chairman of the VCNetwork, the largest and most active California venture capital organization.

Ira was recently awarded the 2018 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.

Ira has invested in a wide range of companies, including SpaceX, and serves on the board of Tesla Motors (NASDAQ: TSLA) and numerous other companies.

Ira has served as the Chairman of the Silicon Valley Technology Innovation & Entrepreneurship Forum (SVIEF) in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.  He is the Founder and Chairman of one of the most prominent energy innovation industry events, the World Energy Innovation Forum (WEIF), which convenes the who’s-who in the industry to discuss the important energy issues and opportunities of our time.  Ira also served for many years on the Advisory Board of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs (FWE).

Ira 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 (PIE) Advisory Council and the Stanford Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP).  Ira has also been a guest lecturer, including helping to teach a course on Venture Capital.

Ira received his JD/MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and Stanford Law School, where he was an Associate Editor of Stanford Law Review.  He holds a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude.

Connect on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/iraehrenpreis/

Phil Sanderson, Managing Director, Griffin Gaming Partners

Philip Sanderson is a venture capitalist focusing on entertainment software and gaming investments. He currently is a Managing Director and Co-founder of Griffin Gaming Partners. Sanderson has worked for Ridge/IDG Ventures, WaldenVC, Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Robertson Stephens. Mr. Sanderson is the Founder and Chairman of the VCNetwork, a non-profit organization consisting of more than 1,400 venture capitalists. He also serves on the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) Board and is the Chairman of the Western Association of Venture Capitalists (WAVC) Boards. Mr. Sanderson received his MBA with Honors from Harvard Business School. He holds a A.B. from Hamilton College, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude.

About WAVC

WAVC is comprised of 800+ venture capitalists with more than $150 billion under management. WAVC’s primary focus is its distinguished speaker series, which has hosted hundreds of the country’s most celebrated people in business, politics, education, sports and entertainment. 

Thought leaders speaking to WAVC members have access to:

• The world’s most successful and influential venture investors
• A collective investment pool of many billions of dollars
• Some of the brightest minds in technology, finance and business
• Individuals who were the original investors in groundbreaking companies like Google, YouTube, eBay and Amazon as well as Oracle, Cisco, Intel, Apple and Genentech.

WAVC members look forward to guest speakers who are willing to share their experiences as well as their knowledge and insights, especially as they relate to investment and business trends. WAVC members are especially interested in:

• Learning about new ideas and emerging trends
• Hearing stories of success—and lessons learned
• Identifying new areas of investment opportunity
• Seeing potential connections between markets, industries or companies
• Being challenged and inspired

Held over a sit-down lunch, WAVC events typically draw from 80 to 150 venture capitalists. Guest speakers typically present for 30 minutes followed by a 15-minute question and answer session.