Ira Ehrenpreis

Ira Ehrenpreis is Founder and Managing Partner of DBL Partners, a leading impact investing venture capital firm, currently managing more than $1.5 billion of capital.  DBL invests in companies that can deliver top-tier financial returns, while simultaneously driving social or environmental change.

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 Chairman of the VCNetwork, the largest and most active California venture capital organization, and the President of the Western Association of Venture Capitalists (WAVC), the oldest venture capital organization in California.

For his significant contributions to the Venture Capital and Impact industries, Ira has been honored with several prestigious awards. Ira was awarded the NACD Directorship 100 for being “one of the most influential leaders in the boardroom and corporate governance community.”  He was also named one of the “Top 50 Most Influential Men Under 45″ (alas in a galaxy far, far away when in fact he was under 45!)  For his pioneering work and leadership in sustainability innovation, Ira was inducted into the International Green Industry Hall of Fame.  In addition, the National Venture Capital Association awards one venture capitalist each year with the industry’s “Outstanding Service Award” for career contribution to the venture capital industry.  The Japan Society of Northern California also honored Ira with its 2023 Visionary Award for his “Pioneering Leadership in Impact Investing and the Global Sustainability Community.”  Most recently, for his leadership is supporting equity in entrepreneurship, Ira’s firm was awarded by Springboard the “2024 Investor of the Year.”

Ira serves on the board of Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) and currently leads DBL’s investments in several companies including Airspace, Boring Company, Fiber Global, Mapbox, Menlo Micro, Planet (NYSE: PL), R-Zero, SpaceX, Terram, and xAI.

A sampling of Ira’s leadership includes serving for several years as the Chairman of the Silicon Valley Technology Innovation & Entrepreneurship Forum (SVIEF).  He is the Founder and Chairman of one of the most prominent annual 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 serves as the Chair of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Northern California.   He also served for 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, is currently Co-Chairman of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability Precourt Institute for Energy (PIE) Advisory Council, and was one of the founding board members of the Stanford Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP).  Ira has also been a frequent 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.