Managing Partner, DBL Partners
Ira Ehrenpreis is Founder and Managing Partner of DBL Partners, a leading impact investing venture capital firm. Ira has also led Technology Partners venture firm's energy innovation investment practice for many years, investing in Energy Technology, Water Technology, and Advanced Materials opportunities. Ira is a recognized leader in both the venture capital industry and the energy innovation sector. In 2007, Ira 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. In the venture community, Ira has served on the Board and Executive Committee of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), was Chairman of the 2010 NVCA Annual Meeting, and serves as the President of the Western Association of Venture Capitalists (WAVC). Ira also serves as the Co-Chairman of the VCNetwork, the largest and most active California venture capital organization. In the energy innovation sector, Ira is the founder and Chairman of one of the most prominent annual 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. In addition, Ira has served on several industry Boards, including the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Advisory Committee (ERAC), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Advisory Council, the Clean-Tech Investor Summit (Chairman in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013), the Renewable Energy Finance Forum (REFF) West (Co-Chairman in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014), the Renewable Energy Finance Forum (REFF) Wall Street (Co-Chairman in 2015), the Cleantech Venture Network (Past Chairman of Advisory Board), ACORE (American Council on Renewable Energy), the Energy Investors Forum (Past Conference Chairman), the Energy Venture Fair, and the California Climate Change Advisory Board.
Ira is 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 Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP) and the Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy (PIE) Advisory Council. Ira has also been a guest lecturer, including helping to teach a course on Venture Capital. In addition to the foregoing, Ira served for many years on the Advisory Board of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs (FWE) and served as Co-Chairman of the Silicon Valley Technology and Entrepreneurship Forum (SVIEF).
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.
