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== Company ==
== Company ==
Originally started in 1996 as the venture capital arm of [[SAP SE]], it was known as '''SAP Ventures'''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vccircle.com/news/alternative-investment/2013/10/04/sap-ventures-raises-650m-new-global-vc-fund|title=SAP Ventures raises $650M in new global VC fund - VCCircle|work=vccircle.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ocbj.com/news/2014/oct/16/vc-funding-drops-q3/|title=VC Funding Drops in Q3 – Orange County Business Journal|work=ocbj.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/Mobile-commerce-comes-of-age-in-India/articleshow/44898756.cms|title=Mobile-commerce comes of age in India|work=The Times of India}}</ref> It split from its parent in 2011 and was rebranded to Sapphire Ventures in 2014.<ref>Gage, Deborah. [https://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2014/10/16/sap-ventures-changes-name-to-sapphire-ventures-expands-focus/ "SAP Ventures Changes Name to Sapphire Ventures, Expands Focus"], "[[The Wall Street Journal]]", 16 October 2014. Retrieved on 7 April 2015</ref>
Originally started in 1996 as the venture capital arm of [[SAP SE]], it was known as '''SAP Ventures'''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vccircle.com/news/alternative-investment/2013/10/04/sap-ventures-raises-650m-new-global-vc-fund|title=SAP Ventures raises $650M in new global VC fund - VCCircle|work=vccircle.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ocbj.com/news/2014/oct/16/vc-funding-drops-q3/|title=VC Funding Drops in Q3 – Orange County Business Journal|work=ocbj.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/Mobile-commerce-comes-of-age-in-India/articleshow/44898756.cms|title=Mobile-commerce comes of age in India|work=The Times of India}}</ref> It split from its parent in 2011 and was rebranded to Sapphire Ventures in 2014.<ref>Gage, Deborah. [https://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2014/10/16/sap-ventures-changes-name-to-sapphire-ventures-expands-focus/ "SAP Ventures Changes Name to Sapphire Ventures, Expands Focus"], "[[The Wall Street Journal]]", 16 October 2014. Retrieved on 7 April 2015</ref>

Today, Sapphire is made up of three investment vehicles: Sapphire Ventures, Sapphire Partners, created in 2012, and Sapphire Sport, launched in 2019.


In March 2015, the company, along with technology companies [[Cisco]] Systems, Inc. and [[Siemens]], co-hosted the first industry summit on the [[Internet of Things]], named ''"IoT: Empowering The Enterprise"'' in [[San Jose, California]].<ref>[https://twitter.com/SapphireVC/status/580460389131034624 @SapphireVC on Twitter], "[[Twitter]]", 24 March 2015. Retrieved on 13 April 2015.</ref><ref>Escott, Blake. [http://www.streetwisereport.com/cisco-systems-inc-nasdaqcsco-planning-bigger-with-sap-today-finisar-corp-nasdaqfnsr-juniper-networks-inc-nysejnpr/112613/ Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) Planning Bigger With SAP Today, Finisar Corp. (NASDAQ:FNSR), Juniper Networks, Inc. (NYSE:JNPR)], "StreetWise Report", 24 March 2015. Retrieved on 13 April 2015</ref> The event was advertised as "connecting investors, startups, technologists and Fortune 1000 executives to explore IoT in the enterprise."
In March 2015, the company, along with technology companies [[Cisco]] Systems, Inc. and [[Siemens]], co-hosted the first industry summit on the [[Internet of Things]], named ''"IoT: Empowering The Enterprise"'' in [[San Jose, California]].<ref>[https://twitter.com/SapphireVC/status/580460389131034624 @SapphireVC on Twitter], "[[Twitter]]", 24 March 2015. Retrieved on 13 April 2015.</ref><ref>Escott, Blake. [http://www.streetwisereport.com/cisco-systems-inc-nasdaqcsco-planning-bigger-with-sap-today-finisar-corp-nasdaqfnsr-juniper-networks-inc-nysejnpr/112613/ Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) Planning Bigger With SAP Today, Finisar Corp. (NASDAQ:FNSR), Juniper Networks, Inc. (NYSE:JNPR)], "StreetWise Report", 24 March 2015. Retrieved on 13 April 2015</ref> The event was advertised as "connecting investors, startups, technologists and Fortune 1000 executives to explore IoT in the enterprise."

Revision as of 18:38, 13 February 2022

Sapphire Ventures, LLC
IndustryVenture capital
Founded1996
HeadquartersPalo Alto, California, U.S.
Key people
  • Nino Marakovic (CEO)
  • Abigail Johnson (COO)
  • Cristina Hohlman (CFO)
  • Robert Severo (CCO)
Total assets$5.7 billion
Websitesapphireventures.com

Sapphire Ventures, LLC is a venture capital firm with headquarters in Palo Alto, California and operating out of Austin, San Francisco, London, and New York.[1][2]

Sapphire primarily invests in Series B through IPO technology companies, as well as tech-focused early stage venture firms, seed, and Series A early-stage sports start-ups.[1]

Company

Originally started in 1996 as the venture capital arm of SAP SE, it was known as SAP Ventures.[3][4][5] It split from its parent in 2011 and was rebranded to Sapphire Ventures in 2014.[6]

Today, Sapphire is made up of three investment vehicles: Sapphire Ventures, Sapphire Partners, created in 2012, and Sapphire Sport, launched in 2019.

In March 2015, the company, along with technology companies Cisco Systems, Inc. and Siemens, co-hosted the first industry summit on the Internet of Things, named "IoT: Empowering The Enterprise" in San Jose, California.[7][8] The event was advertised as "connecting investors, startups, technologists and Fortune 1000 executives to explore IoT in the enterprise."

In March 2019, the company announced SV Explorer, a free online platform to connect corporate IT executives with emerging technology vendors in the startup ecosystem.[citation needed]

As of December 2019, the company managed approximately US$4 billion assets.[9]

On January 28, 2019, the company announced the launch of Sapphire Sport, a $115 million investment vehicle focused on early-stage technology companies at the intersection of sport, media and entertainment.[10] Investors in Sapphire Sport include: City Football Group, AEG, Adidas AG, Major League Baseball, the San Jose Sharks, Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc., and others.

In February 2021, the company completed at $1.7 billion fundraising round. Assets under management (AUM) reached $5.7 Bn at the end of 2020. The company is intending to "accelerate enterprise technology IPO funding" with the funds.[11]

In November 2021, the company brought in $2 billion, its largest raise to date, to inject into growth-stage enterprise companies from two funds: Sapphire Ventures Fund VI and Sapphire Ventures Opportunity Fund III.[12]

Investments

Since 1996, Sapphire Ventures has invested in more than 130 companies across 10 countries. By September 2018, the company participated in a $45 million venture capital investment in supply chain technology company project44.[13] There was another private fundraising round announced for project44 in late 2020.[14]

The company has "financed over 120 start-ups, including 23 IPOs and 42 acquisitions since 2011." In 2020, Sapphire invested over $970 million. Two of its companies, JFrog Ltd and Sumo Logic Inc), went public via IPOs in the year. Another six were acquired including Retail Solutions by Twilio.[11]

Recognition

In an independent study released on July 29, 2015, CB Insights, recognized Sapphire Ventures as Top 5 VC based on participation in major tech exits. Specifically, the CB Insights Report compiled a list of VCs with at least five of the top 100 exits in the period beginning Q1 2013 and ending Q2 2015, and ranked each VC according to how many of these exits they were involved in. Sapphire Ventures made the list at #4, with 10 such exits to its credit, behind Accel Partners, New Enterprise Associates and Sequoia Capital.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b Katie Roof (4 February 2021). "Sapphire Ventures Raises $1.7 Billion After Year of Big Exits". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  2. ^ "Sapphire Ventures secures largest capital raise to date across two new funds". TechCrunch. 2021-11-30. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  3. ^ "SAP Ventures raises $650M in new global VC fund - VCCircle". vccircle.com.
  4. ^ "VC Funding Drops in Q3 – Orange County Business Journal". ocbj.com.
  5. ^ "Mobile-commerce comes of age in India". The Times of India.
  6. ^ Gage, Deborah. "SAP Ventures Changes Name to Sapphire Ventures, Expands Focus", "The Wall Street Journal", 16 October 2014. Retrieved on 7 April 2015
  7. ^ @SapphireVC on Twitter, "Twitter", 24 March 2015. Retrieved on 13 April 2015.
  8. ^ Escott, Blake. Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) Planning Bigger With SAP Today, Finisar Corp. (NASDAQ:FNSR), Juniper Networks, Inc. (NYSE:JNPR), "StreetWise Report", 24 March 2015. Retrieved on 13 April 2015
  9. ^ "SAP spinout Sapphire Ventures raises $1.4B for new investments". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  10. ^ "Sapphire Ventures Draws Who's Who of Sports to $115 Million Fund". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
  11. ^ a b Lahiri, Anusuya, "Sapphire Ventures Rakes In $1.7B To Fund Tech Startups", (c) Benzinga via Yahoo! Finance, February 4, 2021. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  12. ^ Hall, Christine. "Sapphire Ventures secures largest capital raise to date across two new funds". TechCrunch. TechCrunch. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  13. ^ Phillips, Erica E. (2018-10-01). "Project44 Gets $45 Million in Funding for Freight Tech Expansion". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
  14. ^ Page, Paul (2020-12-21). "Supply-Chain Technology Provider Project44 Gains $100 Million in New Backing". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-12-23.(subscription required)
  15. ^ "Which Venture Capital Firms Are Consistently In The Largest Tech Exits?". Retrieved 2015-09-12.
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