Kevin Diestel

Kevin joined Sapphire in 2012 and focuses his time primarily on innovative consumer businesses and vertical software applications. He looks for large spaces, clear value propositions, and great teams to execute behind them. Kevin has sat on the boards of over a dozen companies in his career including his current board seats (director and observer) at Convercent, Culture Amp, Kaltura, Jibe, project44 and Sun Basket. He also led the firm’s investment in 23andMe. Kevin previously worked on Sapphire’s investments in Fitbit (NYSE: FIT), Inkling (acquired by Marlin Equity Partners), Integral Ad Science (acquired by Vista Equity Partners), Socrata (acquired by Tyler Technologies) and Vendavo (acquired by Francisco Partners). Before joining Sapphire Ventures in 2012, he worked at Shamrock Capital Advisors, a Los Angeles-based growth private equity firm, where he evaluated investments in the media, entertainment and communications sectors. Prior to his private equity career, Kevin worked at Merrill Lynch in its investment banking division in Los Angeles. Kevin holds an MBA from Stanford University and received the Ernest C. Arbuckle Award for contributing most to the fulfillment of the goals and integrity of the school. He received a bachelor’s in business economics and graduated magna cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles.