UK VC Firm DFJ Espirit Hires Dibner as a Partner

UK-based VC firm DFJ Espirit said Monday that it has named Gil Dibner as a partner. Previously, Dibner worked at Index Ventures and prior to that, was a principal at Gemini Israel Ventures.

PRESS RELEASE

London, UK. 09 September 2013: DFJ Esprit, one of Europe’s leading cross-stage venture capital firms, is pleased to announce that Gil Dibner has joined the firm as Partner. Gil will help DFJ Esprit lead new investments in technology-driven companies of all stages, leveraging his experience with previous investments such as LoyalBlocks, Innovid, JFrog, The Gifts Project (acquired by Ebay), Yedda (acquired by AOL), and others.
Gil joins DFJ Esprit from Index Ventures in London, where he helped lead that firm’s seed and early stage investment strategy across Europe, Israel and the US. Prior to joining Index, Gil was a Principal at Israeli venture capital firm Gemini Israel Ventures.
The appointment follows DFJ Esprit’s continued commitment to maintain its active investment rate. DFJ Esprit was the 3rd most active venture investor in Europe in deals over $5m during 2012 and continues to invest in consumer-facing hardware and software services, big data, and enterprise software, mobile apps and technologies, and digital healthcare technology. With the addition of Gil, the DFJ Esprit team now numbers 10 partners, one of the largest VC teams in Europe.
On his appointment Gil Dibner said, “DFJ Esprit shares my passion for backing bold entrepreneurs, having supported some truly ground-breaking European technologists such as the inventors of WiFi, Bluetooth, and LCD displays. Not many venture firms in Europe have demonstrated this sort of commitment to ambitious tech-driven innovation.
“The firm’s track record – alongside its strong portfolio of leading consumer-facing companies and global perspective – uniquely positions DFJ Esprit to capitalise on the tremendous investment opportunities in Europe in the enterprise software, SaaS, and big data arenas. I am thrilled to have joined one of the most experienced teams of venture investors in Europe – one truly committed to the finance of innovation.”
Simon Cook, CEO of DFJ Esprit, added, “We are excited to add Gil to the team; he has worked passionately with some amazing entrepreneurs around the world, has rare deep technical understanding, and brings 8 years of global venture capital experience to the DFJ Esprit team. Gil’s extensive experience in backing enterprise-focussed and technology-driven companies strengthens and complements DFJ Esprit’s diverse team of venture professionals and help position the firm to maintain its leadership position in the European technology venture landscape.”
Gil is a graduate of Harvard University where he earned a degree in Economics. Following his degree he went on to work as a technology equity research analyst at Goldman Sachs in New York. After earning an MBA at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Gil moved to Israel where he worked as Principal for Genesis Partners and Gemini Israel Ventures. Gil tweets actively @gdibner and blogs at yankeesabralimey.tumblr.com.