Gabriel Venture Partners was founded in 1999 by Rick Bolander and Phil Samper who had a vision for creating a new type of venture capital firm with a unique, team-driven, hands-on approach. Since then, Gabriel has raised two funds, Gabriel I and Gabriel II, with a total of $260 million under management.
Gabriel began investing in its first fund during the challenging dotcom crash of 2000-2002. Gabriel I had exits of Crossmedia (acquired by Gannett, Knight Ridder and Tribune), Netscaler (acquired by Citrix) and Placeware (acquired by Microsoft). Gabriel II was raised during the same period and since inception has made 32 investments and successfully exited Encentuate (acquired by IBM), Iridium (acquired by Qualcomm), LVL7 (acquired by Broadcom), NeoPath (acquired by Citrix), NextG Networks (acquired by private equity syndicate), Step Labs (acquired by Dolby Laboratories), and Tejas and from India, Allsec and MakeMyTrip.
By early 2006, the founding partners became concerned that the evolving venture capital business model was at a crossroads; go large or be a specialist. Instead of following the popular trend and raising a larger and more diverse fund including a geographic diversification for a separate China or India fund, the Gabriel team decided to refocus their energies on a venture model they believed would generate superior returns in the years to come; capital efficient investing in disruptive technologies and business models.
With the retirement of Phil Samper in 2006, Gabriel now has 3 investment partners, Rick Bolander, Scott Chou and Jim Long. The tight-knit Gabriel team has the smarts, connections, operating experience, functional expertise and investment know-how to build great businesses. In their past the three partners helped build Concord Communications, Exodus Communications, Integrated Computing Engines, Netscaler, NextG Networks, RioPort, Starlight Networks, Tut Systems and Veritas. They all roll up their sleeves and work with entrepreneurs to hone business models, build the right industry connections, hire the best teams and make the best operational and strategic decisions that drive sustainable growth.
Testimonial / Netscaler
“Having worked closely with Rick Bolander for eleven years- since he invested in Exodus, as well as becoming a Venture Partner shortly after he founded Gabriel in 1999. | am proud to be a member of the Gabriel family as an advisor and portfolio company CEO. Rick and the team played a significant part in making Netscaler the success it was- from the long days and nights helping reposition the company during the crash to the undying support for the company and the management team before the market rebound. Rick and his team’s commitment to LPs, to return value on their investment, and to the entrepreneurs, who have a dream to succeed, make them a pleasure to work with. | very much look forward to working with the Gabriel team once again in the future.”
– B.V. Jagadeesh, CEO, Netscaler
