Global venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates (NEA) has named Dayna Grayson as Partner. A venture capitalist with operational and product development expertise, Grayson will work with NEA’s East Coast technology team, focusing on early-stage investments in enterprise and consumer internet companies.
"Dayna is a talented investor who is intensely focused on fostering entrepreneurship and has deep roots in the East Coast venture capital ecosystem," says Peter Barris, Managing General Partner, NEA. "As NEA increases our investment focus on thriving technology and life sciences hubs spanning the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, we believe Dayna will be an outstanding addition to the team and we’re very pleased to welcome her to NEA."
Prior to joining NEA, Grayson was an investor at North Bridge Venture Partners in Boston where she focused on seed and early-stage consumer internet and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) investments. She is an active member of the startup communities along the East Coast including Boston and New York. Previously, Grayson led product design at Blackbaud, the leading global provider of software to nonprofit organisations, and was a consultant at Cap Gemini Ernst and Young.
"For someone who is passionate about technology and entrepreneurship, NEA is a perfect fit," says Grayson. "I believe that innovation can take root anywhere — seeded by inspired entrepreneurs and cultivated by committed partners — and NEA’s global scale and entrepreneur-first culture is both a testament to that conviction and an inspiration to me as an investor."
Founded as a bi-coastal firm in 1977, NEA’s domestic presence has expanded beyond Silicon Valley and the Washington, DC metropolitan area to other flourishing technology hubs in the US. The firm announced a new office in Chicago last month, and opened its New York City office in 2011. With affiliate offices in India and China, NEA’s investing activities today span six continents.
