Paul Ferris
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GENERAL PARTNER
Paul Ferris is a founding General Partner with Azure Capital Partners and has over 25 years experience working with high growth disruptive technology companies, with the past 23+ years investing directly in consumer, digitally native vertical e-commerce, cloud-enabling applications and infrastructure, IoT, gaming and digital media related companies for Azure.
During his career Paul has been active on 3 public company boards and has helped drive over 30 very successful venture backed outcomes totaling over $50B in value, both as an investor and adviser. Paul has provided strategic and investment advice to numerous leading technology companies— notable firms include: The Bouqs, Blume, Broadcom (IPO), Calix (IPO in 2010), Cerent (acquired by Cisco Systems), Clutch, Com21 (IPO), Cyan (IPO in 2013; acquired by Ciena in 2015), Empowerly, Efficient Networks (IPO; acquired by Siemens), Eight Sleep, Merit, Native (acquired by P&G in 2017), Packet Engines (acquired by Alcatel), Phanfare (acquired by Carbonite), QL Gaming (acquired by Entercom in 2020), Ranovus, Sanctuary, Shinesty, Siemens and Sliderocket (acquired by VMware in 2011). Prior to founding Azure in 2000, Paul was a strategic adviser and investor with several investment banks, including Credit Suisse First Boston, Deutsche Bank Securities and Morgan Stanley, where he focused on emerging technology companies.
Paul also served as President, Director and Co-Sponsor of Big Sky Growth Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ: “BSKYU”), an e-commerce focused Special Purpose Acquisition Company founded by Mark Vadon, Chairman and CEO (Chewy, Zulily, Blue Nile).
Paul received his B.A. degrees in Computer Science and English from Amherst College, where he graduated summa cum laude.
Paul has lived in San Francisco, CA for over 29 years and has recently bi-located to Miami, FL to bring his extensive network and experience and to osmose in the burgeoning technology ecosystem there. In his free time he can be found insouciantly reading esoteric philosophical works, curiously tinkering with gadgets that quantify life’s everyday data, jubilantly juggling a fútbol ball or placidly riding adventure motorcycles— although certainly not all at the same time.
