Paul Ferris

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 20 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 helped drive over 30 very successful venture backed outcomes, both as an investor and adviser. Over the course of his career, Paul has provided strategic and investment advice to numerous leading technology companies— notable firms include: Better & Better, The Bouqs, Blume, Broadcom, Calix (IPO in 2010), Cerent (acquired by Cisco Systems), Clutch, Com21 (IPO), Cyan (IPO in 2013; acquired by Ciena in 2015), EBY (Empowered by You), Empowerly, Efficient Networks (IPO; acquired by Siemens), Eight Sleep, Hamama, Merit, Native (acquired by P&G in 2017), Packet Engines (acquired by Alcatel), Phanfare (acquired by Carbonite), QL Gaming (acquired by Entercom), Ranovus, Shinesty, Siemens, Sliderocket (acquired by VMware) and SubPac. 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 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 25 years and in his free time can be found insouciantly reading esoteric philosophical works, curiously tinkering with gadgets that quantify life’s everyday data and serenely riding adventure motorcycles— although certainly not all at the same time.