Gil Penchina serves as Venture Partner and at Ridge Ventures. He serves as Board Member at UXPin. He is a Co-founder and serves as a Partner at Flight Ventures. He also served as Strategic Advisor at Abstract Ventures. He served as Board Member at UXPin. He is a Co-Founder and Advisor of Pryze. He also serves as Advisor at Koho and ClearCreek Partners. He is a Board Member of Fastly. He is the Owner of Flight Ventures. He served as a Board member at JumpCloud. Prior to Ridge Ventures, he served as the CEO of Wikia.com. Prior to that, he was the VP and General Manager, International Expansion of eBay, where he managed expansion planning and acquisitions for eBay International. Prior to that, he was the VP and GM, Collectibles Business at eBay, where he managed a $1 billion sales business. He holds a BE in Industrial Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Business.

Retired Angel Investor & Venture Partner | Notable Unicorn Investments

Professional Summary

Accomplished angel investor and venture capital professional with an extensive track record of identifying and investing in transformative technology companies. Successfully invested in numerous unicorn companies across various sectors, including fintech, social media, and enterprise software. Previously served as a Board Member for the San Francisco Opera and demonstrated commitment to supporting the performing arts.

Professional Experience

Retired June 2019 – Present Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

• Managing personal investment portfolio
• Continuing to provide strategic guidance to portfolio companies
• Focused on mentoring next generation of entrepreneurs

Founding Donor Casa Dei Medici | January 2019 – 2022

• Supported non-profit organization dedicated to performing arts
• Contributed to cultural development and artistic initiatives

Angel Investor January 2011 – January 2021

• Notable Unicorn Investments:
  • Technology: Discord, Clubhouse, Carta, Palantir
  • Financial Technology: PayPal, Bolt, Vise
  • Enterprise: Fastly, LinkedIn
  • Additional Successful Investments: Filecoin, Rent the Runway, Cruise Automotive, PagerDuty, Moveworks, Blockstream, Plastiq, Calm, Pipe, Ripple, 23andMe, Jumpcloud, Flutterwave

Venture Partner Ridge Ventures | 2011 – 2021

• Led investment strategies and portfolio management
• Provided strategic guidance to portfolio companies
• Focused on early-stage technology investments

Board Member San Francisco Opera | 2017 – June 2019

• Contributed to organizational governance and strategic planning
• Supported cultural development initiatives
• Helped drive community engagement and outreach programs

Investment Portfolio

1. NFTpay
   • Deal Date: April 22, 2022
   • Deal Type: Later Stage VC
   • Industry: Financial Software
   • Company Stage: Generating Revenue
2. Ember (Los Angeles)
   • Deal Date: May 6, 2020
   • Industry: Financial Software
   • Company Stage: Generating Revenue
3. Growbots
   • Deal Date: January 11, 2019
   • Industry: Business/Productivity Software
   • Company Stage: Generating Revenue
4. Good Money
   • Deal Date: December 10, 2018
   • Industry: Financial Software
   • Company Stage: Out of Business
5. Cointopia
   • Deal Date: September 5, 2018
   • Industry: Other Financial Services
   • Company Stage: Out of Business
6. Origin Protocol
   • Deal Date: July 31, 2018
   • Industry: Financial Software
   • Company Stage: Generating Revenue
7. Cointopia
   • Deal Date: July 27, 2018
   • Industry: Other Financial Services
   • Company Stage: Out of Business
8. Zight
   • Deal Date: May 10, 2018
   • Industry: Business/Productivity Software
   • Company Stage: Generating Revenue
9. Campaign (Home Furnishings)
   • Deal Date: January 11, 2018
   • Deal Type: Later Stage VC
   • Industry: Home Furnishings
   • Company Stage: Out of Business
10. Fairy (Services)
    • Deal Date: June 15, 2017
    • Deal Type: Early Stage VC
    • Industry: Other Services (B2C Non-Financial)
    • Company Stage: Out of Business

Education

Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management MBA

University of Massachusetts Amherst BS, Industrial Engineering

Core Competencies

• Angel Investing
• Venture Capital
• Start-up Development
• Strategic Planning
• Portfolio Management
• Technology Investment
• Board Governance
• Enterprise Technology
• Financial Technology
• Social Media Platforms

Languages

• English
• Czech
• French

Notable Achievements

• Established track record of identifying and investing in multiple unicorn companies
• Successfully exited numerous investments through IPOs and acquisitions
• Built extensive network across Silicon Valley and global technology ecosystem
• Recognized thought leader in early-stage technology investment

Contact Information

• Location: New York, New York, United States

– LinkedIn Connections: 500+

– Professional Followers: 7,448