Dixon Doll
Venture Capital Pioneer, Technology Innovator, Multi-faceted Community Leader
For more than 35 years, Dixon has influenced and guided entrepreneurs, investors and executives in the computer, communications, and internet industries. In the mid-1980s, Dixon cofounded the VC industry’s first fund focused on telecom at Accel Partners. Also, Dixon founded DCM Ventures, formerly (Doll Capital Management), where he built a leading, global VC firm with offices in Silicon Valley, Beijing and Tokyo. DCM is also widely regarded as the first Silicon Valley venture firm to successfully invest in China, Japan and the US. His diverse experience also includes strategy consulting, teaching, authoring two books, many Bloomberg Television appearances, economic policy leadership, non-profit fundraising & investment management and innovative philanthropic accomplishments. He also served on the Board of DirecTV for five years before its acquisition by AT&T in 2015. Dixon currently serves as a director on the boards of Prime Impact Acquisition I (NYSE: PIAI.U) and Arrowroot Acquisition Corporation (NASDAQ: ARRWU).
In 2021, Dixon received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Venture Capital from the U.S. National Venture Capital Association. He was named to the Forbes Midas List for four consecutive years in the early 2000’s and received the 2013 Special Achievement Award in VC from the International Business Forum. Dixon was elected to the Board of the U.S. National Venture Capital Association in 2005, serving on the Executive Committee and as Chairman in 2008/9. Under Dixon’s leadership as chairman, the NVCA developed a widely embraced set of recommendations (NVCA 4-Pillar Plan) to stimulate liquidity in the U.S. VC industry. This plan resulted in bipartisan US Congressional support for new job creation legislation and simplification of the IPO process. Known as the JOBS Act, President Obama signed it into law in 2012. It has been subsequently enhanced and is widely regarded as a major catalyst for the recent domestic and global technology innovation waves.
Dixon currently serves as the Chairman of Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) and is on the Boards of the Papal Foundation (Rome), the San Francisco Opera Association, the Asian Art Museum (AAM) of San Francisco, Catholic Investment Services, and serves on the Board of Overseers for the Hoover Institute. Dixon is also on the investment committees for the SF Opera, the Papal Foundation and the AAM.
He received his B.S. degree (cum laude) from Kansas State University plus M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in EE from the University of Michigan, where he was a National Science Foundation scholar.