Dana Settle

Who they are

Dana Settle is Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Greycroft — she co-founded the firm in 2006 with Alan Patricof and Ian Sigalow when the first fund raised was $75 million, and is a founding member of All Raise, the female mentorship collective.

Person

Dana Settle joined Greycroft in 2006 when the firm raised its first fund of $75 million — she's been there since day one, building it into a firm that now manages approximately $4.36 billion in AUM. She studied Finance and International Studies at the University of Washington, then went through Harvard Business School before cutting her teeth in investment banking at Lehman Brothers in media and communications. From there she moved through international business development at McCaw Cellular Communications, then into venture via VSP Capital as a Venture Partner, and later Mayfield as a Partner — each step tightening her focus from deal-making to direct investing. The through-line is media, communications, and West Coast tech — she arrived at venture via the exact industries she still backs. She co-founded two organizations outside of Greycroft: All Raise, a female mentorship collective, and Baby2Baby, a non-profit supporting children living in poverty. She writes for TechCrunch and has spoken at the Stanford/NVCA Venture Capital Symposium, the Milken Institute Global Conference, and Fortune Brainstorm Tech — her public voice covers the LA tech scene, early-stage investment strategy, and, most recently, where the AI boom actually stands.

Company

Greycroft's most recent public moment was Dana appearing at Fortune Brainstorm Tech in 2025 alongside GV's David Krane to assess the current state of the AI boom — a signal of where the firm's attention is pointed. In 2023, Greycroft announced a strategic shift toward AI startups, reorienting its portfolio thesis around AI-driven software alongside sustainability technologies and consumer brands. The firm was founded in 2006 by Alan Patricof, Dana Settle, and Ian Sigalow, with offices in New York City and Los Angeles, and as of December 2024 manages approximately $4.36 billion in assets under management. Greycroft has a team of over 75 members spanning investment and operational roles.

Market

Greycroft competes with other top-20 venture capital firms by AUM in the United States, operating across seed, early-stage, and growth-stage technology investments in the digital economy. The firm's 2023 pivot toward AI startups places it squarely in a crowded and capital-intensive segment where many established funds are chasing similar deals. Greycroft's geographic footprint — dual presence in New York and Los Angeles — gives it a differentiated angle on the LA tech scene that Dana has publicly championed for years.

Network

Dana's closest named collaborators are her two co-founders: Alan Patricof, the firm's founder emeritus who previously founded Apax Partners, and Ian Sigalow, Co-Founder and Managing Partner peer at Greycroft. Her recent public engagements put her alongside David Krane of GV, most notably at Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2025 discussing the AI investment climate.

Alan Patricof· Co-Founder & Founder Emeritus, Greycroft
Ian Sigalow· Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Greycroft
David Krane· Partner, GV

How they likely show up

Long tenure at Greycroft since founding in 2006 → thinks in fund cycles and decade-long portfolio arcs, not short-term wins.
Career path from investment banking (media & comms) through international business development to venture → likely operates with both financial rigor and an operator's feel for business fundamentals.
Founding membership in All Raise and Baby2Baby alongside a full investing career → high agency, builds structures where she sees a gap rather than waiting for someone else to.
Public writing in TechCrunch and speaking at Stanford/NVCA, Milken, and Fortune Brainstorm Tech → comfortable being a visible voice on the firm's thesis, not just a behind-the-scenes investor.
Possibly — content themes around the LA tech scene suggest she has a genuine regional conviction, not just a portfolio rationale for being on the West Coast.

Conversation tips

→ Come with a specific view on the AI investment climate — she just debated 'where the AI boom really stands' at Fortune Brainstorm Tech and will want a real perspective, not a question that defers to hers.
→ Reference her LA roots specifically — she's been a vocal advocate for the LA tech scene and that's a point of real conviction, not just geography.
→ Ask about the early days of Greycroft — she built the firm from a $75M first fund and that origin story is likely a point of pride worth drawing out.
→ If you work in media, communications, or consumer brands, lead with that thread — it's where her career began and still forms a core part of Greycroft's thesis.

Toolbox

Openers

Open on the Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2025 panel with David Krane — she just went on record about where the AI boom actually stands, and her take will frame a lot of what she's seeing in deal flow right now.
Reference All Raise by name — she's a founding member and it's a structural commitment, not a casual affiliation; it signals she builds institutions, not just portfolios.
Bring up Greycroft's 2023 shift toward AI startups — it's a deliberate thesis change at a $4.36B AUM firm, and asking what triggered it will get you into her actual investment thinking.

Discovery questions

When Greycroft announced the strategic shift toward AI in 2023, what did that mean operationally — did you rebuild sourcing, or did the deals start coming to you?
You've been publicly vocal about the LA tech scene for years — what's the strongest signal you've seen in the last 12 months that the ecosystem is maturing or stalling?
You co-founded Greycroft when the first fund was $75M and now manage approximately $4.36 billion — at what point does fund size start to change the kinds of bets you can make?

Avoid

Don't ask generic questions about 'what you look for in a founder' — she writes for TechCrunch and speaks at major conferences specifically to articulate her thesis publicly, so surface-level questions signal you haven't done the reading.

Make it yours