Dave Dirks

General Partner

With over 25 years in M&A, venture capital, and entrepreneurship, I now focus on supporting early-stage impact ventures as Partner at Shaping Impact. At SI3, our early-stage impact fund, we back founders using technology and AI to build scalable solutions for societal challenges across Western Europe.

My passion is to empower entrepreneurs who are creating innovative businesses with a mission—combining proven growth strategies with impact at scale. I leverage my network, insights, and operational experience to provide strategic guidance, feedback, and mentorship to startups and scaleups navigating critical growth phases.

Over my career, I’ve invested in 30+ companies across enterprise software, e-commerce, marketplaces, and fintech, and supported multiple teams through to successful exits. Today, I bring that experience to impact ventures tackling issues like digital inclusion, labor market participation, and community resilience.