# Alan Cohen

> Alan Cohen is a General Partner at DCVC (Data Collective), the Palo Alto deep tech venture firm. He invests in AI-enabled health tech, energy, security, and enterprise companies after a 25+ year run as an operator at Cisco, Nicira, Airespace, and Illumio. He led DCVC's exits at Element AI, Evolv Technology, and Caption Health, and helped originate the firm's 'TechMed' thesis.

- **Role:** General Partner at DCVC (Data Collective)
- **Organizations:** DCVC, Illumio (former), Nicira (former), Cisco (former), Airespace (former), IBM (former), General Growth Properties (former), Secure Community Network (advisory), NYU Endless Frontier Lab (mentor), Black Women on Boards (advisor)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BA, English, SUNY Buffalo, MA, English, University of Vermont, MA, International Affairs and Economics, American University, School of International Service, MBA, New York University, Stern School of Business
- **Known for:** Led DCVC's successful exits at Element AI (acquired by ServiceNow), Evolv Technology (Nasdaq: EVLV), and Caption Health (acquired by GE HealthCare), Past three ventures created over $3 billion in aggregate value, Helped articulate DCVC's 'TechMed' investment thesis

## Career timeline

- **1990s** — Early career at IBM and General Growth Properties
- **2004** — Joins Airespace as VP of Marketing and Product Management
- **2005** — Airespace acquired by Cisco for $460M; Cohen joins Cisco
- **2005-2010** — VP and head of marketing for Cisco's $25B enterprise business
- **2011** — Joins Nicira as VP of Marketing
- **2012** — Nicira acquired by VMware for $1.26B
- **2013** — Joins Illumio as Chief Commercial Officer
- **2019** — Joins DCVC as Partner
- **2022** — Promoted to General Partner at DCVC
- **2024** — DCVC closes new fund and Opportunity fund totaling roughly $700M

## Achievements

- Led DCVC's successful exits at Element AI (acquired by ServiceNow), Evolv Technology (Nasdaq: EVLV), and Caption Health (acquired by GE HealthCare)
- Past three ventures created over $3 billion in aggregate value
- Helped articulate DCVC's 'TechMed' investment thesis
- Authored over 200 articles and delivered 100+ keynotes
- Held senior operating roles at companies whose acquisitions exceeded $1.7B combined

## Latest updates

- **2024-09** — DCVC announces close of new core and opportunity funds, putting roughly $700M behind its deep tech thesis.
- **2022** — Promoted from Partner to General Partner at DCVC alongside three colleagues.

## Links

- Website: https://dcvc.com/team/alan-cohen/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanscohen
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ascohen
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/dcvc

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/alan-cohen
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-20