# Dan Avida

> Dan Avida is an engineer, company builder and venture investor based in San Mateo, California. He co-founded and led storage security company Decru, which NetApp agreed to acquire for approximately $272 million in 2005, and previously led Electronics for Imaging. He later became an Opus Capital general partner and an early SolarEdge investor. He is now co-founder and CEO of digital learning company Engageli, founded in 2020 with a team including Daphne Koller and Serge Plotkin.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Engageli
- **Organizations:** Engageli, Decru, Electronics for Imaging (EFI), Opus Capital, SolarEdge
- **Education:** B.Sc. in Computer Engineering, summa cum laude, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
- **Known for:** Led the development of EFI’s Fiery product and later served as EFI president, CEO and chairman., Co-founded and led Decru through its acquisition by NetApp in 2005., Co-led SolarEdge’s Series A investment and served on its board for more than a decade, as he described in a 2022 interview.

## Career timeline

- **1989** — Joined Electronics for Imaging as an early employee; led development of the Fiery product.
- **1991** — Fiery launched, connecting digital color copiers with computer printing workflows.
- **1994** — Promoted to president of Electronics for Imaging.
- **1995** — Became CEO of Electronics for Imaging.
- **1997** — Led EFI during a sharp share-price decline following weaker results and product delays.
- **1999** — Served as EFI chairman; his EFI employment concluded in 1999 according to SolarEdge’s 2015 annual report.
- **2001** — Co-founded storage security company Decru with Serge Plotkin.
- **2005** — NetApp announced an approximately $272 million cash-and-stock agreement to acquire Decru; Avida joined Opus Capital that year.
- **2007** — Began serving on SolarEdge’s board, according to its 2015 annual report.
- **2020** — Co-founded Engageli with a team including Daphne Koller and Serge Plotkin.
- **2021** — Engageli announced a $33 million Series A, taking disclosed financing above $47 million.
- **2025** — Presented Engageli in connection with Calcalist’s Mind the Tech NY 2025 conference.

## Achievements

- Led the development of EFI’s Fiery product and later served as EFI president, CEO and chairman.
- Co-founded and led Decru through its acquisition by NetApp in 2005.
- Co-led SolarEdge’s Series A investment and served on its board for more than a decade, as he described in a 2022 interview.
- Co-founded Engageli and led it through its 2021 Series A financing.

## Latest updates

- **2025-03** — CTech featured Avida and Engageli in coverage of Mind the Tech NY 2025.
- **2025-10** — Engageli republished a link to his ValiantCEO interview; the original interview is dated October 29, 2022.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-avida/

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/dan-avida
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23