# Daniel Levine
Daniel (Dan) Levine is a venture capital investor, a partner at Accel from 2015 to 2026, best known for leading the firm's early investments in [Scale AI](https://www.edgepedia.org/scale-ai).[2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmarklevine) At Accel, he focused on product-first startups aimed at consumers, developers, and bottoms-up business users, with an emphasis on AI applications and developer tooling.[1](https://www.accel.com/team/daniel-levine)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Firm and role | Accel; associate from October 2010, partner January 2015 to May 2026 (self-reported)[2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmarklevine) |
| Earlier career | Dropbox platform team (2012–2014); co-founder of Chartio[3](https://www.forbes.com/profile/daniel-levine/) |
| Education | Yale, 2005–2009; from Washington, DC[1](https://www.accel.com/team/daniel-levine) • [2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmarklevine) |
| Notable investments | Scale AI, Vercel, Sentry, Gem, Mux[3](https://www.forbes.com/profile/daniel-levine/) |
| Company valuations backed | Sentry $3B, Gem $1.2B, Mux $1B, Vercel $9.3B (Aug 2025)[3](https://www.forbes.com/profile/daniel-levine/) |
| Industry service | National Venture Capital Association board, June 2021 to June 2025 (self-reported)[2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmarklevine) |
| Status, September 2026 | Announced on July 30, 2026 that he would join Scale AI as CEO effective August 10, 2026 (self-reported); no longer leading new investments at Accel[2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmarklevine) • [4](https://www.theinformation.com/briefings/exclusive-scale-investor-dan-levine-steps-back-accel) |
## Early life and education
Levine is from Washington, DC, and graduated from Yale, where he studied from 2005 to 2009.[1](https://www.accel.com/team/daniel-levine) • [2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmarklevine) Before entering venture capital he worked on CrunchBase at [TechCrunch](https://www.edgepedia.org/techcrunch).[1](https://www.accel.com/team/daniel-levine) He then co-founded Chartio, a [Y Combinator](https://www.edgepedia.org/y-combinator)-backed (S10) data-visualization startup; [Atlassian](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlassian) acquired Chartio in 2021.[1](https://www.accel.com/team/daniel-levine) • [3](https://www.forbes.com/profile/daniel-levine/)
## Career
**Accel, Dropbox, and back again.** Levine started his investing career at Accel in 2010 as an associate.[3](https://www.forbes.com/profile/daniel-levine/) • [1](https://www.accel.com/team/daniel-levine) Per his own profile, he left in late 2012 to spend two years on Dropbox's platform team, then rejoined Accel as a partner in January 2015.[2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmarklevine) Forbes and Accel both record the 2012 departure to Dropbox and the 2015 return.[3](https://www.forbes.com/profile/daniel-levine/) • [1](https://www.accel.com/team/daniel-levine)
In May 2026, Levine stopped leading new investments at Accel while retaining his board seats and continuing to work with existing portfolio companies, according to his own profile.[2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmarklevine) [The Information](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-information) independently reported his step-back from Accel in 2026 under the headline "Exclusive: Scale Investor Dan Levine Steps Back From Accel."[4](https://www.theinformation.com/briefings/exclusive-scale-investor-dan-levine-steps-back-accel)
## Notable investments and exits
**Scale AI.** Levine led multiple funding rounds for Scale AI, the data-labeling company, and the startup's very first office was in Levine's basement.[3](https://www.forbes.com/profile/daniel-levine/) His self-reported board seat at Scale began in August 2016.[2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmarklevine) In June 2025, Meta invested $14.3 billion to buy a major stake in Scale.[3](https://www.forbes.com/profile/daniel-levine/)
**Developer and product companies.** Levine led early investments in the recruiting startup Gem (valued at $1.2 billion), the video platform Mux ($1 billion), the bug-monitoring tool Sentry ($3 billion), and the coding startup Vercel, valued at $9.3 billion in an August 2025 round co-led by Accel.[3](https://www.forbes.com/profile/daniel-levine/) Accel's team page lists his portfolio as Gem, Minoan, Monarch Money, Mux, ReadMe.io, Scale, Sentry, Sprig, Thinking Machines, Val Town, Vercel, and Whimsical.[1](https://www.accel.com/team/daniel-levine)
**Exits and later deals.** Chartio, the company he co-founded, was acquired by Atlassian in 2021.[3](https://www.forbes.com/profile/daniel-levine/) Per his self-reported record, he held a board seat at EdgeDB from August 2019 until December 2025, when EdgeDB was acquired by Vercel.[2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmarklevine) Deals announced under his byline on Accel's site after late 2023 include Accel's Series F in Vercel (September 30, 2025) and Paper (July 23, 2026).[1](https://www.accel.com/team/daniel-levine)
## Public positions and writing
Levine has written publicly about his investing thesis. Accel describes his focus as product-first startups for consumers, developers, and bottoms-up business users.[1](https://www.accel.com/team/daniel-levine) In a September 6, 2019 TechCrunch essay he argued that "APIs are the next big SaaS wave."[5](https://techcrunch.com/author/daniel-levine/) From June 2021 to June 2025 he served on the board of the [National Venture Capital Association](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-venture-capital-association) in Washington, DC, per his self-reported record.[2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmarklevine)
## Recent developments
Three developments define Levine's recent record. In June 2025, Meta invested $14.3 billion for a major stake in Scale AI, the outcome of the deal that made his reputation.[3](https://www.forbes.com/profile/daniel-levine/) In August 2025, Accel co-led Vercel's Series F at a $9.3 billion valuation.[3](https://www.forbes.com/profile/daniel-levine/) In May 2026 he stepped back from leading new investments at Accel,[2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmarklevine) • [4](https://www.theinformation.com/briefings/exclusive-scale-investor-dan-levine-steps-back-accel) and on July 30, 2026 he announced that Scale AI had named him CEO effective August 10, 2026.[2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmarklevine)
## References
1. [Daniel Levine — Accel team page](https://www.accel.com/team/daniel-levine)
2. [Dan Levine — LinkedIn profile (self-reported)](https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmarklevine)
3. [Daniel Levine — Forbes Midas List profile](https://www.forbes.com/profile/daniel-levine/)
4. [Exclusive: Scale Investor Dan Levine Steps Back From Accel — The Information](https://www.theinformation.com/briefings/exclusive-scale-investor-dan-levine-steps-back-accel)
5. [Daniel Levine, Author at TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/author/daniel-levine/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Economics and business › Founders, operators, and investors › Venture and growth investors › United States venture since 1985 › Multi-stage firm partners*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license