The enterprise tech market is on fire: These are the 23 venture capitalists that picked the winners before anyone else and are shaping the future of work

From Dropbox's $9 billion valuation at its IPO to Salesforce's $6.8 billion acquisition of MuleSoft, 2018 has been a lucrative year for the movers and shakers in the enterprise tech business.

Once considered a less glamorous sideshow to flashy consumer internet companies, enterprise tech startups are enjoying a renewed surge in interest thanks to innovative new services powered by AI and cloud computing, and an expanding opportunity to tap into vast new markets.

Helping the rise of these startups is a class of venture capital investors with a deep understanding of the enterprise tech market's specialized branches and a keen eye for recognizing the winners. The best of these VCs bring a lot more than just a checkbook, providing invaluable advice and experience that can transform a company from an idea into a thriving business.

Business Insider scouted the field of VCs to round up the names most respected and sought after in the specialized world of enterprise technology.

Many of these investors saw big exits in the past 18 months. Others probably won't see their billions for years to come. But venture capital is a long-game, and this list highlights investors at all stages of the investment-to-exit process.

Taken together though, these 23 people are writing the checks that define the enterprise tech space and seriously impact the way we work for years to come. Here's who you need to know: