Updated:
Threshold Ventures
Emily Melton and Josh Stein run Threshold Ventures, the DFJ Growth spinout that backed Coinbase and Box, investing from seed to growth in technical founders.
Threshold Ventures
Threshold Ventures I Management Company, LLC is an exempt reporting adviser in Palo Alto, CA. It is based in Palo Alto, CA. The firm.
General information
Firm type
Venture Capital
Year founded
2019
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Palo Alto
Corporate office
Palo Alto, CA, United States
Principals
Emily Melton
Managing Partner
Josh Stein
Managing Partner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Threshold Ventures?
Managing Partners Emily Melton and Josh Stein share decision-making authority. Both have equal voting power on the investment committee and have worked together since their tenure at DFJ. No junior partners or principals have check-writing authority without their approval (per the firm's public communications).
How does Threshold Ventures source proprietary deal flow?
The firm relies on its two-decade network built through the DFJ ecosystem and direct founder relationships. Stein's early backing of Box and Yammer, and Melton's digital health network, generate inbound referrals. They do not operate a formal scout program, instead concentrating sourcing within the general partnership (per firm structure).
Does Threshold participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
Threshold invests exclusively through direct equity in portfolio companies. It does not allocate capital to other venture funds as a limited partner, nor does it run a fund-of-funds program. Its vehicles are designed for direct company ownership from seed to Series C (per the firm's stated strategy).
What investment stages does Threshold typically target?
Threshold leads or co-leads seed through Series C rounds. Initial check sizes range from $1 million at seed to $75 million in growth, with significant follow-on reserves. The firm prefers to be the first institutional capital in or to co-lead alongside one other known firm (per firm communications).
Which sectors does Threshold explicitly avoid?
Threshold does not invest in therapeutics, medical devices, or traditional hardware without a software component. It also avoids capital-intensive sectors like semiconductor fabrication and heavy manufacturing, concentrating on software-driven businesses with clear product-market fit signals (per public portfolio analysis).
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