Understanding Menlo Ventures Investment History and Strategy

Menlo Ventures has a rich investment history that spans over four decades. The firm was founded in 1976 by Vinod Khosla, Tom Perkins, and Peter Wendell.

Menlo Ventures has a strong track record of investing in successful companies, with over 100 exits to date. Their portfolio includes companies like Uber, Roku, and Bedrocket.

The firm has a unique investment strategy that focuses on investing in companies that are solving real-world problems. They look for companies that have a strong team, a clear vision, and a scalable business model.

Menlo Ventures has invested in a wide range of industries, from software and hardware to healthcare and education.

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Menlo Ventures has a long history of investing in various funds, with a total of 31 fund histories.

The company has invested in funds such as Anthology Fund, which closed in 2024 with a fund size of $100M. Menlo Ventures has also invested in Menlo Inflection III and Menlo XVI, both of which closed in 2023, but the exact fund sizes are not specified.

Menlo Ventures' investment history can be summarized in the following table:

Menlo Ventures has a notable history of successful portfolio exits, with a total of 237 exits under their belt. Their latest exit was Airbase, which was acquired by Paylocity on September 4, 2024, for an undisclosed valuation of $XXM.

Menlo Ventures has a track record of backing companies that are later acquired by major players in the industry. For example, TruEra was acquired by Snowflake on May 22, 2024, for an undisclosed valuation of $XXM.

One of the most interesting aspects of Menlo Ventures' portfolio exits is the variety of companies they've invested in. Dedrone, a company that specializes in drone detection and tracking, was acquired by Axon on May 6, 2024, for an undisclosed valuation of $XXM.

Here are some of the key statistics on Menlo Ventures' portfolio exits:

Menlo Ventures' portfolio exits demonstrate their ability to identify and invest in companies that have the potential for significant growth and exit opportunities.

Menlo Ventures has a rich investment history, with 31 funds under its belt.

The most recent fund to close was the Anthology Fund, which wrapped up on July 18, 2024, with a whopping $100 million in funding.

Menlo Inflection III and Menlo XVI both closed in November 2023, but the exact amount of funding for these funds is not specified.

The Menlo Special Opportunities Fund III, which closed in July 2022, received an undisclosed amount of funding, noted only as "$XXM".

MMEF XV, another fund closed in December 2020, also received an undisclosed amount of funding, listed similarly as "$XXM".

Here's a breakdown of the funds:

Menlo Ventures seems to have a consistent approach to funding, with the majority of its funds closing in the millions or tens of millions of dollars.

Menlo Ventures has a total of 31 funds, including the Anthology Fund.

The closing dates of some of their funds are publicly available. For example, the Anthology Fund closed on July 18, 2024.

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Menlo Ventures has also closed funds in previous years, such as Menlo Inflection III and Menlo XVI, both of which closed on November 17, 2023.

The amount of funding for some of these funds is also publicly available. For instance, the Anthology Fund was raised to $100 million.

Here is a list of some of the funds closed by Menlo Ventures, along with their closing dates and amounts:

The sources for this information are also available, with some funds having multiple sources listed.

Menlo Ventures is a venture capital firm that has been around since 1976, making it one of the oldest firms in the industry.

The firm has a strong presence in Silicon Valley and has invested in numerous successful companies, including Uber, Roku, and Twitter.

Menlo Ventures has a team of experienced investors who have a deep understanding of the startup ecosystem and a proven track record of success.

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Menlo Ventures has made several notable acquisitions over the years. Their latest acquisition was Ivac Medical Systems on June 15, 1995.

Menlo Ventures acquired Ivac Medical Systems for a valuation of $XXM. This was a leveraged buyout, indicating a significant investment.

Here's a breakdown of Menlo Ventures' acquisitions:

Menlo Ventures has a history of investing in various stages of company growth, from Series A to Growth Equity.

Menlo Ventures has a strategic partnership with AltaReturn, a leading provider of cloud-based software solutions for the Private Equity, Venture, and Real Estate industries. This partnership was announced on July 7, 2019.

Menlo Ventures selected AltaReturn's Fund Accounting, Investor Portal, and Portfolio Company Monitoring solutions to power their finance and investor relations needs. These solutions are designed to provide end-to-end software capabilities.

AltaReturn is based in the United States and was chosen by Menlo Ventures to meet their specific business requirements.

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Menlo Ventures has a single service provider relationship.

Cooley serves as Menlo Ventures' counsel.

Menlo Ventures is expecting a big year for "picks and shovels" of AI in 2024. These startups will play a crucial role in making AI more powerful and easier for consumers to use.

The firm has backed several companies in the "pick and shovel" layer, including Pinecone, Clarifai, and Truera. These companies are helping to create the infrastructure needed for AI to thrive.

Menlo Ventures has also seen a rapid increase in new companies in the space, with the volume and speed of new investments "multiplying rapidly". This means there are more opportunities than ever before to invest in infrastructure startups.

The firm's AI portfolio includes companies in the application layer, such as Typeface, Sana, and Lindy. These companies are leveraging AI capabilities in unique ways.

Menlo Ventures has been fortunate enough to build out a strong AI portfolio, allowing them to see a lot of activity in both the application and "pick and shovel" layers.

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