Emily Melton has spent over a decade working with early stage companies and has a deep respect and enduring empathy for those who pursue an entrepreneurial path. “An entrepreneur is a person with the vision, courage and tenacity to look at the status quo and say ‘I can do better.’ It is an honor and privilege to work with people who never settle for ‘good enough’ and relentlessly pursue their vision for a better world.” As a venture investor, Emily believes her role is to support these agents of change and do to whatever is in her power to enable their pursuits and hopefully improve the odds of success along the way.

Emily started her career at Draper Fisher Jurvetson and was exposed to variety of entrepreneurs and companies that spanned the globe. DFJ was a wonderful platform for learning the venture industry and Emily ultimately spent eight years at the firm where she was actively involved in a number companies in the firm’s consumer and enterprise portfolio. After DFJ, Emily spent a year with Mayfield Fund where she was involved in formulating the firm’s mobile and consumer investment strategy.

As a student, Emily believed she would ultimately pursue a career in academia -- she wanted to be in an environment where she was constantly learning and assumptions were consistently challenged. Venture has proved a more than sufficient substitute; “I am so fortunate that I get to work at that intersection of ideas and execution where the only constant is disruption.”

Emily's primary areas of interest include mobile technology, social media and other consumer-oriented technologies. Emily previously served on the boards of NearbyNow, RedFin and ShareThis. She was also responsible for DFJ’s investments in Meebo (acquired by Google), Kudo (acquired by Google), RichRelevance and Flux (acquired by MTVNetworks). She also is an investor/ advisor to HealthTap, PoshMark and Pulse Networks.

Emily holds a B.A. with honors and distinction in Political Philosophy and an M.B.A., both from Stanford University. She is a mother to two daughters and is passionate about food, wine, and spending time outdoors