DFJ

DFJ, established in 1985 and based in Silicon Valley, is a venture capital firm that specializes in providing growth capital to technology companies. With a focus on partnering with visionary entrepreneurs, DFJ aims to invest in businesses that are rapidly scaling and poised for market leadership. The firm emphasizes a high-conviction investment strategy, targeting innovative companies across consumer, enterprise, and healthcare technology sectors. DFJ Growth, a later-stage investing practice within the firm, seeks to support extraordinary entrepreneurs as they create iconic technology-driven businesses. Through its investment approach, DFJ facilitates access to valuable networks and resources that can help transform entrepreneurial visions into reality.

Brian Akin

Associate

Chirag Chotalia

Partner

Rob Ciechowski

Associate

John Fisher

Co-Founder and Partner

Sam Fort

Partner

Randy Glein

Partner and Managing Director

Justin Kao

Partner

Megan Kelly

Principal

Jocelyn Kinsey

Partner

Vineet Mehta

Principal

Bubba Murarka

Partner

Sandesh Patnam

Venture Partner

Chris Shanahan

Principal

Sam Shapiro

Principal

Li Songbo

Partner

Josh Stein

Co-Founder and Managing Partner

Kevin Tu

Principal

Past deals in Virginia

Kajeet

Venture Round in 2008
Kajeet, Inc. is a wireless service provider based in McLean, Virginia, that specializes in mobile broadband solutions for students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Founded in 2003, the company aims to bridge the Homework Gap by offering affordable and safe Internet connectivity options. Kajeet's key products include the SmartSpot, a portable Wi-Fi hotspot that allows schools to provide filtered Internet access, and the SmartBus, which offers Wi-Fi on school buses. Through its Sentinel cloud portal, Kajeet enables educators to ensure compliance with Internet safety regulations while keeping students focused on their schoolwork. The company also provides a range of prepaid smartphones and cell phone service plans tailored for children and their parents, all designed to facilitate educational access outside of traditional classroom settings.

mBeat Media

Angel Round in 2008
mBeat Media, Inc. (“mBeat”) is a leading service provider in the emerging digital media industry. The founding team's deep domain knowledge, is providing premium SMS mobile content aggregation and distribution (ringtones and wallpaper) services and content, primarily focused on the urban market. Through the leadership of its experienced management team has it's many subscribers, using direct-to-consumer advertising via prominent African-American targeted publications and television stations. mBeat was among the first companies to enter the mobile market and developed some of the earliest commercially availible SMS and WAP applications in the US market. The company currently offers downloadable ringtones, wallpaper images, games, and chat services. mBeat markets its services through direct response advertising through it’s flagship brand, UrbMob, www.urbmob.com, and numerous affiliate networks and partners in web, wap, TV, print, radio, and on carrier decks.

Jobfox

Series C in 2008
Jobfox is an innovative job search and career networking platform that redefines the traditional job board approach by emphasizing the visibility of top job candidates rather than merely listing job openings. The platform provides professionals with personal-branding pages, allowing them to highlight their unique skills, career aspirations, and job-change readiness. Jobfox employs intelligent job-fit technology to match candidates with potential employers based on their individual profiles. The site also features a mobile Resume Tracker that alerts users via text when their resumes are viewed by employers. To enhance communication, candidates can share their online instant messaging availability with prospective employers. Jobfox stands out with its strict no-scam policy, ensuring that fraudulent companies are excluded from its listings, which differentiates it from many other career sites that may promote deceptive job opportunities. Additionally, Jobfox offers professional resume writing services to further assist job seekers in their career pursuits.

Kajeet

Series B in 2007
Kajeet, Inc. is a wireless service provider based in McLean, Virginia, that specializes in mobile broadband solutions for students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Founded in 2003, the company aims to bridge the Homework Gap by offering affordable and safe Internet connectivity options. Kajeet's key products include the SmartSpot, a portable Wi-Fi hotspot that allows schools to provide filtered Internet access, and the SmartBus, which offers Wi-Fi on school buses. Through its Sentinel cloud portal, Kajeet enables educators to ensure compliance with Internet safety regulations while keeping students focused on their schoolwork. The company also provides a range of prepaid smartphones and cell phone service plans tailored for children and their parents, all designed to facilitate educational access outside of traditional classroom settings.

Qmobile

Series B in 2005
Qmobile is one of the service providers in the emerging digital media industry. Launched in 2003 and leveraging the founding team's deep domain knowledge, Qmobile has delivered compelling entertainment and information services to almost one million mobile phone users across the US, and now has over 350,000 subscribers. The company currently offers downloadable ringtones, wallpaper images and games. It also runs a SMS chat service, and additional services are under development.

Qmobile

Series A in 2004
Qmobile is one of the service providers in the emerging digital media industry. Launched in 2003 and leveraging the founding team's deep domain knowledge, Qmobile has delivered compelling entertainment and information services to almost one million mobile phone users across the US, and now has over 350,000 subscribers. The company currently offers downloadable ringtones, wallpaper images and games. It also runs a SMS chat service, and additional services are under development.

Mobile 365

Series D in 2004
Mobile 365 is the new company formed from the merger of the two leaders in the mobile messaging world: InphoMatch, the leader in interoperable data and messaging services for mobile operators, and Mobileway, the leader in messaging solutions for brands and content providers. It is the global leader in the delivery, billing, and settlement of mobile messaging services. Their extensive footprint enables us to reach more mobile users—with more types of mobile data—than anyone else on the globe. They reliably deliver messages, premium content, and value-added services for the leading mobile operators, content providers, brands, and media companies worldwide.

Lumenos

Venture Round in 2003
Lumenos is a pioneer in the Consumer-Driven Health Care industry, dedicated to transforming health care into a system that prioritizes individual health needs. The company offers innovative solutions that empower consumers through health accounts, including Health Reimbursement Accounts and Health Savings Accounts, along with access to information, services, and incentives. This approach aims to enhance consumer engagement in health-promoting behaviors, ultimately improving health outcomes. By focusing on the well-being of consumers, Lumenos seeks to create long-term cost efficiency for employers while fostering a health care environment that genuinely cares about health.

Ikimbo

Series D in 2002
Ikimbo offers communication and collaboration software and services for companies. It provides a unified applications platform that includes instant messaging, group email management, and real-time and asynchronous communication. The company also offers professional services to assist clients in planning, implementation and integration with legacy systems. Ikimbo’s clients include well known companies such as PricewaterhouseCoopers and Best Software. Ikimbo’s strategic partners include BroadBeam, OTG, Oracle, Hewlett-Packard, Ventera Corporation and Network Solutions. The company was established in 1999 and is based in Reston, Virginia.

Mobile 365

Series C in 2002
Mobile 365 is the new company formed from the merger of the two leaders in the mobile messaging world: InphoMatch, the leader in interoperable data and messaging services for mobile operators, and Mobileway, the leader in messaging solutions for brands and content providers. It is the global leader in the delivery, billing, and settlement of mobile messaging services. Their extensive footprint enables us to reach more mobile users—with more types of mobile data—than anyone else on the globe. They reliably deliver messages, premium content, and value-added services for the leading mobile operators, content providers, brands, and media companies worldwide.

Lumenos

Series B in 2000
Lumenos is a pioneer in the Consumer-Driven Health Care industry, dedicated to transforming health care into a system that prioritizes individual health needs. The company offers innovative solutions that empower consumers through health accounts, including Health Reimbursement Accounts and Health Savings Accounts, along with access to information, services, and incentives. This approach aims to enhance consumer engagement in health-promoting behaviors, ultimately improving health outcomes. By focusing on the well-being of consumers, Lumenos seeks to create long-term cost efficiency for employers while fostering a health care environment that genuinely cares about health.

Folio Institutional

Venture Round in 2000
Folio Financial, Inc. develops and supports digital-first investment platforms for advisors and enterprises, fully integrated with our brokerage, clearing, and custody solutions. After serving as an SEC commissioner, Folio’s founder, Steven Wallman, set out to democratize investing in the late 1990s. His vision of making investing available to all has played out in a series of ongoing innovations with a common theme – access, automation, transparency, and flexibility. We’ve been ahead of the curve since our inception, pioneering technologies including fractional share investing, patented tax management tools, end-to-end online account opening and management, online proxy voting, online private placement investing, and the ability to create portfolios using security, sector, and social-issue filters. Folio’s businesses include Folio Institutional, focused on providing innovative solutions for RIAs and enterprises; Folio Investing and Folio First for self-directed retail investors; VIA Folio, an end-to-end investing platform for private investments available to both institutional and retail investors; First Affirmative Financial Network, the leading advisor network serving the responsible investment community; and The SRI Conference and Community, the nation’s premier conference on impact investing.

Ikimbo

Series A in 1999
Ikimbo offers communication and collaboration software and services for companies. It provides a unified applications platform that includes instant messaging, group email management, and real-time and asynchronous communication. The company also offers professional services to assist clients in planning, implementation and integration with legacy systems. Ikimbo’s clients include well known companies such as PricewaterhouseCoopers and Best Software. Ikimbo’s strategic partners include BroadBeam, OTG, Oracle, Hewlett-Packard, Ventera Corporation and Network Solutions. The company was established in 1999 and is based in Reston, Virginia.
Spot something off? Help us improve by flagging any incorrect or outdated information. Just email us at support@teaserclub.com. Your feedback is most welcome.