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The Venture Codex

DFJ Growth

2882 Sand Hill Road, Suite 150, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, United States

Overview

DFJ Growth invests in growth stage technology companies that are scaling rapidly and poised for market leadership. Based in Silicon Valley, DFJ Growth is the later stage investing practice of [Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ)](http://www.crunchbase.com/financial-organization/draper-fisher-jurvetson), a global venture capital firm. DFJ Growth partners with extraordinary entrepreneurs who set out to change the world by creating a new generation of iconic technology-driven businesses.

Total investments
90
Lead investments
31
Investments · 12mo
9
Active investors
14

Sector focus

  • Digital Media
  • Venture Capital
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Investment portfolio

  • Cambridge Aerospace

    Led · Series C · Aug 2026

    Cambridge Aerospace develops defence systems including the drone interceptor Skyhammer, the missile interceptor Starhammer (planned to come to market next year) and the radar system Looking Glass. Founded in 2024 and led by CEO Steven Barrett, the company has secured multiple contracts with the UK Ministry of Defence, including a multi-million-pound contract to supply Skyhammer to the UK Armed Forces. The startup has expanded presence into Germany, Poland, Norway, Ukraine and Australia. Financially, it recently raised $300M in a Series C at a $3.4B valuation following a $200M Series B at a $1.3B valuation in April. Cambridge Aerospace plans to use the new capital to scale manufacturing to meet contract delivery requirements and to continue investing in development and commercialization of its products. Starhammer is slated to come to market next year, while the company continues to develop and bring additional products to market.

  • Neuralink

    Participated · Series E · May 2026

    Neuralink develops implantable brain-computer interface devices that decode neural signals to enable control of phones, computers and other systems. The company is conducting first human trials across three countries and reports that five patients with severe paralysis are using its device to control digital and physical systems by thought alone. Regulators have granted its speech restoration system a Breakthrough Device designation from the FDA, and the company previously received a similar designation for a vision-restoring implant. Financially, Neuralink announced a $650 million capital raise with participation from multiple top-tier investors, and reports earlier financing of $600 million at a reported $9 billion valuation. The company says the funds will be used to expand clinical testing and bring its technology to more people with unmet medical needs.

  • Saronic

    Participated · Series D · Mar 2026

    Saronic designs, builds, and produces a family of autonomous surface vessels ranging from the 24-foot Corsair to the 180-foot Marauder, and develops AI-driven maritime capabilities. The company emphasizes an autonomy-first design approach combined with modern manufacturing and is scaling production through existing facilities in Louisiana and Texas as well as a next-generation Port Alpha shipyard. Saronic reported headcount surpassing 1,300, completed its inaugural 180-foot Marauder hull in under six months, and secured a $392 million production contract with the U.S. Navy. In 2025 it raised a $600 million Series C at a $4.0 billion valuation and subsequently expanded operations—committing $300 million to a 300,000 sq. ft. shipyard expansion expected to create 1,500 jobs and enlarging its Austin headquarters and new hubs in San Diego and Washington, D.C. The company also launched operations in the U.K. and Australia as it scales toward large‑scale shipbuilding and production.

  • XBOW

    Led · Series C · Mar 2026

    XBOW provides an autonomous offensive security platform that combines AI reasoning with offensive security workflows to run continuous, automated tests that find and exploit vulnerabilities and validate exploitability at machine speed. The platform is positioned to reduce validation backlogs by producing validated findings with a low false-positive rate and to confirm findings surfaced by other security tools. XBOW serves more than 100 customers worldwide, including strategic investors and industry names like Moderna and Seznam, and recently surpassed 250 employees as it scales. The company emphasizes enabling security teams to operate proactively and continuously to keep pace with AI-driven attackers. Its near-term plans include accelerating global expansion and expanding distribution and partner channels, particularly in the Asia Pacific region via DNX Ventures and Samsung as a preferred reseller in South Korea. The company announced the additional Series C financing to fuel these go-to-market, engineering, and operations growth initiatives.

  • Goodfire

    Participated · Series B · Feb 2026

    Goodfire develops tools and methods that let researchers peer inside neural networks, identify the mechanisms driving behavior, and precisely retrain or intervene on those components. The company’s upcoming "model design environment" aims to let users debug and intentionally design AI systems at scale, reducing issues such as hallucinations and enabling targeted behavior changes. Beyond model steering, Goodfire applies its interpretability pipeline to scientific foundation models; in partnership with groups like Mayo Clinic and Prima Mente it recently uncovered a novel class of Alzheimer's biomarkers. The team is composed of former DeepMind and OpenAI researchers and leading academics from Stanford, Harvard, and UC San Diego. Goodfire positions itself as a research-first “neolab,” arguing that deep understanding—not just scale—is required for safe, powerful AI. The latest financing values the company at $1.25 billion and brings its total backing to more than $200 million, providing capital to accelerate core product development, expand life-science collaborations, and pursue fundamental interpretability research.

Team