The Haves & Have-Nots Of 2025 | Threshold Ventures Co-founder Emily Melton

This week for our 2025 recap, we’re joined by VC Emily Melton, co-founder of Threshold Ventures. Melton highlights her reflection of 2025, which splits the market into "haves and have-nots" with nothing in between, noting the concentration of venture dollars on "high flyers" and the indifference shown to established companies with respectable revenue.

We cover:

💸 The widening gap between the “haves” and “have-nots” in health tech

📉 The rise of recaps, down rounds, and investor “bargain-basement shopping”

🏥 Why healthcare’s 5.6-trillion-dollar cost structure can’t be fixed without technology

🧾 How policy incentives and private equity are reshaping M&A activity

💬 What founders need to prove to raise capital in today’s market

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About our guest: 

Emily is a co-founder of Threshold. She is looking for entrepreneurs who are genuinely excited about being agents of change and have an almost irrational drive to make things better. Her portfolio includes BetterUp, Brightline, Daero, Elation Health, Imagen, Livongo (NASDAQ: LVGO), Mendaera, ODAIA, Redfin (NASDAQ: RDFN), Tia, Transcarent, Verge Genomics, Videa, Vital, Viz, and Wellframe (acquired by HealthEdge).  Emily served as the chair of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) board of directors for the 2022-23 term. She is also an active founding member of All Raise, a non-profit dedicated to improving access for women and others to start and invest in companies.    A Stanford grad with a BA in political philosophy with honors and an MBA, Emily is drawn to disruptive ideas and technologies that have the potential to radically change consumer, enterprise, and healthcare markets.

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