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Storm Ventures is an early-stage investor in business software that has worked out of the Peninsula for roughly a quarter century. For years it was a Sand Hill Road firm. Today its website lists an office on Emerson Street in downtown Palo Alto. Its partners describe their craft as helping enterprise startups find repeatable growth. They have even written books about it.
This page is a neutral guide for founders and readers following the local venture scene. It relies on the firm's own website and on reporting from TechCrunch and Fortune, with dates given where figures appear. For background on how venture funds work, start with our venture capital guide.
History and partners
Storm does not put a founding year on the pages we read. Its homepage says the firm has more than 23 years of experience and over 200 investments. TechCrunch described it as a "now 19-year-old" firm in November 2019, which points to a start around 2000. We use that hedged date rather than guess at a precise one.
Two of the people most closely tied to the firm are still active. Tae Hea Nahm is listed as a co-founding managing director. His bio says he was the founding CEO of Airespace, a wireless networking company later sold to Cisco for $450 million. He was also a partner at the law firms Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati and Venture Law Group. Ryan Floyd is listed as a founding managing director who focuses on early enterprise software, applications and cloud infrastructure.
The current team includes partners Minjoo Kim in South Korea, Arun Penmetsa in Silicon Valley and David Somers in Boulder. Alex Mendez and Sanjay Subhedar are listed as partners emeritus. The site's location list names Silicon Valley, Berlin and South Korea.
From Sand Hill Road to Emerson Street
Storm's website gives its office as 532 Emerson St, Palo Alto, CA 94301, with a mailing address at 325 Sharon Park Drive in Menlo Park. Emerson Street is one of downtown Palo Alto's main north and south streets, lined with restaurants and small office buildings a block from Ramona Street. Our downtown guide covers the area.
The move is worth noting because older sources still put Storm on Sand Hill Road. TechCrunch placed the firm there in 2019. Our page on 3000 Sand Hill Road lists Storm among historical tenants named in reference lists. Founders should use the Emerson Street address today. As always, the office is private and meetings are by appointment.
Focus and stage
Storm calls itself "an early stage B2B-focused venture firm that specializes in building enterprise leaders." Its homepage says it invests in B2B AI software startups in areas such as enterprise infrastructure and cybersecurity. TechCrunch's 2019 report described an exclusive focus on seed and Series A enterprise startups.
The firm is open about geography. Its homepage says it does not care where a company is based, as long as it has happy customers, innovative software and a hungry team. Its portfolio filter lists companies in North America, Europe, India and South Korea. TechCrunch reported in 2019 that the firm's limited partners included Samsung and Korea Telecom, which helps explain its long ties to Korea.
Storm's portfolio page sorts companies into sectors:
- Data infrastructure
- Engineering tools
- HR and workforce software
- IT and security
- Marketing and sales software
- Vertical SaaS for specific industries
Survival to Thrival and the growth playbook
Storm leans on a teaching style. Nahm co-authored a book series called Survival to Thrival about building enterprise leaders. The firm's homepage uses a surfing metaphor: paddling is the hard early work. Catching the wave is the moment a company finds what the firm calls go-to-market fit. Its blog posts in 2026 covered AI and software pricing, product-led growth for B2B companies and services delivered as software.
The site also has a resource guide for founders and says it partners with go-to-market experts to help companies scale. That emphasis on sales motion over pure technology sets Storm apart from deep-tech investors. Our page on seed and pre-seed funds compares the different styles of early-stage investing.
Notable investments and exits
The partner bios on Storm's site list the firm's best known outcomes. The table below uses only those listings.
| Company | Outcome listed by Storm |
|---|---|
| Marketo | Listed on Nasdaq, later acquired by Vista |
| EchoSign | Acquired by Adobe |
| MobileIron | Listed on Nasdaq, later acquired by Ivanti |
| Salesloft | Acquired by Vista |
| RedLock | Acquired by Palo Alto Networks |
| SwiftStack | Acquired by Nvidia |
| Passage AI | Acquired by ServiceNow |
| Rallyteam | Acquired by Workday |
Active companies named in the bios include Workato, Talkdesk, Demandbase, Tekion, Honeycomb, Sendoso and Splashtop. TechCrunch reported in 2019 that Storm joined Workato's Series A, B and C rounds and invested in Honeycomb's seed round. The RedLock sale ties Storm to a company with a Palo Alto name; our Palo Alto Networks page explains where that company is actually based.
Funds and size
Storm has not posted fund sizes on the pages we read. Press reports give two data points:
- Fortune reported in May 2015 that Storm had raised a $180 million fund.
- TechCrunch reported in November 2019 that a new SEC filing showed $130.4 million closed for the firm's sixth fund.
We found no later fund announcement in our research, so we stop there. These are reported amounts only. This page makes no claims about investment returns.
How founders reach Storm
Storm makes its intake route clear. The homepage has a "Tell us about you" section with an "Are We A Match?" button that opens an online form. That is the channel the firm itself offers. The site lists partner pages with social links, but founders should use the form or a warm introduction rather than a partner's personal inbox.
- Check the portfolio filters to see whether Storm already backs a competitor.
- Fill in the match form with clear facts about customers, revenue and team.
- Expect questions about customer love and go-to-market. That is the firm's stated focus.
- If you are building outside the Bay Area, say so. Storm says location is not a barrier.
Our guides to pitching investors and term sheets cover the next steps.
Storm in the local ecosystem
Storm's move from Sand Hill Road to Emerson Street fits a wider trend. Several early-stage firms now prefer downtown Palo Alto, where founders can walk from the train or a coworking desk to a meeting. Storm's own history also runs through the area's enterprise boom. Nahm ran Airespace, a wireless networking startup that Cisco bought. Several of the firm's exits went to large Bay Area companies such as Adobe, ServiceNow, Workday, Nvidia and Palo Alto Networks. Founders who want the informal side of the scene can start with our page on where founders meet.
Good to know
- Use the Emerson Street address, not older Sand Hill Road listings.
- The office is a private workplace. Visit only for a confirmed meeting.
- The Palo Alto Caltrain station is a short walk away.
- Nothing on this page is investment advice. Exit lists are the firm's own.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Storm Ventures located?
Storm Ventures lists its office at 532 Emerson St, Palo Alto, CA 94301 on its website, with a separate mailing address in Menlo Park. That puts the firm in downtown Palo Alto. Older reports place it on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, so the Emerson Street address is the one to use today.
Who runs Storm Ventures?
The firm's site lists partners in Silicon Valley, South Korea and Boulder. Tae Hea Nahm is described as a co-founding managing director and Ryan Floyd as a founding managing director. Alex Mendez and Sanjay Subhedar are listed as partners emeritus.
What does Storm Ventures invest in?
Storm says it is an early-stage firm focused on B2B enterprise companies. It names enterprise infrastructure, cybersecurity and AI software among its areas. It says it cares less about where a company is based than about happy customers and innovative software.
What are Storm Ventures' best known exits?
Partner bios on the firm's site list Marketo (Nasdaq listing, later acquired by Vista), EchoSign (acquired by Adobe), MobileIron (Nasdaq listing, later acquired by Ivanti), Salesloft (acquired by Vista) and RedLock (acquired by Palo Alto Networks), among others.
How do I pitch Storm Ventures?
The homepage has an "Are We A Match?" button that opens an online form for founders. That form is the firm's own intake route. A short introduction from a founder Storm has backed can also help.