Decibel Partners
UnclaimedAt a Glance
- Check Size
- $100K – $10M
- Stage
- Seed, Series A, Series B+
- AUM
- $275M
- Sectors
- AI, Cybersecurity, DevTools
- Founded
- 2019
- HQ
- Palo Alto, CA
About Decibel Partners
Decibel is a Palo Alto venture capital firm founded in March 2019 by Jon Sakoda, previously a general partner at New Enterprise Associates, with Cisco as its cornerstone limited partner. The firm invests in essential software used by engineering and security teams to build and protect digital infrastructure, entering at seed and Series A and continuing into later rounds.
The mandate centers on enterprise infrastructure, developer tooling, data platforms, open-source commercialization and cybersecurity. Decibel describes itself as partnering with technical visionaries from the earliest stage, and its platform work is organized around the buyer rather than the product category: it convenes a community of chief information security officers, chief technology officers and vice presidents of engineering and data who act as early adopters and design partners, and it packages go-to-market playbooks and recruiting help for a startup's first commercial hires.
Its relationship with Cisco is a deliberate structure. Cisco anchors the fund as a limited partner, which gives portfolio companies a route to enterprise distribution and technical validation, while investment decisions sit with the partnership rather than a corporate strategy group, avoiding the signaling problems founders associate with corporate venture arms. Portfolio companies include Abnormal Security, Observe, Monte Carlo, Blameless, Revefi and Shipyard, a concentration in security operations, observability and data reliability.
Founders should expect a technical, thesis-led process and hands-on help building early enterprise pipeline. The firm is most relevant to technical teams selling to engineering and security buyers, including open-source projects looking to build a commercial business around an existing developer community.
Investment Thesis
“Invests in enterprise software, security, and infrastructure companies at early stages, leveraging deep operational experience from large technology companies to help founders scale.”
Sector Focus
Investment Stage
Notable Portfolio Companies
Fund History
- Decibel launched in March 2019, created by Jon Sakoda in partnership with Cisco, which serves as cornerstone limited partner.
- The structure was unusual for a corporate-backed vehicle: rather than staff an internal venture arm, Cisco funded an independent firm with its own investment committee, preserving the speed and risk tolerance of a standalone seed fund while routing portfolio companies toward Cisco's enterprise customer base and technical talent.
- A securities filing in October 2018 pointed to a $500 million target for the debut vehicle.
- Decibel subsequently filed to raise a second fund of $275 million in early 2022.
- The firm invests at seed and Series A into infrastructure software used by developers, data engineers and security teams, writing first institutional checks into a concentrated number of positions per fund rather than spreading seed capital broadly.
- Holdings include Abnormal Security, Monte Carlo, Observe, Blameless, Revefi and Shipyard, a book weighted toward data infrastructure, observability and enterprise security.
SEC Fund Filings
- Vehicles filed, last 24 months
- 2
- Latest filing
Decibel Partners filed a Form D for 2 fund vehicles between Sep 30, 2024 and Sep 29, 2026.
| Fund vehicle | Source |
|---|---|
| Decibel Investments I, LP | SEC Form D, filed |
| Decibel Partners III, LP | SEC Form D, filed |
A Form D is the notice a fund files with the SEC when it raises money in a private offering. Feeder funds, parallel funds and SPVs each file their own, so the count measures filing activity, not the number of flagship funds.
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D filings for pooled investment funds, original filings only (amendments excluded). Our filing data starts Jul 1, 2024. Vehicles are matched to Decibel Partners by fund name and checked against the sponsor address and named principals on each filing; offering amounts are not shown. Each “SEC Form D” link opens an EDGAR full-text search for that vehicle’s exact name, where the filing itself is listed. See every new fund filing on the Form D Radar.
Team (1)
Frequently Asked Questions
What stage does Decibel Partners invest at?
Decibel Partners primarily invests at the Seed, Series A, Series B+ stages. This means they focus on companies that are building their initial product and finding product-market fit.
Where is Decibel Partners located?
Decibel Partners is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA. Many of their portfolio companies are also based in this region, though they invest across geographies.
What sectors does Decibel Partners focus on?
Decibel Partners focuses on investments in AI, Cybersecurity, DevTools. Their portfolio reflects deep expertise and networks within these sectors.
What is Decibel Partners's typical check size?
Decibel Partners's typical investment check size ranges from $100K to $10M. Actual amounts may vary based on the stage, sector, and specific opportunity.
How much does Decibel Partners have under management?
Decibel Partners manages approximately $275M in assets under management (AUM) across their funds.
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