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Threshold Venture Fellows

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The application for the 2027 cohort is now open

The application deadline is Sunday, October 25. Start your application today!

Develop leadership skills for the venture ecosystem

Handcrafted for twelve Stanford master’s students interested in entrepreneurship and venture creation, the Threshold Venture Fellows (TVF) program offers an inside look at what it really takes to build and invest in high-growth, high-impact companies. Through weekly discussions with founders, investors, operators, and industry leaders, fellows explore the candid stories behind successes, failures, difficult decisions, and lessons learned. Each fellow is also paired with both an executive mentor and an alumni mentor, creating meaningful opportunities for guidance, connection, and perspective. The program is designed not only to build entrepreneurial knowledge and skills, but also to foster a deep, lasting community among current fellows and TVF alumni.

Intro Video

Year-at-a-Glance

Winter & Spring

Tuesdays | 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.

Fellows are immersed in the entrepreneurial mindset through group discussions, interactions with speakers and industry and alumni mentors, and community building. Fellows meet weekly, primarily at the offices of Threshold Ventures in Palo Alto.

Curriculum Highlights

  • The Art of the Cold Email – Heidi Roizen
  • How to Lead a Relationship-driven Life – Heidi Roizen
  • VC 101 – Emily Melton and Tess Hatch 
  • Managing Co-Founder Transitions – Threshold Founder
  • How to Start a Company Right Out of Stanford – Alumni Panel
  • Ethics – Brandon Farwell, Partner, Xfund

The curriculum is highly fluid and constantly evolves based on students' interests and current topical issues. There is also a weekend offsite to Lake Tahoe, where the students will take deeper dives into topics of interest as well as enjoy Tahoe’s beauty through hikes and other activities.

Teaching Team

Adjunct Lecturer, Stanford University and Co-founder & Managing Partner, Threshold
Managing Director, Stifel Venture Bank

Program Manager

Program Information

The Threshold Venture Fellows (TVF) program was created to serve the specific needs of Stanford master’s students, who often have previous career experiences yet have limited time to pursue entrepreneurial activities while at Stanford. As the program is relationship and engagement-driven, we seek to admit fellows who learn best from others and bring diverse perspectives to their cohort.

Fellows meet weekly during winter and spring quarters for in-depth discussions about launching and leading high growth, high impact organizations. Class guests, including Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, lawyers, and venture capitalists, will be invited to give talks about their personal experiences. Topics include raising venture capital, giving a pitch, risk-taking and failure, ethical dilemmas, and work-life balance. Fellows will also have the opportunity to participate in hands-on workshops like negotiation, public speaking, cold email writing and storytelling.

A key focus of the fellows program is building relationships across both Stanford and Silicon Valley. Fellows gain access to rich mentorship opportunities from industry leaders and TVF alumni. Fellows will also have the opportunity to build community with students from across the Stanford ecosystem. A cohort retreat will take place during  the program and fellows often form enduring friendships. Upon completion, fellows will join the highly active TVF alumni network.

Eligibility:

  • Open to active Master’s & co-term Stanford students only (co-term students must be in the final year of their co-terminal program)
  • Must attend weekly Tuesday sessions for both quarters (Winter 2027 & Spring 2027)

Who Should Apply:

  • Students from any major or school
  • Eligible students regardless of previous entrepreneurial experience 

Application Information 

The application for the 2027 Threshold Venture Fellows cohort is now open!

Application Deadline: Sunday, October 25, 2026

How to Apply

Interested students should complete the application via the Slideroom link below.

Application components include:

  • Academic information
  • Resume
  • Video submission
  • Thoughtful essay responses about your entrepreneurial experiences and leadership challenges

What happens next:

Selected applicants will be invited to attend an in-person group interview on November 10. These interviews give you the opportunity to share your unique background with the selection committee and meet other prospective fellows.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Threshold Venture Fellows, please join us for an info session with the TVF teaching team and program alumni (schedule below). Please be sure to RSVP.

Apply

 

Information Session & Events

Virtual Info Session

The Threshold Venture Fellows Program teaching team will hold virtual and in-person info sessions during the 2026-27 cohort application period. These information sessions are designed for prospective fellows to learn more about the program, commitment, application process, interview process, and other details. Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask the teaching team questions directly. Please RSVP for our info sessions through the link below to receive a calendar invite and reminder email.

Wednesday, September 2, noon-1:00 p.m. PT

RSVP

 STVP Orientation: Opportunities in Entrepreneurship

This is your best opportunity to meet the TVF teaching team and alumni in person.

Join us for STVP’'s signature orientation event – your gateway to Stanford's entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem. Whether you're exploring our fellows programs (Mayfield, Threshold, Accel, and Xfund) or want to discover STVP’s broader offerings, this evening brings everything together in one place.

Wednesday, September 30, 5:00-7:00 p.m. PT

RSVP

Testimonials

"TVF is my home at Stanford. There is no group of people I trust more, whether that is on…

Testimonial, Threshold Venture Fellows

"TVF is an amazing program that brings you together with other empathetic, determined, and really…

Testimonial, Threshold Venture Fellows

"My TVF experience was energizing, grounding and special. Central to this incredible journey were…

Testimonial, Threshold Venture Fellows

Alumni

2026 Cohort

Dandi Hardy 
Elena Sapelyuk 
Erica Zhou 
Jasper Burns

Kelsey Goune 
Lucy Zimmerman 
Mehrzad Sajjadi 
Meredith Gee

Ottavia Personeni 
Rahul Penumaka 
Trent DiCicco 
Yousef Al-Riyami

Acknowledgements

STVP offers sincere appreciation to Threshold for supporting this opportunity for Stanford students.