True Ventures

True Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Palo Alto, California, founded in 2005. The firm specializes in early-stage technology investments, focusing on seed and Series A funding for startups across various sectors, including consumer internet, software, hardware, health, and emerging technologies. True Ventures manages over $2.8 billion in capital and has supported more than 300 companies, contributing to the creation of over 25,000 jobs globally. The firm's investment strategy typically involves contributions ranging from $0.25 million to $3 million, aiming for ownership stakes between 20 and 25 percent. True Ventures is recognized for its commitment to fostering entrepreneurship and providing a supportive environment for founders, emphasizing personal and professional growth through its True Platform. The firm has achieved notable exits, including investments in companies that have been acquired by major corporations or gone public.

Dave Balter

Venture Partner

Phil Black

Co-Founder

Jon Callaghan

Managing Partner

Caroline Ciaramitaro

Associate

Gus Coldebella

Partner

Tony Conrad

Partner

Ann Crady Weiss

Venture Partner

Sahiti Enjeti

Analyst

Amy Errett

Partner

Ulrike Kellmereit

CFO

Om Malik

Partner

Fiona McCarthy

Principal

Michael Montano

Venture Partner

John O'Connell

Senior Associate

Natasha Sharma

Principal

Rohit Sharma

Partner

Jim Stewart

COO

James Stewart

COO and Partner

Priscilla Tyler

Vice President

Ann Weiss

Partner

Ariel Winton

Principal

Past deals in Crowdsourcing

Submittable

Series C in 2022
Submittable, Inc. is a cloud-based submission management platform that enables organizations to curate and manage digital content submissions, applications, and media. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Missoula, Montana, with an additional office in New York, Submittable provides tools for publishers, competitions, academic institutions, and grant management, allowing users to accept, review, and make decisions on various types of submissions, including documents, audio, and video. The platform streamlines the submission process, making it easier for organizations to manage and track submissions through a web and mobile application. Submittable has facilitated over 10 million submissions for thousands of clients globally, reflecting its mission to improve the submission experience for users in diverse fields.

Fairing

Seed Round in 2022
Attribution Survey Platform

Braintrust

Initial Coin Offering in 2021
Braintrust is a decentralized freelancer marketplace that utilizes blockchain technology to link technical and design professionals with organizations seeking their expertise. Founded in 2018 in San Jose, California, by Adam Jackson, Gabriel Luna-Ostaseski, and Brian Flynn, Braintrust offers a user-controlled talent network that enables direct connections between businesses and top tech talent. By eliminating intermediaries, the platform provides significant cost savings for enterprises, charging a flat 10 percent project fee while allowing talent to retain 100 percent of their earnings. The company's mission is to revolutionize traditional hiring practices by redistributing value and aligning incentives between talent and organizations, ultimately creating a more efficient and equitable workforce ecosystem.

Wefarm

Series A in 2021
Wefarm Limited operates a digital platform designed to facilitate communication among small-scale farmers, allowing them to share agricultural knowledge and solutions via SMS and online channels. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in London, with additional offices in Nairobi, Kampala, and Dar es Salaam, Wefarm connects users with one another, agribusinesses, and micro-finance institutions to enhance farming practices. The platform enables farmers to ask questions and receive crowd-sourced answers, addressing various agricultural challenges such as improving crop quality, increasing yields, and adapting to climate change. Wefarm has garnered recognition for its innovative approach, receiving several awards, including accolades from FastCompany and Google’s Impact Challenge.

Braintrust

Seed Round in 2020
Braintrust is a decentralized freelancer marketplace that utilizes blockchain technology to link technical and design professionals with organizations seeking their expertise. Founded in 2018 in San Jose, California, by Adam Jackson, Gabriel Luna-Ostaseski, and Brian Flynn, Braintrust offers a user-controlled talent network that enables direct connections between businesses and top tech talent. By eliminating intermediaries, the platform provides significant cost savings for enterprises, charging a flat 10 percent project fee while allowing talent to retain 100 percent of their earnings. The company's mission is to revolutionize traditional hiring practices by redistributing value and aligning incentives between talent and organizations, ultimately creating a more efficient and equitable workforce ecosystem.

Wefarm

Series A in 2019
Wefarm Limited operates a digital platform designed to facilitate communication among small-scale farmers, allowing them to share agricultural knowledge and solutions via SMS and online channels. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in London, with additional offices in Nairobi, Kampala, and Dar es Salaam, Wefarm connects users with one another, agribusinesses, and micro-finance institutions to enhance farming practices. The platform enables farmers to ask questions and receive crowd-sourced answers, addressing various agricultural challenges such as improving crop quality, increasing yields, and adapting to climate change. Wefarm has garnered recognition for its innovative approach, receiving several awards, including accolades from FastCompany and Google’s Impact Challenge.

Submittable

Series B in 2019
Submittable, Inc. is a cloud-based submission management platform that enables organizations to curate and manage digital content submissions, applications, and media. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Missoula, Montana, with an additional office in New York, Submittable provides tools for publishers, competitions, academic institutions, and grant management, allowing users to accept, review, and make decisions on various types of submissions, including documents, audio, and video. The platform streamlines the submission process, making it easier for organizations to manage and track submissions through a web and mobile application. Submittable has facilitated over 10 million submissions for thousands of clients globally, reflecting its mission to improve the submission experience for users in diverse fields.

Braintrust

Seed Round in 2018
Braintrust is a decentralized freelancer marketplace that utilizes blockchain technology to link technical and design professionals with organizations seeking their expertise. Founded in 2018 in San Jose, California, by Adam Jackson, Gabriel Luna-Ostaseski, and Brian Flynn, Braintrust offers a user-controlled talent network that enables direct connections between businesses and top tech talent. By eliminating intermediaries, the platform provides significant cost savings for enterprises, charging a flat 10 percent project fee while allowing talent to retain 100 percent of their earnings. The company's mission is to revolutionize traditional hiring practices by redistributing value and aligning incentives between talent and organizations, ultimately creating a more efficient and equitable workforce ecosystem.

Teamable

Series A in 2018
Teamable Inc. is a recruitment platform focused on enhancing employee referral processes and promoting diversity hiring. Founded in 2013 and based in Redwood City, California, Teamable transforms social networks into effective talent pools by allowing employees to easily share their professional connections. The platform streamlines referral programs, replacing traditional spreadsheet methods with user-friendly, cloud-based tools that facilitate mobile-friendly referral flows. This approach enables recruiters to efficiently source candidates and request warm introductions, ultimately improving the speed and cost-effectiveness of hiring. By focusing on optimizing referral recruitment, Teamable aims to fill essential roles more quickly while supporting diversity initiatives within organizations.

Pulse

Seed Round in 2018
Pulse Q&A Inc. develops an artificial intelligence based platform that provides crowdsourced data for technology executives. It offers Pulse Q&A to test messaging and positioning in real time before campaign launches for a new product launch or a message refresh. The company’s platform is used to make and shape decisions by enabling users to create questions and serve it to peers, customers, or prospects, and collect data. The company was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Wefarm

Seed Round in 2018
Wefarm Limited operates a digital platform designed to facilitate communication among small-scale farmers, allowing them to share agricultural knowledge and solutions via SMS and online channels. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in London, with additional offices in Nairobi, Kampala, and Dar es Salaam, Wefarm connects users with one another, agribusinesses, and micro-finance institutions to enhance farming practices. The platform enables farmers to ask questions and receive crowd-sourced answers, addressing various agricultural challenges such as improving crop quality, increasing yields, and adapting to climate change. Wefarm has garnered recognition for its innovative approach, receiving several awards, including accolades from FastCompany and Google’s Impact Challenge.

FORWARD Platform

Series A in 2017
LiveStories drives outreach and better decisions using civic data—how communities live, learn, work, and play. Its all-in-one data platform makes it easy to analyze local data, get benchmarks, and create interactive stories. Its customers span government, public health, and business, including the AARP, Gates Foundation, Americans for Non-Smokers' Rights, California Health and Human Services Agency, Maricopa County, and many local health departments.

Submittable

Series A in 2017
Submittable, Inc. is a cloud-based submission management platform that enables organizations to curate and manage digital content submissions, applications, and media. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Missoula, Montana, with an additional office in New York, Submittable provides tools for publishers, competitions, academic institutions, and grant management, allowing users to accept, review, and make decisions on various types of submissions, including documents, audio, and video. The platform streamlines the submission process, making it easier for organizations to manage and track submissions through a web and mobile application. Submittable has facilitated over 10 million submissions for thousands of clients globally, reflecting its mission to improve the submission experience for users in diverse fields.

Teamable

Series A in 2017
Teamable Inc. is a recruitment platform focused on enhancing employee referral processes and promoting diversity hiring. Founded in 2013 and based in Redwood City, California, Teamable transforms social networks into effective talent pools by allowing employees to easily share their professional connections. The platform streamlines referral programs, replacing traditional spreadsheet methods with user-friendly, cloud-based tools that facilitate mobile-friendly referral flows. This approach enables recruiters to efficiently source candidates and request warm introductions, ultimately improving the speed and cost-effectiveness of hiring. By focusing on optimizing referral recruitment, Teamable aims to fill essential roles more quickly while supporting diversity initiatives within organizations.

Cloverpop

Series A in 2016
Cloverpop, Inc. develops a cloud-based decision-making and collaboration software designed to enhance the efficiency of business operations. Founded in 2012 and based in San Francisco, the company harnesses behavioral science to streamline the decision-making process, alleviating the burden of prolonged meetings and indecision that often plague managers and executives. Its platform facilitates tracking, recording, and communicating daily decisions, allowing teams to collaborate effectively across different channels such as Slack and, soon, Microsoft Teams. By providing tools that help identify better choices quickly and secure buy-in from stakeholders, Cloverpop empowers organizations to make informed decisions faster, reduce meeting times, and ensure complete visibility throughout the decision-making journey.

FORWARD Platform

Seed Round in 2016
LiveStories drives outreach and better decisions using civic data—how communities live, learn, work, and play. Its all-in-one data platform makes it easy to analyze local data, get benchmarks, and create interactive stories. Its customers span government, public health, and business, including the AARP, Gates Foundation, Americans for Non-Smokers' Rights, California Health and Human Services Agency, Maricopa County, and many local health departments.

Cloverpop

Seed Round in 2015
Cloverpop, Inc. develops a cloud-based decision-making and collaboration software designed to enhance the efficiency of business operations. Founded in 2012 and based in San Francisco, the company harnesses behavioral science to streamline the decision-making process, alleviating the burden of prolonged meetings and indecision that often plague managers and executives. Its platform facilitates tracking, recording, and communicating daily decisions, allowing teams to collaborate effectively across different channels such as Slack and, soon, Microsoft Teams. By providing tools that help identify better choices quickly and secure buy-in from stakeholders, Cloverpop empowers organizations to make informed decisions faster, reduce meeting times, and ensure complete visibility throughout the decision-making journey.

Crossfader

Venture Round in 2014
Crossfader is a music mashup application that enables users to create and share remixes effortlessly, transforming anyone into a DJ in just seconds. The platform fosters a community for music enthusiasts, allowing them to discover and exchange innovative music mixes globally. Often referred to as the "Instagram for music," Crossfader emphasizes user engagement and creativity in music production, appealing to both amateur and experienced musicians alike.

Storehouse

Series A in 2014
Storehouse is an online multimedia story-sharing platform that enables users to create and share narratives through photos, videos, and text. The application allows individuals to combine various media elements to tell their stories compellingly and creatively. Recognized for its innovative design and functionality, Storehouse received the TechCrunch Crunchie Award for Best Mobile App in 2015 and the Apple Design Award in 2014. Through its platform, Storehouse aims to enhance the storytelling experience by providing tools that facilitate the seamless integration of visual and written content.

Smarterer

Venture Round in 2014
Smarterer specializes in providing skill assessments to individuals and organizations, helping to identify and validate proficiency in various skill sets. Utilizing a dynamic assessment engine that incorporates crowdsourced tests, Smarterer can determine skill levels quickly, often within just 10 questions and 120 seconds. The platform is particularly beneficial for Fortune 500 companies seeking to bridge the gap between existing and required skills. In November 2014, Smarterer was acquired by Pluralsight, a leader in online learning for technology professionals, which has enhanced its ability to support e-learning providers and freelancer marketplaces. The Smarterer community has participated in over 1.7 million test sessions, contributing to more than 56 million answered questions across a wide array of assessments. This extensive data helps individuals demonstrate their capabilities effectively, connecting them to professional opportunities in a rapidly changing job market.

Storehouse

Seed Round in 2014
Storehouse is an online multimedia story-sharing platform that enables users to create and share narratives through photos, videos, and text. The application allows individuals to combine various media elements to tell their stories compellingly and creatively. Recognized for its innovative design and functionality, Storehouse received the TechCrunch Crunchie Award for Best Mobile App in 2015 and the Apple Design Award in 2014. Through its platform, Storehouse aims to enhance the storytelling experience by providing tools that facilitate the seamless integration of visual and written content.

TastemakerX

Series B in 2013
TastemakerX is where music lovers can do what they most want to do with music online: discover, listen to and share their tastes. With TastemakerX, people can discover music by exploring other people’s curated artist Collections, listen to and engage with their collected Artists on Spotify, Rdio, Soundcloud, YouTube, iTunes, Songkick, Twitter, Instagram and other services. Let’s face it, finding music should be fun and easy, but it really hasn’t been since the days of “High Fidelity” where Jack Black and John Cusack worked in that hipster record store eons ago. Like those record store clerks, DJs on college radio stations, friends, great music critics and bloggers who thrust music upon us with a passionate urgency, TastemakerX is about people turning people onto music TastemakerX 2.0 for iOS 7 and Web launched on September 18 2013.

Crossfader

Seed Round in 2013
Crossfader is a music mashup application that enables users to create and share remixes effortlessly, transforming anyone into a DJ in just seconds. The platform fosters a community for music enthusiasts, allowing them to discover and exchange innovative music mixes globally. Often referred to as the "Instagram for music," Crossfader emphasizes user engagement and creativity in music production, appealing to both amateur and experienced musicians alike.

Crossfader

Venture Round in 2012
Crossfader is a music mashup application that enables users to create and share remixes effortlessly, transforming anyone into a DJ in just seconds. The platform fosters a community for music enthusiasts, allowing them to discover and exchange innovative music mixes globally. Often referred to as the "Instagram for music," Crossfader emphasizes user engagement and creativity in music production, appealing to both amateur and experienced musicians alike.

Smarterer

Series A in 2012
Smarterer specializes in providing skill assessments to individuals and organizations, helping to identify and validate proficiency in various skill sets. Utilizing a dynamic assessment engine that incorporates crowdsourced tests, Smarterer can determine skill levels quickly, often within just 10 questions and 120 seconds. The platform is particularly beneficial for Fortune 500 companies seeking to bridge the gap between existing and required skills. In November 2014, Smarterer was acquired by Pluralsight, a leader in online learning for technology professionals, which has enhanced its ability to support e-learning providers and freelancer marketplaces. The Smarterer community has participated in over 1.7 million test sessions, contributing to more than 56 million answered questions across a wide array of assessments. This extensive data helps individuals demonstrate their capabilities effectively, connecting them to professional opportunities in a rapidly changing job market.

Neighborland

Seed Round in 2012
Neighborland, Inc. is a public engagement platform based in New Orleans, Louisiana, that facilitates collaboration between local residents, government agencies, developers, and civic organizations. Established in 2011, the platform allows community members to share ideas, support one another, and connect over common interests. It provides tools for project hosting, content publication, donation acceptance, survey conduction, and insight collection, enabling stakeholders to engage more effectively with their communities. Since its inception, over 3 million individuals have participated in Neighborland's initiatives, contributing to projects that have generated more than $3 billion in social and economic impact. As of April 2020, Neighborland operates as a subsidiary of Nextdoor, Inc.

Dinamundo

Seed Round in 2012
Dinamundo is a social check-in service that encourages real-world connections through humor. Users can check in with one another by scanning QR codes on their smartphones, which rewards them with comedic fortunes crafted by professional comedians. This approach aims to foster genuine interactions while leveraging technology, countering the trend of excessive smartphone use that often isolates individuals. The Dinamundo app allows users to share their humorous experiences on social media and track their interactions with others. Founded by a team of startup veterans in San Francisco, Dinamundo's mission is to enhance social engagement by integrating laughter and fun into everyday encounters. The service is free and designed to promote a lighthearted atmosphere among users.

TastemakerX

Series A in 2012
TastemakerX is where music lovers can do what they most want to do with music online: discover, listen to and share their tastes. With TastemakerX, people can discover music by exploring other people’s curated artist Collections, listen to and engage with their collected Artists on Spotify, Rdio, Soundcloud, YouTube, iTunes, Songkick, Twitter, Instagram and other services. Let’s face it, finding music should be fun and easy, but it really hasn’t been since the days of “High Fidelity” where Jack Black and John Cusack worked in that hipster record store eons ago. Like those record store clerks, DJs on college radio stations, friends, great music critics and bloggers who thrust music upon us with a passionate urgency, TastemakerX is about people turning people onto music TastemakerX 2.0 for iOS 7 and Web launched on September 18 2013.

One Inc.

Seed Round in 2011
One Inc. is a San Francisco-based company that develops a mobile application designed to facilitate social networking by connecting users with shared interests. The app notifies individuals when others nearby, who have also downloaded the application, share similar interests. By leveraging information from users' social media profiles, the app enhances the interaction experience by helping users discover and engage with like-minded individuals in their vicinity.

Smarterer

Seed Round in 2011
Smarterer specializes in providing skill assessments to individuals and organizations, helping to identify and validate proficiency in various skill sets. Utilizing a dynamic assessment engine that incorporates crowdsourced tests, Smarterer can determine skill levels quickly, often within just 10 questions and 120 seconds. The platform is particularly beneficial for Fortune 500 companies seeking to bridge the gap between existing and required skills. In November 2014, Smarterer was acquired by Pluralsight, a leader in online learning for technology professionals, which has enhanced its ability to support e-learning providers and freelancer marketplaces. The Smarterer community has participated in over 1.7 million test sessions, contributing to more than 56 million answered questions across a wide array of assessments. This extensive data helps individuals demonstrate their capabilities effectively, connecting them to professional opportunities in a rapidly changing job market.

Findery

Angel Round in 2011
Findery is a social discovery platform designed to enrich the exploration of places by sharing personal notes and stories from users. It allows individuals to uncover the histories, memories, and unique insights associated with various locations, creating a narrative around each place. This platform encourages users to share their favorite experiences, tips, and little-known facts, thus transforming the way people engage with their surroundings. Accessible via smartphones, Findery serves as a resource for discovering local and global stories, making every location come alive through the collective contributions of its community.

catchfree

Series A in 2011
CatchFree is an online platform designed to assist users in finding and comparing the best free solutions tailored to their specific needs. By systematically organizing feedback from active users, CatchFree provides valuable insights into the performance of various products, enabling informed decision-making. The platform focuses on simplifying the search process for effective online tools, making it easier for individuals and businesses to identify suitable options without incurring costs.

Collecta

Venture Round in 2010
Collecta Inc., founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, provides a real-time search engine that aggregates updates from popular platforms such as Twitter, WordPress, and Flickr. The service allows users to filter results by various categories, including status updates, comments, stories, and photos, ensuring they receive timely and relevant information. Utilizing the XMPP standard, Collecta's engine continuously pushes data, allowing users to monitor a dynamic stream of search results in real-time. This innovative approach enables users to efficiently explore topics of interest with advanced search capabilities, making information retrieval faster and more intuitive.

The Extraordinaries

Seed Round in 2010
The Extraordinaries offers an iPhone and Web app that allows you to micro-volunteer on-demand and on-the-spot. Have a favorite cause, organization, or interest? The Extraordinaries allows you to do something meaningful for it in just a few minutes. The Extraordinaries is a for-profit social enterprise. We are currently applying to become a B-corp, a new type of corporation that uses the power of business to solve social problems

Sponge

Seed Round in 2010
POWERING SOCIAL COMMUNITIES THAT ANSWER THE WORLDS QUESTIONS....Sponge powers question and answer communities for brands, media outlets, and topical sites. Sponge's Q&A platform enables online communities to ask questions and share answers in a structured manner. Sponge's technology unites traditional social features with question-and-answer functionality to foster knowledge sharing, collaboration, and customer engagement.

Socialcast

Series B in 2010
Socialcast is a leading provider of Enterprise collaboration software to facilitate real-time employee communication while analyzing the social graph for measures of productivity. Socialcast is deployed either on-premise or on-demand using activity streams to effectively accelerate information awareness amongst employees.

Plancast

Seed Round in 2010
The best way to discover events and activities with friends.

VoxPop Network

Series B in 2009
VoxPop Network operates a pop culture gaming platform that enables online publishers to transform their existing content into engaging and relevant games centered around current events and trending topics. By collaborating with top publishers, VoxPop facilitates the creation and distribution of games that resonate with audiences, enhancing user engagement and interaction. The platform serves as a bridge between media content and gaming, allowing publishers to expand their reach and offer innovative experiences to their users.

Socialcast

Series A in 2009
Socialcast is a leading provider of Enterprise collaboration software to facilitate real-time employee communication while analyzing the social graph for measures of productivity. Socialcast is deployed either on-premise or on-demand using activity streams to effectively accelerate information awareness amongst employees.

Collecta

Series A in 2009
Collecta Inc., founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, provides a real-time search engine that aggregates updates from popular platforms such as Twitter, WordPress, and Flickr. The service allows users to filter results by various categories, including status updates, comments, stories, and photos, ensuring they receive timely and relevant information. Utilizing the XMPP standard, Collecta's engine continuously pushes data, allowing users to monitor a dynamic stream of search results in real-time. This innovative approach enables users to efficiently explore topics of interest with advanced search capabilities, making information retrieval faster and more intuitive.

FiltrBox

Series A in 2009
Filtrbox provides a social media monitoring platform for marketers, PR professionals, brand managers, and customer service teams. The company’s services include Filtrbox G2 that delivers critical market intelligence to executives, sales professionals, investors, and marketers as well as discovers new articles in a range of online sources and delivers a daily list of qualified results based on its clients’ business logic. The company also provides Filtrbox Basic that enables to track the things which clients care about online. The company’s services enable its clients to listen, engage, measure, and lead social media conversations. It monitors [Twitter](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/twitter), [FriendFeed](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/friendfeed), [Backtype](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/backtype), and other social networks. Filtrbox was founded in April 2007 and is based in Palo Alto, California.

FiltrBox

Seed Round in 2008
Filtrbox provides a social media monitoring platform for marketers, PR professionals, brand managers, and customer service teams. The company’s services include Filtrbox G2 that delivers critical market intelligence to executives, sales professionals, investors, and marketers as well as discovers new articles in a range of online sources and delivers a daily list of qualified results based on its clients’ business logic. The company also provides Filtrbox Basic that enables to track the things which clients care about online. The company’s services enable its clients to listen, engage, measure, and lead social media conversations. It monitors [Twitter](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/twitter), [FriendFeed](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/friendfeed), [Backtype](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/backtype), and other social networks. Filtrbox was founded in April 2007 and is based in Palo Alto, California.

VoxPop Network

Series A in 2007
VoxPop Network operates a pop culture gaming platform that enables online publishers to transform their existing content into engaging and relevant games centered around current events and trending topics. By collaborating with top publishers, VoxPop facilitates the creation and distribution of games that resonate with audiences, enhancing user engagement and interaction. The platform serves as a bridge between media content and gaming, allowing publishers to expand their reach and offer innovative experiences to their users.

Surphace

Series A in 2005
Surphace, formerly known as Sphere, specializes in contextual content tools designed to enhance the online reading experience by connecting text, video, photos, and advertisements. The company's offerings include related content widgets and the proprietary Content Genome, a patent-pending technology that automates the delivery of relevant content without the need for a predefined taxonomy or extensive training. This enables online publishers to engage their audiences more effectively, resulting in increased site visit duration and page views, while also generating new revenue streams. Surphace's technology is currently integrated into over 150,000 websites, reaching more than 1.2 billion article pages monthly. The integration process for publishers is efficient, requiring minimal time and no additional metadata, allowing for seamless adoption. Surphace caters to a diverse clientele, ranging from major publishers to independent blogs, both in the United States and internationally.
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