2011 in Review [infographic]

As we leave 2011 behind and step into 2012, we at True Ventures pause for a moment to reflect on the past year.  2011 was an exciting year for entrepreneurship, venture capital, and, most importantly, the Founders and their families in the True portfolio.  Seven companies from True’s portfolio were acquired, two teams experienced the excitement of an IPO at Jive and Zynga (both via prior acquisition), and we added a total of 36 companies and 71 Founders to the True portfolio.

There are far too many launches, firsts, awards, and newsworthy items to mention here across our portfolio, and we are incredibly proud of the huge innovations our Founders are pursuing.  Innovation is alive and well in the True portfolio.  2011 was a also year of triumphs and defeats for many in the True family, but fortunately our teams “treat(ed) those two imposters just the same” (Kipling), and persevered to pursue their vision for a better tomorrow for their employees and customers.  We are exceptionally proud of the Founders and their teams for their hard work and ceaseless creativity in 2011.  It has been a remarkable year.

The True family grew in size to total more than 1,700 employees.  And, the broader team we always consider as we make decisions as a team are the families around these employees – the spouses, children, and parents of the Founders and teams in the True portfolio.  Taking this into account means our ecosystem grew to well over 5,000 this year.

We have been working hard to innovate at True as well.  We were recognized as one of the 10 most active VC firms in the U.S. in 2011 for investing a total of $65.57 million in 33 early-stage, high-growth companies – the brilliant Founders and teams we believe have the power to transform our economy.  We started True to make the world a better place for entrepreneurs and to have a deep and lasting impact on the lives of Founders and their families.  Staying true to our values of collaboration and lifelong learning, True held our very first True University, a two-day “startup school” to help develop the talent within each company.  We also launched our mentorship program into beta at year-end.  We are excited to lead the market in new and valuable opportunities for our Founders.

We look forward to building on last year’s momentum to make an even bigger impact in 2012.

2011 was a year of vision, inspiration, and nose-to-the-grindstone hard work.  True is a startup just like all of our portfolio companies, and we could not be successful without the generosity, creativity, and support of many.  In 2005, we envisioned a better future for venture capital, and this meant that we had to build an entirely new set of products and services for our customers, and do so with a completely new attitude and approach to our business.  We have been able to get where we are because of the incredible support and creativity of our Founders and their teams, the power and vision of our investors, and the steadfast belief of everyone on the True team that our mission of empowering the creative Founder is a noble calling.

Thank you to all our investors, Founders, mentors, friends, and others who joined in our cause this year.  We are honored by your support, and we share all of our success with you.

Happy New Year!