Engaging and Inspiring Our Community at True University
By True Ventures, June 15, 2012
True University, True’s “startup school” for our founders and their employees, was held this week at UC Berkeley, and we’re on a complete high coming off two days of fantastic speakers, deep connections and festive parties.
We created True U in 2011 to develop the talent within each of our companies—to extend the opportunity for world-class entrepreneurial education not just to our founders, but to every engineer, designer, salesperson, marketing manager, and all others who help our companies grow and succeed every day. And while we were dazzled by the knowledge and experience shared by our visiting professors, just as significant were the conversations and connections that developed among the True U community. We think and talk frequently at True about fortune favoring the connected entrepreneur—and how important it is for our founders and all of their employees to have a community to call on for advice, best practices and recommendations. This creates a tribe of like-minded individuals all striving for excellence, no matter the industry, stage, or geography of their company. True U was that sentiment personified. For every business card exchanged Tuesday and Wednesday, a dozen connections were made to catalyze further innovation and inspiration.
At the heart of True U were the speakers who contributed their time and expertise to enriching the experience of the True community. They were superb, sharing wisdom and insight that was applicable and engaging—and at times poignant and humorous. We were honored to have a fantastic array of incredibly talented guests join us, and the biggest problem we faced in two days was what class to attend. There were discussions in one class about best practices in design and UX. In another, architecture choices to support rapidly scaling companies. In yet another, strategies and tactics for customer development and outreach. And in the last, tips and tricks to effectively attract, engage and retain the best employees.
If only we could mention each of our 52 speakers here, because each approached his or her topic with tremendous depth and commitment. To all our speakers, thank you for sharing your insight and brilliance with the True Ventures family—we learned so much and are grateful for your participation in this event.
Magic happens every time we gather our portfolio together, and True U was no exception. We were inspired by the passion and energy at this year’s event, and offer a huge thanks to everyone involved—speakers, attendees, and our staff. As we look forward already to planning an equally spectacular True U next summer, we leave you with this quick recap of some of our favorite moments from our time together.