Filtrbox Founder Ari Newman Joins Board of RescueTime

True is proud to welcome Ari Newman to the board of RescueTime, one of our portfolio companies.  We first met Ari in 2008 when we invested in his company Filtrbox, which was acquired by Jive Software in 2010.  We had a great experience working with Ari—he is a shining example of the type of entrepreneur we strive to work with.  Ari is hardworking, creative, and totally committed to his business but always found time to contribute meaningfully to the True Founder community.  So when RescueTime asked for our help finding a board director, instead of looking outside our portfolio of companies, we looked within the community of people we have worked with in the past and offered Ari the opportunity to join the board.

One of the things I love about True’s approach to funding startups is that over time, we look for opportunities to develop relationships with Founders in a deeper way.  Sometimes we provide multiple rounds of funding.  Sometimes we invest in a Founder and, once their company has had a successful exit, fund new companies created by key people from their team.  Sometimes we engage Founders to seek their advice or references, ask them to become mentors for other startups or, in Ari’s case, invite them to join a board.  At True, we gauge success by the depth and breadth of our Founder relationships.

When an entrepreneur is funded by True, it is more than just an opportunity for them to pursue their dream of building a company; that is just one aspect of their career as an entrepreneur.  It is an opportunity for them to engage with True’s platform—our community of Founders, the companies we invest in, and our commitment to providing education to Founders and their teams—and build the skills and network that will support them throughout their career.  This platform enables Founders and their teams to engage more deeply than simply a one- or bi-directional relationship—it becomes a dynamic web of relationship, in which possibilities abound.

Ari emailed me shortly after joining RescueTime’s board, and I think his thoughts sum up perfectly what being a part of the True Founder family is all about:

“Once Filtrbox was acquired by Jive, I became ‘True Alumni.’  And as awesome as that was from a milestone standpoint, it meant I was now outside the inner circle, which actually made me sad.  I missed the events, the communication, and the network.  I’m glad to be involved with True in a way that has me re-engaged in their world.”

Since we have known Ari, his energy, knowhow, and dedication have continually impressed us.  He will be a great asset to RescueTime.