The Human Connection: Why Our Founder Community Matters More Than Ever

In my house, with two super active toddlers on the loose, there’s always music in the background – both to drown out the screaming and as a (sometimes) delightful soundtrack to this chapter of absolutely delightful yet incredibly challenging chaos. A current favorite is the Muppets’ “Rainbow Connection.” 

Recently, instead of racing through the morning rush — trying to get everyone fed, clothed, and caffeinated (the toddlers aren’t caffeinated, I promise; just me and my husband) — I tried to slow down. Parents ahead of me assure me I’ll miss these days: the laughter, the energy, the being needed to cut waffles, tie shoes, brush teeth. So I slowed down, danced with them, and actually listened to the lyrics of their favorite song. And I found a real tie to the work and beliefs we hold dear at True Ventures.

“Why are there so many songs about rainbows? And what’s on the other side?”

Kermit is singing to the dreamers. To the ones who see something real when everyone else sees an illusion. And they’re going to build a bridge to get us to a different future. That’s every Founder I know.

First to believe

At True, we want to be First to Believe in these dreamers. To back and believe in them when no one else can quite see what they see.  

This January, I stepped into the role of Head of Platform at True. I’m very fortunate that I get to spend my time with the dreamers: 450+ Founders and their teams who are building a better future right now. As AI races forward — reshaping how people build, how businesses scale, and how teams win — I’m more convinced than ever that our human-first approach to investing isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s the thing that matters most. And it’s the most meaningful part of this role. (I wrote with em dashes before they were an AI giveaway, I promise.)

Human-first

What does human-first mean? To us, it means the people come before their titles. I say to every Founder on our first call after we invest: regardless of the financial outcome of this chapter, we want to know you and support you throughout your entire creative journey. Relationships that outlast any single company — that’s what we’re building.

Everyone says they’re Founder-friendly or Founder-first — it’s table stakes in venture, and whether firms saying it actually are isn’t for me to decide or debate. At True, companies may succeed or fail, but that’s secondary to our relationship with the Founders building them. We have a saying: companies fail, people don’t. We back Founders for the entirety of their entrepreneurial careers and build human relationships that compound in value over the decades we spend together.

The answer is in the room

When most people hear “VC platform,” they think of hiring, discounts, and introductions. We have all of that. But our platform has always meant something more fundamental: we double down on the humanity that makes us stronger. The person behind the CEO title. The human navigating the ups and downs of the startup journey. And 450 Founders who show up for each other, not with sugar-coated advice, but with real talk. Honesty on topics you might be wary of broadcasting elsewhere. The candid input you don’t want to hear but need to hear — delivered directly.

I wouldn’t work for you if you keep operating this way.

You need to rethink how you talk to people.

Here’s how you should be selling.

You need to fire that person. Hire this person. I’ll make the intro.

I know who you need to talk to — this will change your entire roadmap.

I see this generosity at play all the time. A few months ago, two Founders independently realized their entire software development process needed to be rebuilt around agents. Instead of figuring it out alone, they got on a call with twenty other Founders and walked through everything: what they tried, what broke, what worked. One shared his exact rebuild structure. The other shared his team’s planning templates. By the end, Founders were swapping their internal playbooks in Slack and offering to pair with anyone who wanted to run the same experiment. Everyone in the arena together — building, accelerating, and cheering each other on.  

We have a saying: “The Answer Is In the Room.” Our job is to make sure the room is full of the right people. Dreamers, believers, and builders — sharing, cheering, and giving the real talk when you need to hear it. 

Our take on AI + platform

So how are we using AI in our human-first approach? Everywhere. Like many firms, we have more agents than people. We built AI personas. We launched our newsletter so you get the most relevant insights. We’re harnessing 20 years of decisions, interactions, and patterns to get better at what we do — and to free up the time we want more of. More time in person with our Founders. More time with each other. More time with the dreamers and the builders. Because we’re interested in what happens when brilliant people automate the tedium, discover new patterns, and build things that accelerate building a better future. That’s not a threat to humanity — that’s humanity operating at its best.

And this is exactly why the human connection matters more right now, not less. As AI handles more of the automated work, our human work becomes the ultimate differentiator. Building trust with a Founder. Reading the room. Knowing when to push your team and when to give them space. Founders stepping in to help a fellow Founder navigate a pivot when everything feels like it’s falling apart. None of that gets automated. We’re using AI internally to make sure the Founder is talking to the most relevant person in our community. To present many patterns and data points across the twenty years of investing so we can give them options and awareness as they build to a decision point. 

True’s ethos has always been First to Believe — backing Founders when consensus said no, when the ideas seemed impossible. But belief without human connection is just opinion. Our platform transforms that initial spark of belief into a resilient network of people who have been exactly where you are and want to see you succeed.

Kermit ends the song: “I’ve heard it too many times to ignore it. It’s something that I’m supposed to be.”

Every Founder I know has felt that pull toward something they can’t fully explain but can’t ignore. Our job is to make sure that when they follow it, they don’t have to go alone.

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