Phil Black

Phil is an early stage venture capitalist and co-founding partner at True Ventures, where he brings over two decades of experience in venture capital and entrepreneurial leadership. 

He learned the venture trade and met his future True Ventures co-founder, Jon Callaghan, during his time at Summit Partners. He held general partner positions for eight years prior to raising and investing a small angel fund called Blacksmith Capital, which became a seminal moment in his career of managing venture fund investments. 

Phil believes in risk-taking at the earliest stage and that startup founders benefit most when they are supported fully, both professionally and personally, to pursue bold, brave ideas. To that end, he and Jon built True upon a deep belief in the power of curiosity, expansive thinking, and respect for one another – values embodied in the True Founder community too. 

He and Jon named True Ventures after the idea of “truing” a wheel – that is, when you bring a wheel into alignment for an optimal ride. With venture capital investing, we aim to do the same by aligning our intentions with those of our limited partners and True Portfolio founders who have the stamina and desire to keep going and build something from nothing, even when roadblocks arise.

Outside of True, Phil is a product of Oklahoma and Stanford alumni. He loves art, wine, and travel. His favorite place outside of the San Francisco Bay Area is London.