Toni Schneider

Toni Schneider is a Partner at True Ventures, a leading early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2005. With a foundational mission to empower entrepreneurs at the initial stages of company creation, True has partnered with over 1,050 Founders across more than 500 companies. The firm’s 12 funds have been a part of seven IPOs and over 60 acquisitions.

At True, Toni’s focus is broad, ranging from software to connected devices and climate tech. He partners with Founders who are exceptionally passionate, driven, and customer-obsessed.

Toni’s career in technology began during his software engineering days at Crystal River Engineering, where he built 3D audio simulators for NASA. From 1996 to 1999, Toni was the VP of Technology at Aureal Semiconductor (acquired by Creative Labs in 2000).

Toni originally joined the startup ecosystem when he co-founded Uplister, a venture-backed music recommendation startup, in 2000. It was his role as the CEO of Oddpost, however, that proved to be a pivotal point in his career. After Yahoo acquired Oddpost in 2004 to form the basis of the new Yahoo Mail, which was then used by more than 250 million people worldwide, Toni joined Yahoo’s executive ranks and created the Yahoo Developer Network.

Toni’s path as an investor and operator is uniquely intertwined. From 2006 to 2014, Toni was the CEO of True portfolio company Automattic, where he helped scale WordPress.com into a top-10 global internet destination with nearly 1 billion monthly visitors. In 2005, he joined True and co-founded blog search engine Sphere, which AOL acquired in 2008, with Tony Conrad, now his fellow True partner. In 2008, Toni’s leadership was recognized when he won Best Startup CEO at the Crunchies.

When he’s not helping Founders, you can find Toni in his biodiesel Land Cruiser exploring the US, rooting for the San Francisco Giants, or tinkering with old cars.