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Adam D'Augelli
Partner
True Ventures
True Ventures partner backing early-stage technology companies.
Bio
Professional summary
Phil Black is a co-founding partner at True Ventures. His official profile describes him as an early-stage venture capitalist with more than two decades of experience in venture capital and entrepreneurial leadership. He learned the venture business at Summit Partners, where he met future True co-founder Jon Callaghan, and later held general partner roles before raising and investing an angel fund called Blacksmith Capital. The profile emphasizes his belief in taking risk at the earliest stage and supporting founders both professionally and personally.
Investment focus
Stage, sector, and overall fit
Stage
early-stage venture investing (official profile)
Sector
early-stage technologyfounder-led startupsbroad technology investing
Thesis
earliest-stage startupsfounders pursuing bold technology ideasbroad early-stage venture investing
How to approach
Framing and angles for outreach
Pitch framing
Frame the outreach around founder ambition, early-stage risk-taking, and why the founder needs a deeply supportive partner rather than just capital.
Personalization hooks
- 1Reference True's founding philosophy around aligning with founders and supporting bold ideas.
- 2A light personal hook around Stanford, Oklahoma, art, wine, travel, or London could work only if relevant and natural.
Background
Career, education, and skills
Career history
- True VenturesCo-FounderApr 2006 - Present
- Kurtosys SystemsChair of the Board of DirectorsSep 2006 - Present
- AutomatticInvestorOct 2005 - Dec 2024
- InventablesInvestorApr 2009 - Jun 2024
- Blacksmith CapitalCo-FounderJan 2003 - Apr 2006
Education
- Stanford UniversityA.B., Economics1984–1988
Skills
Early-stage ventureSeed investingConsumer internetEnterprise 2.0Board service
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