Phil Black
InvestorInvestment Team at True Ventures · Board director at Kurtosys Systems · Board director at Inventables · Board director at Sano Intelligence
San Francisco Bay Area
Writes $500K – $3M checks · typically $20M
Find your path to Phil
538 people in our graph share verified history with Phil — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
About
Philip Black co-founded an early institutional seed fund, backed Fitbit, Peloton and Automattic at earliest stages, maps companies across four risk categories, and coaches founders on reversible versus irreversible decisions.
Contact· self-published, not guessed
Likely email· guessed from name + firm domain, not firm-published
- p•••@trueventures.comreveal80% confident
Invests in
AI & Machine LearningBiotechClimate TechConsumerDeep TechHardwareSector Agnostic
Beyond investing
- Founded
- Phil Black founded Blacksmith Capital, an early-stage seed investment fund. Phil Black co-founded True Ventures.
- Education
- Studied at Stanford
- Hobbies
- Phil Black enjoys art, wine, and travel, and names London as his favorite place outside the San Francisco Bay Area.
From published sources — common ground for a warm intro.
Board director at Kurtosys Systems
Intro paths
In turn, Phil can intro founders to Kurtosys Systems's investors below.
Kurtosys Systems's investors · 2
Board director at Inventables
Intro paths
In turn, Phil can intro founders to Inventables's investors below.
Inventables's investors · 7
Board director at Sano Intelligence
Intro paths
In turn, Phil can intro founders to Sano Intelligence's investors below.
Sano Intelligence's investors · 6
Co-founders at Sano Intelligence
Experience
- Kurtosys SystemsChair of the Board of Directorscurrent2006 — presentLondon Area, United Kingdom
- True VenturesCo-Foundercurrent2006 — presentSan Francisco, CA
- AutomatticInvestor2005 — 2024
- InventablesInvestor2009 — 2024
- Blacksmith CapitalCo-Founder2003 — 2006
- Synchronoss TechnologiesBoard of Director2000 — 2004
- ABS VenturesGeneral Partner1999 — 2002
- Telogy NetworksBoard of Director1997 — 1999
- Weiss, Peck & Greer Venture PartnersGeneral Partner1995 — 1999
- Summit PartnersSr. Associate and Associate1988 — 1994
Skills & more
From Phil's professional profile.
Investments
Board seats
AutomatticCopperHelpShiftKurtosysStrongDM
Investor
AccessPayCatalyst SoftwareClayStackDesk.comDirectlyDirectusErnestaGoalBased InvestorsHelpshiftKurtosysMessage BusMoneta HealthNeoplantsOrrecoOutboundworksTenkaraThistle TechnologiesTiamat Sciences
Per curated public sources.
Colleagues at True Ventures
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Phil Black?
- Philip Black co-founded an early institutional seed fund, backed Fitbit, Peloton and Automattic at earliest stages, maps companies across four risk categories, and coaches founders on reversible versus irreversible decisions.
- Where does Phil Black work?
- Phil Black is Investment Team at True Ventures and Board director at Kurtosys Systems and Board director at Inventables and Board director at Sano Intelligence.
- What does Phil Black invest in?
- Phil Black invests in AI & Machine Learning, Biotech, Climate Tech, Consumer, Deep Tech, Hardware, Sector Agnostic.
- What check size does Phil Black write?
- Phil Black typically writes checks of $500K – $3M.
- What boards does Phil Black sit on?
- Phil Black holds tracked board seats at Automattic, Copper, HelpShift, Kurtosys, StrongDM.
- What companies has Phil Black invested in?
- Investments tracked here include AccessPay, Catalyst Software, ClayStack, Desk.com, Directly, Directus, Ernesta, GoalBased Investors, Helpshift, Kurtosys, Message Bus, Moneta Health, and 6 more.
- Where did Phil Black go to school?
- Phil Black studied at Stanford University (A.B., Economics).
Same school
Also attended Stanford University2,000
+ 1,994 more
Shared employers
Also worked at Kurtosys Systems2
Also worked at Automattic15
+ 9 more
Also worked at Inventables5
Also worked at Synchronoss Technologies8
+ 2 more











































