Jon Callaghan

Co-Founder & Managing Partner at True Ventures · Joined 2005

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Biography

Jon Callaghan founded his first company, Mountain Bike Outfitters, at just 17 years old, running the Jackson Hole shop for eight years before entering venture capital as an associate at Summit Partners in 1991. After roles at AOL's venture incubator and CMGI's early internet-focused @Ventures group, he co-founded True Ventures in 2005 with Phil Black, built around a deliberate strategy of maximizing risk at the earliest stages - backing category-defining companies before their categories even existed. That philosophy defined True's investment in Fitbit, made when the device looked like little more than a pedometer in a world with no wearables market; Callaghan served as the company's Lead Independent Director through its 2015 IPO. He has also led deals and sat on the boards of Peloton, BrightRoll, and Madison Reed, and served as Chairman of the National Venture Capital Association from 2015 to 2016.

Education

Previous Experience

Notable Investments

FitbitPeloton PTONBrightRollRingAutomattic (WordPress)HashiCorp

Board Seats

Career Timeline

1986
Founds Mountain Bike Outfitters, Inc. at age 17, running the Jackson Hole shop for eight years.
1991
Joins Summit Partners as an associate, beginning his venture career.
1996
Joins CMGI's @Ventures group, entering the internet market early.
2005
Co-founds True Ventures with Phil Black.
2015
Fitbit goes public; Callaghan serves as Lead Independent Director.
2015
Becomes Chairman of the National Venture Capital Association, serving through 2016.
2019
Peloton, another True Ventures portfolio company, goes public.

Sources & References

True Ventures - Jon Callaghan ↗Crunchbase ↗