Catalyst Managing Partner Brian Rich Named to NVCA Board of Directors
Jon Callaghan of True Ventures Appointed Chairman of NVCA
Ten New Directors Join NVCA Board to Serve Four-Year Term
Press release: SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) today announced that Jon Callaghan, Founder and General Partner of True Ventures, will serve as the 2015-2016 Chairman of the NVCA Board of Directors. His appointment was made official at NVCA’s annual meeting, VentureScape 2015, in San Francisco, CA.
Callaghan assumes the chairmanship of the venture industry’s flagship trade association at a pivotal time for venture capital and the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem. Amid growing recognition of venture’s critical role in fueling innovation and supporting entrepreneurship, Callaghan noted that NVCA is uniquely positioned to serve as a resource and advocate for a diverse set of constituencies that participate in the innovation economy.
“I’m extremely humbled and deeply honored to follow in the footsteps of some of venture’s most iconic leaders as I assume the chairmanship of a storied organization that has championed our great industry for more than forty years,” said Callaghan. “NVCA plays a critical role in driving public policy deliberations in Washington, and under Bobby’s leadership is evolving into an organization that speaks not just for venture but for our portfolio companies and the broader startup community. The US venture capital system is the envy of the world, and America’s entrepreneurs are leading our country’s economy and creating the industries of the future. I look forward to working closely with Bobby and his team in the coming year to promote the great work of our industry and champion policies that will help the innovation economy flourish.”
Callaghan is preceded by Scott Sandell, Managing General Partner of New Enterprise Associates (NEA), who in his role as Chairman of NVCA helped spearheaded a number of new initiatives for the organization, including the formation of the NVCA Diversity Task Force.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better Chairman to help guide me through my first full year at the helm of NVCA,” said Bobby Franklin, President and CEO of NVCA. “His leadership and dedication to ushering in a new generation of tools and resources to assist in our advocacy efforts has exceptional. From his efforts to launch the Diversity Task Force to his vision for the inaugural NVCA Leadership Gala and Awards Ceremony, Scott has been an extraordinary partner in helping take NVCA to the next level.”
In addition to installing a new chairman, NVCA also announced the appointment of ten new directors to its board. This year, the association welcomes the following new board members to serve a four-year term:
- Mike Carusi, General Partner at Lightstone Ventures
- Christy Chin, Managing Director at Draper Richard Kaplan Foundation
- Jeff Clavier, Founder and Managing Director at SoftTech VC
- Michael Dixon, Partner at Sequoia Capital
- Jan Garfinkle, Founder and Managing Director at Arboretum Ventures
- Mary Meeker, Partner at Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield and Byers
- Deepa Pakianathan, Managing Partner at Delphi Ventures
- Brian Rich, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Catalyst Investors
- Carmichael Roberts, General Partner at North Bridge Venture Partners
- Alberto Yepez, Managing Director at Trident Capital
“Our incoming class is an accomplished bunch and we are fortunate to add them to an already talented roster of venture professionals that sit on the NVCA Board of Directors. I’m grateful they accepted the offer and excited to tap into their talents and expertise,” commented Franklin on the new board members. “Building on the launch of the NVCA Diversity Task Force and our ongoing commitment to inclusion, a cornerstone of this year’s selection process was the belief that we needed to lead by example and add greater diversity to the NVCA Board of Directors. Through the process of recruiting this talented group of venture professionals, we were mindful of selecting candidates that were both at the top of the industry as well as representative of the diverse makeup of our nation.”
NVCA also named Venky Ganesan, Managing Director at Menlo Ventures, as Chair-Elect for the 2015-2016 year. He joins Callaghan, Scott Kupor, Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (Treasurer), John Backus, Founder and Managing Partner of New Atlantic Ventures (Secretary), Maria Cirino, Managing Director at .406 Ventures (At-Large), Tim Curt, Managing Director at Warburg Pincus (At-Large), and Ross Jaffee, MD, Managing Director at Versant Ventures (At-Large), on the Executive Committee of the NVCA Board of Directors.
About Callaghan
Jon is an early stage venture capitalist and a founder of True Ventures. Jon has founded three of his own companies and has been in the venture capital business since 1991. Jon founded his first company, Mountain Bike Outfitters, Inc in 1986. He started his venture career as an associate at Summit Partners and then joined AOL’s Greenhouse, the venture capital/incubator for AOL. Jon joined the internet market early by joining CMGi’s @Ventures group in 1996. Before founding True, Jon was a Managing Director at Globespan Capital.
First as founder and now as investor, Jon’s direct startup experience means that he has seen the world through an entrepreneur’s eyes, making him a confidant and therefore priceless resource for the startups in which he invests. Jon received a BA in Government from Dartmouth College and an MBA, with distinction, from Harvard Business School. When he is not empowering the entrepreneurs of tomorrow, you can probably find him talking about airplanes or playing with his children.