John Burke is a founder and Managing Director of True Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm based in Palo Alto. See sector focus and contact routes.
John Burke is a founder and Managing Director of True Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm based in Palo Alto, California, where he has invested longer as a VC than he served as a CEO after founding and selling BMI Software in 1997. His investment thesis targets early-stage technology startups, with a focus on seed and pre-seed rounds across enterprise software, fintech, consumer brands, and AI-driven solutions, primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley. True Ventures typically writes checks between $500,000 and $3 million and leads pre-seed and seed rounds, positioning itself at the earliest stages to build deep founder partnerships. Notable portfolio companies include about.me (acquired by AOL), Fitbit, Automattic (creators of WordPress.com), and BrightRoll, all part of True’s over 450-company portfolio. Burke emphasizes a founder-centric approach rooted in his operating experience, advocating for treating entrepreneurs as long-term partners rather than portfolio entries, a philosophy he has shared through speaking engagements and judging roles in competitions like VCIC. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from UC
This profile is part of the StartupFundraising investor database: focus, portfolio history, disclosed location and contact routes, refreshed as new filings and rounds are ingested. Founders use it to check fit before reaching out and to find investors in Palo Alto.
Investors like John Burke · Full investor directory · Investor access · Company funding database