Tony Conrad: Betting on Obsession, Not Industries

Tony Conrad co-founded True Ventures, where for two decades he's had a habit of writing the first check into companies nobody else believed in yet — Automattic, Blue Bottle Coffee, Sweetgreen, FitBit, Slack, Peloton, years before any of them were sure things. He talks about growing up in a small Indiana farming town, working as his fraternity's janitor to pay for college, a decade at Groupe Danone that took him from Paris to Jakarta, and co-founding Sphere and About.me — including the unusual story of selling About.me to AOL, buying it back, and selling it again. He also tells the handshake story behind the Blue Bottle Coffee investment, and how he's come to measure his own success by the people he's helped rather than the outcomes. Human Success Stories is a One Wealth production, hosted by David Steele and Jonathan Steele, co-founders of One Wealth Advisors. One Wealth helps people simplify the financial complexity of their lives so they can be more present for the moments that matter. Learn more at or reach out at info@onewealth.net. This podcast is provided by One Wealth Advisors, LLC. This post and the content discussed in this podcast should not be construed as investment advice.