Tod Francis

Considered a highly intuitive business leader with a number of well-known success stories to his credit, Tod Francis has developed a reputation as a perceptive and discerning venture capital professional. Among the many companies that Tod Francis has helped turn from start-up to profit are such household names as Jamba Juice Company, Logoworks, and P.F. Chang’s China Bistro. A graduate of Northwestern University, Tod Francis holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. A dedicated alumnus of the school, Tod Francis sits on the Global Advisory Board for the Kellogg Alumni in Private Equity, an organization that provides networking, business, and social opportunities for Kellogg graduates who have embarked upon careers in the sector. In addition, Tod Francis is a member of the Kellogg Advisory Council. Following his graduation from Kellogg in 1983, Tod Francis embarked on a career with international corporation Johnson & Johnson. In his capacity as a Marketing Manager for the company, Tod Francis provided marketing advice and leadership for new nutritional supplements as well as one of Johnson & Johnson’s largest brands, Tylenol. His four years of service to Johnson & Johnson put Tod Francis in good stead when he pursued a new career opportunity with RAM Group. The company, which provides sales and marketing consulting services for a wide range of nationally recognized brands, made good use of Tod Francis’ insight and expertise. During his four years with RAM Group, Tod Francis created and carried out marketing campaigns for a number of companies. In 1993, Tod Francis joined the team at Trinity Ventures, where he served for 10 years and was named a general partner. At this well-known California-based venture capital company, Tod Francis worked on business strategy and capitalization for market-driven and consumer-oriented companies. Today, Tod Francis serves as the Managing Director at Shasta Ventures. In his role at this venture capital company, Tod Francis works primarily with technology-related companies and helps the management team oversee more than $450 million of capital.