Jeffrey Schox

Jeffrey Schox grew up outside of Detroit, Michigan, where he developed an early interest in engineering and automobiles. He studied mechanical and electrical engineering at the University of Michigan and later earned his JD from George Mason University School of Law (1998). Before entering law and venture capital, he worked as an engineer on the original electric vehicle program at General Motors, giving him firsthand experience in deep-tech hardware development. He subsequently practiced as a patent attorney at two of the largest patent law firms in the country before making a pivotal career decision.

In 2004, Schox left a secure partnership track at a 150-year-old law firm to found Schox Patent Group in Silicon Valley. The firm became a boutique patent practice focused exclusively on startups, functioning as a fractional in-house patent team that develops patent strategy and builds patent portfolios for venture-backed companies on a project-based, flat-rate basis. Schox Patent Group has served over 700 clients -- including Coinbase, Cruise, Duo Security, Joby, Twilio, Facebook, Google, and Dropbox -- helping startups that have collectively raised over $10 billion in venture capital. His deep engagement with startup clients naturally led him to angel investing; he was the first investor in Twilio and an early investor in Cruise Automation, both of which became landmark outcomes.

Schox parlayed his investing track record into institutional venture capital by co-founding Trucks Venture Capital alongside Reilly Brennan. Trucks VC funds entrepreneurs building the future of transportation, with a focus on making transportation decarbonized, safer, and more accessible. In January 2025, Trucks VC announced the close of its third fund (TVF3) at $70 million -- its largest to date. Schox also teaches Patent Law and Strategy at Stanford Law School and Stanford Engineering School, authored the book "Not So Obvious: An Introduction to Patent Law and Strategy," and mentors for top incubators including Y Combinator.

Schox invests across two primary vehicles with distinct but complementary mandates:

Across his personal angel portfolio, Schox invests broadly in deep-tech sectors including AI, robotics, hardware, semiconductors, climate tech, Web3/blockchain, and space. His engineering background (GM electric vehicle program) combined with two decades of patent work across 700+ startups gives him a differentiated lens for evaluating technical defensibility, IP moats, and founding-team capability in hardware-intensive and deep-tech ventures.

• Schox Venture Capital -- Invests $100K-$500K in clients of Schox Patent Group, leveraging deep familiarity with a startup's intellectual property and technology to make informed seed-stage bets. This gives him a unique, IP-informed deal-sourcing advantage.
• Trucks Venture Capital -- Invests $500K-$2M at pre-seed and seed stage in startups building the future of transportation. Trucks VC targets companies working on autonomous vehicles, electric aviation, EV charging infrastructure, mobility data platforms, space logistics, and related transportation technology.

| Company | Role / Stage | Outcome | |---|---|---| | Twilio | First investor (angel) | IPO | | Cruise Automation | Early angel investor | Acquired by GM (~$1B) | | eero | Angel investor | Acquired by Amazon | | Duo Security | Patent client / investor | Acquired by Cisco ($2.35B) | | Bear Flag Robotics | Trucks VC | Acquired by John Deere | | Zendrive | First investor (angel) | Acquired by Intuit | | Joby Aviation | Trucks VC | Public (NYSE: JOBY) | | Skyryse | Trucks VC | Active | | Universal Hydrogen | Trucks VC | Active | | Refraction | Trucks VC | Active | | Celsee | First investor (angel) | Acquired | | Luminous | First investor (angel) | Active | | Molekule | Angel investor | Acquired | | NeuMoDx | Angel investor | Acquired | | Vicarious | Angel investor | Acquired | | Helium | Angel investor | Active | | Omada Health | Angel investor | Active | | Ambient | First investor (angel) | Active | | Gatik | Trucks VC | Active | | JetZero | Trucks VC (TVF3) | Active | | Treehouse | Trucks VC (TVF3) | Active | | Carvis | Trucks VC (TVF3) | Active | | Auriga Space | Trucks VC (TVF3) | Active | | BasiGo | Trucks VC | Active |