Steve Schmidt

Steve Schmidt is a General Partner at Titanium Ventures, the venture capital firm that until 2023 was known as Telstra Ventures. The firm was originally formed as the corporate-venture arm inside Australian telecommunications company Telstra in 2011, and spun out to become an independent, hybrid corporate-VC firm in 2018. Schmidt has been one of its longtime investing partners and a spokesperson for the firm, publicly describing how it managed the transition from an internal Telstra unit into a standalone fund — noting that "accessing more capital was an opportunity to grow further."

Schmidt grew up on a Canadian farm, an upbringing he credits with instilling the work ethic and strategic-planning discipline that shaped his career. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from the University of Alberta. Earlier in his career he held leadership roles at Telstra and at Australian bank Westpac; he has recounted that he immigrated to Australia for his wife, having turned down a stock-broker role to make the move. Outside of work he enjoys boating, skiing, and time with family.

At Telstra/Titanium Ventures, Schmidt has focused on enterprise software and infrastructure investing, leading or working on deals in companies including Box, DocuSign, GitLab, NGINX, VeloCloud and Rancher Labs. The firm's platform is notable for a "Revenue Acceleration Platform" staffed by internal go-to-market operators that helps portfolio companies win enterprise customers — a differentiator Schmidt has highlighted. Titanium Ventures reports roughly $1B in assets under management and a track record that includes 12 IPOs and exits such as CrowdStrike, DocuSign, Box, GitLab, Snap, Auth0, BigCommerce and OpenGov.

• Invests primarily in enterprise software and infrastructure — cybersecurity, AI/ML, SaaS, developer tools, cloud and cloud-native infrastructure, and fintech.
• Backs "standout disruptors," typically participating in (rather than solely leading) seed-through-growth rounds alongside lead investors, then adding value through the firm's go-to-market/Revenue Acceleration Platform.
• Emphasizes helping portfolio companies land and expand enterprise customers; the firm's operator-led GTM support is a core part of why founders take its capital.
• On AI, Schmidt argues companies must build "coherent business strategies around AI" and appreciate the diversity of AI approaches rather than chase hype — a lens reflected in recent bets on applied/enterprise AI.