# Lo Toney

> Laurence 'Lo' Toney is the Founding Managing Partner of Plexo Capital, a San Francisco-based institutional VC firm he incubated at GV (Google Ventures) and spun out independently in 2018. Plexo's distinctive 'full stack' model invests across three layers - LP stakes in emerging diverse fund managers, direct investments in companies sourced through those networks, and equity stakes in the GP management entities themselves. After senior operating roles at Nike, eBay, and Zynga (where he ran Zynga Poker to $250M in annual bookings), Toney moved into VC via Comcast Ventures and GV before building Plexo Capital's $42.5M Fund I with backers including Alphabet, Intel Capital, and the Ford Foundation. Named to Forbes BLK 50: Money Masters 2026, he has championed diverse fund managers as alpha generators long before it became conventional wisdom.

- **Role:** Founding Managing Partner at Plexo Capital
- **Organizations:** Plexo Capital, GV (Google Ventures), Comcast Ventures, Zynga, eBay, Nike, PwC, LearnStreet
- **From:** Oakland, California, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** High School Diploma, Bishop O'Dowd High School, B.S. in Business, Hampton University, MBA, Management of Technology, UC Berkeley - Haas School of Business, Executive Education, Corporate Governance, Stanford Law School - Directors College
- **Known for:** Founded Plexo Capital, raising $42.5M Fund I with institutional LPs including Alphabet, Intel Capital, Cisco, Ford Foundation, and Mass Mutual, Named to Forbes BLK 50: Money Masters 2026 - among leaders managing $200B+ collectively, Named '26th Most Important African-American in Technology' by Business Insider

## Career timeline

- **early career** — Senior Consultant at PwC
- **mid career** — VP Experience Management at Nike.com - strategy and product management for website UX
- **mid career** — Director & General Manager, Collectibles Business Unit at eBay (employee #2,340; company grew to 15,000 during tenure)
- **mid career** — VP Marketplace Operations at art.com
- **mid career** — Entrepreneur in Residence at Opportunity Capital Partners
- **~2010-2013** — General Manager, Zynga Poker - ran the company's largest franchise; web bookings grew 150%+ to $250M; led transition from web to mobile
- **~2011-2013** — CEO of LearnStreet, a venture-backed coding education startup
- **2014** — Partner at Comcast Ventures - led the $20M Catalyst Fund focused on minority-led startups
- **2015-2018** — Partner at GV (Google Ventures/Alphabet) - focused on marketplaces, mobile consumer apps, digital media, and gaming
- **2016-2018** — Incubated Plexo Capital concept inside GV using '20% time'
- **2018** — Founded and spun out Plexo Capital as an independent institutional VC firm in March 2018
- **2018-present** — Founding Managing Partner of Plexo Capital - raised $42.5M Fund I with LPs including Alphabet, Intel Capital, Ford Foundation, Mass Mutual
- **2026** — Named to Forbes BLK 50: Money Masters list

## Achievements

- Founded Plexo Capital, raising $42.5M Fund I with institutional LPs including Alphabet, Intel Capital, Cisco, Ford Foundation, and Mass Mutual
- Named to Forbes BLK 50: Money Masters 2026 - among leaders managing $200B+ collectively
- Named '26th Most Important African-American in Technology' by Business Insider
- Regular CNBC contributor and commentator on technology and financial markets
- Grew Zynga Poker web bookings 150%+ to $250M annually while leading transition to mobile
- Plexo Capital's GP network collectively oversees 900+ portfolio companies and 50+ unicorns
- Backed OpenAI in multiple rounds through Plexo Capital's direct investment portfolio
- Created GPx, a free training platform for aspiring diverse fund managers with 30+ modules
- Led Comcast Ventures' $20M Catalyst Fund, one of the first institutional funds focused exclusively on minority-led startups
- Co-led Series A in Blavity with GV - now a major Black media company
- Pioneered the 'full-stack' or 'meta-allocator' VC model: LP + direct + GP equity simultaneously

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Named to Forbes BLK 50: Money Masters 2026 list, among leaders across private equity, private credit, and VC managing $200B+ collectively
- **2025-01** — Made follow-on investment in iSono Health, a Puerto Rico-based medical technology company developing automated breast ultrasound devices
- **2024** — OpenAI emerged as Plexo Capital's largest single direct investment with multiple follow-on rounds at increasing sizes

## Links

- Website: https://www.plexocap.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ltoney
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/lo_toney

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/lo-toney
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-05