# Steve Semelsberger

> Steve Semelsberger is an Austin-based technology executive, investor, advisor, and musician. A former Testlio CEO and board chair, he is now cofounder and CEO of Autoptic and founder of Alder Growth Partners. His earlier career includes operating work at iChat, Motive, Pluck, and Demand Media, and a presidency at SYPartners.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Autoptic
- **Organizations:** Autoptic, Alder Growth Partners, Testlio, SYPartners, Motive, Pluck, Demand Media, iChat, Techstars, Elsewhere Partners
- **Education:** MBA, Duke University, BS, Binghamton University
- **Known for:** Held operating or executive roles at companies associated with two IPOs (Demand Media and Motive) and two acquisitions (Pluck and iChat)., Led Testlio as CEO from 2018 to 2025., Founded Alder Growth Partners and cofounded Autoptic.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2018** — Held operating and executive roles at iChat, Motive, Pluck, and Demand Media; served as a president at SYPartners.
- **2013** — Founded Alder Growth Partners; met Testlio cofounders Kristel and Marko Kruustük through Techstars Austin.
- **2014** — Began advising Testlio.
- **2015** — Invested in Testlio’s seed round.
- **2018** — Accepted Testlio’s CEO position in October; appointment announced November 19.
- **2025** — Stepped down as Testlio CEO; announced a return to Alder Growth Partners on June 30.
- **2026** — Autoptic publicly launched January 21, with Semelsberger as cofounder and CEO.
- **2026** — Launched The Change Resilient podcast on September 10.

## Achievements

- Held operating or executive roles at companies associated with two IPOs (Demand Media and Motive) and two acquisitions (Pluck and iChat).
- Led Testlio as CEO from 2018 to 2025.
- Founded Alder Growth Partners and cofounded Autoptic.
- Testlio’s 2024 results letter reported revenue growth alongside EBITDA and cash profitability.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Autoptic announced Risks V1 on September 24, extending its production risk analysis capabilities.
- **2026-09** — Launched The Change Resilient podcast on September 10.
- **2026-01** — Autoptic announced general availability on January 21, six customers, and approximately $1 million collectively committed by its founders and 23 outside investors.
- **2025-06** — Published Relaunching Alder Growth Partners after 6.5 years focused on Testlio.

## Links

- Website: https://www.aldergrowthpartners.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/semels
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/semels

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/steve-semelsberger
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-16