Portola Valley Partners

🙂 We're so happy to see Show Her The Money, a feature-leghth film conceived by Catherine Gray, and directed by Ky Dickens, continuing to make and impact and being supported by venture experts like Joy Fairbanks. 📝 Checkout Joy's latest post and article (below) based on her recent work serving as a panelist after the movie was screened at Google in San Francisco. 🔮 Joy perfectly captures the essence of what it takes to drive meaningful change in an organization. It’s not just about having the vision; it’s about executing that vision with precision, while anticipating obstacles and adapting in real-time. 📐 Her perspective on staying both strategic and flexible resonates deeply with the challenges many leaders face today. 🙌 We appreciate Joy’s emphasis on balance—between thoughtful planning and proactive action. She highlights the importance of keeping the end goal in sight without losing focus on the immediate steps that will get you there. BUILD🛠️>GROW📈>FUND💰>EXIT🦄 venture@portolavalleypartners.com #venturecapital #innovation #future #startups #leadership

💯 We're loving the innovation that continues to come out of facil.ai, one of our favorite AI companies. 🥶 The company started out by reducing cooling costs by up to 50%. This is a solution that works in any commercial space, large or small. facil.ai's technology can be deployed in high rise buildings, hotels,alls, universities, restaurants, and really any commercial space. The results areninstant and through their proprietary machine learning, it gets smarter and smarter and saves more money over time. 🚫 One of the best parts about their tech is that NO new equipment is needed... Their solutions complements existing solutions and dramatically increases the efficiency of even the most legacy HVAC systems. Ⓜ️ Their newest software solution reads electrical meters... yes, these old meters still exist, particularly in large commercial environments. Reading these meters is a massive manual effort. To complicate things the meter is ready right to left and different dials turn in different directions. Keith Gipson and team have invested a Machine Vision solution to read these meters accurate and quickly. BUILD🛠️>GROW📈>FUND💰>EXIT🦄 venture@portolavalleypartners.com #innovation #future #technology #venturecapital #creativity

🟢 LYT rocks! ⌛It's really simple.... seconds matter and seconds save lives. 🚦LYT's technology allows first responders to arrive sooner🚓🚑🚒 🛣️ It does this by clearing the entire route that police, fire, or EMTs need to travel. It's not the old system of having to press a button while driving to change a light - this is unsafe for the operator of a high-speed vehicle and it doesn't help if the first responder is 20 cars behind the intersection. 🖥️ Best of all, no new equipment is needed. LYT's solution is 100% software-based. It runs automatically, reliably, and securely in the cloud and best of all, through their proprietary AI, the solution gets smarter and smarter over time. 🗺️ LYT's system is deployed in major cities throughout the United States. BUILD🛠️>GROW📈>FUND💰>EXIT🦄 venture@portolavalleypartners.com #venturecapital #innovation #future #technology #creativity

🌟 Ray Dalio's advice to "manage yourself and orchestrate others to get what you want" is on-point and especially relevant for early-stage companies. 🙌 In any startup's fast-paced, resource-constrained environment founders need to strike a balance between personal discipline and the ability to align and inspire a team. 🎶 Managing yourself—whether that means prioritizing effectively, staying focused on the long-term vision, or maintaining resilience in the face of challenges—is crucial. Without that foundation of self-management, it’s nearly impossible to orchestrate a high-performing team toward shared goals. For early-stage companies, orchestrating others means more than simply delegating tasks. It’s more about fostering a culture of collaboration, communication, and accountability. BUILD🛠️>GROW📈>FUND💰>EXIT🦄 venture@portolavalleypartners.com #innovation #future #technology #venturecapital #creativity

👏 Thanks to and the WCU Cottrell Entrepreneurship Center for screening the award-winning movie, Show Her The Money. 🙏 We're glad that our GP, John Majeski was able to participate in person as part of a panel discussion, moderated by Louise Yochee Klein, along with Jasmine Jones, Tracey Welson-Rossman, and Yasmine Mustafa. 🎬 We love how much conversation this movie, created by Catherine Gray, sparks around funding women founded companies. With on 2% of VC going to women, it's time to equalize that. BUILD🛠️>GROW📈>FUND💰>EXIT🦄 venture@portolavalleypartners.com #venturecapital #innovation #future #creativity #marketing ROAR | Myya | Courage Growth Partners | Chariot Solutions | Journal My Health

💪 Snoop Dogg's entrepreneurial journey is a masterclass in resilience, adaptability, and the power of reinvention. Coming from humble beginnings in a repressed area of Long Beach, CA, Snoop faced numerous obstacles that could have easily derailed his path. ❌ Like many founders, his story is one filled with mistakes, missteps, haters, and naysayers. Yet, Snoop’s rise to the top as “America’s Top Dogg” is a testament to the unyielding persistence, passion, and perseverance that every entrepreneur should aspire to. 📰 In a recent PEOPLE Magazine | PEOPLE.com article, Snoop's transformation from a rapper to a media mogul, philanthropist, and businessperson is laid out as an example of what it means to continuously evolve. 🎶 He ventured beyond music, embracing cannabis culture, media production, and even sports, all while staying true to his authentic self. Founders, particularly those in the early stages, can take a page from Snoop’s playbook. He didn’t let mistakes define him but instead learned from them, corrected his course, and pressed forward. 📈 Snoop Dogg's journey shows that no matter where you come from or how many doubters are in your ear, if you remain focused on your vision and keep pushing through the noise, success is attainable. His legacy is not just about music; it's about the relentless pursuit of growth and opportunity. Founders, especially those from underserved or underestimated backgrounds, can look to Snoop as proof that obstacles are part of the process—but they don’t define the outcome. BUILD🛠️>GROW📈>FUND💰>EXIT🦄 venture@portolavalleypartners.com #venturecapital #innovation #future #startups #marketing

👍 Once again, we agree with our friend Gary Vaynerchuck, CEO and Founder of VaynerMedia. 🔑 He perfectly captures what many founders experience. Mistakes are inevitable, especially in early-stage companies. The key isn't in avoiding them altogether but in acknowledging, reflecting, learning, and course-correcting quickly. ⁉️ The irony is, often others care more about these missteps than we do as leaders—and frankly, that’s unproductive. Fixating on past mistakes holds you back from growth. Let go, focus on the lessons, and keep moving forward. BUILD🛠️>GROW📈>FUND💰>EXIT🦄 venture@portolavalleypartners.com #venturecapital #creativity #future #leadership #management

🍿 We hope to see all of our Seattle area friends at another screening of Show Her The Money! 🎥 Show Her The Money is a documentary that journeys female founders seeking venture capital. The film takes an in-depth look at the gender disparities in startup funding, where women receive only 2% of VC. 🎞️ The movie also showcases the resilience, creativity, and determination of women entrepreneurs who break through these barriers. 📈 The film encourages investors to rethink their approach and recognize the untapped potential in women-led businesses. It’s a powerful reminder that diversity in funding benefits the entire economy by fostering innovation and growth. BUILD🛠️>GROW📈>FUND💰>EXIT🦄 venture@portolavalleypartners.com #innovation #future #technology #venturecapital #management

🏦 The Fed's recent half-point rate cut brings exciting opportunities for the private market! Lower borrowing costs are a game-changer not just for startups and angel investors, but also for venture capital firms. 📈 For startups, cheaper capital allows for more aggressive scaling and innovation without the heavy burden of high financing costs. For VCs, this opens up the door to more investment opportunities. 🆙 With liquidity increasing and deal flow set to rise, firms can diversify portfolios and back more early-stage companies with high growth potential. 🦄 Lower rates may also fuel exits, making it a win-win for both investors and founders. ✅ Checkout this article (linked below) from our friends at PitchBook where Rosie Bradbury shares her insights. BUILD🛠️>GROW📈>FUND💰>EXIT🦄 venture@portolavalleypartners.com #venturecapital #innovation #future #technology #entrepreneurship

📺 Check out this video on Joule Case's Meteor product. https://lnkd.in/g96MM7ff 🎖️ Built with the military in mind to mil-specs. 💪 Silent, no pollution, no RF signature, and super clean power which is necessary for radio coms. 🪖 The perfect device for "theater." BUILD🛠️>GROW📈>FUND💰>EXIT🦄 venture@portolavalleypartners.com #innovation #future #technology #venturecapital #crewtiity