Sheila Gulati
Sheila Gulati is the Founder and Managing Director at Tola Capital and serves as Pratham Seattle Leader at Pratham USA. She founded Tola Capital, which is still running, and previously held several leadership roles at Microsoft.
Tola Capital’s Sheila Gulati: AI Lets Founders Solve Hard Enterprise Problems and Reimagine Work
Sheila Gulati of Tola Capital argues AI is enabling founders to solve previously intractable enterprise problems, making work more joyful and scalable by embedding intelligence into workflows and products.
StarLifter raises $11.5M seed led by Tola Capital to build AI-powered Enterprise Decision Layer
StarLifter raised $11.5 million in a seed round led by Tola Capital to develop an AI-powered "Enterprise Decision Layer" that detects operational changes, assesses business impact, and orchestrates decisions across organizations. Founder and CEO Fred Luddy aims to replace human middleware by continuously linking signals from data platforms to governed actions in operational systems.
Seattle Startup Pulumi Launches AI Agent Neo to Automate Cloud Infrastructure with a Third of Workforce
Seattle startup Pulumi launched Neo, an AI agent automating cloud infrastructure tasks such as provisioning, security, and compliance, developed by a third of its 130-person workforce. Neo uses large language models, primarily Claude, integrates with various AI developer tools, and aims to address bottlenecks faced by platform teams amid increasing developer demands.
Microsoft Veteran Vahé Torossian Joins Tola Capital as Venture Partner; Allen Institute Names Sarah Norris Hall CFO
Vahé Torossian left Builder.ai to join Tola Capital as a venture partner, leveraging his extensive Microsoft and startup experience to support AI-focused enterprise software startups. Additionally, Sarah Norris Hall became CFO of the Allen Institute, bringing over 16 years of financial leadership from the University of Washington.
Tola Capital appoints former Microsoft VP Vahé Torossian as Venture Partner to support portfolio growth
Tola Capital has appointed Vahé Torossian, a former Microsoft Corporate Vice President and ex-Deputy CEO of Builder.ai, as a Venture Partner to advise portfolio company CEOs and accelerate growth. His role emphasizes hands-on operational support and leveraging his global technology and go-to-market experience to advance enterprise AI opportunities.
New Venture Partner Joins Tola Capital, a $700M VC Focused on AI-Powered Enterprise Software
A new Venture Partner has joined Tola Capital, a venture capital firm specializing in AI-powered enterprise software with $700 million in assets under management and over 40 portfolio companies. The partner expresses enthusiasm for working with the team led by Sheila Gulati and contributing to early-stage AI enterprise ventures.
Experienced Executive Joins Tola Capital as Venture Partner to Support Early-Stage AI Enterprise Startups
A new Venture Partner has joined Tola Capital, a VC firm specializing in AI-powered enterprise software with $700M AUM and 40+ portfolio companies, aiming to leverage executive experience to support early-stage AI ventures. They will collaborate with founder Sheila Gulati and contribute to scaling visionary startups in enterprise AI.
Pioneer Square Labs' Greg Gottesman Forecasts Generative AI Will Transform Venture Capital Operations by 2033
Greg Gottesman of Pioneer Square Labs predicts venture capital will fundamentally change in the next 5-10 years, increasingly leveraging generative AI to provide startups with more than just funding, including operational and coding support. Sheila Gulati of Tola Capital adds that early-stage investing is becoming more democratized, with a broader investor pool amid the recent AI-driven revival in venture capital.
Tola Capital co-founder Sheila Gulati raises $230 million third fund, firm totals $688 million in capital
Seattle venture capital firm Tola Capital, co-founded by Sheila Gulati, raised a $230 million third fund in November and has already made multiple investments, bringing the firm's total capital raised to $688 million. Gulati, whose early exposure to tech influenced her career, runs the AI-focused firm that has backed companies like Simpplr and B12.
Seattle’s Tola Capital Raises $230M Third Fund to Back 25–30 Early-Stage AI and Enterprise Software Startups
Seattle-based Tola Capital has raised $230 million for its third fund aimed at investing in 25-30 early-stage AI and enterprise software startups, focusing on cloud computing and AI innovation. Founded by former Microsoft managers Sheila Gulati and Stacey Giard, Tola has invested in over 20 companies and plans seed to Series B investments ranging from $1 million to $15 million.
Tola Capital Files to Raise $400M Third Fund; Seattle-Area VC Led by Sheila Gulati and Stacey Giard Manages $440M
Seattle-area venture firm Tola Capital is raising $400 million for its third fund, according to an SEC filing; the firm, led by former Microsoft managers Sheila Gulati and Stacey Giard, currently manages $440 million and has invested in over 20 companies.
Former Microsoft VP and ex-RingCentral CRO Phil Sorgen joins Tola Capital as venture partner
Phil Sorgen, a former Microsoft corporate vice president and most recently RingCentral chief revenue officer, has joined Seattle-area investment firm Tola Capital as a venture partner; Tola manages $440 million and focuses on enterprise software.
Armoire raises $3.5M from Satya Nadella, Aman Bhutani after pivoting to casual inventory and community tools
Seattle clothing subscription service Armoire adapted to pandemic-driven demand shifts by cutting costs, adding casual items, and building community-driven discovery tools, helping long-tenured members stay. The four-year-old startup raised $3.5 million from investors including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and GoDaddy CEO Aman Bhutani as it regains growth momentum.
Seattle Reaches 10 Unicorns Worth $1B+, Mostly Enterprise Software Firms with Microsoft Links
Seattle now has 10 unicorn startups valued at $1 billion or more, many concentrated in enterprise software/cloud computing and driven by rapid digital transformation and strong revenue run rates. Most have immigrant founders and Microsoft ties, but none have female co-founders or CEOs.
NEA leads $37.5M Series B in Seattle cloud startup Pulumi, bringing total funding to $57.5M
Seattle startup Pulumi raised $37.5 million in a Series B led by NEA, bringing its total funding to $57.5 million to expand R&D and sales/marketing. NEA partner Aaron Jacobson will join Pulumi’s board alongside existing investors Madrona Venture Group and Tola Capital.
Organizations
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Tola Capital Founder and Managing Director 2010–present · current -
Pratham USA Pratham Seattle Leader 2007–present · current
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Pulumi Director 2018 · past
Education
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Georgetown University BS, School of Foreign Service, Science and Technology of International Affairs
