Valo Ventures

Scott Tierney, the founder and managing partner, leads investment decisions. Tierney previously served as a partner at Capricorn Investment Group, the multi-billion-dollar impact fund founded by Jeff Skoll. Julia Brady, also a partner, rounds out the senior investment team. The firm's lean structure means all partners sit on the investment committee.

Valo Ventures was incubated within Capricorn Investment Group before spinning out as an independent firm in 2018. Capricorn, which manages capital for the Skoll Foundation and other tech-family fortunes, provided Valo's initial anchor capital and continues to serve as a strategic limited partner. This relationship gives Valo access to Capricorn's deal-flow networks and climate-tech diligence infrastructure.

Valo invests primarily at the Seed and Series A stages, with capital reserved for follow-on participation in later rounds. The firm does not operate a dedicated growth-stage vehicle but maintains pro-rata rights across its core portfolio. Check sizes are not publicly disclosed.

Valo does not invest in enterprise SaaS companies without a physical-world decarbonization angle. The firm also avoids bio-pharma, consumer internet, and pure-play financial technology. Its mandate is tightly scoped to startups whose primary value proposition is measurable carbon reduction or resource efficiency in agriculture, energy, mobility, or industrials.

Valo deploys almost exclusively through direct equity investments in operating companies. There is no public record of the firm making fund-of-funds commitments or participating in secondary transactions. Its limited-partner base supports this direct-deployment model with patient capital.