Silicon Valley may be a glamorous and sparkly hub for tech, but for Pulley’s Chief Operating Officer Grant Oladipo, the Triangle has offered everything he’s needed.
Oladipo moved to North Raleigh in 2020 after his wife completed her medical residency and fellowship in the Bay Area, and he said they were looking for open space and green grass in combination with a “vibrant tech scene.”
“This is a place we want to be for the next few decades, and really want to get involved in the fabric of the community both personally and professionally,” he said.
Pulley’s team operates remotely, with about a quarter of the 60 employees working from the Bay Area and the rest scattered across the world. The company officially launched in 2020, led by co-founders Yin Wu and Mark Erdmann, and Oladipo was hired in early 2023.
Pulley helps startups issue and track their equity, also allowing founders to manage their fundraising in one place.
Oladipo said the Triangle has a “healthy amount of entrepreneurial energy” among the talents generated from the area’s universities. He and Pulley’s co-founders agree that Pulley should build its presence in the Triangle community, where startup founders—who are Pulley’s customers—are plentiful.
During Oladipo’s hiring process at Pulley, he said he was drawn to the company’s energetic and collaborative culture. He said he was attracted to Pulley’s commitment to not just serve the Bay Area but all U.S.-based venture-backed startups. As of now, Pulley has served more than 4,000 companies.
“A company that is really committed to helping founders across the country and across the world benefits from having its leaders not all be located within just one market,” Oladipo said.
Oladipo described himself as a technologist and product strategist. He’s worked for Zipcar, where he said he fell in love with the idea of using software to change the human experience.
In the startup ecosystem, company operators work with investors and legal counsel to manage their equity. Compared to competitors like Carta, Oladipo said Pulley is “laser-focused” on the operators, helping the founders and leaders of companies build their company for the future.
“There are paths to let founders and executors get these things done without feeling like they’re herding cats or having to talk to multiple parties, in order to make that a successful endeavor,” Oladipo said about equity management.
On the platform, customers have access to a variety of tools to help them plan for a fundraise, execute a fundraise, share information in a virtual data room and other tasks. One of the tools is a fundraise modeler, which allows company operators to understand how a fundraise will impact their company.
With Pulley, company operators are alleviated of the burden associated with equity management, Oladipo said, allowing customers to still get those tasks done while building their business effectively.
Pulley has a subscription-based revenue model and offers discounts for some early-stage companies that are coming from certain affiliations or accelerators, such as Y Combinator or Techstars. Oladipo said Pulley is excited to identify local programs in Raleigh to partner with.
Currently in the Triangle area, Pulley is looking for people to join their team. Oladipo said he is interested in continuing to meet people in the area and would love for people to reach out.
