Julie Sandler is a managing director at PSL and co-founding general partner of PSL's venture capital firm, PSL Ventures. The PSL Ventures team is focused on pre-seed and seed investments in technology companies founded by local entrepreneurs. The firm invests in companies all over the Pacific Northwest region that are entirely separate from PSL’s studio. The fund also makes smaller participating investments in studio spinouts.
Julie invests in technologies spanning fintech and logistics (e.g., Outgo, Shipium), productivity and the future of work (e.g., Super.ai, Read.ai, Sofy.ai, LifeAt), and has a long-standing interest in digital solutions serving women and underserved communities. She loves investing in founders who demonstrate grit, EQ, and extraordinary passion for company mission.
Prior to PSL, Julie was a partner at Madrona Venture Group, where she led investments for the firm including Integris (acquired by OneTrust), Julep (acquired by Glansaol/Warburg Pincus), and worked closely with (her now partner at PSL) Greg Gottesman on the founding of Rover.com (NASDAQ: ROVR). Prior to her career in venture, Julie managed digital marketing for Amazon’s ebook business worldwide. She PM’d both consumer and enterprise product launches at Amazon Kindle, at Seattle startup TeachStreet.com (acquired by Amazon), and at Accenture. In the early 2010s, she launched the Seattle Entrepreneurial Women’s Network, the first formal networking organization in Seattle for women entrepreneurs (which has been succeeded by several standout local female founder organizations in the years since). Julie is also a Presidential Leadership Scholar with the presidential centers of Presidents Clinton, Bush, Bush Sr., and Johnson.
Julie graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford with both a master's degree and bachelor's degree in psychology, and from Harvard Business School with an MBA with honors. She is a lecturer in entrepreneurship at the UW Foster School of Business (where based on highest student ratings she has been named a “Star Teacher” several years running). She will be Chair of the Washington Roundtable in 2025, is a board director appointed by Governor Inslee for the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship, and over her career has served on the boards of several other non-profit organizations, privately held companies, industry associations, and advisory boards.
Julie is a frequent speaker and commentator and has been featured in print and on television across CNBC, Bloomberg, Forbes, Techcrunch, and Inc Magazine. She has delivered keynote addresses at industry conferences, large non-profit fundraisers, and at WE Day. She was named a “Power 100” influencer in the Puget Sound Business Journal, voted “Geek of the Year” by GeekWire, named an AdWeek “Brand Star” for her work with underrepresented entrepreneurs, voted GeekWire’s “Hire of the Year” the year she joined PSL, and was a PSBJ 40 under 40 honoree and Seattle Magazine "Hall of Fame" Rising Star. She lives in Seattle with her husband, Alejandro, and their children.