“Next time, IM me.” Van’s surly tone breaks through my thoughts.
I smile sweetly up at my business partner as he closes my office door before heading straight for the bar cart.
“Where’s the fun in that?” I tease.
“I fail to see the fun in your assistant’s antagonistic attitude.” He tosses me a glare as he finishes pouring his whiskey, but it lacks heat.
“You’re the only one, my friend.”
Van considers me as he sits on the couch like it’s his personal throne. “Miles said you had something to discuss?”
I walk over to join him, settling in the chair opposite. “I had an unexpected meeting earlier, with the founders of Procerus.”
“You’re joking,” he barks, expression darkening as he recalls the disastrous meeting.
“Not Ms. Townsend, just the other three. Miles put the meeting under Lincoln Wilde, and I didn’t remember why that name rang a bell until I saw them all.”
Some of the tension leaves his face. Like mine, most of his vitriol is reserved for Anne-Marie. “Why the fuck were they here?”
I explain our conversation, highlighting the concerns Lincoln and Shane shared about the faulty tech Anne-Marie stole.
“This sounds messy, Lex,” Van sighs after a few moments. “I understand your desire to protect reputations and do what’s right, but we have little reason to trust these three. Plus, Greenstar is a big player in the space.”
He isn’t wrong. “I hear you. Rumor also has it P&L recently joined their board.”
I can feel Van’s eyes on me as I gaze down at the tumbler in my hands. Price & Livingston Capital, better known as P&L in the Bay, is the venture capital arm of my father’s investment firm. My younger brother moved from the East Coast to launch P&L, and our few interactions since have been strained at best.
“Your gut is telling you something, isn’t it?” His question is quiet, knowing.
My lungs fill on a deep inhale, and I meet his gaze. “It is.”
“You’re rarely wrong, Lex.” He closes his eyes, steeling himself, then meets my gaze head on. “As much as I don’t want to entertain this situation given the complexities…What’s your gut telling you?”
“There’s a shit ton we don’t know, but I’d put good money on the three of them being genuine. They want to take their former partner down, yes, but they seem motivated by altruism more than revenge.” I gaze out the window at the redwoods beyond, considering. “And their tech was promising, Van. I remember that much from their initial pitch, and they’ve had three years to refine it.”
Van lets silence gather between us, waiting for me to continue. We both know I haven’t shared a compelling reason to say yes.
“If they’re right, and the tech she’s peddling as the next revolution is faulty, the fallout would affect far more than the green tech industry. That woman has unprecedented visibility in tech circles right now. She’s a media darling acting as the face of female startup founders in a competitive, male-dominated space.”
I meet his intense gaze. “If she’s full of shit and it all blows up, Van, it’s going to reinforce the glass ceiling with rebar. Every woman with a startup is going to be scrutinized to a greater degree, regardless of industry. I’ve spent my entire career paving the way for more women to succeed in a cutthroat industry, and one stupid girl with delusions of grandeur could undo it all and set it back another decade. In a moment.”
Van finishes his whiskey, setting the tumbler down on the coffee table as he leans forward, elbows on his knees. “It’s not your responsibility to stop that from happening.”
“I know.” Feels like it is, though.
“You don’t owe the startup world anything. You built Athena from the ground up, on your own, and have made it the most influential and successful VC firm in the country.”
I can’t stop my small smirk. “I know that, too.”
“As long as you’re doing this because it’s something you want to do, and not something you feel obligated to do, I’m in. I’ve got your back. We can navigate whatever fallout happens with Greenstar and P&L, as long as you’re confident this is the right thing for Athena to do.”
Unspoken words sit between us. You’re not in this alone. Emotion wells in my chest, warm and comforting. “Thank you, Van.”
He nods sharply, settling back on the couch. “Of course. Put Parker on due diligence, he’s been building a sustainability portfolio.”
“Perfect. The guys at Solum owe me data; I’ll send it to Parker as soon as it comes in.”
“Solum?”