Chat with a fictional alien companion on a phone.
Portola Funding History
Portola develops the Tolan AI companion app and runs a program where subject-matter experts help improve AI quality.
Company Overview
Portola
Portola Funding Timeline
Follow-On (Unlabeled in Sources)
US$30 million
The financing brought Union Square Ventures into Tolan’s investor group alongside existing backer Khosla Ventures.
Led by Union Square Ventures. Participation included Khosla Ventures.
Source · usv.com ↗Series A
$20M
Portola raised the Series A for Tolan, its AI companion app.
Led by Khosla Ventures.
Source · geekwire.com ↗
Portola Founding Team
Portola reunited two founders from Even. At Portola the team moved into consumer AI with Tolan, a conversational companion. The founding team included Ajay Mehta (President) and Aseem Kishore.
- Quinten Farmer — CEO. Previously co-founded Even, acquired by Walmart.
- Evan Goldschmidt — CTO. Previously CTO of Even.
Portola Products
Portola Company Development
A Companion Built Around a Fictional Character
Portola built Tolan around an alien character users can talk with over time. Its companion work is a different branch of development from the company’s program for subject-matter experts who help improve AI quality.
Portola Competitive Landscape
Conversation and Task Delegation
Tolan is designed for ongoing conversation with a fictional companion. Instinct is designed to respond to requests by text or phone and act on everyday errands. The distinction for users is whether the interaction itself is the product or a way to get something done.
