About Julia Polk
Curiosity has been the through line of my entire career — and it's what brought me here. Think of this as my curio cabinet.
I've always been drawn to projects before they had a definition — collecting industries, ideas, and questions the way others collect artifacts. Curio is where I bring all of that together to advise, build community, and follow common threads to see where they'll lead.
I've always been drawn to projects before they had a definition — collecting industries, ideas, and questions the way others collect artifacts. Curio is where I bring all of that together to advise, build community, and follow common threads to see where they'll lead.
My first foray into entrepreneurship was in childcare - an industry no one took seriously as a business until they had to. Then I transitioned to healthcare cost transparency, years before it became a national conversation. Then biotech, where I learned to appreciate the complexity of human biology because I genuinely wanted to understand how things worked. And now cleantech, where the questions are enormous and most of the answers are still evolving.
My first foray into entrepreneurship was in childcare - an industry no one took seriously as a business until they had to. Then I transitioned to healthcare cost transparency, years before it became a national conversation. Then biotech, where I learned to appreciate the complexity of human biology because I genuinely wanted to understand how things worked. And now cleantech, where the questions are enormous and most of the answers are still evolving.
The pattern is the same every time: I land in an industry that's misunderstood or underestimated, I ask the second and third level questions (or 20th), and I don't stop until I understand a subject deeply enough to help other people navigate it. Over four decades, that curiosity has taken me through 150+ early-stage companies and put me on all sides of the table as an operator, an advisor, a board member, and an investor.
The pattern is the same every time: I land in an industry that's misunderstood or underestimated, I ask the second and third level questions (or 20th), and I don't stop until I understand a subject deeply enough to help other people navigate it. Over four decades, that curiosity has taken me through 150+ early-stage companies and put me on all sides of the table as an operator, an advisor, a board member, and an investor.
What Drives Me Now
Today, I focus on the intersection of AI, Energy, Health, and the Environment.
Today, I focus on the intersection of AI, Energy, Health, and the Environment.
The more I learned about data centers, the more I realized the critical story is the infrastructure, facilities that are reshaping our energy grids and water systems, communities making decisions they don't fully understand, and an entire economy accelerating toward AI without asking what it costs to keep the lights on or whether anyone makes money.
The more I learned about data centers, the more I realized the critical story is the infrastructure, facilities that are reshaping our energy grids and water systems, communities making decisions they don't fully understand, and an entire economy accelerating toward AI without asking what it costs to keep the lights on or whether anyone makes money.
That's the thesis I keep coming back to, and it's the one I currently write about, speak about, and advise on. Not from a place of fear, but from curiosity — the same curiosity that's driven every chapter of my career.
That's the thesis I keep coming back to, and it's the one I currently write about, speak about, and advise on. Not from a place of fear, but from curiosity — the same curiosity that's driven every chapter of my career.
The Personal Side
I live in Nashville, Tennessee. I'm a voracious reader and an amateur photographer. My daughters keep me honest, my dog Lulu keeps me company, and the curiosity gene remains overactive.
Let's connect
Whether it's a conversation about cleantech, a speaking opportunity, or just curiosity — I'd love to hear from you.
