We’re excited to welcome Initio as one of the newest clients to adopt PassportOS, OneValley’s purpose-built platform for running founder-first ecosystems. Founded by startup operator and serial entrepreneur Femi Palmer, Initio is on a mission to help early-stage founders move from zero to one faster—with hands-on support, collective resources, and access to non-dilutive capital.
From the moment we met Femi and heard his vision for Initio, we knew PassportOS could be the foundation for something powerful: a community built by founders, for founders.
Initio was created with a clear purpose—to accelerate the journey of startup founders through community, resources, and funding support. Recognizing that many pre-seed and seed-stage founders are often under-supported post-investment, Initio steps in to offer real, hands-on services including:
"We built Initio because too many founders are figuring things out on the fly—underfunded and understaffed,” Femi shared. “I wanted to create the support system I wish I had when I started my first company.”
Initio’s business model is lean but growing rapidly. With marquee partners like Ramp and Brex and community events already bringing in 20-50 founders monthly, the time was right to put a scalable digital platform in place. That’s where PassportOS came in.
Femi had already built a comprehensive AirTable system to support Initio’s perks, founder matching, and resource delivery—but it wasn’t scalable. After reviewing hundreds of ecosystem tools, he found that PassportOS aligned closely with his vision.
“I saw PassportOS and was like—this is what I’ve been trying to build. A turnkey operating system for venture ecosystems,” he said.
The value drivers for Initio included:
For Initio, the value of PassportOS goes beyond the technology. It's about trust and shared expertise.
“Startups are like students—they won’t show up unless you feed them,” Femi joked. “What PassportOS does is create that instant value. Founders see real resources and real perks on day one. It helps us establish trust right away.”
Another reason Initio chose OneValley? Our team.
“Your team works like a startup. You get on Slack with us, you dig into our Airtable, you move fast. That’s why I signed on,” Femi noted. “Sabah and Laura were amazing, and the advice they all gave us showed me they understand what startups really need.”
While Initio is still ramping up its use of PassportOS, the road ahead is promising. Femi recently hired a new associate to take ownership of the platform and drive community engagement. They're already integrating sponsored events, ecosystem partnerships, and even white-labeling their services for VCs launching their own founder hubs.
“In the early days, we kind of let the community run dormant,” Femi admitted. “But now we’ve got someone full-time to own it. We’re onboarding, we’re running events, we’re bringing people in. And we’re excited to give feedback to help evolve PassportOS.”
Femi’s long-term vision includes:
Initio’s approach is scrappy, scalable, and visionary—everything we love to support at OneValley. From the start, their team saw PassportOS not just as a platform, but as a partner.
“We’re not just trying to build community—we’re trying to build value,” said Femi. “And with PassportOS, we didn’t have to reinvent the wheel. It gave us a head start.”
We’re proud to power Initio’s growing founder ecosystem and look forward to what’s next. Whether it’s Topgolf with Fifth Third Bank, a Lady Gaga concert sponsored by Brex, or a founder gathering in Napa Valley—Initio knows how to show up for founders.
Welcome to the OneValley community, Initio. We’re just getting started.
Interested in building your own venture ecosystem? Learn more about PassportOS