In September 2017, Travis Stoliker announced that he had made an investment in Prndl — a Michigan startup using technology to solve urban parking challenges — and joined the company as an advisor. The founders, Zach and Drew, were part of his Lansing entrepreneurial network, and the investment reflected his pattern of backing Michigan founders he knew personally and believed in.
Prndl (a reference to the gear shift selector P-R-N-D-L) was building technology to help drivers find and pay for parking more efficiently. The startup fit Travis's investment approach: a real problem that technology could address, local founders worth backing with both capital and hands-on mentorship, and a business that could scale beyond its regional roots.
The Prndl investment came during a period of active portfolio building — Travis was simultaneously serving as entrepreneur-in-residence at the MSU Conquer Accelerator, on the board of Capital Community Angel Investors, and overseeing Saddleback BBQ alongside Matt Gillett. Advising a parking tech startup while running a barbecue restaurant while mentoring MSU student founders was exactly the kind of varied, intentional portfolio that defined his post-Liquid Web chapter.
