In each issue of the New Tech Newsletter we feature a Spotlight Q&A with founders, angels, New Tech alumni presenters, and other people or companies in our community we believe you’d like to learn about. Reach out if you’d like to recommend a startup, founder, angel, accelerator, or New Tech alumni presenter for us to spotlight for the PNW tech community!
In this week’s spotlight we’re highlighting a throwback Spotlight with Nolie Mac Donald, VRenity Inc.
Why do you do what you do for a living? What is your passion around your career, product or company?
I’m motivated by a desire to turn life’s challenges into something positive and impactful. Rather than letting past difficulties hold me back, I’m using them as fuel to drive meaningful change in mental wellness. VRenity is the culmination of my work across different fields—law enforcement, technology, holistic health, and my love for digital arts and music. This unique blend has allowed me to create a VR platform that offers a holistic approach to wellness, with experiences designed to support mind, body, and emotional health.
With VRenity, users can explore a modern-day treehouse complete with an infinity pool, embark on virtual hikes, immerse themselves in sound therapy, and engage in life coaching. It’s a space crafted to provide a calming retreat from the demands of daily life.
I feel especially connected to helping those on the front lines—law enforcement, military personnel, healthcare workers—who often face high levels of stress and burnout with few resources to manage it. VRenity offers a fresh approach to workplace wellness, giving these heroes a place to decompress, recharge, and find renewed balance.
What is one of the greatest lessons you’ve learned from being a Founder/CEO?
One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned as a founder and CEO is to just keep moving forward, no matter how small or slow each step may seem. Progress doesn’t always come in leaps and bounds—it often unfolds in those steady, determined movements that might feel like a snail’s pace. In those moments of slow progress, I’ve learned that every step matters. It’s in these quiet, unglamorous movements that resilience is built, momentum gathers, and true growth takes root.
What is the one piece of advice you would share today with your younger self before you started your company?
If I could give my younger self one piece of advice before starting this journey, it would be this: You’ll need to leave the security of your six-figure job, and yes, it will be scary—but you will get through it. The hardest part is taking that first step, and you are safe to leap. Why? Because even if things don’t go as planned, taking this risk will open doors you never knew existed. You’ll find strength, resilience, and parts of yourself that would have remained hidden in the comfort of the familiar. It’s not just about success or failure; it’s about growing into the person you’re meant to become. Trust that this journey, with all its unknowns, will lead you exactly where you need to go.
What is something interesting and unexpected that people would be surprised to learn about you?
People might be surprised to learn that before founding VRenity, I spent five years as a lounge jazz singer in Seattle under my then-married name, Nolie Durham. I headlined with a 5-piece band at venues like the Hard Rock and performed regularly at 13 Coins. Around the time of my divorce, I released an EP under that name—a project that marked a period of transition and evolution for me. Those performances helped me find a deep love for music, and I’m grateful to carry that passion into VRenity, where spatial sound therapy now plays an essential role in our wellness experiences.
Reach out if you’d like to recommend a startup, founder, angel, accelerator, or New Tech alumni presenter for us to spotlight for the PNW tech community!
