Tigris Ventures

Overview

Tigris Ventures is an unconventional seed-stage investment firm and venture incubator with access to over $50M in capital. They seek out compelling opportunities that can significantly impact healthcare and the environment. The firm focuses on early-stage ventures, primarily in the Southern California region, with relatively low risk that can produce a significant return on investment within two to four years. Unlike most VC firms, Tigris Ventures invests its own capital and entertains opportunities whose exit valuations are typically in the $5-100M range. Some ventures are incubated within their facility—typically those they co-found. These start-ups have access to shared resources, including a team of domain experts, CAD capabilities, a complete development and prototyping laboratory, and a patent attorney. The most important aspects Tigris Ventures considers include the potential impact of the innovation on quality of life or the environment, the strength of intellectual property, the ability to demonstrate proof-of-concept with a relatively low initial investment, the experience of the management team, market size and growth, regulatory and reimbursement hurdles, profit margins, and the potential for a successful exit by acquisition. During the evaluation process, they often engage prospective exit partners in preliminary discussions about the potential value of the innovation and their appetite for acquiring the entity should it prove to be viable. By doing so, they significantly reduce overall risk and help each venture focus on meeting the most important milestones that drive value and enable a rewarding and timely exit. For outstanding opportunities that meet their criteria and resonate with the core strengths of their principals and venture partners, Tigris Ventures can provide an indication of interest within 2-3 weeks. Draft term sheets can be discussed within 4-6 weeks, and funding decisions within two weeks after that, subject to further due diligence.

Investment Focus

• Potential impact on quality of life or the environment
• Strength of intellectual property
• Ability to demonstrate proof-of-concept with a relatively low initial investment
• Experience of the management team
• Market size and growth
• Regulatory and reimbursement hurdles
• Profit margins
• Potential for a successful exit by acquisition