Viktoriya Tigipko is one of the most recognized names in the Eastern European VC community and is a native of Ukraine.
She runs TA Ventures, a pre-seed and seed stage VC, since 2010. Additionally she founded iClub (an angel network), WTech (a community for women in tech), and is Chair of the Board at the Ukrainian Startup Fund.
Guest Author: Viktoriya Tigipko
TA Ventures has invested in the US for a long time and has had quite a bit of success in the region.
But sometimes folks ask me… Why do you invest there?
Aren’t you from Ukraine and therefore your ‘special sauce’ is in understanding global startups no?
Why compete in the most competitive VC market in the world, which is the US?
So today I’d like to discuss why we do this and what our approach right now is.
Why the US?
The US market remains the global powerhouse for venture capital and innovation. It leads in technology, healthcare, fintech, and sustainability, all of which are key focus areas for us at TA Ventures.
The depth and diversity of talent, combined with a robust infrastructure for entrepreneurship, make the US an attractive market for us.
It is the home of entities like Y-Combinator, which has consistently spit out some of the world’s most powerful startups.
By investing into the US we feel like we are ‘tuned into’ what the latest trends are and some of the top entrepreneurs.
We believe in being able to compare and contrast
By this I mean that we do not want to have blind faith that the entrepreneurs or startups in any part of the world are much better than any other.
We want to get our hands dirty and meet these entrepreneurs. We want to understand exactly what they are doing and what their capabilities are.
Then we can judge for ourselves… is what they are doing in say some US startup better than what a startup tackling the same problem in Eastern Europe?
What we do not want to do is just say… “We invest only in Eastern Europe. Or we invest only in the US.” Because then we would not be able to compare.
And by comparing we have consistently found that this is how we bring the best returns to our investors.
Our investment history in the US
We’ve invested in 90 companies in the US. Of which:
- 1 IPO
- 7 Unicorns
- 10 Soonicorns
Some of the highlights:
- Coterie: produces premium, ultrasoft diapers and wipes. Has sold over 80 million diapers.
- Xometry: on-demand manufacturing marketplace that went public in 2021 and has a market cap of ~$1 billion.
- AdoreMe: a DTC lingerie and apparel brand known for affordable lingerie for women of all body types. Was acquired by Victoria’s Secret & Co for over $400m.
- CUJO AI: AI-driven cybersecurity solutions for home networks and IOT devices. Raised their last round at a >$100m valuation.
- DAE Inc: a personal care brand led by influencer, Amber Fillerup Clark, that creates clean and vegan hair products inspired by desert-native botanicals.
- Cast.ai: helps companies reduce their cloud spending. Has raised over $73m in funding.
- Cambrian: focuses on addressing age-related diseases leveraging advancements in immunology, genomics, and epigenetics, using technologies like gene editing and stem cell therapies. Recently raised a Series C at a $1.8 billion valuation.
Investment focuses for the US
As part of our TAV3 fund that we are closing funding for by the end of this year we will make 60 investments in the US.
Some key fields that we are interested in are:
- Fintech – We see a lot of potential for fintech in the US with all the new opportunities that AI is opening. And with US as the traditional global leader in this area we foresee lots of exciting opportunities popping up in the coming years.
- Healthcare and MedTech – The US has one of the most advanced healthcare systems in the world and we think AI is going to do amazing things for patient outcomes in the coming decade.
- Sustainable Energy – Startups offering breakthrough solutions in solar, wind, electric vehicles, and energy storage systems are of particular interest to us. We are also tracking innovations in hydrogen energy and carbon capture technologies.
- Artificial Intelligence and Automation – AI should be grounded in the foundation of all startups at this point, but we also like the new types of opportunities that would not have been available had it not been for AI.
We’re playing the long game in the US
We look at the US as a long-term play for us. We will continue investing for a long time and building relationships with the amazing founders and partners that come out of this region.
We also have a very strong on the ground presence in the US among our venture partners, which include:
- Eveline Buchatskiy: Ex-One Way Ventures, MD @ Techstars
- Igor Buchatskiy: Food/Consumer expert, ex-Bain
- Colin McSwiggen: Assistant professor at NYU
- Andrew Verbitsky: operator that held growth roles at Gett, OYO, Airbnb, Kayak and DeliveryHero.
Do you want to work with us?
There are a variety of ways of working with us. The easiest way is if you are considering angel investing then have a look at iclub.vc.
This is our angel network that consists of 1,000+ angels in 40+ countries and growing. iClub is backed by TA Ventures and is a great place to start for first time angel investors.
There is a simple form to fill out on the site and after being qualified you will have access to our exclusive deal flow.
If you’re interested in TA Ventures than you can see our team here and you can reach out to the person that you feel is most appropriate to your inquiry: https://taventures.vc/team/.
