Our founders have a unique insight or experience with the problem space they are trying to solve. They show outstanding technical competence across product and technology. We like to see a scrappy, data-driven approach to user acquisition and an ingrained culture of test, iterate and learn to get to the answer. Our founders understand that 'it takes a village' to build a business and they have the humility to draw on the strengths of those around them. They can inspire investors, customers and employees to unite around their vision and they show grit when they need to ride the hard times. They are decisive, when they need to make pragmatic decision and have a 'do what it takes' attitude to getting things done.

We invest during the Seed 'phase'. Usually this means there is an initial product in market and the business is generating revenue or user growth within its target customer segment. During this phase, the founder may seek capital to further develop their product, test a range of user acquisition methods or hire a gun growth expert. Our investment sizes are typically A$500k to $750k depending on the maturity of your product and we have the ability to lead or follow in your first Seed round. Because Seed is a phase, sometimes it might take longer than originally thought to hit those proof points for your Series A, in which case we may contribute another $500k-$750k as an extension round to help you reach those goals.

Not all markets are created equal. Some are more ripe for disruption than others, depending on where the market is up to with its adoption of technology and what the tailwinds are that are changing the flows of value creation in that industry. We look for a really clear problem space that needs to be solved for, or a market expansion opportunity that no one has though of yet. We are industry-agnostic and some of the verticals we have invested behind that demonstrate strong tailwinds include logistics, e-commerce, agriculture, workflow productivity and finance.

We look for B2B or B2B2C models, and business types include Software-as-a-Service, Marketplace/Network and consumption-based models like API businesses. We believe the best way to create shareholder value is to nail down a low-cost acquisition method during the Seed phase and our founders understand that there are ways to acquire customers and show real product value without having to hire sales staff.

For a product to be truly disruptive, it needs to change the game. Maybe this means it has the ability to really increase revenue for the customer, or provide a significant competitive advantage. It could mean the product is mission-critical, and so sticky that the customer can't live without it. It almost always means that the product user is in love with the product and they can really tie their use of that product back to meaningful value creation for them personally, or for their business. At Tidal we want to back the products that aren't just incremental, they are changing the game entirely.