Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

Fund That Tiger:

Fund That Tiger is a Clemson, SC-based venture capital fund.

Launched in 2025 by Joe Milam and Matt Johnson, both Tiger alum, it invests exclusively in Clemson University alumni-led start-ups and university-born technologies emerging from the Tiger network. The mission is to provide venture capital to Tiger-led companies, connect founders with experienced operators to help scale high-growth ventures, and collaborate with organizations that strengthen the early-stage financing ecosystem tied to the Tiger network.

According to Fund That Tiger’s website, the Founder or Founders must be a Clemson student, alumni, faculty member, or tech transfer licensee. In addition, at least one Founder must be full-time on the venture. Other criteria include:

1. The start-up must be building a scalable product or service addressing a large and growing market opportunity;
2. It is a tech-driven or tech-enabled technology or service;
3. The intellectual property must be owned by or exclusively licensed to the venture;
4. The start-up must have measurable traction in the form of early adopter revenue, beta testing, pilot or proof-of-concept, or clinical data;
5. Pre-seed or seed-stage investments targeting pre-money valuations below $20 million; and
6. Potential to generate a 10x+ return multiple.

1834 Ventures:

1834 Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm, has announced the launch of its inaugural $20 million fund to invest in start-ups founded by Tulane University alumni, faculty, and extended community, including those who have engaged with Tulane programs, partnerships, or innovation initiatives.

The firm has completed a $4.4 million first close, with 30 investors across 11 states. The fund has already backed its first two start-ups and is actively sourcing new opportunities. By leveraging Tulane’s national alumni network, 1834 Ventures is channeling capital into Louisiana with the goal of building a more vibrant startup ecosystem, diversifying the state’s economy, reversing brain drain, and relocating companies back home.

“With the Louisiana Opportunity Funds we’re not just growing our economy — we’re crafting an ecosystem that will bring our best and brightest back to Louisiana,” Chief Innovation Officer Josh Fleig said. “By pairing capital with innovation, we’re ensuring more Louisianans can build their business and their future right here at home.”

Named after the founding year of Tulane University, 1834 Ventures is not affiliated with the university but was created to support and invest in innovation emerging from its extended community. With over $80 billion in enterprise value generated by alumni-led businesses, the fund aims to tap into a robust alumni network yet undercapitalized entrepreneurial pipeline.

Hatteras Venture Partners:

Hatteras Venture Partners announced the final closings of Hatteras Venture Partners VII and Hatteras Opportunity Fund I, LP, with more than $200 million in capital commitments from limited partners. The fund closings come at a time as Hatteras has invested in its 100^th portfolio company and marks 25 years of building transformational human medicine companies that benefit patients and the professionals who serve them.

Hatteras began in 2000 with the closing of Hatteras Venture Partners I, LP, a seed-stage venture fund with $2.93 million in capital. Today, the firm manages more than $900 million in capital focused on seed- and early-stage companies in the health innovation sectors of biotechnology, medtech, and healthtech.

The O.H.I.O. Fund:

The O.H.I.O. Fund is helping fuel what’s next—backing the companies, talent, and infrastructure building the State of Ohio’s future.

One year in, the fund is celebrating a milestone first year: $238 million raised, 19 investments completed, and one of its flagship funds—the Ohio Institutional Impact Investment Fund—fully closed at $106 million, according to a rec

“We’re doing what we said we’ll do,” said Mark Kvamme, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of The O.H.I.O. Fund. “Invest across the state, build a great team, and deliver results. Promises made, promises kept.”

Nearly all of the 106 investors who participated in the fund’s first year are based in Ohio, a deliberate strategy designed to keep both capital and value creation close to home. In addition to the Impact Fund, the firm launched the evergreen Ohio High Growth Investment Opportunities Fund and raised an additional $43 million through special purpose vehicles to co-invest alongside the core funds.

The firm’s thesis is straightforward: Ohio is at a pivotal moment. It boasts world-class research institutions, dozens of Fortune 500 headquarters, deep industrial capacity, and a growing roster of cutting-edge companies investing billions into the state. Yet historically, the Buckeye State has lacked the early and growth-stage capital needed to fully unlock its potential. The O.H.I.O. Fund was built to change that. And, while just getting started, its first year proves it’s making a serious impact.

Leonis Capital:

Leonis Capital, a venture capital firm co-headed by an ex-OpenAI researcher, has raised $25 million to back emerging artificial intelligence (AI) talent. The fund is backed by institutional investors and executives from companies like Nvidia and Anthropic. Leonis uses in-house software to track GitHub contributions and academic papers to spot hidden gems, and has already achieved a 200-times gain on paper with its biggest hit, MaintainX.

The firm, founded in 2021, has already deployed its first $10 million fund across AI-native startups, including MaintainX and Motion. Co-head Jay Zhao, a veteran venture investor, believes there is a gap in the market for early-stage founders not well served by larger funds that require more proof points and revenue. Leonis is using in-house software to track GitHub contributions and academic papers from up-and-coming start-ups to spot hidden gems.

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