Nick Tippmann

Founder & GP @TipTopVC - Vertical AI, Operator-led, Pre-seed/Seed. Previously founding CMO @GreenlightGuru. Angel & LP.

[Nick Tippmann @ntippmann]

Big news: I’m thrilled to officially unveil @TipTopVC — a new pre-seed/seed stage, operator-led venture firm backing the next-gen of Vertical AI founders.

After an amazing 8+ year run as founding head of marketing and CMO at Greenlight Guru — from $0 to tens of millions in ARR, creating the medtech QMS category, and raising $120M+ — I knew I had two paths:

a) start another software company
b) start a venture fund built the way I wish VC worked when I was a founder

For nearly 13 years, it’s been a personal goal to build a top-tier VC firm that the best founders want to work with. But the marketer in me always said: “the world doesn’t need another undifferentiated B2B SaaS fund.”

So I unplugged. Got a cabin in the Rockies with my then girlfriend, and now wife. And after some much-needed clarity, I had four big realizations:

1. I didn’t have one problem I wanted to solve for 10-15 years—but I had unique experience operating in vertical markets that founders could lean on

2. The future of software (and AI) is vertical

3. My experience gave me a unique right to win with the top founders

4. The best VC firms of the next decade would operate like AI-native startups themselves—brand-led, data-driven, community-built

That’s when TipTop Ventures was born.

The Vertical SaaS+ thesis I shared nearly 2 years ago unexpectedly went viral. That post pulled me forward. Fast forward to today—and after 30+ vertical SaaS+ angel deals, over a dozen LP checks written, and 9 TipTop investments closed—I’m proud to announce we’re live.

While I’m just now announcing the firm, here’s what we’ve quietly built so far:

- 9 investments across legacy and underserved industries

- 3 companies marked up out of 6 investments made in 2024

- Raving founder feedback on our support-per-dollar invested

- 30+ founding LPs from the likes of ServiceTitan, Procore, Mindbody, Greenlight Guru and more

It hasn’t been easy going zero-to-one in this market—but the momentum is real.

In fact, based on Carta’s latest fund data, if we were a 2023 vintage (we’re 2024), we’d already be tracking top decile.

And yes, TipTop is led by a solo-GP, but not solo-built.

I’d like to express my deep gratitude for all the support from these early believers:

Thank you to my amazing wife Mari Tippmann for your unwavering support since day-minus-one

Thank you to our LPs for your early belief and trust–it’s taken very seriously

Thank you to Bill Loss for being a rock as founding advisor and LPAC member

Thank you to Ershad Jamil for joining me as a Venture Partner

And most of all — thank you to our founders. You chose us when we didn’t even have a website (or a fund in some cases). I’ll never forget that.

We believe AI is the biggest platform shift since the internet.
We believe the future of AI is vertical.
And we believe the best founders aren’t just building tools — they’re reinventing industries.

If you’re one of those founders: we’re writing $150k–400K checks at pre-seed/seed. Let’s build together.

Join us on the journey to the TipTop.

[Nick Tippmann @ntippmann]

@HackItMax Well said, Max. Excited to keep partnering with you and the founders building some of the defining companies of the Distribution Era.

[Nick Tippmann @ntippmann]

@Jason_A_Scharf @TipTopVC Fun conversation, @Jason_A_Scharf! Thanks for having me back on for the epilogue. Lots of updates since last year!

[Jason Scharf @Jason_A_Scharf]

A year ago I sat down with @ntippmann of @TipTopVC on investing and building in vertical AI. We left one question unresolved.

Where do foundational AI models end and where do the applications begin?

Since that time we have seen the launch of Claude Design, OpenAI's Rosalind, and other vertical applications from the frontier labs.

I am re-releasing last year's episode with a new epilogue as I invited Nick back to discuss what has changed since our first conversation.

The Agenda
00:00 Defining vertical AI
05:07 Where general AI fails
09:36 Vertical AI software, not just chatbots
16:44 Pricing logic after the seat model
24:04 Underwriting at pre-seed and seed
27:20 Capital intensity and seed-strapping
36:48 TAM analysis and the Frontiers Market example
41:46 OpenAI's Instacart hire and the gray zone
45:55 Austin as a vertical AI hub
58:21 Epilogue: Where the models end and applications begin.

[Nick Tippmann @ntippmann]

@lacostejonathan @hawkeye360 @NYSE @HawkEye360CEO Huge congrats!!

[Nick Tippmann @ntippmann]

Fun chat with AdMaiora Ventures and friends

[Colin Gardiner @ColinGardiner]

Getting some Vertical AI alpha from @ntippmann

[Nick Tippmann @ntippmann]

@louisbookoff Thanks Louis!

[Nick Tippmann @ntippmann]

Meet 50 of the world's highest-signal emerging VC firms. Nominated by investors, selected by Confluence.

Most venture lists reward what’s already obvious.

The Confluence 50 is interesting because it looks for emerging managers who may be obvious in five years, but are still early enough today that the market hasn’t fully caught up.

I’m proud to see @TipTopVC included.

[Nick Tippmann @ntippmann]

Particularly alongside so many friends and firms I respect, like @GTMfund, @SarahSmith, @weekendfund, @Joshuabrowder, @footworkvc, @euclid_vc, @yonderventures, @breakersvc, @forward_deploy, @WischoffVC, @rexsalisbury, @redbudvc, and many more.

Appreciate @ClayNorris10, @confluence_vc_, and @harmonic_ai for the work behind this and the recognition.

Check out the full list here (paywall):
https://t.co/gGLImPHUEs

[Nick Tippmann @ntippmann]

@ItzSuds Beast. Congrats, lfg!

[Nick Tippmann @ntippmann]

@chamath Very cool @chrisstrobl !

[Nick Tippmann @ntippmann]

@alexbass @lukesophinos @NPoulos Thanks Alex! Hopefully some good nuggets in there for ya :)

[Nick Tippmann @ntippmann]

I joined @lukesophinos + @npoulos on Verticals to talk:

• Why “SaaS is dead” is the wrong frame
• AI-native upstarts vs incumbents
• Instrumenting GTM like a product (+ 7 Vertical AI Plays)
• Pricing strategies in vertical AI
• Seed → Series A benchmarks right now

Platform shifts expand markets - but they also reshuffle winners.

Full episode 👇

[Nick Tippmann @ntippmann]

Luke’s recap + Trillion Dollar Battle Scorecard: https://t.co/a8dgYDz6oB

[Nick Tippmann @ntippmann]

Nic’s recap + 7 Vertical AI GTM Hacks Playbook: https://t.co/LQOi6lUwLl

[Nick Tippmann @ntippmann]

@chrisstrobl Yessir! You can feel the energy on the ground here in Austin.

[Colin Gardiner @ColinGardiner]

Austin VC is on a roll.

I won’t say the epicenter is shifting but the green shoots of something big are forming.

In particular the Austin Emerging Manager cohort that's forming right now is looking very promising.

Lots of killer first funds that I am sprinting to keep up with.

Here is who is top of mind in town but please tag other folks:

@itsdanieldart - Rockyard Ventures (also putting on Future Titans conference)

@ntippmann - TipTop Ventures (AI vSaaS with early investment in GC AI)

@Magyer - Seaplane Ventures (network effect bizs with early investment in Micro1)

@krdonnelly - Avalanche VC (early investments in Bluesky and Starbridge)

@vsodera - Supercharge VC (killer investment rap sheet)

@annieluchsinger - Breakers (heard great things from @Cashflow_Cowboy)

@jaydimonte - Grid Capital (honorable mention since not here full time; supply chain all day and great track record at previous firm)

The best part is I count many of them as friends.

Let me know who I missed.

[Nick Tippmann @ntippmann]

@ColinGardiner Austin VC and startup ecosystem is on a roll indeed! Excited to be building here alongside such a strong cohort of emerging managers, my friend.

[Nick Tippmann @ntippmann]

@chrisbarber @TipTopVC (2024) 👋

[Nick Tippmann @ntippmann]

Huge congrats to Tucker, Isaac, and team at @OureonTech on their launch!!

Such an important and timely mission - super excited about the opportunity and grateful to be on the journey with them!

[Tucker Dordevic @TuckerDordevic]

Today, we’re excited to announce that @OureonTech is emerging from stealth following a $3.5M pre-seed round led by GTMfund, with participation from Boost VC, BVVC, Ensemble VC, Flyover Capital, JHH VC, and Tiptop VC, to build the future of advanced airspace interoperability.

Each year, there are more than 100 million aircraft flights worldwide, and over the next decade, more than 800 million additional drone flights will enter global airspace. Yet these systems still operate in isolation, unable to communicate, predict, or deconflict in real time.

Oureon Technologies is building the real-time communication layer that connects them, enabling manned and unmanned aircraft to communicate and coordinate safely, instantly, and autonomously. From airports to city airspaces, and beyond, our platform powers predictive, real-time, intelligent communication and deconfliction across every vehicle in the sky.

If you want to work on something that matters, with a great group of people, we’re hiring at our HQ in Austin, Texas.

[Nick Tippmann @ntippmann]

@ColinGardiner Big congrats, Colin! Proud to be an early LP.