We are a joint venture between the University of Melbourne and Tanarra Capital, a leading alternative asset manager.

We are the University’s dedicated vehicle for venture capital investment, including follow-on investments in companies founded prior to Tin Alley Ventures’ inception. The University of Melbourne is an investor in Tin Alley Ventures’ first fund, alongside distinguished alumni, family offices, institutional investors and Breakthrough Victoria.

We do not invest in every University spinout. Of the ~200 University spinouts we have reviewed, we have invested in 7 companies to date.

We seek to invest where we see the potential for a globally competitive, high impact company. Please reach out to us to learn more about what we look for in a spinout.

In this context, a spinout is a new company created to commercialise intellectual property from research.

We do not provide grants and we cannot fund research projects before they are spun out into a company. When we invest in a company, we receive equity in return, unlike grants which are typically non-dilutive funding.

However, if you are working on a research project, you can still talk to us. If we decide to invest, we will work with you to create a spinout company.

Tin Alley Ventures’ founders-in-residence are commercially-minded individuals with scientific backgrounds. Their objective is to partner with scientific co-founders to build and lead a spinout from the University of Melbourne. Prior to investment, the founder-in-residence acts as a thought partner to the scientific co-founder to develop their idea into a spinout opportunity. This includes engaging global experts, forming a business plan and strategy, and developing a budget. They work closely with our investors to build a robust investment case. If Tin Alley Ventures invests in the spinout, the founder-in-residence may join the company in a leadership capacity.

Our door is always open to University of Melbourne students, researchers, or alumni including:

• If you wish learn more about our fund and explore whether the spinout pathway aligns with your goals and interests
• If you are seeking feedback from a market or investor perspective to help you shape an early idea for a spin-out (for example, exploring which sectors or use cases to target with your technology) 
• If you have already made an IP disclosure to the University and need support with shaping the business plan and assessing its potential 

If you are unsure whether to come and chat to Tin Alley Ventures, you can also seek guidance from the University of Melbourne Business Development team.

Please complete our contact form. We will be in touch if we’d like to learn more. 

As soon as you are ready to explore the opportunity to commercialise your IP or idea. You don’t need a pitch deck, a business plan or a team to speak to us – we can work with you to develop your idea into an investible proposition.