TZ

Tx Zhuo

General Partner, Fika Ventures

Los Angeles, California

Work Experience

  • General Partner

    2016

    Fika Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on B2B software startups, with an emphasis on pre-Series A companies. Our expertise spans vertical SaaS, fintech, commerce enablement, healthcare, and marketplaces, particularly those harnessing AI to drive innovation. We pride ourselves on a hands-on, collaborative approach, viewing ourselves as true partners in building your business—not the other way around.

2012 - 2016

  • Managing Partner

    2012 - 2016

    Early-stage venture capital fund based in Los Angeles focused on investments in education technology, digital media, healthcare, financial services and consumer goods. Karlin Ventures is an affiliate of Karlin Asset Management, a private investment firm managing over $1.4 billion of unleveraged equity capital.

2010 - 2012

  • Associate

    2010 - 2012

    Managed deal screening and due diligence for North American investment opportunities. Led outreach initiatives relating to Bay Area start up communities.

2008 - 2010

  • Consultant

    2008 - 2010

    Supported the acquisition of an Asian insurer by a leading UK life insurance player by writing the equity story for the investor relations work stream. Conducted a store operations diagnostic for a leading European retailer; running a retail store for 2 months to implement operational changes and designing a labor scheduling tool that has been rolled out across 200 stores, leading to a 3% cost saving. Refreshed the Retail Banking strategy for a leading UK bank, including detailing the required financials in a credit-constrained environment and defining a new strategy and target operating model for the affluent business division.

2004 - 2007

  • Founder

    2004 - 2007

    Founded then successfully exited an ecommerce company selling college textbooks on EBay, half.com and Amazon; sold more than 1,000 books a day at its peak with >$6M in annualized sales. Established a cost efficient distribution center in India and managed a 4 person 24/7 customer service team remotely.