Tara Tan

Managing Partner at Strange Ventures

San Francisco, California

Overview

Tara Tan is the General Partner at Strange Ventures, a venture capital firm in San Francisco, specializing in investing in startups focused on creativity and computing. With a background in design and technology, Tara has held key roles at IDEO, Formlabs, and Studio Now, showcasing a successful career in venture capital and design leadership.

Work Experience

Strange Ventures

Founder and Managing Partner
2023 - Current
Strange Ventures is an investment and strategy firm focused on the future of computing. We're building an enduring first-check fund, partnering with inventor-CEOs at the earliest stages. Our portfolio includes companies like Archetype (pre-seed), MagicPath (pre-seed), VideoDB (seed), BLNG (pre-seed), and more to be announced. Beyond capital, we partner with enterprises and founders on How They'll Win: from navigating emerging technologies to spinning out new ventures, delivering high-leverage shifts in product direction, go-to-market, and user experiences.

IDEO

General Partner (Investing)
2016 - 2022
General Partner at IDEO Ventures. Achieved top-decile returns in ICV Fund I (2018 vintage) as cofounder and general partner.

Formlabs

Design Director
2014 - 2016

Formlabs develops and manufactures 3D printers and software for the industrial sector.

Raised $253,699,968.00 from SoftBank Vision Fund.

formlabs.com

Various Companies

Founder
2007 - 2014
Created wildly ambitious interactive installations that toured to Japan and Singapore, including a multimedia live film experience with an original soundtrack, and the world's first iPhone play. Built creative campaigns for global brands. Exhibited at the World Expo. Journalist.