Tyler Mantel is a two-time founder turned venture investor. As co-founder and general partner of Roll Tack Ventures, he backs startups around the world that solve mission-critical problems that drive GDP growth in our nation's heartland. His portfolio focuses on technologies that strengthen businesses and make our economy more resilient. Despite generating more than 20% of the U.S. GDP, the Midwest receives only ~3% of venture funding, an imbalance Mantel aims to help correct.

Before Roll Tack, he built and exited two Boston-area companies. Watertower Robotics, an MIT spinout, operating in five countries, helping utilities curb water loss and again infrastructure. TVP Health launched in the early days of COVID-19, receiving FDA authorization in under a year and deployed medical devices to three continents. His work has been exhibited in the Smithsonian Design Museum, featured in Health Design Thinking (Second Edition, MIT Press), Aspen Ideas: Health, and honored with global entrepreneurship awards from MassChallenge, Autodesk and CES.

On supporting Purdue-affiliated founders, Mantel said, "Purdue taught me to pair engineering rigor with relentless action. We back builders creating efficient value for their customers and continue to see many Purdue alumni excelling as entrepreneurs." Previously, he served as Director of Ventures at the Purdue Research Foundation (six funds, 45+ portfolio companies, $35M AUM), taught entrepreneurship as an adjunct at Harvard University, and has mentored more than 100 founders, including many Purdue students and alumni.