Tin Shed Ventures
Tin Shed Ventures is Patagonia's corporate venture capital fund, investing up to $2M in early-stage startups focused on regenerative agriculture and sustainable apparel. The fund backs 13 portfolio companies addressing land, water, air, and biodiversity crises.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersVentura, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Tin Shed Ventures does
Tin Shed Ventures is Patagonia's corporate venture capital fund, established in May 2013 and headquartered in Ventura, California alongside Patagonia's corporate offices. The fund deploys a portion of Patagonia's profits into early-stage startups that offer systemic, globally scalable solutions to land, water, air, and biodiversity crises, with investment concentration in two verticals: regenerative agriculture and apparel innovation. Its stated thesis is to back strategically relevant companies that can simultaneously reduce environmental impacts in Patagonia's apparel and food businesses while generating investment returns.
The fund operates with a small team of 1–10 employees and writes equity checks of up to $2 million in Seed, Series A, and occasionally Series B rounds, typically in collaboration with trusted co-investors. Its portfolio of 13 companies spans textile fiber innovation from agricultural waste (Fibe), ocean nylon (Bureo), and captured CO2 (Rubi Labs); regenerative grazing technology (Nofence); recommerce and waterless laundering (Trove, Tersus); microfiber capture (Matter); green-chemistry textile treatments (Beyond Surface Technologies); precision chemistries (Numat); carbon removal via enhanced mineralization (Heirloom Carbon); regenerative flour milling (Cairnspring Mills); food nutritional measurement (Edacious); and farmer transition lending (Perennial Fund).
Tin Shed's commercial model is differentiated from independent VCs through deep operational integration with two Patagonia units: the Product Impact and Innovation team, which supports joint-development and commercial purchase agreements for fiber and apparel innovation; and Patagonia Provisions, which validates and engages regenerative agriculture investments where portfolio outputs could feed Provisions' ingredient or processing supply chain. The fund's economic structure is mission-driven rather than profit-maximizing: the sole limited partner is described as "our home planet," reflecting Patagonia's 2022 ownership restructuring that placed control in the Holdfast Collective and the Holocene Trust. Returns, to the extent they exist, flow back to Patagonia's environmental mission rather than to external financial LPs.
Tin Shed Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tin Shed Ventures
- Legal name
- Tin Shed Ventures
- Website
- https://tinshedventures.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Tin Shed Ventures is Patagonia's corporate venture capital fund, investing up to $2M in early-stage startups focused on regenerative agriculture and sustainable apparel. The fund backs 13 portfolio companies addressing land, water, air, and biodiversity crises.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tin Shed Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Pension Funds (525110), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282), Investors, Nec (6799)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Climate / Clean Tech & Decarbonization Funds (FSANAJAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Biodiversity, Conservation & Natural Capital Funds (FSANAJAG), Impact Investing & Social Finance (Funds, CDFIs, Microfinance) (BPAGALAA), Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)
Keywords
Where Tin Shed Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ventura
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Tin Shed Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations
Revenue model
- Investment Returns: Tin Shed Ventures generates returns through equity investments in early-stage startups focused on regenerative agriculture and sustainable apparel. Returns are realized through portfolio company exits and flow back to Patagonia as the sole limited partner. The fund invests a portion of Patagonia's profits into these startups to generate both financial returns and environmental impact.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Tin Shed Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tin Shed Ventures is Patagonia's corporate venture capital fund that invests a portion of Patagonia's profits into early-stage startups providing systemic, globally scalable solutions to the environmental crises underpinning climate change. The fund focuses on strategically relevant solutions that reduce the environmental impacts of Patagonia's core apparel and food businesses, writing checks of up to $2 million in Seed, Series A, and occasionally Series B rounds. Portfolio support includes access to Patagonia's Product Impact and Innovation team, commercial purchase agreements, and joint-development agreements.
Product overview
Tin Shed Ventures is Patagonia's corporate venture capital fund, launched in May 2013, focused exclusively on saving the home planet by investing in startups regenerating food systems, the apparel industry, and natural ecosystems. The fund operates as a single unified investment vehicle rather than a platform-with-modules architecture, with investments structured around two core focus areas: Regenerative Agriculture (including food systems, agricultural innovation, and farmer transition financing) and Apparel (including textile innovation, recommerce, microfiber capture, and sustainable materials). The portfolio consists of 14 companies including Fibe, Nofence, Trove, Tersus Solutions, Rubi Labs, Numat, Bureo, Beyond Surface Technologies, Matter, Cairnspring Mills, Heirloom Carbon, Edacious, and the Perennial Fund. The fund typically invests checks of up to $2M in Seed, Series A, and occasionally Series B deals, with investments strategically aligned to reduce environmental impacts in Patagonia's apparel and food businesses.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Venture Capital Investment Fund Corporate venture capital fund investing a portion of Patagonia's profits into early-stage startups providing solutions for land, water, air, and biodiversity crises. Focuses on regenerative agriculture and apparel innovation aligned with Patagonia's supply chain, with checks up to $2M in Seed, Series A, and occasionally Series B stages.
- Strategic Portfolio Support Services Beyond capital, Tin Shed offers portfolio companies access to Patagonia's world-class Product Impact and Innovation team, commercial purchase agreements, joint-development agreements for new materials, and strategic engagement with Patagonia Provisions for food-related investments.
Quantifiable outcome
- Investments target solutions where impact scales in lockstep with financial growth
Companies that use Tin Shed Ventures
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Tin Shed Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Tin Shed Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Patagonia ProvisionscoreTin Shed Ventures works closely with Patagonia Provisions to validate the strategic relevance of investments in regenerative agriculture. Provisions focuses on offering regenerative and nutrient-dense food to combat the climate crisis. When a potential investment can be an ingredient or process input for Provisions business, Tin Shed and Provisions engage with the company from both investment and commercial perspectives.
- Patagonia Product Impact and Innovation TeamcorePatagonia has a world-class Product Impact and Innovation team that engages in new materials innovation through joint-development agreements and commercial purchase agreements. Tin Shed invests only in fiber and apparel innovation relevant to Patagonia's supply chain, working in deep collaboration with these product innovation colleagues.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights6 records
Tin Shed Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Obvious Ventures: Mission-driven venture firm investing in companies solving world's biggest problems including climate, sustainable food, and circular economy. Direct peer as an impact-focused VC with overlapping thesis on regenerative food and sustainable materials.
- Closed Loop Partners: Investment firm focused on building the circular economy across multiple asset classes including venture, private equity, and project finance. Direct peer given Tin Shed's apparel circularity portfolio (Trove, Tersus, Bureo, Matter).
- Breakthrough Energy Ventures: Bill Gates-backed climate VC fund investing in companies that can dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Direct peer in climate-focused venture investing, though at significantly larger scale and broader sector coverage than Tin Shed.
Broad incumbents
- Salesforce Ventures: Salesforce's corporate venture arm invests across enterprise software, climate, and impact themes. Comparable as a mission-aligned CVC with strategic value-add, though much larger and broader in scope than Tin Shed.
- Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund:
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Tin Shed Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tin Shed Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Tin Shed Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tin Shed Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments10 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tin Shed Ventures
What does Tin Shed Ventures do?
Tin Shed Ventures is Patagonia's corporate venture capital fund that invests a portion of Patagonia's profits into early-stage startups providing systemic, globally scalable solutions to the environmental crises underpinning climate change. The fund focuses on strategically relevant solutions that reduce the environmental impacts of Patagonia's core apparel and food businesses, writing checks of up to $2 million in Seed, Series A, and occasionally Series B rounds. Portfolio support includes access to Patagonia's Product Impact and Innovation team, commercial purchase agreements, and joint-development agreements.
Is Tin Shed Ventures a public or private company?
Tin Shed Ventures is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Tin Shed Ventures founded?
Tin Shed Ventures was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Tin Shed Ventures based?
Tin Shed Ventures is headquartered in Ventura, United States, in the North America region.
How does Tin Shed Ventures make money?
One revenue line is on record: investment Returns.
Who are Tin Shed Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Obvious Ventures, Closed Loop Partners and Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Broad incumbents are Salesforce Ventures and Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund.
Does Tin Shed Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tin Shed Ventures.
What industry is Tin Shed Ventures in?
Tin Shed Ventures's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAJAA, Climate / Clean Tech & Decarbonization Funds, with a secondary code of FSANAJAG, Biodiversity, Conservation & Natural Capital Funds. Its NAICS code is 525110 and its SIC code is 6282.