Ivan Botev
Vice President - Investments
Get their honest, personalized take on your startup.
Sign in to pitch Ivan →At a glance
- Full Name
- Ivan Botev
- Title
- Former Principal, Investments
- Firm
- Tuatara Capital
- Firm Type
- Private equity / alternative investment manager
- Investment Stage
- Growth-stage investments
- Target Company Profile
- Market-leading companies in the legal cannabis industry with strong operators, regulatory navigation ability, and potential to build category-leading businesses
- Sector Focus
- Legal cannabis; cannabis CPG, retail, cultivation, processing, biotechnology, diagnostics, education, loyalty / marketing technology
- Geographic Focus
- United States and global legal cannabis markets
- Location
- New York, New York
Background
Ivan Botev joined Tuatara Capital in January 2018 as an Associate on the investment team. His responsibilities included identifying and analyzing new investment opportunities, leading diligence and execution for new investments, monitoring portfolio companies, and tracking cannabis industry trends.
Before Tuatara, Botev was an Investment Banking Associate in Lazard Frères & Co.’s Healthcare Group in New York, advising large-cap companies on M&A and strategic transactions across healthcare services, medical technology, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology. Earlier, he worked as an Investment Banking Associate at BNP Paribas on domestic and cross-border M&A across consumer / retail, industrials, healthcare, and financial institutions.
Botev began his career at Wells Fargo as a financial analyst underwriting and executing leveraged loans for beer, wine, and spirits distributors. He earned a B.B.A. in Finance and Accounting, with a minor in Applied Mathematics, from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.
Public sources conflict on his current status: Private Equity International lists him as “Principal, Investments” at Tuatara, while ExecAtlas lists him as a former Principal as of a January 5, 2026 source update, and Tuatara’s current team page does not list him.
Investment Thesis & Focus
- Tuatara’s stated focus is long-term investment in growth-stage businesses in the emerging legal cannabis industry.
- The firm says it backs teams that can “navigate rapidly evolving regulatory and commercial frameworks” and operators whose practices help “instill excellence in their industry.”
- Tuatara emphasizes partnership over passive capital: it says it supports portfolio companies “throughout [their] life cycle, from commercialization to exit.”
- The firm looks for “trailblazing innovators” and “leading growth-stage companies,” especially in cannabis markets where regulatory change creates both opportunity and complexity.
- Sector exposure spans plant-touching and ancillary cannabis businesses, including multi-state operators, branded products, edibles, diagnostics, biotech / cannabinoid production, education, and retail technology.
- No verified individual check-size range for Botev was found.
Notable Investments
- Hound Labs: Cannabis breathalyzer and portable health-testing company; Tuatara joined a $20 million financing round announced in September 2021.
- Demetrix: Biotechnology company producing cannabinoids for pharmaceutical, supplement, and consumer-product applications; Tuatara led a $50 million Series A in July 2019.
- Green Flower Media: Cannabis education and training platform; Tuatara led a $20 million Series A in June 2019.
- Springbig: Cannabis loyalty, CRM, and marketing technology platform; became public in June 2022 through a business combination with Tuatara Capital Acquisition Corporation.
- Verano / CT Pharmaceutical Solutions: Tuatara acquired CT Pharmaceutical Solutions, a Connecticut medical cannabis cultivator, in August 2018; Tuatara’s portfolio page now lists it as Verano.
- Willow Biosciences: Synthetic biology company focused on active pharmaceutical ingredients and cannabinoids; Tuatara exercised warrants for proceeds of about C$8.1 million in May 2019.
- Kiva Brands: Premium cannabis edibles company; listed by Tuatara as a portfolio company.
- GreenDot Labs: Premium cannabis products company serving medical-use and adult-use markets; listed by Tuatara as a portfolio company.
- Weedmaps / Enlighten: Cannabis retail technology; Tuatara lists Weedmaps as the successor to Enlighten, and CB Insights reports Enlighten was acquired by Weedmaps in May 2022.
Unlock the full research
Get how to approach them, recent activity, sources, contact links — plus pitch their AI twin for a candid read on your raise.
One-time. Stays unlocked for you.