Our History

Tyson Ventures LLC brings a diverse and nationally recognized track record of entrepreneurship, investment, and strategic innovation. Below are select business highlights and venture milestones:

Business Highlights

  • Capital Sourcing & Structuring Secured substantial private equity, debt, and creative financing solutions for in-house ventures, third-party businesses, and growth-stage companies.

  • Strategic Advisory & Entrepreneurial Consulting Advised and mentored entrepreneurs across a wide range of industries, with a focus on nurturing innovation and scaling operations.

Venture History

  • Cable Television

    • Founder/CEO of the second-largest cable TV company in Austin, Texas—later acquired by Time, Inc.

    • Co-acquirer of a distressed cable-TV company, yielding strong investor returns upon exit.

  • Hospitality & Media

    • Founder/CEO of the third-largest operator of hotel Pay-TV/interactive in-room television systems in the U.S. (recognized by Inc. 500 as one of the fastest-growing private companies), serving over 100,000 rooms of the world’s largest hotels including the majority of Las Vegas hotels such as MGM Grand (world’s largest at 5000 rooms), Caesars, Bally, Las Vegas Hilton, The Venetain,Wynn, Mandalay Bay, Luxor and others. Acquired by a major cable-TV provider.

    • Pioneered national contracts with HBO, Showtime, The Movie Channel, and others for content distribution to the hospitality market—securing many of the first such agreements.

    • Introduced the first gaming industry-approved remote/in-room gaming system for hotels.

  • Healthcare Media

    • Founder/CEO of the US’s largest hospital interactive television company focused on delivering in-room patient education, lobby interactive kiosks and entertainment in major U.S. hospitals including Babtist Memorial (largest in US), Mayo Clinic, Baylor, Cedars-Sinai, St. Davids and others. Recognized as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist.

  • Satellite & Telecommunications

    • Co-founder/CEO of a public company that became the largest provider of satellite-delivered programming to private cable and wireless systems, serving over 1 million customers.

    • Secured the first FCC licenses for direct satellite-to-property cable TV delivery to multi-family and hotel properties, leveraging AML microwave systems for city-wide private distribution.

    • Pioneered some of the first large-scale satellite teleconferences for clients such as IBM, Ford Motor Company, and the American Bar Association.

  • Renewable Energy & Sustainability

    • Co-founder of a private equity solar fund focused on financing, owning, and operating commercial-scale solar installations across the U.S.

    • Instrumental in facilitating the acquisition and merger of North America’s largest solar distributor.

  • Consumer Products

    • Investor in Exaco, Inc., a major Austin-based distributor of high-end European greenhouses and gardening products serving Costco, Home Depot, Lowe’s and others.

  • Real Estate

    • Exclusive Joint Venture with CLOSED Title to serve parts of the Texas real estate and mortgage market with advanced A.I./Cloud based Title serices. Closed Title has closed over 25,000 transactions across 27 states with 23 offices. website »

    • Long-term investor in significant real estate projects, including large undeveloped coastal land holdings on North Padre Island near Corpus Christi, Texas.

Select Ventures and Investments

TYSON VENTURES, LLC - PRESENT

Austin-based private investment firm known for its “think outside the box” approach to building and scaling strategic companies. Tyson Ventures supports entrepreneurs in achieving their visions, backed by decades of experience founding and operating numerous ventures. The firm is involved in capital sourcing, mergers and acquisitions, and facilitating successful exits, while actively advising and investing in a diverse portfolio of companies.

CLOSED LONESTAR, LLC - PRESENT

Joint venture with CLOSED Title to serve parts of the Texas real estate and mortgage market. CLOSED Title is a leading national provider of technology-driven title services, having closed over 25,000 transactions across 20+ states. CLOSED LONESTAR offers a seamless online title closing experience powered by AI and cloud-based systems. website »

Jetvia (formerly ATI Jet) - PRESENT

The largest Learjet 60 private charter jet operator in the world (23 planes and growing) - serving North America and the Caribbean. With over 40 years operational experience in the aviation industry and Argus Gold Rated (safety). JetVia redefines the art of travel, offering an exquisite selection of private jets and personalized itineraries. Since its establishment in 1985, Jetvia has built a legacy founded on trust and reliability in the realm of luxury flight services. view website »

REAL ESTATE INVESTMENTS — PRESENT

Engaged in a range of real estate ventures, including one of the largest undeveloped coastal real estate holdings on North Padre Island near Corpus Christi, Texas (“beach to bay”).

SENTIENT VENTURES - PRESENT

Sentient is a private equity firm that invested in seed, early, and expansion stage companies. In aggregate $88 million in private equity funds were invested in 22 companies. Current investments include Allegiance Mobile Health, the largest private Texas based provider of medical transportation and 911 emergency services.

CapStream Investment Bank - PRESENT

Affiliate — Investment bank built by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, specializing in capital raises, strategic exits, and advisory services for business owners, private equity firms, and family offices.

CENTRAL TEXAS ANGEL NETWORK

CTAN is the largest angel investment network in Texas and one of the top 5 most active angel investment networks in US

ENERGY FINANCE COMPANY - 2009 — 2013

Co-Founder — Energy Finance Company (EFC) was formed to provide the capital for quality credit commercial, municipal and government customers desiring solar power systems. EFC’s Funding Solar Energy Fund, LP (the “FUSE Fund”), is the vehicle that owns and operates the solar projects and provides up to 100% of the capital required. The FUSE Fund uses a unique business model that offers a simple, low-cost way, to purchase solar electricity.

DC Power Systems/SOLIGENT - 2007 — 2013

DC Power Systems/Soligent is the largest solar distributor in the United States and a system integrator. Beginning in 2007, Tyson Ventures explored opportunities in solar power as solar cell performance was improving at a rapid pace and cost significantly declining – a winning combination both environmentally and economically. Tyson Ventures served as advisor and member of the board. In 2009, ITOCHU (a Global 500 company with over $32 billion in revenues) purchased the company. Soligent is the outcome of a merger between two solar powerhouses, DC Power Systems and Solar Depot. Working with its national network of over 7,000 qualified solar installers, Soligent designs and supplies solar power systems for business, residential and government applications. view website »

GAMING SOLUTIONS INTERACTIVE - 2012 — 2016

Gaming Solutions Interactive, LLC (GSI) was formed to provide advanced interactive television gaming products. The company has evolved its technology towards a NextGen Multi-Screen App that allows anyone with a smartphone/tablet to access both real-money and social games in a unique player environment – smartphones/tablets become controllers and second screens. GSI partnered with the largest provider of interactive television to casino hotels based in Las Vegas (serving over 125,000 rooms) to demonstrate its viability.

MAGIC LANTERN - 2007

Magic Lantern Entertainment (MLE) is a kids and family entertainment studio founded and managed by experienced, professional executives from Universal, Warner Brothers, and Hanna-Barbera. MLE’s chairman Jack Crosby, was the former chairman of the Sundance Institute, the co-founder of Imagine Entertainment, and a founding director of Orion Pictures. Magic Lantern has been involved in a diverse collection of television and direct-to-video projects and an aggressive development agenda of television series, motion pictures and broadband programming.

U.S. ONLINE - 2003 — 2004

Partnered with Summit Investment Management in the acquisition of USOL, one of the largest private cable/satellite television companies in the US with over 130 apartment properties. Per business plan, timely and successfully disposed of the company’s assets to major cable television operators.

WSNET - 1997 — 2002

World Satellite Network, Inc., (WSNet), a public company based in Minneapolis. Served as Chairman, President and CEO until 1999. In 1999, acquired the company and taken private with a newly composed management team. WSNet became the largest distributor of satellite television programming to the private cable and wireless television industries serving over one million subscribers.

BY INVITATION ONLY - 1999 — 2002

Invested in Forever, Inc., and assumed the position of Chairman. Advanced the company from a conventional local service company to www.ByInvitationOnly.org, an Internet portal for members worldwide

HEALTH ANSWERS - 1999 — 2002

Founder & CEO of Cable Healthcare (evolved to Health Answers before being acquired), which became the largest operator of interactive and patient education systems in hospitals (Mr. Tyson was a finalist for Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards). Major medical centers served included the Mayo Clinic, Cedars-Sinai, Baylor, and Baptist Memorial – some of the largest and most recognized hospitals. The company’s business model evolved due to a dramatic shift in the health care industry resulting in a migration to a leading full-service sales training agency specializing in blended learning solutions for today’s pharmaceutical and biotech sales professionals and managers.

HOSPITALITY NETWORK - 1983 — 1993

Founder & CEO of Hospitality Network. The company became the third largest operator of hotel in-room Pay-TV and interactive television systems (one of the Inc. 500 fastest-growing private companies in 1992). Relocated to Las Vegas, the company grew to serving over 125,000 large casino hotel rooms. In 1990, the company was the first to contract with such notable hotels as Bally’s and the 3000 room Las Vegas Hilton, the largest hotels in the world at the time. In 1993, Mr. Tyson sold his interest in the company to Community Cable Television (the Las Vegas cable television operator) and Prime Cable. The company was later sold to Cox Communications.

AUSTIN SATELLITE TELEVISION - 1981 — 1985

Founder & CEO of Austin Satellite Television (AST). AST was granted the first FCC license in the United States for microwave distribution for private cable television systems, allowing the company to “beam” its programming citywide in Austin, Texas. The company entered into joint ventures with several of Central Texas largest real estate developers to construct and operate conventional cable systems in large communities. AST became Austin’s second largest cable operator including serving over 13,000 high-end apartment homes and new developments around Austin. AST was sold in 1985 to ATC, a subsidiary of Time, Inc.

GLOBAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS - 1980 — 1981

Assistant to the President of Global Communications Systems (founder and Chairman of Spectradyne, the largest hotel Pay-TV company), the nation’s largest private cable television system based in Houston, Texas. Global Communications grew to provide broadband satellite television service to over 30,000 apartment homes. Mr. Tyson introduced the company to low cost satellite headend technology and pioneered satellite teleconferencing for clients including IBM (their first), DataPoint, the American Bar Association and Ford Motor Company.

VIDEO VISTA - 1976 — 1979

Founder & Managing Partner of Video Vista, the first company in the United States to be licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for direct satellite reception of cable television programs at hotels including developing the first contracts for programming with HBO, The Movie Channel, Showtime and others. Video Vista was the first company to secure a national contract with Ramada Hotels with satellite installations coast-to-coast (managed the engineering, construction and maintenance of over 100 installations).