Tuff Yen

A Career in Venture Capital
Est. 2004 · Seraph Group

Teaching successful individuals how professional investors create wealth through ownership of private enterprises.

CEO of Seraph Group & Seraph Direct | $200M+ Invested Across 180+ Startups
Explore the Groups About Tuff
I / The Network

His firm, and a new local initiative

Over two decades, Tuff built Seraph Group into a global investment firm. Now he is personally forming private angel groups, city by city — small circles who learn how early-stage investing works, see real deal flow, and invest together.

The Firm

The firm he built: Seraph Group

Tuff is the founder, CEO, and General Partner of Seraph Group — the global investment firm behind two decades of his work, and the engine of deal flow, diligence, and discipline he draws on. More recently, he launched two further efforts under the firm — Seraph Direct and the Seraph Research Foundation — described below.

Seraph Group Visit seraphgroup.net ↗

Seraph Direct

The deal-by-deal co-investment platform. Accredited members invest alongside Seraph in individual companies, one deal at a time — with the SPV and back-office handled for them.

Seraph Research Foundation

Seraph's educational arm — teaching how private-market investing actually works, for newcomers and seasoned investors alike.
The Angel Groups · by city
Next Seminar — July 21
Milton Angel Group
Free introductory seminar
Tuesday, July 21 · Milton Branch Library
Milton, Georgia
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Coming Soon
Johns Creek Angel Group
Free introductory seminar
Date & venue to be announced
Johns Creek, Georgia
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Coming Soon
Buckhead Angel Group
Free introductory seminar
Date & venue to be announced
Buckhead · Atlanta, Georgia
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More Cities Coming
Your City Next?
New groups forming across the Southeast and beyond.
Bring a seminar to your city — get in touch below.
Tuff Yen, Founder of Seraph Group

Tuff Yen is a career venture capitalist who has personally led over $200 million of investment into more than 180 early-stage technology companies.

He began as a bioengineer at Genentech and Amgen, two of the world's leading biotechnology companies. After earning his MBA from the Yale School of Management, he entered venture capital at Chemical Venture Partners — the private equity arm of Chemical Bank (now JPMorgan) — before joining Hambrecht & Quist's affiliated fund in San Francisco.

In 2004 he founded Seraph Group and invented the Structured Angel Fund™ (SAF™). His network spans more than 400 individuals across 120 cities in North America, Europe, and Asia.

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Early career
Genentech · Amgen
Bioengineer
Yale
School of Management
MBA
Wall St.
JPMorgan
Chemical Venture Partners
San Francisco
Hambrecht & Quist
Affiliated venture fund
2004
Seraph Group
Founded · invented the SAF™
2025
Seraph Direct
Launched the co-investment platform
The Structured Angel Fund™
An institutional discipline, built for individuals.

In 2004, Tuff invented the Structured Angel Fund™ (SAF™) — a proprietary venture fund structure that gives angel investors and family offices the access, discipline, and diversification of an institutional venture capital firm, without the institution.

It is the same philosophy behind the angel groups forming across Georgia today: learn how the professionals do it, then put that knowledge to work — together.

i.

Access

Into the same private rounds institutional funds compete for.

ii.

Discipline

Professional sourcing, diligence, and deal structure on every position.

iii.

Diversification

A portfolio wide enough to catch the rare, outsized winner.

What he backs
Stage
Early-stage technology
Geography
North America, Europe & Asia
Structure
SAF™ & Seraph Direct
AerospaceCybersecurityMedical DevicesEnterprise SoftwareFintechDeep Tech
Most Recent Exit Noctrix Health acquired by ResMed for $340M A Seraph Group portfolio company · 2026
$200M+
Capital Deployed
180+
Companies Backed
400+
Investor Network
120+
Cities Reached
The Power Law

A few investments return the entire fund

Most startups return little — and a rare few return everything. That is why disciplined investors build a diversified portfolio: enough quality shots to catch the outlier.

A representative venture portfolio — returns, not counts.
Get Involved

Two ways to take part

Learn, source & invest
Join a city angel group

An ongoing circle, not a one-off class. Members learn how early-stage investing works, see real deal flow, and invest together — beginning with a free introductory seminar, then continuing from there. Whether you invest is always your choice.

See the groups
Accredited investors
Seraph Direct

Seraph's deal-by-deal co-investment platform for accredited investors — backing individual companies alongside Seraph, with the SPV and back-office handled.

Learn more
Speaker, ACA Summit 2026 Angel Capital Association member Founder, Seraph Research Foundation
Contact

Get in touch

For questions about a group, bringing a seminar to your city, or general inquiries.

We typically respond within one business day.