Alex Cook, a partner at Tiger Global and the firm's largest fintech investment bank, is leaving the firm after nearly seven years, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Cook has briefed several people on his departure in recent days, but has not explained why he is leaving. The source asked to remain anonymous because the conversations are private. A Tiger Global spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
His departure adds to other high-profile departures at Tiger Global. Scott Shleifer, who previously led the company’s private equity business, stepped down last year. John Curtius, who led the company’s software investments, left in late 2022.
Cook has worked on many fintech deals at Tiger Global, including TradingView, TrueLayer, Scalapay, Xendit, Selfbook, Fazz, Jar, and Refyne. The median size of his deals was around $35 million, and the median valuation was over $250 million, according to PitchBook.
The departure came as a surprise to at least some of the founders. By some accounts, Cook had been talking to founders frequently—several times a week. According to people familiar with the matter, he was responsible for managing relationships with some of the portfolio startups that Schleifer had previously overseen.
Cook’s focus has expanded significantly to emerging markets, particularly India, where he frequently visits to meet with founders in person. For example, in July 2022, he told founders in Bengaluru, India, that Tiger Global would slow down its investment pace, TechCrunch reported at the time.
The development comes at a difficult time for Tiger Global, which recently raised $2.2 billion for its VC fund, its smallest fundraising in a decade and a stark contrast to the strong investor demand of the past few years, when the New York-based giant has raised increasingly larger funds, including a record $12.7 billion fund.
Amid a challenging fundraising climate, with investor caution toward VC and private equity investments, declining valuations and a slowdown in deals, Tiger Global announced a significant leadership change in November, with founder Chase Coleman taking over Shleifer’s role as head of ventures. Coleman will be responsible for managing relationships with certain key portfolio startups globally, according to people familiar with the matter.
