Thayer Ventures

Chelsea brings over a decade of expertise in the hospitality industry. Before joining TIP, she spent over 5 years at Standard International, aiding in the global expansion of the Standard and Bunkhouse hotels, and contributing to the development of new brands and brand elements.

As a long-time operating exec, startup advisor, investor and road warrior, Cara is actively involved in numerous corners of the travel tech industry. She recently joined the team at Thayer Ventures to expand the firm’s partnership and business development initiatives with its strategic investors, portfolio companies and emerging startups across the travel and hospitality ecosystem.

Chris Hemmeter co-founded Thayer Ventures, a venture capital platform investing in technology companies in the travel and mobility space. Prior to Thayer Ventures, Chris was founder and CEO of iCare Marketing (sold to Sysco Foodservice Corporation in 2012); founder and CEO of Dynamic Payment Ventures (sold to Elavon, a subsidiary of US Bank in 2007); CEO of CriticalArc Technologies, a supply-chain software provider to the foodservice industry; founder of E&O Kitchen and Bar, a casual dining restaurant based in San Francisco; founder of The Hemmeter Collection, a direct response retailer; and founder of Hemmeter Publishing, a publisher and distributor of travel books and content.

After graduating from Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration, Lee spent 19 years at Marriott, rising to become an Executive Vice President and head of Lodging Strategy and Corporate Officer. Lee left Marriott in 1988 to launch Thayer Lodging Group, a hotel real estate private equity fund for institutional investors. During its 25+ years, Thayer Lodging’s funds achieved a 26.2% IRR, ranking it one of the most successful real estate funds.

Jeff has spent the bulk of his career in executive roles within the transportation and distribution space. Based in Dallas, Jeff spent 14 years with American Airlines, managed the legal separation of Sabre, Inc. from AA and left to become EVP and Chief Financial Officer of the stand-alone company in 2000. Over his 11 years at Sabre, both as Chief Financial Officer and as EVP Corporate Development, Jeff managed the Sabre initial public offering, completed over 25 acquisitions and divestitures of over $8 billion in value.

Mark co-founded Thayer Ventures in 2009 and was involved in all aspects of the firm’s growth as a Managing Director, until stepping down earlier this year to announce his candidacy in the 2024 San Francisco Mayoral race. Mark has sat on multiple private company Boards and served as Co-CEO and Chief Financial Officer of Thayer Ventures Acquisition Corporation (NASDAQ: TVAC), a $176 million special purpose acquisition corporation (SPAC) that merged with Inspirato (NASDAQ: ISPO) in early 2022.

Mike Scott co-founded Derive Ventures in 2021 and currently serves as a Managing Partner. Prior to co-founding Derive, Mike spent over 3 years as a private equity investment professional at KSL Capital Partners. At KSL, he had over $4bn of transaction experience covering U.S. hospitality, timeshare, all-inclusive resorts, travel distribution, gaming and alternative accommodations.

Tyler Carrico co-founded Derive Ventures in 2021 and currently serves as a Managing Partner. Prior to Derive, Tyler spent 4 years as an investment professional at Thayer Ventures. At Thayer Ventures, he was the first and only hire during his tenure responsible for investment execution, diligence, sourcing, portfolio support, fund management, and LP advisory. He was directly involved with the deployment of $50 million over 12 portfolio companies and oversaw follow-ons and management of over 40 companies.

David Brem has experience in venture capital, aerospace, and aviation. He earned his MBA from the University of Michigan and previously worked in management consulting and cyber intelligence. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from American University and a Master’s degree from Georgetown University.