Vijen Patel
The 81 Collection | Founder of Tide Cleaners (originally Pressbox, acq. by P&G)
Chicago, Illinois
Invests in
Sectors:
Locations:
Min Investment:
$100,000.00Max Investment:
$2,000,000.00Target Investment:
$250,000.00
Skills
Education
- Uo
- Uo
Lists including Vijen
Work Experience
2022
Founding Partner
2022
The 81 Collection is a high-growth equity investor in boring industries. We are entrepreneurs who built in overlooked, offline industries. Venture capitalists said our companies were too difficult to scale, and we were too early for private equity. We were in no-man's land. Now, we can look back at the $40 billion of value created and the 40,000 employees whose financial trajectories we altered. The very qualities that made our businesses unattractive early are now our greatest strengths. Our entrenched assets serve as a barrier to entry and our loyal employees, who once made $20 per hour, now make $80K per year. We chose the harder path, built the right kind of businesses, and improved America. Today, 19% of the U.S. GDP attracts more than 50% of capital inflows. 81% of the U.S. GDP is under-invested. Trillions of dollars of value are locked up in serious, unsolved problems across the 81%. Tackle a real, often very difficult problem. Use technology, cash flow, and a long-term mindset. And know that we exist to lighten your load.
2021
Co-Owner
2021
2013 - 2021
Advisor
2020 - 2021
Transitioned to an advisory role starting in July 2020.
CEO
2018 - 2020
Retained post-acquisition of Pressbox and named CEO of Tide Cleaners. We saved Americans 350 hours per year from doing their laundry. Grew to 2,000 locations across 15 cities by the end of 2020.
Co-Founder | CEO of Pressbox
2013 - 2018
Launched Pressbox in June 2013 and sold to Procter & Gamble in July 2018. Pressbox re-created the traditional storefront dry cleaning experience with 24/7 smart hardware and software. We bootstrapped the company and funded the growth of 130 employees, 1,200 locations, and 10 cities off our balance sheet.
2011 - 2013
Associate
2011 - 2013
One of 25-person team to analyze and execute growth equity investments as part of a $3B fund, helping the firm achieve #1 ranking by Dow Jones's Private Performance Ranking. Focused on consumer, retail, and healthcare opportunities.
2008 - 2011
Senior Business Analyst
2010 - 2011
Business Analyst
2008 - 2010
Corporate Finance Group in NYO
2007 - 2007
Summer Analyst
2007 - 2007
Investment Banking Division