Tiger Infrastructure Partners has been recognised on Inc. Magazine’s prestigious 2024 list of Founder-Friendly Investors. The accolade honours investment firms committed to active collaboration with the businesses they support, emphasising hands-on, value-driven partnerships with entrepreneurs. Known for its focus on growth infrastructure, Tiger Infrastructure Partners offers entrepreneurs not only growth capital but also strategic insights and operational expertise to foster innovative, large-scale infrastructure businesses.
Emil W. Henry, Jr., the Founder and CEO of Tiger Infrastructure, celebrated the recognition, expressing pride in the firm’s role in enabling transformative growth for ambitious founders. “Our approach has always been to partner with talented entrepreneurs who share our vision of building essential infrastructure assets. Being recognised by Inc. reflects our commitment to helping founders realise their ambitions through a collaborative approach that adds real value and sustainable growth to their businesses,” Henry said.
Among Tiger’s recent success stories are its partnerships with Zenobē Energy and Modern Aviation, two companies which have seen significant growth under Tiger’s guidance. In both cases, Tiger worked closely with founders to scale operations and reach global markets, with founders maintaining leadership throughout.
In 2017, Tiger’s second investment fund, Fund II, became Zenobē Energy’s first institutional backer, supporting the company’s expansion in the UK’s battery storage market. Zenobē’s co-founders—Nicholas Beatty, James Basden, and Steven Meersman—co-located with Tiger Infrastructure’s team in London, working side-by-side to develop a portfolio of grid-connected battery storage projects. Over several years, Tiger helped grow Zenobē’s workforce from a team of seven to nearly 300 employees, enabling new projects in sustainable infrastructure, including turnkey solutions for electrifying bus fleets. In 2023, Tiger Infrastructure’s Fund II exited its investment in Zenobē through a transaction led by KKR Infrastructure, which valued the company at over $1 billion.
Similarly, in 2018, Tiger joined forces with Modern Aviation’s co-founders Mark Carmen and Emmanuel Yapo, who operated in close collaboration with Tiger from its New York office. Under the growth-through-acquisition model championed by Tiger, Modern Aviation consolidated 16 fixed-base operator (FBO) locations in the United States, positioning itself as a leading force in the country’s fragmented FBO market. Early in 2024, Fund II fully exited its investment in Modern Aviation through a transaction led by Apollo-managed infrastructure funds. However, to continue supporting the company’s growth, Tiger Infrastructure opted to re-invest in Modern Aviation through its third flagship fund.
Since re-investing, Tiger Infrastructure has supported Modern Aviation in securing a 17th FBO location, underscoring its dedication to the company’s expansion. General Manager Mark Carmen remarked on the value of the partnership, noting that Tiger’s ongoing involvement continues to strengthen the company’s position within the sector.
Tiger’s inclusion in Inc.’s Founder-Friendly list marks another step in its journey as a key partner to founders in the infrastructure sector, providing strategic growth pathways while prioritising founder collaboration. The firm’s dedication to sustained support reflects its ambition to foster the next generation of infrastructure leaders across various industries. For more information, visit www.tigerinfrastructure.com.
