Tomasz Felpel, founder, investor, advisor & speaker
I price private software and online companies, and I can read the product behind the number.
New York · youngest Columbia EMBA · worked on M&A deals up to ~$26B, then built without inherited networks. Companies on Ventures.
#1 Youngest Columbia EMBA Billions USD in transactions Columbia VC Club & Entrepreneurship Org
In my own words
Seventy seconds on how I work
I help founders turn complexity into execution.
- Go-to-market
- Financial modeling
- Fundraising strategy
- Software development
And the hundred decisions between an idea and something people actually want to buy. If you are building something ambitious, bring me the hard part.
Read the transcript
Have an idea, but don't know how to turn it into a company? A company, but can't explain it to investors? A product, but no clear path to market? That's where I come in.
I help founders turn complexity into execution. Go-to-market, financial planning, fundraising strategy, software development. And the hundred decisions between an idea and something people actually want to buy.
I'm Tomasz Felpel. I'm an investor, founder and operator based in New York. Before building companies I worked in Fortune 500 business development and M&A, with exposure to billions of dollars in transactions. I learned how institutions evaluate companies, price opportunities, and make decisions when the stakes are high.
Today I put that experience to work. I invest in healthcare innovation with my VC firm. I built Value Alpha for the private markets, and I work directly with founders and companies when they need to raise, reposition, or figure out what comes next.
I don't want to give you another 50-page strategy deck. I want to help you ship. Build the product. Find the market. Make the decision. If you're building something ambitious, bring me the hard part.
Choose your path
Where should you go next?
Strategy & M&A
Fortune 500 and corporate teams, valuation, deal judgment, and decisions under pressure.
Work with me →Build & raise
Free tools for your first round: SAFE and dilution math, term-sheet decoder, equity splits, and a pitch scorecard.
Founder tools →Invest & underwrite
Portfolio pricing, healthcare thesis, and private-markets judgment for allocators and GPs.
See advisory →Learn & get mentored
Free essays, calculators and frameworks for operators building without inherited networks. Email me and I will make time.
Book student mentoring →At a glance
What I build & do
Sonnerie VC & Value Alpha
Healthcare venture from the firm I invest from. AI valuation infrastructure from the platform I built.
See the firms → AdvisoryJudgment on live decisions
Strategy, GTM, valuation, and M&A, for leaders, founders, and students facing a decision that matters.
Work with me → WritingWhat the Data Room Doesn't Say
Essays on private markets, healthcare venture, and operator-led building, on Substack.
Read essays →In their words
What people say
Tomasz has a strong ability to step back and frame business challenges in clear strategic terms. He helped sharpen our messaging, refine our target customer focus, and bring greater structure to how we think about pricing. I would warmly recommend him to any team looking for a thoughtful, strategic partner.
He fostered an environment where people felt genuinely comfortable sharing ideas while keeping strong conviction about what was best for the product. His leadership balanced being receptive to feedback with clear direction. Any team would be lucky to work with him.
A great founder with strong leadership and a clear product vision. He shared his ideas, listened to feedback, trusted the team, and communicated effectively. The venture has a bright future under his leadership.
Latest
Content & coverage
Wall Street has Bloomberg. Main Street has a rule of thumb.
Building institutional valuation infrastructure for the 99% of M&A that happens below $50M.
Healthcare startups don't die from small markets. They die on a Tuesday.
Why I back the operation, not the market size, and why complexity is the best moat in healthcare venture.
I built in American finance without a single warm intro.
No rolodex, no benefit of the doubt. Why that became the most useful analytical tool I have.
Your 409A is not your valuation.
A company has two prices at all times. Founders who quote the wrong one pay for it in equity and trust.
Raising on SAFEs: the dilution you signed and forgot.
Post-money SAFE conversion math, the stack that quietly sells 17.5% before your Series A, and when to price the round.
How to read a cap table before it reads you.
Fully diluted ownership, the option pool, liquidation preferences, and the exit waterfall that decides what you keep.
Felpel Private Company Index
7,601 small-business deals: the median sold at 2.67x SDE, but scale, not sector, drives price.
What I learned about M&A pricing after running 1,000+ valuations
I came to American M&A through the back door. Here is what the data taught me about price.
I left billion-dollar deals to price ten-million-dollar businesses
What a $26 billion merger taught me about the 99% of M&A that runs on guesswork.
In private markets, the house has already read everyone's cards.
Public markets reward analysis. Private markets reward access. I built two companies on closing that gap.
What is your business worth?
Estimate a private company's value range in 90 seconds, then see exactly what moves the number.
Media coverage and interviews
Press features, interviews, and media resources are organized on the dedicated media page.
Latest operating and investing updates
Follow ongoing commentary on private markets, healthcare venture, and founder execution.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Who is Tomasz Felpel?
Investor, advisor, and speaker in New York. Corp-dev and M&A background; youngest Columbia EMBA. Companies on Ventures.
What is Sonnerie VC?
Sonnerie VC is the healthcare venture firm Tomasz invests from, early-stage, operator-led. Full profile on Ventures.
What is Value Alpha?
Value Alpha is the private-markets valuation platform Tomasz built. Product and company details on Ventures.
What does Tomasz Felpel invest in?
Through Sonnerie VC, Tomasz Felpel invests at the early stage (pre-seed and seed) in healthcare and health-adjacent founders, with interest spanning AI, fintech infrastructure, and private-markets tooling.
How do I get in touch or book a call?
Book a call at tomaszfelpel.com/book, use the contact form, or email info@tomaszfelpel.com. Advisory is for leaders, founders, funds, and students. Media enquiries go through the Media page.