team
Tyler F. Sutliff
Tyler F. Sutliff is the Founder of Kudzu Ventures. Tyler leverages his first-hand experience as an entrepreneur who has led start-ups turnarounds, provides venture funding and sell-side advising.
Prior to founding Kudzu Ventures, Tyler purchased Whisenant & Lyle Water Services (W&L) in Dripping Springs in 2013. W&L, a water drilling and pump service company, was founded in 1962; though at the time of the purchase, W&L was in the workout group of a regional bank and on the verge of bankruptcy. By streamlining operations, investing in equipment and developing a professional sales and marketing strategy, W&L returned to profitability in 30 days and doubled revenue over the next two years. In February of 2016, Tyler sold W&L to Hydro Resources, a middle market water drilling company with locations in Texas, Kansas, Colorado, Nevada and California.
In 2008, following an unsatisfying personal experience finding homecare for his grandfather, Tyler founded The Home Option. The Home Option, based in Austin, Texas, provided in-home care to seniors as an alternative to assisted living or skilled nursing facilities. Over a three-year period, The Home Option grew to the largest provider of private duty care in Central Texas. In 2011, Tyler sold the company to Harden Healthcare, a post-acute care provider that served 35,000 patients a day in 15 states. Under the Harden Healthcare banner, Tyler led the growth of the private duty business by opening new branches in Temple and Houston, Texas and Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Tyler spent the first half of his career at a Wall Street firm working as an advisor to privately held business owners. In 1999, Tyler joined the Merrill Lynch Private Client Group in Memphis, Tennessee. In 2002, Tyler moved his practice to Austin, Texas and grew his business to $200 million in assets under management. As a financial advisor, Tyler helped his clients make investment, commercial banking and estate planning decisions. He also helped them evaluate sale and recapitalization strategies for their businesses through Merrill’s Private Sale and Referral Division, a network of regional and sector specific investment banks for middle market transactions. At the age of 27, he was the youngest Merrill Lynch Sales Manager in the country.
COURTNEY H. COCANOUGHER
Courtney H. Cocanougher serves as the Vice President of Operations for Kudzu Ventures. With a primary focus on Customer Management and the constant implementation of operational strategy, Courtney performs many of the “behind the scenes” tasks for all transactions and advisements, so our clients don’t have to.
Prior to joining Kudzu Ventures, Courtney spent almost a decade developing a nationally recognized Sales Department within the Property Management and Commercial Real Estate industry. By 27, she oversaw the sales and marketing success of $4 billion in real estate assets in over 50 unique markets.
These successes developed due to her hyperfocus on the turnaround of underperforming assets and the increased performance of successful assets, aiding in high profitability and returns for owners during their tenure and at the time of exit.
Courtney now resides in Memphis, TN with her husband and graduated cum laude from the University of Mississippi.