About
Tristan Mace is a venture capitalist, tech entrepreneur, and heart transplant recipient.
He is the Founder & Executive Chair of Transplants.org, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit improving outcomes and access for transplant patients. The nonprofit’s work influenced the modernization of the U.S. organ transplant system, the largest change in forty years to the national system’s oversight, governance, and technology.
Tristan started Transplants.org after experiencing fulminant quadruple organ failure in 2021 that led to his emergency heart transplant just 48 hours later. A week later, he awoke to learn of the life-saving transplant and that his lung failure caused two strokes and five years of permanent memory loss. His story of resilience and unwavering commitment to the transplant community was profiled by The Wall Street Journal in the article, “He Got a New Heart. Now This 34-Year-Old Is Fighting to Fix the Transplant System.”
Beyond his philanthropic work, Tristan is also a Managing Partner at Flyover Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in funds and companies.
Most recently, he was a Special Employee in the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government and a Venture Partner at Warburg Serres, where he led global blockchain and AI investment strategy on behalf of Merck and AXA.
Tristan has served on the Council of Experts for the U.S. State Department at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit hosted by President Obama, the Council of Judges for National Geographic’s World Legacy Awards, and several Host Committees at United Nations’ Summits. He has also lectured regularly at The University of Texas at Austin, Princeton University, New York University, and other universities.
He received his degree in absentia from The University of Texas with a BS from Moody College’s School of Advertising & PR and a BFP from McCombs School of Business.
Originally from Texas and after a long stint in New York City, Tristan now lives in Kansas City with his wife, Jordan, their sons Carter and Beckett, and their puppy, Queso.