GigaStar
Seed Round in 2023
GigaStar is a company that has developed an online marketplace designed for content creators and their fans. Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, GigaStar's platform enables fans and followers to invest in their favorite creators, providing financial support while also facilitating deeper engagement. Through this marketplace, creators can monetize their future earnings by offering fans rights to a share of their channel's potential revenue. This innovative approach allows creators to access funding more efficiently, fostering a direct connection with their audience while establishing a long-term revenue stream.
GigaStar
Seed Round in 2023
GigaStar is a company that has developed an online marketplace designed for content creators and their fans. Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, GigaStar's platform enables fans and followers to invest in their favorite creators, providing financial support while also facilitating deeper engagement. Through this marketplace, creators can monetize their future earnings by offering fans rights to a share of their channel's potential revenue. This innovative approach allows creators to access funding more efficiently, fostering a direct connection with their audience while establishing a long-term revenue stream.
BiomeSense
Seed Round in 2023
BiomeSense develops an integrated hardware, software, and data platform to scale microbiome data collection and analysis for clinical research. The company integrates at-home monitoring of the gut microbiome through its GutLab smart-bathroom system with the MetaBiome time-series analytics platform to connect microbiome changes with clinical outcomes in real time. Its platform supports large-scale, densely longitudinal datasets to discover, validate, and commercialize microbiome biomarkers, enabling clinicians to apply microbiome insights to improve human health. Founded in 2018 and based in Chicago, BiomeSense seeks to advance precision medicine by providing end-to-end microbiome measurement and analytics.
Genecis is an early-stage organic waste processing startup that uses biotechnology to convert waste into biodegradable plastics and other high-value materials. It converts organic waste into PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoate), a biodegradable, compostable, and non-toxic polymer that can be tuned to replace a wide variety of traditional plastics. PHA can be used for single-use plastics, clothing and textiles, automotive interiors, medical tools and products, and food contact applications.
PechaKucha
Seed Round in 2021
PechaKucha is a storytelling platform that uses a fixed slide format with timed presentations to help creators, educators and professionals deliver clear, visually driven narratives. It offers PK Create, a tool designed to help users become better storytellers and to produce more engaging virtual events. The platform has achieved broad organic growth and is used by content creators and event hosts across more than 140 countries, building a recognized brand in the storytelling and live events space. The company has its headquarters in Chicago and maintains a small community management team in Tokyo. PechaKucha focuses on enabling accessible, concise presentations and aims to support diverse audiences in sharing passions and knowledge through structured, audiovisual storytelling.
Black Buffalo
Venture Round in 2020
Black Buffalo Inc. is a Chicago-based company established in 2015 that specializes in producing tobacco-free nicotine alternatives designed to replicate the experience of traditional smokeless tobacco products. The company offers a range of products made from food-safe ingredients and pharmaceutical-grade nicotine, which are available in various flavors and form factors. With over 20,000 hours of research and development, Black Buffalo aims to provide users with the taste, texture, and rich dark color of traditional chewing tobacco, while eliminating the risks associated with tobacco leaf and stem.
HumanPredictions
Venture Round in 2019
HumanPredictions is a data-driven software company that specializes in optimizing the recruitment of technical talent. By leveraging public data and advanced machine learning models, the company creates detailed technical profiles for individuals, assessing their likelihood of being open to new job opportunities. This approach allows enterprise teams, startup founders, and agency recruiters to streamline their hiring processes, spending less time on candidate research and more time on meaningful engagement. Founded by experienced tech recruiters, HumanPredictions is deeply embedded in tech communities and focuses on data sources often overlooked by conventional aggregators. The software not only automates the decision-making process regarding when and how to contact potential candidates but also assists customers in various research activities, including assessing investment opportunities and analyzing geographic talent concentrations. Ultimately, HumanPredictions aims to enhance the effectiveness of recruiters, enabling them to concentrate on building relationships and evaluating talent.
Draftbit
Pre Seed Round in 2018
Draftbit, Inc. is a software company based in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 2017. It provides a drag and drop platform for developing cross-platform mobile applications, allowing users to create native iOS and Android apps quickly and efficiently. The platform caters to both designers and developers, enabling them to visually design apps without the need for extensive coding skills. With Draftbit, users can export clean, well-documented code and libraries, ensuring full control over their projects. The tool simplifies the app development process, making it accessible for startups and business owners to build, launch, and iterate on mobile applications in a fraction of the time traditionally required.
Factor_
Convertible Note in 2017
Factor is a subscription-based meal delivery service that specializes in providing dietitian-designed, chef-crafted prepared meals. Founded in 2013 in Batavia, Illinois, the company focuses on health and wellness by offering a rotating menu of fresh, ready-to-eat meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Their offerings include a variety of dietary preferences, such as keto, Paleo, low-carb, vegetarian, plant-based, and high-protein options, all of which can be conveniently heated in the microwave or oven. Factor emphasizes the use of fresh ingredients sourced from trusted partners, ensuring that meals are free from hormones, antibiotics, gluten, refined sugars, and GMOs. The company aims to deliver a perfect balance of nutrition and taste, enhancing the overall health and performance of its consumers.
Mori, formerly known as Overlook Research, is a company that develops a natural biopolymer coating designed to extend the shelf life of perishable foods. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Mori's innovative coating is made from proteins extracted from natural silk using salt and water. This protective layer helps slow the spoiling process of various food items, including fruits, vegetables, meat, and seafood, thereby reducing food waste. By focusing on sustainable and economical solutions, Mori aims to transform the food supply and enhance the efficiency of the food, agriculture, and packaging industries.
Kin Insurance
Seed Round in 2017
Kin Insurance, Inc. is a digital insurance agency that specializes in homeowners insurance and related products. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with an additional office in St. Petersburg, Florida, the company aims to enhance the convenience and affordability of insurance by operating directly with consumers, eliminating the need for external agents. Kin Insurance offers a variety of products, including homeowners, mobile home, condo, flood, and landlord insurance, among others. The company leverages extensive property data to ensure precise pricing and improve underwriting outcomes, providing personalized coverage options and efficient claims services through its technology-driven platform.
Avail is an online platform designed to assist independent landlords and property managers in managing rental properties. Founded in 2012 and based in Chicago, Illinois, Avail provides a comprehensive suite of tools that simplifies the rental process. Its offerings include rental listings, tenant screening, customized leases, online rent payments, maintenance tracking, and rent price analysis. The platform caters specifically to landlords with fewer than 10 units, filling a gap in the market for accessible online management tools. With its user-friendly interface, Avail allows landlords to efficiently advertise vacant units, process rental applications, conduct credit checks, and handle lease agreements digitally. As of now, Avail serves approximately 70,000 landlords, making it a valuable resource for both novice and experienced property managers seeking to enhance their operations. Since December 2020, Avail has operated as a subsidiary of Move, Inc.
Jiobit is a company specializing in real-time location-tracking technology for children, adults, and pets. Its flagship product is a compact and durable tracking device that works in conjunction with a smartphone app, allowing users to monitor the location of their loved ones in over 120 countries, including multi-level buildings. The device boasts an impressive battery life, lasting weeks on a single charge, and offers advanced features such as custom geofencing, smart alerts, and a detailed location history. Jiobit's team comprises experienced engineers, designers, and marketers, collectively holding numerous patents from prior ventures in consumer product innovation. Headquartered in Chicago, with a development center in Silicon Valley, Jiobit aims to provide peace of mind to parents while enabling freedom for children and pets.