Sudo Biosciences is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative medicines that target the tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) pseudokinase domain, an important component in cytokine signaling pathways associated with various immune-mediated inflammatory conditions. The company has a pipeline of next-generation TYK2 inhibitors, which includes a candidate designed to penetrate the brain for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and neurodegenerative diseases characterized by neuroinflammation, as well as a topical candidate aimed at addressing immune-mediated dermatologic diseases. Sudo Biosciences aims to provide effective and affordable treatment options for patients suffering from these conditions.
Leap Services, Inc. operates a retail-as-a-service platform designed to enhance the retail sector. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Leap enables brands to establish retail stores in optimal locations under favorable terms. The platform encompasses all facets of store development and operations, including physical space management, staffing, and technological infrastructure. This comprehensive approach allows consumer brands to accelerate growth and enhance customer engagement through a seamless omnichannel experience. Leap operates retail stores in major cities such as New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, and Miami, positioning itself as a vital partner for high-growth brands seeking to thrive in the evolving retail landscape.
ShipBob Inc. is a technology company that specializes in providing online shipping and fulfillment services tailored for small e-commerce businesses. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, ShipBob offers an end-to-end fulfillment solution that includes warehousing, order management, and package delivery, enabling direct-to-consumer brands to ship products within 1-2 business days. Its platform integrates with various e-commerce platforms such as Shopify, Amazon, and eBay, allowing merchants to manage orders, track inventory, and communicate with customers effectively. ShipBob's services encompass pickup, packaging, batch fulfillment, and returns, supported by a network of fulfillment centers across the United States, including a key facility in Dallas, Texas. The company also provides a smartphone application for scheduling pickups and tracking shipments.
Amount, Inc. is a digital technology company based in Chicago, Illinois, that specializes in providing mobile banking solutions for financial institutions. Founded in 2018, Amount develops a comprehensive financial platform designed to facilitate the digital transformation of banks and other financial entities. Its flagship product, Amount 360, is a cloud-based solution that offers a full suite of services, including customer acquisition, performance assessments, risk consulting, and analytics. The platform supports various financial products such as personal loans, credit cards, and deposit accounts, while also providing point-of-sale financing options. Amount's clients include financial institutions managing nearly $1 trillion in assets and serving over 25 million customers in the United States. Through its innovative technology and services, Amount enables financial institutions to modernize their offerings and enhance the customer experience.
FourKites, Inc. is a Chicago-based software company that specializes in developing a predictive supply chain platform for freight brokers and shippers. Founded in 2013, it provides a real-time tracking solution that enhances the visibility of shipments for shippers, carriers, third-party logistics companies, and freight brokers. The platform includes features like BackHaul Management, which helps identify potential deadhead miles, and CarrierLink, which facilitates real-time communication between brokers and owner-operators. By leveraging AI technology, FourKites creates comprehensive digital representations of supply chains, automates problem resolution, and improves collaboration among stakeholders. This approach enables businesses to enhance operational efficiency, lower costs, and strengthen customer relationships through improved on-time performance and proactive management of shipment exceptions.
Interior Define Inc. is a furniture design and manufacturing company founded in 2013 and based in Chicago, Illinois. It specializes in offering a range of customizable furniture products, including sofas, chairs, beds, and dining pieces. The company employs a made-to-order production approach, allowing customers to personalize their furniture in various aspects such as size, fabric, configuration, and leg style. This model minimizes inventory costs, enabling Interior Define to provide high-quality custom furniture at accessible prices. Customers can explore their options online through a 360-degree viewing experience and order free fabric swatches. Additionally, the company offers an augmented reality app to visualize furniture in their homes. Interior Define also operates Guideshop locations in several major cities, where customers can experience the products firsthand and receive personalized consultations from expert staff. The company is known for its customer-centric services, including complimentary white glove delivery and a standard 365-day return policy, enhancing the overall shopping experience.
Tovala is a Chicago-based company founded in 2015 that offers an innovative solution for meal preparation by combining a smart oven with a fresh meal delivery service. The Tovala oven is an internet-connected countertop steam oven designed for multi-step cooking, allowing users to prepare meals effortlessly by simply scanning a barcode. The accompanying meal service provides chef-crafted meals, ensuring that customers can enjoy healthy, home-cooked dishes without the hassle of extensive cooking. Launched in 2017, Tovala aims to simplify dinner preparation for busy individuals, making it easy to access delicious and nutritious meals.
M1 Holdings operates a personal finance platform that combines automation with user control, allowing individuals to manage and grow their wealth effectively. The platform supports hundreds of thousands of investors, managing over $6 billion in assets. It offers a comprehensive suite of financial tools, including low-cost borrowing, high-interest checking accounts, and cash back rewards through debit and credit cards. Users can create customized stock and ETF portfolios, access affordable lines of credit, and utilize digital banking services that integrate seamlessly with their investments. The platform has received significant recognition for its user-friendly experience, earning high ratings on app stores and accolades from financial publications as one of the best options for investors and digital banking services.
Bringg is a leading delivery management platform that focuses on optimizing last-mile delivery operations for over 800 global customers. The company offers a cloud-based solution that digitizes, automates, and enhances supply chain processes, allowing organizations to tailor logistics models to their specific needs. By providing access to a robust network of more than 250 delivery providers, Bringg enables enterprises to offer a variety of delivery options, whether through internal drivers or external partners such as third-party logistics, parcel carriers, or gig economy drivers. This flexibility helps businesses reduce costs and transform delivery into a growth opportunity. Bringg serves notable brands including H&M, Burger King, and Wegmans, enhancing their customer experience with efficient and cost-effective delivery solutions.
Lessonly operates as an enterprise educational platform that focuses on providing online training and education services for organizations. Its platform offers tools for creating step-by-step lessons that help companies capture and disseminate information effectively. This enables organizations to improve their onboarding processes for new employees and enhance ongoing training efforts. By facilitating structured learning experiences, Lessonly assists teams in developing their skills and knowledge, ultimately contributing to overall organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
Kenna Security, Inc. is a technology company that specializes in vulnerability management and risk intelligence solutions. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in San Francisco, with an additional office in Chicago, Kenna offers a platform that helps organizations prioritize vulnerabilities, assess risks, and automate their analysis. This platform leverages Cyber Risk Context Technology to measure and predict cyber risks, enabling security teams to focus on the most critical issues. Kenna serves a diverse range of sectors, including media, healthcare, telecommunications, financial services, and transportation, both in the United States and internationally. With a customer base that includes many Fortune 100 companies, Kenna's solutions facilitate cross-functional collaboration to proactively address cyber threats and enhance overall security efficacy.
SpotHero Inc. is a company that provides parking reservation services, allowing drivers to find, compare, and reserve discounted parking spots through its mobile application and website. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with an additional office in Detroit, Michigan, the company also operates in Toronto, Canada. SpotHero serves as a consumer marketplace for parking in North America, connecting users with various parking facilities, including lots, garages, and valet services. The platform facilitates data exchange and payment processing, streamlining the parking experience for customers.
Inari is a biotechnology company focused on transforming agriculture to positively impact society and the environment. By emphasizing diversity in its operations, Inari fosters innovation aimed at developing a new food system. The company utilizes advanced technology, including predictive design and multiplex gene editing, to maximize the potential of seeds. Its distinctive SEEDesign platform enables the enhancement of various crops tailored to specific geographic conditions, facilitating the creation of innovative agricultural products with clear market strategies.
G2 is an online platform that facilitates the sharing of real-time business software reviews, utilizing over 1.3 million user evaluations to assist professionals in making informed purchasing decisions. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, G2 operates a technology marketplace where businesses can research, buy, and manage various software products and services. The platform offers unbiased information on thousands of software options, enabling organizations to select the most suitable tools and services based on peer feedback and aggregated social data. This resource is valuable for business professionals, buyers, investors, and analysts who seek to optimize their software selections.
Project44, Inc. is a cloud-based visibility platform that enhances supply chain management for shippers and third-party logistics companies. Established in 2014 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with additional offices in cities such as Paris, Amsterdam, and Shanghai, the company offers a suite of solutions that includes pricing, routing, scheduling, tracking, and analytics. Project44's platform manages over 1 billion unique shipments annually for more than 1,300 leading brands across various industries, including manufacturing, automotive, and retail. By connecting and automating key transportation processes, Project44 provides real-time visibility and insights, enabling shippers and carriers to improve predictability, resilience, and sustainability in their operations. Recognized as a market leader, Project44 has received numerous accolades, including being named a leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant and achieving high customer satisfaction rankings.
Fooda is a provider of office lunch services used to offer workplace food programs that employees love and look forward to every day. Its services allow restaurants to partner with companies and office buildings to provide unique restaurant-based meal services and top-rated restaurants who visit and serve in the office lobby or company breakroom ad enable employees to find delicious, authentic restaurants and enjoy them at work
Private Equity Round in 2017
Outcome Health LLC, founded in 2006 and based in Chicago, Illinois, develops health intelligence technology solutions aimed at improving patient engagement and decision-making in healthcare settings. The company provides a range of digital tools, including waiting room screens that display educational health content, interactive exam room tablets with personalized information, and digital anatomy boards that enhance communication between patients and providers. Additionally, Outcome Health offers patient Wi-Fi access to facilitate informed treatment decisions and infusion room tablets to support patients during treatment. The company has expanded its technology implementation across outpatient facilities and formed partnerships with life sciences and medical device companies. After rebranding from ContextMedia Health in 2017, Outcome Health continues to innovate and aims to influence health outcomes for over 500 million patient visits annually by fostering critical conversations and improving care coordination.
Palantir Technologies develops data fusion platforms tailored for public institutions, commercial enterprises, and non-profit organizations globally. Its primary offerings include Palantir Gotham, which integrates, manages, secures, and analyzes enterprise data, and Palantir Foundry, designed for commercial applications that enhance collaboration and data analysis. The company's software aids various sectors, including government, defense, finance, and healthcare, in navigating large and complex data sets to improve operational efficiency and decision-making. Palantir's solutions address a range of critical areas such as anti-fraud, crisis response, cyber security, and healthcare delivery. Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Palo Alto, California, the company maintains strategic partnerships to enhance its service offerings.
Aurora Investment Management L.L.C., founded in 1988 and headquartered in Chicago, specializes in managing hedge fund portfolios within the alternative investments sector. The firm has developed a consistent investment philosophy and rigorous due diligence process to achieve superior investment results. Aurora caters to institutional clients and high net worth investors by offering a range of services, including fund and investor information, manager sourcing, and strategic capital investments. Additionally, the firm constructs multi-manager investment portfolios, providing tailored hedge fund solutions that incorporate various investment managers to meet the diverse needs of its clientele.
Avant, LLC operates an online marketplace lending platform that connects consumers with personal loan options for various purposes, including debt consolidation, medical expenses, and vacations. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Avant utilizes big data and machine-learning algorithms to provide a tailored experience that simplifies credit access. The company partners with banks and financial institutions to enhance its services, which include fraud verification, credit policy enforcement, and analytics. Additionally, Avant runs an institutional marketplace, allowing institutional investors to purchase loans generated through its technology. The company's services cater to customers both in the United States and internationally, with additional offices in Los Angeles and London.