500 Labs

500 Global, formerly known as 500 Startups, is a venture capital firm and incubator based in Mountain View, California, founded in 2010. The firm specializes in seed investments, primarily focusing on early-stage technology and financial services startups across various sectors, including biotech, e-commerce, fintech, and digital healthcare. 500 Global operates a four-month accelerator program, where it typically invests between $0.05 million and $1 million for a 5 to 10 percent equity stake in companies with at least $100,000 in monthly revenue. The firm targets a global market, with particular emphasis on regions such as the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Since its inception, it has invested in over 2,200 startups and supports the growth of innovation ecosystems through educational programs and partnerships. 500 Global also prioritizes investments in companies led by minority founders, reflecting its commitment to diverse entrepreneurial leadership.

Amjad Ahmad

General Partner

Chandini Ammineni

Partner

André Marcel Bally

Investor Relations Associate

Timothy Chae

Managing Partner

Amal Enan

Partner

Max Fram-Schwartz

Venture Partner

Christine Herron

Advisor

Twwo Pun Jaruthassanakul

Investment Associate

Yolanda Kim

Principal

Matt Lerner

Partner

Jon Li

Director, Investor Relations

Jasmine Liew

Investment Manager

Robert Neivert

Venture Partner

Khailee Ng

Managing Partner

Krating Poonpol Ph.D

Partner

Ruangroj Poonpol

Venture Partner

Natavudh Pungcharoenpong

Partner

Mameaw Sapprasert

Partner

Reena Sharma

Investor Relations Associate

Mike Sigal

Partner, FinTech

Sanjay Singhal

Partner, Canada

Tanya Soman

Venture Partner

Paulina Szyrmer

Head of Global Education

Pat Naranpat Thitipattakul

Investor

Christine Tsai

Co-Founder, Partner & Chief Executive Officer

Tony Wang

Managing Partner

Bedy Yang

Managing Partner

Paul Yoo

Chief Financial Officer

Past deals in Illinois

Murmur

Seed Round in 2023
Customer Data Platform helps brands to explore audiences in real-world, connect with them in real-time via car-top billboards. Using our smart car-top billboard technology, Optical AI and proprietary Wi-Fi payload, we collect data in real-time, create retargeting online ads dynamically..

Neon

Venture Round in 2021
Neon is a Brazilian fintech company established in 2016, focused on enhancing and simplifying financial experiences through technology and design. Employing over 250 individuals, Neon primarily offers a digital banking platform that allows users to manage their finances without the need for physical branches. The platform enables customers to perform various banking activities, including making payments, issuing slips, and utilizing virtual cards, all accessible via smartphones. In 2018, Neon secured 72 million reais in Series A funding from notable investors such as Propel Ventures, Monashees, and Quona, among others. To facilitate the custody and settlement of its accounts, Neon has partnered with Banco Votorantim.

Gamerjibe

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Gamerjibe is the immersive events platform for the digital generation. We offer an events platform where brands, influencers, and fans can easily organize and attend immersive and engaging 3D events. By leveraging immersion and gamification, Gamerjibe enables you to create and run your next networking event, esports watch party, or conference that participants will love and can attend from their favorite web browser, all while going easy on your budget and carbon footprint.

Ryu Games

Seed Round in 2021
Ryu Games specializes in creating and developing software that enables real-money tournaments for video games. Utilizing blockchain technology, the company facilitates these tournaments through smart contracts deployed on the NEO blockchain, ensuring that entry fees are processed transparently. This technology allows for prompt payments to both players and developers shortly after tournament completion. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Ryu Games aims to enhance the gaming experience by offering players the opportunity to compete for cash prizes.

JusticeText

Seed Round in 2020
JusticeText develops an audiovisual evidence management platform for the justice system and criminal defense attorneys. The company’s platform generates an automated transcription of the uploaded video evidence and produces fairer outcomes in the criminal justice system by expediting the review of crucial audiovisual data, including body camera footage, interrogation videos, and jail calls. It enables public defenders to process and incorporate crucial audio and video evidence in defense of their clients. The company was founded in 2019 and is based in Chicago, Illinois.

JusticeText

Seed Round in 2020
JusticeText develops an audiovisual evidence management platform for the justice system and criminal defense attorneys. The company’s platform generates an automated transcription of the uploaded video evidence and produces fairer outcomes in the criminal justice system by expediting the review of crucial audiovisual data, including body camera footage, interrogation videos, and jail calls. It enables public defenders to process and incorporate crucial audio and video evidence in defense of their clients. The company was founded in 2019 and is based in Chicago, Illinois.

Ryu Games

Seed Round in 2020
Ryu Games specializes in creating and developing software that enables real-money tournaments for video games. Utilizing blockchain technology, the company facilitates these tournaments through smart contracts deployed on the NEO blockchain, ensuring that entry fees are processed transparently. This technology allows for prompt payments to both players and developers shortly after tournament completion. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Ryu Games aims to enhance the gaming experience by offering players the opportunity to compete for cash prizes.

Fooda

Seed Round in 2020
Fooda, Inc. is a Chicago-based company that specializes in providing food delivery services to offices. Founded in 2010, Fooda connects local, regional, and national restaurants with workplace environments, offering unique meal programs that employees look forward to each day. The company facilitates on-site dining by having top-rated restaurants serve meals in office lobbies or breakrooms, while also providing catering services for corporate meetings and events. By leveraging its platform, Fooda not only supports local restaurants but also enhances the dining experience for employees, allowing them to enjoy authentic meals at work.

Fooda

Series D in 2019
Fooda, Inc. is a Chicago-based company that specializes in providing food delivery services to offices. Founded in 2010, Fooda connects local, regional, and national restaurants with workplace environments, offering unique meal programs that employees look forward to each day. The company facilitates on-site dining by having top-rated restaurants serve meals in office lobbies or breakrooms, while also providing catering services for corporate meetings and events. By leveraging its platform, Fooda not only supports local restaurants but also enhances the dining experience for employees, allowing them to enjoy authentic meals at work.

Ryu Games

Seed Round in 2019
Ryu Games specializes in creating and developing software that enables real-money tournaments for video games. Utilizing blockchain technology, the company facilitates these tournaments through smart contracts deployed on the NEO blockchain, ensuring that entry fees are processed transparently. This technology allows for prompt payments to both players and developers shortly after tournament completion. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Ryu Games aims to enhance the gaming experience by offering players the opportunity to compete for cash prizes.

Vouch

Series A in 2019
Vouch, Inc. is an insurance provider focused on delivering tailored insurance solutions for startups in the United States. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in San Francisco, the company specializes in various types of coverage, including general liability, business property, directors and officers, errors and omissions, cyber coverage, and more. Vouch also offers risk assessment services and management tools, enabling startups to effectively manage and mitigate potential risks. The company aims to simplify the process of obtaining business insurance through its digital platform, which allows clients to access customized coverage options. Vouch operates as a subsidiary of SVB Financial Group and has expanded its presence with additional offices in Chicago.

Resonado

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Resonado, Inc. specializes in designing and developing audio systems utilizing its patented Flat Core Speaker (FCS) technology. Founded in 2017 and based in South Bend, Indiana, with additional offices in San Francisco, Boston, and Anyang, South Korea, the company serves various industries, including automotive, consumer electronics, home theater, hospitality, and marine. Traditional conical speaker transducer technology has long dominated audio production, but the demand for smaller, more efficient audio components has increased significantly due to trends in product miniaturization and the proliferation of smart IoT devices. Resonado's FCS technology addresses these challenges by optimizing the internal structure of electrodynamic transducers, allowing for innovative design without sacrificing acoustic performance. The company generates revenue primarily through licensing its technology to global manufacturers across multiple sectors.

@hotel

Seed Round in 2019
TripScout, Inc. is a travel entertainment company based in Chicago, Illinois, established in 2015. It has developed an application that enables travelers to visually discover destinations through a variety of content, including articles, posts, blogs, photos, and videos contributed by influencers and publishers. The application allows users to create personalized travel itineraries by mapping relevant content, serving as an up-to-date travel guide for those eager to explore new places. TripScout aims to enhance the travel planning experience by providing a comprehensive platform tailored to the needs of modern travelers.

@hotel

Pre Seed Round in 2018
TripScout, Inc. is a travel entertainment company based in Chicago, Illinois, established in 2015. It has developed an application that enables travelers to visually discover destinations through a variety of content, including articles, posts, blogs, photos, and videos contributed by influencers and publishers. The application allows users to create personalized travel itineraries by mapping relevant content, serving as an up-to-date travel guide for those eager to explore new places. TripScout aims to enhance the travel planning experience by providing a comprehensive platform tailored to the needs of modern travelers.

Kin Insurance

Series A in 2018
Kin Insurance, Inc. is an insurance agency founded in 2016 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with additional offices in St. Petersburg, Florida. The company specializes in home insurance products, offering a range of coverage options including homeowners, mobile home, condo, flood, manufactured home, landlord, umbrella, hurricane, wildfire, and second home insurance. Kin Insurance utilizes an online platform that simplifies the application process, allowing customers to customize their policies based on thousands of property data points. This approach ensures that homeowners receive personalized and affordable coverage tailored to their specific needs. With payment processing facilities in Palatine and Chicago, Kin Insurance aims to provide a user-friendly experience while helping clients secure their assets effectively.

Clearcover

Series A in 2017
Clearcover, Inc. is a digital car insurance provider headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 2016. The company offers an online platform that enables customers to obtain automobile insurance at competitive rates. Clearcover employs an API-first approach to streamline the insurance process, allowing for an intuitive and efficient quote experience. By leveraging advanced technology and minimizing traditional advertising expenses, Clearcover is able to pass savings onto its customers while providing comprehensive coverage options. The company sells its insurance products both through agents and directly online, catering to a wide range of customer needs.

QualSights

Seed Round in 2017
QualSights is visual insights platform that provides brands, agencies, and consulting firms a dramatically faster and more affordable way to generate deeper insights at a global scale. Clients use QualSights to remotely observe and interact with consumers as they shop for, use or consume products in their natural environment; conduct video interviews or focus groups; and enhance in-person fieldwork

ConceptDrop

Seed Round in 2016
ConceptDrop, Inc. operates an online marketplace that connects businesses with a community of professional graphic designers and offers design on-demand services. The platform caters to various design needs, including PowerPoint presentations, infographics, flyers, logos, and social media images, while also providing copywriting services. By utilizing artificial intelligence, ConceptDrop helps enterprises efficiently find freelancers and build internal creative teams. This approach allows designers to earn income, collaborate with corporations, and enhance their portfolios. Originally founded as Quick2LAUNCH LLC in 2012, the company rebranded to ConceptDrop, Inc. in January 2015 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Embroker

Series A in 2016
Embroker, Inc. is a digital insurance brokerage that specializes in providing insurance services for small and mid-sized businesses. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in San Francisco, with additional offices in Chicago and Boston, the company utilizes an online platform that enables clients to buy, manage, and analyze their commercial insurance policies efficiently. This platform allows users to share, request, and track proof of coverage through digital certificates of insurance and provides tools for real-time claims tracking. Embroker offers a variety of insurance products, including Commercial General Liability, property insurance, professional liability, and employee benefits, among others. The company also facilitates peer comparison, helping clients benchmark their policies against industry standards. By combining technology with brokerage expertise, Embroker aims to simplify the insurance process and enhance value for its clients in the competitive property and casualty insurance market.

Nexus A.I.

Funding Round in 2016
Nexus A.I. provides an application software that uses Artificial Intelligence for both external and in-house staffing and team building, including freelancers according to the skills requirement, competencies, and other customizable attributes. The software curates employee skills and experience for building teams, identifying skill gaps and needs, creates staffing efficiency, aligns work with skills, tracks skill progression, enables organize teams around project-based work, and hit the target utilization rates. The company was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Mejuri

Seed Round in 2016
Mejuri Inc. manufactures and sells fine jewelry. The company offers products in various categories, including rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets and anklets, and engagement. It offers products through its showrooms, as well as online to customers in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company was founded in 1953 and is based in Toronto, Canada. It has showrooms in New York, New York; Toronto, Canada; and Chicago, Illinois.

Zero Hash

Seed Round in 2015
Zero Hash, founded in 2017 and based in Chicago, Illinois, provides a post-trade settlement utility designed to unify a fragmented market of various execution platforms. The company supports a diverse array of fiat and digital assets, allowing for the creation of any product pair. Additionally, Zero Hash incorporates on-chain settlement for digital assets, enabling independent verification of ownership through blockchain technology. This combination of features aims to enhance the efficiency and transparency of digital asset transactions in the financial ecosystem.

Telepathic

Seed Round in 2015
Telepathic, Inc., doing business as Hooked, develops a mobile reading application for young people, which presents stories as text message conversations. The company also develops AutoRap, a music application; and produces videos. Telepathic, Inc. was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Zero Hash

Seed Round in 2015
Zero Hash, founded in 2017 and based in Chicago, Illinois, provides a post-trade settlement utility designed to unify a fragmented market of various execution platforms. The company supports a diverse array of fiat and digital assets, allowing for the creation of any product pair. Additionally, Zero Hash incorporates on-chain settlement for digital assets, enabling independent verification of ownership through blockchain technology. This combination of features aims to enhance the efficiency and transparency of digital asset transactions in the financial ecosystem.

SpotHero

Series B in 2015
SpotHero Inc. provides a digital platform for reserving off-street parking in North America, aiming to alleviate urban congestion by streamlining the parking process. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with an additional office in Detroit and operations in Toronto, the company offers a mobile application and website that enable drivers to locate, compare, and book discounted parking spots. Users can easily access information about nearby parking facilities, facilitating a more efficient parking experience and reducing the time spent searching for parking. SpotHero also collaborates with mobility companies to integrate parking solutions into their services, enhancing overall convenience for users.

Embroker

Seed Round in 2015
Embroker, Inc. is a digital insurance brokerage that specializes in providing insurance services for small and mid-sized businesses. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in San Francisco, with additional offices in Chicago and Boston, the company utilizes an online platform that enables clients to buy, manage, and analyze their commercial insurance policies efficiently. This platform allows users to share, request, and track proof of coverage through digital certificates of insurance and provides tools for real-time claims tracking. Embroker offers a variety of insurance products, including Commercial General Liability, property insurance, professional liability, and employee benefits, among others. The company also facilitates peer comparison, helping clients benchmark their policies against industry standards. By combining technology with brokerage expertise, Embroker aims to simplify the insurance process and enhance value for its clients in the competitive property and casualty insurance market.

Roniin

Seed Round in 2015
Roniin is a startup studio that connects talented founders with ideas, execution, and capital to create new companies. The studio is a team of operators that work directly with the management team to co-found the next generation of industry-changing startups. They focus on and have experience in building companies that truly understand sales, that know marketing, that have great product and technology. Roniin was founded in 2015 and is based in Chicago, Illinois, United States.

Lendsquare

Seed Round in 2014
LendSquare helps people invest in small businesses in their neighborhood by lending them money. This community-focused approach has advantages over traditional sources ofcredit: it's cheaper for businesses, it strengthens community bonds, and it allows individuals to invest in places they understand and love.

Snapsheet

Series B in 2014
Snapsheet is a pioneer in virtual appraisals and a leader in cloud-native claims management software, enabling the most innovative claims organizations to deliver the best experiences for customers. With a focus on engagement, digitization, and intelligent automation, Snapsheet provides unmatched technology and processes that improve customer experience, drive greater organizational agility, and deliver transformational benefits through its Snapsheet Cloud software suite. Snapsheet leads the industry in claims innovation including the deployment of the fastest digital auto insurance claims process in the United States. As a trusted innovation partner, Snapsheet works with more than 100 clients, including many of the largest insurance carriers, third-party administrators, and insurtech and sharing economy disruptors.

SpotHero

Venture Round in 2012
SpotHero Inc. provides a digital platform for reserving off-street parking in North America, aiming to alleviate urban congestion by streamlining the parking process. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with an additional office in Detroit and operations in Toronto, the company offers a mobile application and website that enable drivers to locate, compare, and book discounted parking spots. Users can easily access information about nearby parking facilities, facilitating a more efficient parking experience and reducing the time spent searching for parking. SpotHero also collaborates with mobility companies to integrate parking solutions into their services, enhancing overall convenience for users.

eSpark

Series A in 2012
eSpark, Inc. is an educational technology company that develops iPad-based applications aimed at enhancing the learning experience for elementary school students. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Chicago, with an additional office in San Francisco, eSpark focuses on creating engaging tools that motivate students to write and provides differentiated instruction in mathematics and English Language Arts. The company's flagship product, eSpark, offers personalized learning services tailored to individual student needs. eSpark is committed to ensuring that all students, regardless of their backgrounds, have the opportunity to achieve their educational aspirations.

eSpark

Seed Round in 2011
eSpark, Inc. is an educational technology company that develops iPad-based applications aimed at enhancing the learning experience for elementary school students. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Chicago, with an additional office in San Francisco, eSpark focuses on creating engaging tools that motivate students to write and provides differentiated instruction in mathematics and English Language Arts. The company's flagship product, eSpark, offers personalized learning services tailored to individual student needs. eSpark is committed to ensuring that all students, regardless of their backgrounds, have the opportunity to achieve their educational aspirations.

FeeFighters

Seed Round in 2011
FeeFighters operates an online marketplace that simplifies the selection of credit card processing services for business owners. By allowing merchants to compare and choose from multiple bids in a reverse auction format, FeeFighters enables users to secure the best deals, often resulting in savings of approximately 40 percent on processing fees. Additionally, the company offers free tools, including a credit card processing calculator, to assist businesses in making informed financial decisions. This approach streamlines the process of finding a suitable merchant account provider, making it as straightforward as booking a flight online.

FeeFighters

Seed Round in 2010
FeeFighters operates an online marketplace that simplifies the selection of credit card processing services for business owners. By allowing merchants to compare and choose from multiple bids in a reverse auction format, FeeFighters enables users to secure the best deals, often resulting in savings of approximately 40 percent on processing fees. Additionally, the company offers free tools, including a credit card processing calculator, to assist businesses in making informed financial decisions. This approach streamlines the process of finding a suitable merchant account provider, making it as straightforward as booking a flight online.