Venture Investors

Venture Investors, LLC is a venture capital firm based in Madison, Wisconsin, with additional offices in Ann Arbor and Milwaukee. Established in 1982, the firm specializes in seed, early-stage, and growth-stage financing, particularly targeting the healthcare and technology sectors. It invests in a range of areas including biotechnology, diagnostics, therapeutics, and medical devices, as well as in agriculture, clean technology, and engineering. The firm is particularly focused on opportunities arising from university technology transfer, leveraging its connections with research institutions in the Midwest. Venture Investors typically makes initial investments ranging from $0.25 million to $2.5 million, with lifetime investments between $5 million and $8 million. The firm aims to be the lead investor, preferring to invest in preferred stock or debt with warrant coverage, and generally holds its investments for five to seven years until an exit occurs through an initial public offering or sale. With over $200 million in assets under management, Venture Investors is dedicated to nurturing innovative ideas that advance health and wellness.

Jim Adox

Executive Managing Director

James R. Adox

Executive Managing Director

David Arnstein

CFO

Martin C. Bear

Member of Advisory Board

Scott Button

Managing Director

John Neis

Managing Director

Weiss, Paul M. K.

Managing Director

Past deals in Michigan

SkySpecs

Series C in 2019
SkySpecs automates the inspection, diagnostics, and maintenance of utility scale wind turbines with custom autonomous drones. The company develops an affordable form of energy, through the use of an automated drone inspection service and analytics platform that allows for repeatability, high-quality data, and safer inspections. SkySpecs was founded on 2012 and is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

SkySpecs

Series B in 2018
SkySpecs automates the inspection, diagnostics, and maintenance of utility scale wind turbines with custom autonomous drones. The company develops an affordable form of energy, through the use of an automated drone inspection service and analytics platform that allows for repeatability, high-quality data, and safer inspections. SkySpecs was founded on 2012 and is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

SkySpecs

Series A in 2015
SkySpecs automates the inspection, diagnostics, and maintenance of utility scale wind turbines with custom autonomous drones. The company develops an affordable form of energy, through the use of an automated drone inspection service and analytics platform that allows for repeatability, high-quality data, and safer inspections. SkySpecs was founded on 2012 and is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Delphinus Medical Technologies develops, commercializes, sells, and services the breast cancer screening solutions to hospitals and imaging clinics in the United States and internationally. It commercializes SoftVue, a three-dimensional and tomographic ultrasound imaging and risk assessment device that examines women's breasts for the presence of benign and/or malignant masses, assesses breast cancer risks, diagnoses breast diseases, and monitors therapy. The company was founded in 2009 and is based in Detroit, Michigan.

NeuMoDx Molecular

Series B in 2014
NeuMoDx Molecular, Inc. is a molecular diagnostics company focused on developing solutions for molecular diagnostic testing in hospital and clinical reference laboratories. Established in 2012 and based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the company was formerly known as Molecular Systems Corporation before rebranding in April 2013. As of September 2020, NeuMoDx operates as a subsidiary of QIAGEN N.V. Its innovative products aim to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of molecular testing, contributing to better patient outcomes in various healthcare settings.

UpTo

Series A in 2014
UpTo is a modern calendar that gives a more complete view of everything coming up that matters without the clutter. It creates a beautiful web calendar for their business or organization. The platform brings calendar to life and allows them to easily add events, without an IT department. Add events through an online account and watch them sync seamlessly across UpTo's mobile app and web calendars. Upto was established in 2011 and is based in Detroit, Michigan, United States.
Tissue Regeneration Systems Inc. is a start-up medical device company that commercializes a skeletal reconstruction and bone regeneration technology platform licensed from the Universities of Michigan and Wisconsin. Its technology platform is suited for various clinical applications in craniomaxillofacial surgery, orthopedic surgery, spine fusion surgery, and bone growth factor delivery markets. The company was incorporated in 2005 and is based in Plymouth, Michigan with an additional office in Kirkland, Washington. It has a research facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

UpTo

Series A in 2013
UpTo is a modern calendar that gives a more complete view of everything coming up that matters without the clutter. It creates a beautiful web calendar for their business or organization. The platform brings calendar to life and allows them to easily add events, without an IT department. Add events through an online account and watch them sync seamlessly across UpTo's mobile app and web calendars. Upto was established in 2011 and is based in Detroit, Michigan, United States.

BlueWillow Biologics

Series C in 2012
BlueWillow Biologics is a privately-held biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing intranasal vaccines, based on its patented nanotechnology platform. The company was originally founded as NanoBio Corporation, a spin-off from the Center for Biologic Nanotechnology at the University of Michigan, and was initially focused on developing nano-scale dermatology applications. Based on promising research generated under several Gates Foundation and NIH contracts, the company underwent a strategic “pivot” in 2016–17 to refocus its nanotechnology platform on the development of intranasal vaccines for respiratory and sexually transmitted diseases.

BlueWillow Biologics

Series B in 2009
BlueWillow Biologics is a privately-held biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing intranasal vaccines, based on its patented nanotechnology platform. The company was originally founded as NanoBio Corporation, a spin-off from the Center for Biologic Nanotechnology at the University of Michigan, and was initially focused on developing nano-scale dermatology applications. Based on promising research generated under several Gates Foundation and NIH contracts, the company underwent a strategic “pivot” in 2016–17 to refocus its nanotechnology platform on the development of intranasal vaccines for respiratory and sexually transmitted diseases.
Tissue Regeneration Systems Inc. is a start-up medical device company that commercializes a skeletal reconstruction and bone regeneration technology platform licensed from the Universities of Michigan and Wisconsin. Its technology platform is suited for various clinical applications in craniomaxillofacial surgery, orthopedic surgery, spine fusion surgery, and bone growth factor delivery markets. The company was incorporated in 2005 and is based in Plymouth, Michigan with an additional office in Kirkland, Washington. It has a research facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Incept

Series A in 2007
Incept BioSystems develops innovative microscale technologies that provide fertility specialists breakthrough capabilities to treat infertility. Our technologies improve the in vitro manipulation, performance, and viability of high-value cells, and our mission is to set the standard for next-generation clinical devices for the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) laboratory. Like many specialized cells, human embryos typically behave much differently while in vitro than they would in the body, and this performance gap can limit their developmental growth and potentially their viability. Incept’s System for Microfluidic Assisted Reproductive Technology (SMART) platform is the first to deliver unique control of in vitro cell culture environments so that fertility specialists can offer patients new hope in starting a family.