Black Buffalo Inc., founded in 2015 and based in Chicago, Illinois, specializes in producing tobacco-free nicotine alternatives that replicate the experience of traditional smokeless tobacco products. The company offers a range of products designed to resemble popular dipping brands, providing the same look, feel, and smell without using tobacco leaves or stems. Black Buffalo's offerings are made with food-safe ingredients and pharmaceutical-grade nicotine, available in both long-cut and pouch varieties, and come in various flavors. This approach allows users to enjoy the experience of smokeless tobacco while mitigating the associated health risks.
Rise Gardens LLC is a company that specializes in indoor hydroponic gardening systems, allowing individuals to grow their own food year-round. The company offers a modular gardening system that accommodates a variety of plants, including herbs, greens, tomatoes, and microgreens. Alongside the physical gardening system, Rise Gardens provides an application that tracks the growth of plants and offers guidance on fertilization and care, enhancing the user experience. Founded in 2017 and based in Skokie, Illinois, Rise Gardens sells its products primarily through online channels, making home gardening accessible to a wider audience. Formerly known as Harvest2O, LLC, the company aims to simplify the gardening process and promote sustainable food production at home.
Catch Co. is a Chicago-based company that specializes in creating innovative fishing brands and products tailored for modern anglers. Founded in 2012, it offers a tackle discovery platform designed to help users learn about and engage with fishing. One of its key offerings is the Mystery Tackle Box, a subscription service that delivers curated fishing products directly to customers each month. By focusing on a simplified shopping experience, Catch Co. allows anglers to access essential gear—including tackle, bait, rods, and reels—at a competitive price compared to traditional retail. The company aims to transform the way fishing enthusiasts discover and purchase the gear they need, enhancing their overall fishing experience.
Catch Co. is a Chicago-based company that specializes in creating innovative fishing brands and products tailored for modern anglers. Founded in 2012, it offers a tackle discovery platform designed to help users learn about and engage with fishing. One of its key offerings is the Mystery Tackle Box, a subscription service that delivers curated fishing products directly to customers each month. By focusing on a simplified shopping experience, Catch Co. allows anglers to access essential gear—including tackle, bait, rods, and reels—at a competitive price compared to traditional retail. The company aims to transform the way fishing enthusiasts discover and purchase the gear they need, enhancing their overall fishing experience.
Factor 75 is an online platform that plans, prepares, and delivers nutritionist-designed and chef-crafted meals for its users. The company a fully-prepared meal delivery service that specializes in providing fresh, ready-to-eat meals with a focus on health and wellness. Its rotating menu of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options feature Keto, Paleo, low-carb, vegetarian, plant-based, and high protein meals that can be heated in the microwave or oven and are ready in minutes. Factor 75 only uses fresh ingredients from its trusted partners and assures that the meals are free of hormones, antibiotics, gluten, refined sugars, and GMOs. Factor is supported by leading consumer investors Listen Ventures, Bluestein Ventures, and Marcy Venture Partners Mike Apostal and Nick Wernimont founded Factor 75 in Batavia, Illinois in 2013.
Packback, Inc. is an educational technology company based in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 2014. It operates an artificial intelligence-driven platform designed to enhance online discussions in academic settings. This platform enables professors to evaluate and improve students' critical thinking skills through structured digital interactions. Packback offers two main products: PB Books, which provides online textbooks on a rental basis, and PB Questions, a digital discussion forum that fosters engagement and personalized learning. The company's innovative approach aims to make learning more engaging and effective, helping students develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for their subjects.
Developer of an education technology platform designed to teach children coding. The company's interactive coding school and educational tech platform provides a self-guided curriculum and has a kid-friendly programming language built with intuitive tools to make learning code approachable, fun, and rewarding, enabling kids to learn the art of coding through one on one interaction.
Developer of an education technology platform designed to teach children coding. The company's interactive coding school and educational tech platform provides a self-guided curriculum and has a kid-friendly programming language built with intuitive tools to make learning code approachable, fun, and rewarding, enabling kids to learn the art of coding through one on one interaction.
Here Holdings, LLC is a company based in Chicago, Illinois, that specializes in producing cold press juices, dips, and spreads using Midwest-sourced ingredients. Their product range includes a variety of juices made from combinations of fruits and vegetables, such as pineapple, celery, beet, and ginger, as well as an assortment of dips featuring flavors like black bean tomato, edamame pea sesame, and spinach mushroom. The company emphasizes values such as trust, transparency, and community in its operations, aiming to provide high-quality, healthy food options.
Interior Define Inc. is a furniture design and manufacturing company based in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 2013. The company specializes in offering customizable furniture products, including sofas, occasional chairs, beds, and dining pieces, allowing customers to tailor their selections by size, fabric, configuration, and other features. By employing a made-to-order production model, Interior Define effectively minimizes inventory costs, enabling it to provide high-quality, personalized furniture at accessible prices. Customers can explore products through an online platform that includes 360-degree views and the option to order free fabric swatches. Additionally, the company enhances the shopping experience with augmented reality tools and offers complimentary white glove delivery, a 365-day return policy, and personalized consultations at its Guideshop locations in major cities such as New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, and Austin. This combination of digital innovation and physical touchpoints allows Interior Define to deliver a comprehensive custom furniture experience to its clients.
Catch Co. is a Chicago-based company that specializes in creating innovative fishing brands and products tailored for modern anglers. Founded in 2012, it offers a tackle discovery platform designed to help users learn about and engage with fishing. One of its key offerings is the Mystery Tackle Box, a subscription service that delivers curated fishing products directly to customers each month. By focusing on a simplified shopping experience, Catch Co. allows anglers to access essential gear—including tackle, bait, rods, and reels—at a competitive price compared to traditional retail. The company aims to transform the way fishing enthusiasts discover and purchase the gear they need, enhancing their overall fishing experience.
Catch Co. is a Chicago-based company that specializes in creating innovative fishing brands and products tailored for modern anglers. Founded in 2012, it offers a tackle discovery platform designed to help users learn about and engage with fishing. One of its key offerings is the Mystery Tackle Box, a subscription service that delivers curated fishing products directly to customers each month. By focusing on a simplified shopping experience, Catch Co. allows anglers to access essential gear—including tackle, bait, rods, and reels—at a competitive price compared to traditional retail. The company aims to transform the way fishing enthusiasts discover and purchase the gear they need, enhancing their overall fishing experience.
Interior Define Inc. is a furniture design and manufacturing company based in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 2013. The company specializes in offering customizable furniture products, including sofas, occasional chairs, beds, and dining pieces, allowing customers to tailor their selections by size, fabric, configuration, and other features. By employing a made-to-order production model, Interior Define effectively minimizes inventory costs, enabling it to provide high-quality, personalized furniture at accessible prices. Customers can explore products through an online platform that includes 360-degree views and the option to order free fabric swatches. Additionally, the company enhances the shopping experience with augmented reality tools and offers complimentary white glove delivery, a 365-day return policy, and personalized consultations at its Guideshop locations in major cities such as New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, and Austin. This combination of digital innovation and physical touchpoints allows Interior Define to deliver a comprehensive custom furniture experience to its clients.
KnowledgeHound is an innovative analytics platform that focuses on enhancing how companies manage and access consumer insights. By creating a unified, searchable database for market research data, it allows research and marketing teams to efficiently locate the insights they need. The platform features advanced visualization tools and robust analytics capabilities, enabling businesses to transform raw survey data into actionable intelligence. With its cloud-based technology, KnowledgeHound promotes collaboration across various teams and geographies, ensuring that insights can be shared securely and effectively. This approach helps organizations eliminate data silos and improve their decision-making processes through better access to valuable survey information.
Remote Year, Inc. provides services for curating work and travel programs for professionals to see the world without quit their jobs. It operates a community of digital nomads from across the globe to spend a year working, traveling, and exploring cities in Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America, and South America, as well as exploring the local community through cultural tours, speaking events, and volunteer opportunities. The company provides co-working spaces, private rooms, transportation, and community activities and events. Remote Year, Inc. was founded in 2015 and is based in Dover, Delaware.
BucketFeet, Inc., based in Chicago, Illinois, is a direct-to-consumer footwear brand that specializes in artist-designed shoes for men, women, and children. Founded in 2011, the company collaborates with a global community of artists to create unique, limited-edition sneakers, with each pair featuring a different artist's design. BucketFeet operates an online platform where customers can order shoes that are printed only after they are purchased, thus reducing unnecessary environmental waste associated with traditional manufacturing cycles. In addition to footwear, the company also offers apparel such as tees, hoodies, and socks. Through its innovative approach, BucketFeet aims to foster meaningful conversations and empower artists to share their stories through the medium of shoes, serving as a canvas for diverse artistic expression. As of late 2017, BucketFeet operates as a subsidiary of SkinnyCorp, LLC.
KnowledgeHound is an innovative analytics platform that focuses on enhancing how companies manage and access consumer insights. By creating a unified, searchable database for market research data, it allows research and marketing teams to efficiently locate the insights they need. The platform features advanced visualization tools and robust analytics capabilities, enabling businesses to transform raw survey data into actionable intelligence. With its cloud-based technology, KnowledgeHound promotes collaboration across various teams and geographies, ensuring that insights can be shared securely and effectively. This approach helps organizations eliminate data silos and improve their decision-making processes through better access to valuable survey information.
Packback, Inc. is an educational technology company based in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 2014. It operates an artificial intelligence-driven platform designed to enhance online discussions in academic settings. This platform enables professors to evaluate and improve students' critical thinking skills through structured digital interactions. Packback offers two main products: PB Books, which provides online textbooks on a rental basis, and PB Questions, a digital discussion forum that fosters engagement and personalized learning. The company's innovative approach aims to make learning more engaging and effective, helping students develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for their subjects.
Raise Marketplace Inc. operates an online platform for buying and selling gift cards, allowing users to convert unused cards into cash and purchase discounted gift cards from various brands and categories. The company collaborates with over 600 national brands to enhance customer loyalty and engagement while providing savings and rewards through its Raise Pay service. Since its inception in 2010, Raise has helped millions of members save over $200 million. Additionally, the company offers rZero, a risk minimization service aimed at preventing digital fraud, including account takeovers and counterfeit activities. Based in Chicago, Illinois, Raise is accessible on both iOS and Android devices, as well as through its website.
Packback, Inc. is an educational technology company based in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 2014. It operates an artificial intelligence-driven platform designed to enhance online discussions in academic settings. This platform enables professors to evaluate and improve students' critical thinking skills through structured digital interactions. Packback offers two main products: PB Books, which provides online textbooks on a rental basis, and PB Questions, a digital discussion forum that fosters engagement and personalized learning. The company's innovative approach aims to make learning more engaging and effective, helping students develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for their subjects.
BucketFeet, Inc., based in Chicago, Illinois, is a direct-to-consumer footwear brand that specializes in artist-designed shoes for men, women, and children. Founded in 2011, the company collaborates with a global community of artists to create unique, limited-edition sneakers, with each pair featuring a different artist's design. BucketFeet operates an online platform where customers can order shoes that are printed only after they are purchased, thus reducing unnecessary environmental waste associated with traditional manufacturing cycles. In addition to footwear, the company also offers apparel such as tees, hoodies, and socks. Through its innovative approach, BucketFeet aims to foster meaningful conversations and empower artists to share their stories through the medium of shoes, serving as a canvas for diverse artistic expression. As of late 2017, BucketFeet operates as a subsidiary of SkinnyCorp, LLC.
Gesture, LLC operates an online mobile fundraising platform tailored for charities, nonprofits, schools, churches, and political organizations. Founded in 2011 and based in Westmont, Illinois, Gesture specializes in mobile bidding, which allows guests to participate in silent auctions via their smartphones, thereby enhancing fundraising efforts. The platform offers a suite of services including guest management, online ticketing, expedited check-in and checkout processes, direct donations, and real-time dashboards that track user engagement and revenue. Gesture's solutions are designed to streamline the organization of various fundraising events, from school auctions to elegant galas, ensuring clients can maximize revenue through efficient management of live and silent auctions. The company's mobile auction software is user-friendly and PCI-compliant, allowing participants to use their personal devices without needing additional equipment. Gesture's team of experts supports clients throughout the event lifecycle, from registration to post-event reporting, helping them achieve their fundraising goals effectively.
Raise Marketplace Inc. operates an online platform for buying and selling gift cards, allowing users to convert unused cards into cash and purchase discounted gift cards from various brands and categories. The company collaborates with over 600 national brands to enhance customer loyalty and engagement while providing savings and rewards through its Raise Pay service. Since its inception in 2010, Raise has helped millions of members save over $200 million. Additionally, the company offers rZero, a risk minimization service aimed at preventing digital fraud, including account takeovers and counterfeit activities. Based in Chicago, Illinois, Raise is accessible on both iOS and Android devices, as well as through its website.
Factor 75 is an online platform that plans, prepares, and delivers nutritionist-designed and chef-crafted meals for its users. The company a fully-prepared meal delivery service that specializes in providing fresh, ready-to-eat meals with a focus on health and wellness. Its rotating menu of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options feature Keto, Paleo, low-carb, vegetarian, plant-based, and high protein meals that can be heated in the microwave or oven and are ready in minutes. Factor 75 only uses fresh ingredients from its trusted partners and assures that the meals are free of hormones, antibiotics, gluten, refined sugars, and GMOs. Factor is supported by leading consumer investors Listen Ventures, Bluestein Ventures, and Marcy Venture Partners Mike Apostal and Nick Wernimont founded Factor 75 in Batavia, Illinois in 2013.
*Tastebud Techologies, Inc. was formerly StyleSeek, Inc.* Tastebud builds mobile experiences that personalize the world around you. The Tastebud Retail platform helps drive sales at brick-and-mortar shopping centers via personalized offers, games, loyalty programs, and beacon technology. We've delighted millions of users nationwide, and are fortunate to work with hundreds of leading retailers and brands.
Raise Marketplace Inc. operates an online platform for buying and selling gift cards, allowing users to convert unused cards into cash and purchase discounted gift cards from various brands and categories. The company collaborates with over 600 national brands to enhance customer loyalty and engagement while providing savings and rewards through its Raise Pay service. Since its inception in 2010, Raise has helped millions of members save over $200 million. Additionally, the company offers rZero, a risk minimization service aimed at preventing digital fraud, including account takeovers and counterfeit activities. Based in Chicago, Illinois, Raise is accessible on both iOS and Android devices, as well as through its website.
*Tastebud Techologies, Inc. was formerly StyleSeek, Inc.* Tastebud builds mobile experiences that personalize the world around you. The Tastebud Retail platform helps drive sales at brick-and-mortar shopping centers via personalized offers, games, loyalty programs, and beacon technology. We've delighted millions of users nationwide, and are fortunate to work with hundreds of leading retailers and brands.
Spartz is an online platform that makes it easy to create and share content with others to make them learn, laugh, and feel inspired. Its network, including OMG Facts, GivesMeHope, and MuggleNet, attracts 17 million readers across dozens of websites, mobile platforms, and apps. The company was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
FanFueled operates a social marketing platform that utilizes patented "ROI" Technology, designed to track and reward consumer influence beyond traditional referral limits. This peer-to-peer loyalty system incentivizes users to share their purchases with friends, enhancing overall fan engagement and creating new revenue streams for brands. By leveraging real-time data analytics, FanFueled enables brands to connect with their customers more effectively, fostering sustainable digital communities. The platform not only authenticates consumer interactions but also rewards them for the additional purchases that arise from their social sharing, transforming fans into active promoters.
Raise Marketplace Inc. operates an online platform for buying and selling gift cards, allowing users to convert unused cards into cash and purchase discounted gift cards from various brands and categories. The company collaborates with over 600 national brands to enhance customer loyalty and engagement while providing savings and rewards through its Raise Pay service. Since its inception in 2010, Raise has helped millions of members save over $200 million. Additionally, the company offers rZero, a risk minimization service aimed at preventing digital fraud, including account takeovers and counterfeit activities. Based in Chicago, Illinois, Raise is accessible on both iOS and Android devices, as well as through its website.
FanGo Software Systems specializes in mobile ordering technology solutions, focusing on enhancing the fan experience at sporting events. The company offers a mobile application that enables attendees to conveniently order concessions and merchandise directly from their seats, eliminating the need to stand in long lines. This m-commerce solution is accessible through various platforms, including the iPhone app store, Blackberry World Store, and Windows mobile. By streamlining the ordering process, FanGo aims to improve customer satisfaction and operational efficiency at venues.