Serra Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Champaign, Illinois. Founded in 2008, it invests in technology companies at early and growth stages across the United States, with select international activity, focusing on information technology, deep technology, instrumentation, devices, B2B software as a service, and agricultural technologies.

Service Provider Capital is a Colorado-based venture capital firm founded in 2014 that funds seed-stage technology companies across domains such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, cybersecurity, fintech, e-commerce, education technology, hardware, robotics, information technology, health tech, and cannabis. The firm also co-invests in Series A rounds led by institutional venture funds, providing capital and guidance to startups in the United States, including the Midwest and Southeast regions.

Hyde Park Angels is a Chicago-based angel investor group that focuses on seed and early-stage investments across technology, healthcare, financial services, and consumer and industrial sectors, with a regional emphasis on the Midwest. Founded in 2007, the firm combines capital with a broad professional network and operating expertise to support portfolio companies through early growth, providing both financial backing and strategic guidance.

Hyde Park Venture Partners is an Illinois headquartered venture capital firm established in 2011 that concentrates on early stage technology companies in the Midwest. With offices in Chicago and Indianapolis, the firm backs seed and Series A rounds in software, SaaS, marketplaces and tech enabled services. Hyde Park Venture Partners emphasizes hands on support, mentoring portfolio companies in product development, business strategy and fundraising, often collaborating with Hyde Park Angels on investments. The firm operates as a registered investment adviser and aims to help high growth startups scale from inception through early growth within the Midwest ecosystem.

Chicago Ventures is a Chicago-based venture capital firm focused on seed- and early-stage technology companies in the Midwest. Founded in 2011, it backs startups across software, supply chain and logistics, fintech, healthcare, consumer media, data management, proptech, mobility, and enterprise tools, with initial investments typically USD 0.25 million to USD 1 million. The firm partners with entrepreneurs to build enduring companies in undercapitalized ecosystems and is registered as an investment adviser (RIA).

M25 is a Chicago-based venture capital firm focused on the Midwest. Founded in 2015, it backs pre-seed and seed-stage technology companies headquartered in the Midwest and Great Lakes region, and has invested in more than 90 startups across numerous cities and states. Led by Victor Gutwein and Mike Asem, M25 employs an analytical, collaborative approach to portfolio-building across software, information technology and other tech-enabled sectors. The firm aims to support the regional startup ecosystem by providing early-stage capital and guidance to founders as they scale their businesses.

7wire Ventures is a venture capital firm founded in 2011 and based in Chicago. It focuses on early-stage investments in digital health, healthcare IT, mobile and technology-enabled services in the United States. The firm seeks to back companies that disrupt traditional approaches and provides funding along with operating guidance to help turn innovative ideas into scalable businesses. By combining capital with hands-on support and industry insight, 7wire Ventures aims to accelerate the development of digital health solutions and related technologies, guiding portfolio companies from early stages toward growth opportunities and lasting impact.

Alumni Ventures Group is a venture capital firm based in Manchester, New Hampshire, established in 2013. It targets individual accredited investors who previously had limited access to venture capital by enabling alumni from top entrepreneurial schools to invest together in ventures led by fellow alumni. The firm backs companies with an alumni connection and an institutional lead investor with sector expertise. It offers focused funds that provide accredited investors access to a diversified venture portfolio by type, sector, stage, and geography. The organization engages in seed, early-stage, and late-stage pre-IPO investments across technology, consumer, financial services, health care, life sciences, and other sectors.

Cleveland Avenue is a venture capital firm based in Chicago, established in 2015, that makes investments across seed-stage through growth-stage rounds in food and beverage companies, lifestyle consumer brands, AgTech, and technology.

OCA Ventures is a Chicago-based venture capital firm founded in 1999 that makes early-stage equity investments in technology-driven companies in the United States and Canada. The firm concentrates on software and information technology-enabled businesses, including consumer software, enterprise software, fintech, and digital health, with a preference for companies demonstrating dramatic growth potential and scalable models. By backing startups at seed to early-growth stages, OCA Ventures aims to support firms developing innovative software solutions and technology-enabled services across industries, including healthcare technology systems and financial services. The team seeks partnerships with entrepreneurs building scalable platforms and differentiated products, leveraging its regional presence and sector focus to add operational and strategic value.

Jump Capital is a venture capital firm based in Chicago and New York that makes seed and Series A investments in data-driven technology companies. It focuses on FinTech, B2B SaaS, IT and data infrastructure, and media, and backs opportunities across sectors including B2B, B2C, financial services, healthcare, information technology, AI and big data, cybersecurity, cloud, e-commerce, IoT, and education technology in the United States. The firm provides hands-on support through an operating platform and institutional resources to help entrepreneurs, partnering with management teams that benefit from real-world operating experience. Typical initial investment checks are between $2 million and $10 million.

FJ Labs is a New York-based venture capital firm founded in 2015 by Fabrice Grinda. It is stage-agnostic and focuses on marketplaces and consumer-facing startups, making seed and Series A investments. Typical checks range from 50,000 to 5,000,000 dollars. The firm supports early-stage companies across sectors such as e-commerce, fintech, ad tech, mobile, and software-as-a-service, seeking opportunities with high growth potential in the United States and internationally. Its portfolio includes a mix of consumer brands and marketplace platforms, reflecting an emphasis on business models that connect buyers and sellers or enable direct consumer experiences. FJ Labs aims to back entrepreneurs building scalable, disruptively positioned products and services, often partnering with founders early in their development to help accelerate growth.

Capital Midwest Fund is a venture capital firm based in Mequon, Wisconsin, that backs early-stage companies in the Midwest across sectors such as advanced manufacturing, life sciences, healthcare, B2B and business services, software and SaaS, information technology and IoT, and energy. The firm concentrates on Midwest investments, with Wisconsin as a primary focus, and targets initial investments typically in the low to mid single-digit millions per company. It also pursues ESG and diversity-inclusion related investments as part of its strategy.

Math Venture Partners is a Chicago-based venture capital firm founded in 2014 that invests in early to middle-stage technology companies in the United States and Canada. It targets sectors such as e-commerce, hardware-enabled software, marketplaces, software as a service, tech-enabled services, software and information technology, healthcare technology systems, ad tech, and IT services. The firm emphasizes a hands-on, partnership approach with entrepreneurs, seeking coachable teams with a strong customer acquisition focus, and has helped portfolio companies scale to successful exits.

TechNexus Venture Collaborative is a Chicago-based venture platform that brings together corporations and entrepreneurs to create new business models, products, and scalable market access. The initiative combines capital investment, incubation, and collaboration to accelerate opportunities, connecting leading companies with hundreds of startups since its founding in 2007 and earning a reputation as one of the most active venture investors in the United States. The organization targets investments across sectors including audio and consumer electronics, B2B software, health and wellness, manufacturing, marine and outdoor recreation, media production, mobility, and retail.

Lightbank is a Chicago-based venture capital firm founded in 2010 that concentrates on early-stage technology startups. It makes investments in pre-seed, seed and Series A rounds across sectors including artificial intelligence, software, fintech, consumer, enterprise, healthcare, and climate technology, backing a diverse portfolio of companies and helping entrepreneurs scale their businesses.

SOSV is a global venture capital firm based in Princeton, New Jersey, founded in 1995, that focuses on seed to growth investments in deep technology across health, environmental tech, hardware, robotics, and cross border software, with a particular emphasis on Asia. The company runs accelerator style startup development programs, including HAX and IndieBio, which provide facilities, engineering resources, and lab equipment to help founders accelerate product development, acquire customers, and attract later stage funding. SOSV pursues a limited number of high potential startups, offering extensive hands on support to speed commercialization and scale, and aims to back innovations that improve human and planetary health.

IllinoisVENTURES is a private equity firm founded in 2002 that targets seed to early-stage investments in technologies, life sciences and physical sciences companies in the United States.

Founded in 2016, Dipalo Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Chicago, Illinois. It focuses on investing in deep tech sectors such as connected devices, advanced manufacturing, medical technology, energy, and climate-related innovations.

Origin Ventures is a Chicago-based early-stage venture capital firm founded in 1999. It invests in software, online marketplaces and digital content companies with potential for rapid growth, often supporting them after achieving product-market fit. The team comprises former operators and engineers with hands-on venture experience, and the firm is noted for strong realized performance, ranking among the top 5% of U.S. venture capital firms. Typical initial investments range from several hundred thousand to several million dollars, reflecting a flexible approach to seed and Series A rounds. The firm backs portfolio companies across sectors such as electrification, labor, autonomy and robotics, commerce and logistics, AI-native software, and related infrastructure.

G Squared is a Chicago-based venture capital investment firm founded in 2011. The firm backs companies across B2B and B2C sectors, including software, fintech, insurtech, mobility, SaaS, IoT, e-commerce and data technologies, with a broad focus on growth and technology-enabled services. It aims to support private companies as they stay private longer by providing both primary capital to fuel growth and transitional capital to facilitate liquidity for early investors, employees and other sellers. G Squared partners with portfolio companies throughout their lifecycle, adopting a differentiated approach from traditional venture firms. The firm has backed well-known consumer and enterprise platforms such as 23andMe, Coursera, Instacart, Lyft, Pinterest and Spotify, along with next-generation disruptors like Asana, Blend, Brex, Capsule, Flexport, Impossible Foods, Toast and Turo.

Listen Ventures is a Chicago-based venture capital firm founded in 2010 that backs seed and early-stage consumer-focused technology and goods companies in the United States. The firm concentrates on supporting early-stage brands and operates as a registered investment adviser.

Robert W. Baird & Co. is an employee-owned financial services firm offering wealth management, capital markets, asset management and private equity capabilities. Founded in 1919 and headquartered in Milwaukee, it provides advisory and investment banking services, asset management and private equity solutions to individual, institutional and municipal clients, and operates through offices and affiliates in the United States, Europe and Asia, with a focus on growth-oriented lower- and middle-market companies.

S2G Investments is a multi-stage investment firm that targets venture and growth-stage companies in food and agriculture, oceans, and energy sectors. It provides capital to businesses shaping the future of food systems and energy resources and supports entrepreneurs and leadership teams with market-driven solutions intended to deliver greater value, improved results, and superior performance relative to conventional options.

IrishAngels is an angel group and early-stage venture firm based in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 2012. It funds pre-seed and seed startups across the United States and leverages an active network to help portfolio companies grow. Its investment focus includes software and technology-enabled sectors such as B2B SaaS, consumer products, and medical technology, with interests extending to artificial intelligence and machine learning, fintech, e-commerce, health tech, edtech, IoT, mobility, cleantech, climate tech, real estate tech, and related areas.

General Catalyst is a venture capital firm founded in 2000 that provides early-stage and growth equity investments in technology companies. It supports portfolio companies with momentum and mentorship to accelerate growth toward long-term success and typically engages across seed to growth stages, potentially taking minority or majority stakes. The firm targets a broad range of sectors enabled by software and technology, including consumer, enterprise, fintech, crypto, healthcare IT, and related areas, and maintains a multi-region presence with offices in North America and Europe to back companies as they scale globally.

Impact Engine is a Chicago-based venture capital and private equity investment firm that backs companies delivering positive social and environmental impact. The firm focuses on sectors including education, health and healthcare, economic empowerment, environmental sustainability, water, waste, energy, and healthcare, seeking opportunities that generate meaningful societal benefits.

Sandalphon Capital is a Chicago-based venture capital firm founded in 2016 that concentrates on early-stage investments across the United States, with a focus on Chicago and the Midwest. It backs tech-enabled businesses in real estate technology and proptech, fintech, insurtech, regtech, healthcare IT and tech-enabled healthcare services, as well as B2B SaaS, IoT and hardware with recurring revenue. The firm seeks strong management teams and scalable, high-margin revenue models, and pursues opportunities in underserved regional markets, including opportunistic deals in New York and other markets.

First Analysis is a Chicago-based venture capital and private equity firm founded in 1981 that focuses on early-stage and growth investments across the United States. The firm concentrates on healthcare and technology sectors, including software and information technology, and also engages with services and related fields. It supports portfolio companies with strategic guidance, including management recruitment, sales and marketing, and corporate development, helping them become profitable leaders in large markets. Typical investments are in the mid-sized range and can be structured as lead investments or as part of a value-added syndicate with shared perspective. The firm maintains a long operating history and is known for its deep industry research in healthcare and technology to inform investment decisions.

Lightspeed Venture Partners is a global venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, California, with additional offices in Beijing, Shanghai, New Delhi, and Israel. The firm backs early and growth stage start-ups across sectors such as enterprise software, consumer technology, fintech, healthtech, cleantech, and information technology, and pursues opportunities in the United States, Asia, and Israel. It funds a broad range of rounds, including seed, early, later, and expansion, and also provides debt financing for start-ups and growth companies. Lightspeed focuses on helping entrepreneurs scale through capital, strategic guidance, and operational support, and maintains a diversified portfolio across enterprise, consumer, big data, mobile, and internet-enabled sectors.

Founded in 2000, Illinois Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on seed and early-stage technology investments. It specializes in research-derived companies across information technologies, physical sciences, life sciences, energy, device physics, advanced materials, biotechnology, medical devices, homeland security, and software.

New Enterprise Associates is a U.S.-based venture capital firm founded in 1977 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California. It invests in technology and healthcare companies across stages and geographies, supporting startups from seed to growth. The firm operates globally with investments in the United States, Asia, and Brazil among others, and has a long track record of portfolio IPOs and acquisitions. It has over $19 billion in cumulative committed capital.

New Stack Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 2015. It targets pre-seed and seed investments, typically committing between $300,000 and $2 million to startups. The firm backs companies across sectors such as B2B software as a service (SaaS), fintech, healthcare, ecommerce, legacy industrials, manufacturing, construction, and logistics.

Evergreen Climate Innovations is a Midwest-focused nonprofit organization that provides catalytic capital and strategic support to climate technology startups. Formerly Clean Energy Trust, it funds and mentors early-stage ventures to accelerate the development and deployment of climate solutions across the Greater Midwest. The organization aligns philanthropic and corporate contributions through its 501vc investment fund and builds an ecosystem of investors, donors, and collaborators to broaden access to innovation and deliver environmental, economic, and social impact.

Revolution is a Washington, D.C.-based investment firm founded in 2005 by Steve Case. It partners with entrepreneurs to build technology-enabled businesses, investing across stages from early-stage to growth, with a focus on innovating traditional industries. The firm operates a family of funds, including Revolution Ventures and Revolution Growth, and emphasizes geographic diversification via initiatives such as Rise of the Rest Seed Funds to support startups in high-potential regions. Its teams pursue opportunities in consumer internet, media and entertainment, software and services, healthcare IT, financial services, energy, and other technology-enabled sectors across the United States. The firm frequently leads early rounds and may take board seats to help portfolio companies scale.

Corazon Capital is a Chicago-based venture capital firm that focuses on seed and Series A investments in technology companies across the United States. Founded in 2014, the firm combines investing experience with operating know-how to provide pragmatic, actionable guidance to the entrepreneurs it supports. It emphasizes a collaborative approach, encouraging the inclusion of both financial and operating investors in syndicates, and leverages deep operating knowledge and a broad ecosystem reach inside and outside Chicago. The principals bring extensive startup and growth experience, including founding companies, leading exits, and guiding acquisitions, positioning Corazon to help early-stage founders scale. The firm targets information technology, big data, mobile, and IoT sectors and seeks to back capable teams with a proven ability to execute.

Second Century Ventures is a Chicago-based venture capital firm focused on real estate technology and related software and data-enabled services. Established in 2009, the firm backs early to mid-stage companies across North America, Europe, and the Middle East, with investments spanning real estate tech, software-as-a-service, big data, digital media, fintech, and business services. It operates as a fund backed by the National Association of Realtors, providing portfolio companies with strategic resources and a broad industry network through NAR’s extensive membership and industry expertise.

Network Ventures is a Chicago-based venture capital firm founded in 2016 that provides seed-stage investment to companies operating in the internet and technology sectors.

Nameless Ventures is a Chicago-based early-stage technology investor focused on seed to Series A rounds. Founded in 2017, it draws on the experience of its founders and investors to support startups in the information technology sector, providing hands-on guidance, operational support, and resources to help founders grow and navigate early growth.

8VC is a technology and life sciences investment firm based in San Francisco that partners with founders to develop transformational technologies. The firm aims to create long-term economic and societal value through its investments, spanning healthcare, energy, consumer goods, financial services, infrastructure, information technology, manufacturing, enterprise, logistics, defense, and other sectors. By backing ambitious teams and providing strategic support, 8VC seeks to enable industry transformation and global innovation.

Method Capital is a Chicago-based venture capital firm founded in 2015 that focuses on growth-stage investments in B2B technology companies, primarily in the Midwest, with investment sizes typically ranging from $1 million to $10 million and an ideal amount around $5 million.

First Trust Capital Partners is a venture capital investment firm based in Wheaton, Illinois. Founded in 2005, it concentrates on investing in companies in financial services and healthcare technology, with broader activity in technology and business services sectors.

Bluestein Ventures is a Chicago-based venture capital firm that backs ventures shaping the future of food. It invests across the full food value chain in both consumer and business-to-business models, with a focus on four areas: high-growth consumer brands, proprietary foodtech, next-gen commerce, and value-add digital technology. The firm seeks defensible brands, services, technologies, and platforms led by entrepreneurial teams that are innovative, nimble, and capable of transforming the industry.

Citigroup is a diversified financial services company providing a broad range of financial products and services to consumers, corporations, governments, and institutions worldwide. It operates through two main segments: Global Consumer Banking, which includes retail banking, Citi-branded cards, and consumer finance, and Institutional Clients Group, which covers wholesale banking, investment banking, fixed income and equity sales and trading, foreign exchange, prime brokerage, research, corporate lending, cash management, trade finance, and securities services. The company maintains a global footprint across regions including Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North and Latin America, and emphasizes sustainability and social responsibility initiatives.

Moderne Ventures is a Chicago-based strategic venture capital and growth equity firm founded in 2015. It is a generalist investor with vertical expertise in enterprise software as a service, artificial intelligence, robotics, deep tech, sustainability, data, and digital transaction management, targeting technology companies that can apply to real estate, mortgage, finance, insurance, and home services. The firm backs seed, early-stage, and Series B companies and typically makes investments in the range of a few hundred thousand to several million dollars. It also operates an industry immersion accelerator to foster innovation and collaboration between industry partners and startups, and runs the Moderne Passport program to support growth and partnerships across sectors.

Bessemer Venture Partners is a global venture capital firm founded in 1911 and headquartered in Redwood City, California. It backs startups across seed to growth stages, focusing on software, cloud, cybersecurity, fintech, consumer and healthcare technologies, and high-growth business models. The firm operates internationally, supporting portfolio companies from early product development through scale, and has backed well-known names such as Pinterest, Shopify, Twilio, Yelp, LinkedIn, Wix and others. BVP emphasizes helping founders establish durable foundations and guides companies through multiple growth phases, leveraging hands-on operational support, strategic networks, and cross-border expertise. With a diversified approach that includes consumer, enterprise and deep-tech investments, the firm seeks to build lasting companies that matter across global markets.

Earth Foundry is a Chicago-based venture capital firm focused on early-stage cleantech and energy startups. It invests in sectors such as energy technology, water, waste, mobility, and agriculture and prefers to support companies aiming to scale with the help of strategic partnerships with energy players. The firm provides capital along with collaborative tools and relationships to help bring innovative ideas to market.

OSF HealthCare is a not-for-profit Catholic health care system based in Peoria, Illinois, serving Illinois and Michigan. Founded in 1877, it operates eight acute care facilities, two colleges of nursing, and a primary care network with over 600 physicians and advanced practice providers. The system owns OSF Saint Francis Inc. and OSF Home Care Services, and supports OSF Healthcare Foundation. It spans facilities in Illinois and Michigan, delivering comprehensive, integrated care to more than 2.5 million people. Guided by values such as justice, compassion, integrity, teamwork, employee well-being, stewardship and leadership, OSF HealthCare pursues compassionate care aligned with Catholic ethical principles.

Threshold Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, California. The firm pursues a high-conviction investment strategy and partners with entrepreneurs to build and scale innovative software, consumer, enterprise, and healthcare technology companies, providing capital and strategic support to help startups reach product-market fit and accelerate growth.

MK Capital is a United States-based venture capital and private equity firm founded in 2003. It concentrates on early and growth-stage technology companies, focusing on software and other technology-enabled sectors and primarily targets opportunities in the U.S. market. The firm provides strategic capital, deep operating expertise, and hands-on collaboration, including active board participation to help portfolio companies scale. MK Capital operates from multiple offices in the Chicago area and on the West Coast, including Northbrook, Deerfield, Ann Arbor, and Santa Monica, reflecting a broad regional footprint. By partnering with management teams on strategy, operations, and technology, the firm aims to accelerate growth for disruptive B2B software and related technology businesses.