Next Level Ventures is a venture capital investment firm based in Des Moines, Iowa, established in 2013. The firm provides capital across seed, startup, early venture, and growth stages to technology-enabled companies, with a focus on ag-tech, software as a service, artificial intelligence and machine learning, technology, media, telecommunications, health tech, and fintech. It pursues opportunities primarily in Iowa and supports portfolio companies for two to five years, often taking minority stakes. Typical investments range from half a million to five million dollars, with capacity for larger transactions through investment partners. The firm seeks to add value through board participation and strategic guidance, and it operates as a registered investment adviser.

Ag Startup Engine is a venture capital firm based in Ames, Iowa, founded in 2015. It concentrates on seed- and early-stage investments in agriculture technology and related sectors, including robotics and drones, SaaS, financial technology, precision agriculture, animal health, livestock automation and clean technology, with a Midwest emphasis. The firm also supports agricultural startups in Iowa and the broader region by providing mentorship from successful regional entrepreneurs, addressing gaps in early seed funding and access to experienced guidance.

Founded in 2019, ISA Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It supports Iowa-based companies across multiple growth stages—early, expansion, and later stages—focusing on sectors such as biotechnology, healthcare and medical technologies; education technologies; engineering and automation; agriculture, food and bioprocessing; insurance and finance technologies; transportation and logistics; agtech, edtech, food tech, health tech, insurtech, and information technology.

Ag Ventures Alliance is a venture capital firm based in Mason City, Iowa, founded in 1998. It focuses on seed- and early-stage investments in United States based companies, with emphasis on agriculture and technology sectors.

Innova Memphis is a Tennessee-based venture capital firm founded in 2007 with roots in the Memphis Bioworks Foundation. It focuses on pre-seed, seed, and early-stage investments in high-growth biosciences, technology, and agri-tech companies in Tennessee. The firm supports startups from concept to market by providing capital, strategic guidance, and access to industry networks, including connections with established corporations for licensing, buy-outs, or further investments. By combining experienced management, market expertise, and venture capital, Innova Memphis aims to accelerate product development and create viable business units capable of standing independently and collaborating with mature market leaders when appropriate.

Ames Seed Capital is a venture capital firm based in Ames, Iowa, founded in 1987. It specializes in early-stage and expansion investments in startups and targets opportunities in Ames, Story City, Nevada, Huxley and surrounding Story County communities.

UnityPoint Health Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of UnityPoint Health, based in West Des Moines, Iowa. Established in 2019, it makes early-stage investments in healthcare and related technology sectors, including digital therapeutics, health information technology, tech-enabled services, medical devices, and diagnostics, seeking partnerships and opportunities that advance patient care and support healthcare providers.

Prairie Crest Capital is a Des Moines, Iowa-based venture capital firm founded in 2016 that concentrates on early-stage investments, particularly in agriculture technology. The firm targets seed and Series A rounds and operates across the United States, leveraging financial and operating experience to provide funding and development assistance to qualifying enterprises poised for growth.

InnoVenture Iowa is a venture capital firm headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, founded in 2022, that focuses on investments in information technology, advanced manufacturing and life sciences.

ManchesterStory Group is an investment firm based in West Des Moines, Iowa, focusing on early-to-growth-stage companies across financial services, technology, and healthcare. It concentrates on InsurTech, FinTech, and HealthTech sectors, partnering with entrepreneurs to scale companies in the United States. The firm draws on industry expertise and a broad network of strategic LPs, including leading insurers, to create value through collaboration and sustainable growth.

S2G Investments is a Chicago-based multi-stage investment firm that targets venture and growth-stage companies in food and agriculture, oceans, and energy. It provides capital to businesses shaping the future of food systems and energy resources, supporting leadership teams in pursuing market-driven solutions that deliver greater value and improved performance. The firm seeks to catalyze innovation to meet consumer demand for healthy, sustainable, and local food, and to back ventures across the food system, including agriculture and ingredients, infrastructure and logistics, food safety and technology, retail and restaurants, and consumer brands, with a focus on achieving sector-wide transitions and a prosperous blue economy.

SVG Ventures is a Los Gatos, California‑based global venture capital and advisory firm focused on agrifood, agtech, food tech, supply chains and climate sustainability. Founded in 2010, the firm invests in early‑stage technology companies and operates the THRIVE Platform, an innovation ecosystem that provides deal flow, venture development support, global partnerships and sector expertise to its portfolio. It also runs the accelerator SVG Ventures|THRIVE to mentor, validate and venture‑build sustainable agri‑food startups. With a global reach across the United States, Canada and Europe, the firm emphasizes ESG‑aligned, capital‑efficient solutions addressing food security, climate resilience and sustainable agriculture.

Craft Ventures is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm founded in 2017 that focuses on early-stage and growth investments to help build innovative companies. The firm backs teams with strong leadership and scalable business models across sectors including software, e-commerce, consumer and enterprise technology, information technology, and fintech, with additional interest in cryptocurrency and blockchain ventures. It combines entrepreneurial experience with investment acumen to identify next generation world-changing companies and provides strategic guidance and operational support to help founders scale.

Ulu Ventures is a Palo Alto, California-based seed- and early-stage venture capital firm focused on technology-driven startups across IT, software, internet-enabled services, EdTech, FinTech, IoT, digital media, and related sectors in the United States, with a Bay Area emphasis. Founded in 2008, the firm backs diverse entrepreneurial teams and frequently co-invests with other angels or venture funds in early rounds. Ulu is noted as the first Latina-led venture fund in Silicon Valley and is among the largest in the country by assets under management, with over $200M.

Linseed Capital is an angel investment and venture capital firm based in Omaha, Nebraska, focused on funding startups in Nebraska and the Midwest. It invests both independently and as a member of The Nebraska Angels, and it actively mentors entrepreneurs while supporting the regional ecosystem through involvement in events and programs such as Big Omaha and the Pipeline Entrepreneur Fellowship. The firm emphasizes thorough due diligence, strong leadership, and long‑term value creation across diverse sectors.

Hard Yaka is an investment firm based in Crystal Bay, Nevada. It engages in private equity and venture investments, focusing on technology and financial services sectors, including early-stage investments in exchange-related startups and opportunities in buyouts and distressed assets, often pursuing majority stakes.

Optum is a health services and innovation company within UnitedHealth Group that aims to make healthcare easier, more affordable, and more connected. It serves individuals, families, healthcare providers, employers, and health plans by linking clinics, at-home and online services to streamline scheduling, billing, medication management, and care coordination. Optum delivers medicines and pharmacy services, along with healthcare financial services and guidance supported by technology and data insights to improve access, lower costs, and support decision making for health plans and providers. With a patient-centric focus, it aims to help more than 120 million people access medical care and utilizes tools such as patient portals and integrated care resources across primary care, behavioral health, women's health, and other areas.

Union Square Ventures is a New York-based venture capital firm founded in 2003 that invests across the internet sector, emphasizing the applications layer of the web, internet services, and web services that create large networks, including mobile. The firm engages in early, growth, and late-stage investments, typically making initial commitments around 1 million and up to about 20 million in a single company, often serving as lead investor with ownership goals of roughly 15% to 20%. Its portfolio covers sectors such as social media, marketplaces, developer tools, education, health, fintech, climate tech, and web3, with companies located in major tech hubs like New York, San Francisco, London, and Berlin.

Great North Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Maple Grove, Minnesota, founded in 2017. Built by successful founders, it backs early-stage startups across the United States that apply breakthrough technologies to modernize industries still dominated by analog processes. The firm makes seed to Series B investments, offering guidance, capital, and connections to help portfolio companies scale. It seeks opportunities beyond Silicon Valley and prioritizes founders with proven execution. Core focus areas include vertical AI, embedded finance, fintech infrastructure, industry-specific automation, information technology, and real estate technology. Through multiple funds, it actively partners with startups to accelerate growth, with typical checks ranging from 0.25 to 0.75 million.

Initialized Capital is a San Francisco-based early-stage venture capital firm focused on seed investments in technology companies. Founded around 2012, it manages more than five core funds and has six investing partners, with over $3.2 billion under management. Its portfolio companies have generated more than $200 billion in aggregate market value to date.

Kudu Investment Management is a New York–based growth expansion firm that provides capital to asset management and wealth management firms undergoing ownership transitions or growth initiatives. The firm offers risk-sharing capital and minority-stake equity investments to support ownership transfers, partner liquidity, management buyouts, and acquisition or growth financing, enabling managers to pursue capital events while preserving independence. Founded in 2015, Kudu targets opportunities within asset and wealth management, helping firms achieve strategic changes without surrendering control.

Frontline Ventures is a venture capital firm headquartered in Dublin with an office in London and a presence in San Francisco. It backs globally ambitious B2B software companies on both sides of the Atlantic, supporting them from early stages through growth and international expansion. The firm focuses on cross-border expansion into the United States and Europe, leveraging a network of experienced operators and founders to help navigate cross-border growth, and it uses its research and playbooks to guide portfolio companies through market entry and scaling. Frontline emphasizes value creation through its global reach and operational experience, with investments spanning sectors such as AI, fintech, healthcare and logistics. The firm aims to help founders reach major milestones, including IPOs, by providing strategic guidance, hands-on support, and access to a broad international network.

Finistere Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on agriculture, agtech and life sciences. Founded in 2005, it operates from the West Coast with offices in San Diego and Newport Beach, California, and additional locations in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Dublin and Tel Aviv, reflecting a global investment footprint. The firm backs private companies across the United States and selected international markets, supporting opportunities from early stage to growth stage in sectors such as agricultural biotechnology, crop protection, precision agriculture, food technology, plant and animal health, bioproducts and sustainability tools. Finistere engages with portfolio companies to accelerate product development, scale operations and access strategic partnerships, often through co-investment and mentorship networks. By leveraging global networks and sector expertise, the firm seeks to advance productivity, food security and environmental sustainability while building companies with meaningful potential for value creation and exits.

Evergreen Climate Innovations is a nonprofit organization focused on accelerating climate innovation in the Greater Midwest by providing seed investments and comprehensive support to early-stage climate technology startups. It cultivates an ecosystem by offering mentorship, resources, and investment opportunities, aiming to close the capital gap that hinders development and deployment of climate solutions. The organization operates a philanthropic venture fund that aligns charitable and corporate contributions to deliver environmental, economic, and social impact. Through its activities, Evergreen Climate Innovations seeks to spur job creation and generate investment returns while advancing scalable climate technologies.

Launchpad Digital Health is a venture capital firm based in Emeryville, California, founded in 2013, that invests in early-stage digital health startups. It partners with digital health entrepreneurs to build companies aimed at improving care, lowering costs, and increasing patient convenience. The firm provides significant capital, with seed investments up to $1 million and Series A and B rounds up to $2-3 million. It focuses on areas including healthy living and wellness, patient compliance, remote diagnostics and monitoring, electronic health and wellness records, data analytics and big data, and independent living support. The founders bring extensive experience in healthcare and technology, having funded and operated multiple companies in these sectors.

Leaps by Bayer is the corporate venture capital unit of Bayer, focused on funding paradigm-shifting advances in the life sciences. Based in Leverkusen, Germany, and founded in 2015, it concentrates on biotechnology, agriculture, and healthcare, making significant and sustained investments in disruptive biotechnologies with the potential to have the greatest impact on humanity.

Foundry Group is a Boulder, Colorado-based venture capital firm founded in 2007 that specializes in information technology, Internet and software companies across North America. It funds both early-stage and later-stage ventures and has launched multiple funds, including a fifth fund of about $225 million. Since inception it has invested in more than 100 companies as institutional investors and in more than 50 as angel investors, with a focus on software, digital services and related technology sectors.

M25 is a Chicago-based venture capital firm focused on the Midwest. Founded in 2015, the firm backs pre-seed and seed-stage technology startups headquartered in the Midwest, with a broad portfolio across multiple industries. Led by Victor Gutwein and Mike Asem, M25 has funded numerous early-stage companies and established a notable presence in the Midwest startup ecosystem. The firm emphasizes an analytical, collaborative approach and seeks to partner with founders to support growth, product development, and market expansion. Its investments span sectors including software and information technology, healthcare technology, consumer products and services, business products and services, and financial services. Through its regional focus and extensive network, M25 aims to accelerate startup activity across cities in the Midwest and Great Lakes, contributing to regional innovation and economic development.

Cabra VC is a venture capital firm established in 2016 with a European footprint, including offices in Riga, Latvia; Limassol, Cyprus; and Moscow, Russia, and a global presence in the United States (Bay Area) and India (Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore). The firm backs early to growth-stage startups across the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, focusing on consumer, enterprise and software sectors, particularly SaaS, B2B and B2B2C models that are subscription-based or CAPEX-free. It emphasizes post-revenue opportunities alongside seed and early-stage rounds, with investment activity primarily targeting the United States and India.

Keiretsu Forum is a global investment community consisting of accredited private equity investors, venture capitalists and corporate/institutional investors. Established in 2000, it operates through chapters around the world and facilitates selective investment opportunities by connecting members with emerging companies across technology, healthcare, consumer products and other growth sectors. The organization focuses on private equity funding, deal flow and access to capital, supporting entrepreneurs through curated presentations and mentoring while enabling investors to participate in opportunities aligned with their investment criteria. Keiretsu Forum seeks to create value for members and portfolio companies by leveraging a network of resources, partners and forums to foster high-quality investments and cross-border collaboration.

Sound Ventures is a Beverly Hills-based venture capital firm focused on technology. Founded in 2015, it invests in early and mid-stage technology companies and supports visionary founders through a hands-on partnership approach. The firm leverages extensive experience across media and technology to help portfolio companies achieve product-market fit and accelerate growth, using its network and insights to identify emerging trends and provide strategic guidance. Sound Ventures aims to back founders building the products and infrastructure of the future, with a disciplined investment approach and emphasis on helping companies scale through market-driven narratives and operational support.

AXA Venture Partners is a global venture capital platform backed by AXA, investing in high-growth technology companies across Europe and North America. It focuses on capital-efficient businesses in sectors such as enterprise software, fintech, digital health, cybersecurity, information technology, healthcare, and insurance technology, with activity spanning venture, early growth and growth stages. The firm operates through teams in major hubs including New York, London, Paris, and other cities, providing portfolio companies with access to strategic support, partnerships, and go-to-market resources to accelerate growth and scale internationally.

Hyde Park Angels is a Chicago-based venture capital firm and angel investor group focused on seed and early-stage investments, primarily in the Midwest. It backs companies in technology, healthcare, business and financial services, consumer and industrial products, and supports ventures from seed through scaling. The organization employs a People First model that combines venture funding, a robust business network, and operating expertise to provide capital, strategic guidance, and hands-on support to portfolio companies. Founded in 2007, Hyde Park Angels leverages its members' experience to help founders execute, grow, and build enduring businesses, while stimulating local economic development through portfolio success.

Rabo Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Utrecht, Netherlands, focused on fast-growing clean technology companies and on the food and agriculture sector. It backs startups developing renewable energy, environmental solutions, and agricultural technology, helping them scale innovative technologies in these sectors.

Firebrand Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Kansas City, Missouri, founded in 2016 with offices in Austin, Texas, and Boulder, Colorado. It invests in software and technology startups across the United States and Canada, prioritizing ventures in underserved markets. The firm supports early-stage companies with capital and guidance, aiming to enable growth while reserving capital for select follow-on investments.

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.

Builders VC is a San Francisco-based early-stage venture capital firm investing in technology-driven startups across the United States and Canada. The firm focuses on modernizing traditional industries through new business models, targeting sectors such as healthcare, agribusiness, life sciences, industrials, software, digital health, construction and real estate technology. It backs early-stage companies with growth potential in areas including B2B software, information technology, agricultural technology and advanced manufacturing, and maintains offices in Chicago, Calgary and Honolulu.

8VC is a San Francisco-based technology and life sciences investment firm that partners with founders to develop transformative technologies and create long-term economic and societal value. The firm pursues investments across sectors including healthcare, energy, consumer goods, financial services, information technology, manufacturing, enterprise software, logistics, and cybersecurity, and across stages from seed to later rounds. It emphasizes long-term partnerships and supports portfolio companies through programs such as fellowships and community-building efforts that foster collaboration and growth. 8VC seeks to back companies leveraging breakthrough technologies to address critical challenges and drive innovation, aiming to generate durable value for founders and stakeholders.

Fulcrum Global Capital is a Kansas City-based venture capital firm that backs disruptive companies in the agriculture supply chain, agtech, food production, food safety, food waste, and animal health. Founded in 2016, the firm leverages deep industry experience to help portfolio companies grow through strategic connections and active board participation. It primarily invests in post-seed opportunities with a view to long-term growth, aiming for sustainable expansion and strong returns.

Research Corporation Technologies is a technology investment and management company founded in 1987 and based in Tucson, Arizona. It focuses on fostering innovation in biotechnology and medical devices by supporting university-originated inventions worldwide. It oversees more than $500 million in assets and invests through RCT Ventures, licenses breakthrough technologies, and develops life science tools to partner with entrepreneurs and translate inventions into commercial products. The company supports new company formation, patent protection, and marketing assistance, and participates in initiatives such as MedTech Innovator and the BARDA Accelerator Network. Its investments span therapeutics, diagnostics, and medical devices.

Mutual Capital Partners is a Westlake, Ohio-based venture capital firm that targets early-stage investments in healthcare information technology and medical devices. Founded in the mid-2000s, the firm emphasizes active partnership, offering guidance, strategic support, and resources to portfolio companies. It leverages a broad investor network for due diligence and customer introductions, aims to help executives with ongoing counsel, and focuses on companies led by strong management with established customer bases and revenue, particularly outside major tech hubs in Ohio and the Midwest.

High Alpha is an Indiana-based venture studio and early-stage investor focused on B2B SaaS. Headquartered in Indianapolis, it builds and scales business-to-business software companies by combining studio services—design, finance, talent, marketing, branding, and go-to-market—with capital support to create enterprise-scale ventures. Founded in 2015, the firm concentrates on early-stage software and SaaS opportunities in the United States.

Stanley Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of Stanley Black & Decker, established in 2016. It invests in startups across SaaS, electrification, autonomy, construction technology, and advanced materials, leveraging the parent company's industry expertise, supplier relationships, and access to customers to help portfolio companies scale.

Trimble is a global technology company providing integrated hardware, software, and services that connect workflows across construction, geospatial, transportation, and related industries. Its solutions span surveying and mapping, 3D modeling and BIM, construction management, field service management, and transportation management systems, often combining positioning technologies such as GPS, lasers, and optics with software content delivered through dealer networks or direct channels. The company serves office and field professionals, helping users capture data, manage assets, and coordinate projects from design through execution. Trimble traces its roots to 1978 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. Its offerings are organized into segments that include software for Architects, Engineers, Construction and Owners; hardware and software for field workflows; and transportation and logistics solutions for long-haul operations. The aim is to improve productivity, safety, and sustainability by linking data and processes across the value chain.

Quiet Capital is a venture capital firm founded in 2017 and based in San Francisco, California. It invests across enterprise, consumer, fintech, marketplaces, deep tech, healthcare, and crypto sectors, and operates as a registered investment adviser.

First Analysis is a Chicago-based investment firm with a long track record in venture capital and private equity. Founded in 1981, the firm focuses on early-stage and growth investments across the United States, with emphasis on B2B technology sectors such as cybersecurity, e‑commerce, enterprise software and healthcare information technology, along with select opportunities in healthcare, services and clean‑tech. It supports portfolio companies with strategic guidance, growth capital and management development, including strategy, recruitment, sales and marketing, and corporate development. The firm often acts as a lead investor or a syndicate partner, and has deployed hundreds of millions of dollars across diversified funds. In addition to investing, First Analysis provides advisory services for mergers and acquisitions, growth capital raises and strategic exits, leveraging sector research and the synergies between venture capital and advisory work to help companies reach scalable, profitable growth.

Mid-America Angels is a regional network of accredited investors that identifies and funds early-stage companies. It participates in seed, Series A, and Series B rounds depending on the capital raise and provides a framework to pool the members’ knowledge, experience, and investment capital. Founded in 2006, the organization is based in Kansas and Oklahoma and focuses on the Kansas-Missouri region around Kansas City, typically investing between $250,000 and $1,500,000 per opportunity.

Homegrow n Capital is a venture capital firm based in Brookings, South Dakota, focused on funding early-stage, technology-driven companies in the Midwest and Northern Plains. The firm backs growth-oriented startups in sectors such as B2B software, agricultural technology, FinTech, and media/subscription businesses, typically at seed to Series A rounds. Investment sizes commonly range from about 0.5 million to 2 million, and the firm emphasizes a hands-on approach, including board participation and leveraging regional networks to support portfolio companies and drive growth within a 5-7 year horizon.

LAUNCH is an Austin, Texas-based early-stage investment firm and accelerator platform that combines capital with education for startups. It provides syndicate funding and operates a suite of programs to support builders, including Founder University, the LAUNCH Accelerator, and Startup Tuneup, as well as events such as Remote Demo Day. The LAUNCH ecosystem pairs investment with structured training, community access, and practical guidance to help founders move from idea to growth. By coordinating funding and educational programs, LAUNCH aims to accelerate startup development and enable teams to scale.

Cultivian Sandbox Ventures is a Chicago-based venture capital firm that invests in agriculture and food technology companies across the value chain. It emphasizes a hands-on approach, supporting portfolio companies with strategy, executive recruitment, and capital-raising, and leveraging a broad industry network to drive growth. The firm combines domain expertise from Cultivian Ventures and Sandbox Industries to source, evaluate, close, manage, and exit equity investments, with a focus on disruptive technologies that improve production, distribution, and healthy consumption. Its aim is to commercialize vital technologies and foster collaboration to build a more resilient, sustainable global food system, attracting strategic partners and investors to accelerate commercialization and scale worldwide.