Service Provider Capital is a venture capital firm established in 2014 and based in Colorado. The firm focuses on early-stage investments, notably seed-stage opportunities, and participates as a co-investor in Series A rounds led by institutional venture funds. Its portfolio interests span a broad range of technology sectors, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, cybersecurity, e-commerce, education technology, fintech, hardware, information technology, robotics, health, and cannabis.
Serra Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Champaign, Illinois, that invests in technology companies across the United States and select international locations. The firm concentrates on early-stage and growth opportunities in information technology, deep technology, instrumentation, software as a service, devices, B2B, and agricultural technologies, with a focus on the Midwest and West Coast regions. Serra Ventures supports portfolio companies through strategic guidance, networks, and resources to help scale technology-enabled businesses.
M25 is a Chicago-based venture capital firm established in 2015 by Victor Gutwein and Mike Asem, focused on funding pre-seed and seed-stage technology startups in the Midwest. The firm supports portfolio companies across multiple industries, with a regional footprint spanning 24 Midwest cities in 11 states. Since its inception, M25 has backed more than 90 early-stage tech startups, aiming to accelerate growth and strengthen the Midwest startup ecosystem.
Capital Midwest Fund is a venture capital firm based in Mequon, Wisconsin. It specializes in early-stage investments across various sectors including life sciences, information technology, advanced manufacturing, B2B, and healthcare, with a focus on companies located in the Midwest region of the United States.
Founded in 2012, Chicago Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Chicago, Illinois. It partners closely with exceptional entrepreneurs building companies in undercapitalized high-potential ecosystems, focusing on seed-stage investments in healthcare, business services, and technology-facing companies across the Midwest.
Founded in 2011, Hyde Park Venture Partners is a Chicago-based venture capital firm specializing in early-stage investments. It focuses on high-growth technology startups across the Midwest, with an emphasis on software and tech-enabled businesses. The firm typically invests between $0.1 million to $2.5 million, co-investing with Hyde Park Angels. They actively mentor portfolio companies, supporting product development, business strategy, financing, and exit strategies.
CincyTech is a Cincinnati-based organization that identifies and nurtures early-stage health, technology, and life sciences startups in Southwest Ohio. It provides strategic guidance, capital, and operational support to entrepreneurs and researchers seeking to commercialize technology, and connects them with regional investors and institutions. By supporting university and hospital research commercialization and catalyzing local investment, CincyTech helps turn innovative ideas into growth companies. The organization collaborates with major regional partners such as Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the University of Cincinnati, and the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, and leverages a broad network of funders to back seed-stage ventures across information technology, healthcare, software, and other tech sectors in Ohio and the Midwest.
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.
Hyde Park Angels is a venture capital firm based in Chicago, Illinois, founded in April 2007. The firm specializes in seed and early-stage investments across various sectors, including technology, healthcare, business and financial services, as well as consumer and industrial products. With a focus on businesses primarily located in the Midwest, Hyde Park Angels aims to drive startup growth and investment success by providing valuable support to entrepreneurs.
Rev1 Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Columbus, Ohio. Established in 2005, it focuses on seed-stage investments across various sectors including enterprise software, digital health, life sciences, food tech, advanced materials, and alternative energy. With over $100 million under management, Rev1 provides strategic services alongside capital to help startups scale and corporates innovate.
Founded in 2012, Drive Capital is a venture capital firm headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. It invests in innovative technology, healthcare, and consumer companies across the Midwest region.
Lightbank is a Chicago-based venture capital firm founded in 2010 that backs early-stage technology companies in the United States. Focusing on seed and Series A rounds, it targets vertically focused opportunities across AI, consumer, enterprise, healthcare, crypto, fintech and climate sectors, and typically writes initial checks in the low hundreds of thousands to several million dollars. The firm pursues a broad early-growth strategy with an emphasis on the Midwest and other U.S. markets, and has invested in more than 150 companies, including Tempus, Udemy, Fiverr, Sprout Social, Boom Supersonic, Tastytrade, Extend, Attain, Paytient and Expel. Lightbank is described as a venture capital firm and registered investment adviser, reflecting its formal investment approach and governance. It aims to support founders with innovative products and scalable business models during the critical early stages of development.
Allos Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Carmel, Indiana, that provides early-stage funding to business-to-business software and technology-enabled service companies in the Midwest. Founded in 2010, the firm partners with entrepreneurs to help portfolio companies accelerate growth and create value. It focuses on U.S. opportunities in software and information technology sectors and typically makes minority stake investments in Midwest-based startups.
Mercato Partners is a Utah-based private equity and venture capital firm founded in 2007 that targets high-growth technology and consumer-focused companies in North America. It concentrates on consumer-facing brands, software and technology-enabled businesses, and seeks growth capital with minority investments complemented by active governance, including board representation. The firm aims to be a lead or co-lead investor and participates in later financing rounds to support expansion, marketing, and sales efforts. Typical investments span from several million to tens of millions, reflecting a preference for scalable management teams and healthy margins. Headquartered in Cottonwood Heights with an additional office in Lehi, it sources opportunities across the western and midwestern United States, including Utah, California, Colorado, Idaho, Texas, and the Midwest.
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.
New Stack Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Chicago, founded in 2015. It focuses on pre-seed and seed investments, typically backing rounds from approximately $300,000 to $2 million. The firm seeks opportunities across sectors including business-to-business software, fintech, healthcare, ecommerce, legacy industrials, manufacturing, construction, and logistics.
Sandalphon Capital is a venture capital firm focused on early-stage investments in technology-driven sectors. It specializes in Seed & Bridge rounds, Series A, and occasionally Pre-Seed rounds, with investment amounts typically ranging from $100 thousand to $300 thousand. The firm concentrates on Real Estate Tech, FinTech, InsurTech, RegTech, HealthcareIT, tech-enabled healthcare services, SaaS, marketplaces, IoT, hardware with recurring revenue, and food and beverages. Sandalphon Capital prefers investments in the United States, with a core focus on Chicago and the Midwest, as well as underserved regional markets.
MK Capital is a Chicago-area venture capital and private equity firm that invests in emerging technology companies across the early and growth stages in the United States. Founded in 2003, the firm focuses on software and technology-enabled businesses, including digital software, digital media, data center automation, technology-enabled business services, and education technology. It provides multi-stage capital and leverages deep operating experience to help portfolio companies scale, with active board involvement and collaborative support on strategy, operations and technology. The firm maintains offices in Northbrook, Illinois; Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Santa Monica, California, and manages over $500 million in assets.
Elevate Ventures is a not-for-profit organization based in Indiana that nurtures and develops emerging and existing high-potential businesses into high-performing Indiana-based companies. It conducts rigorous business analysis and provides robust advisory services, connecting companies with resources needed for long-term success. Beyond capital, Elevate Ventures partners with entrepreneurs, investors, and local and state organizations to address barriers such as management, business development, talent identification and retention, and technology development challenges. The organization emphasizes unbiased, in-depth perspectives and objective recommendations through a seasoned staff and external partners, supporting growth, job creation, and economic development in Indiana. It seeks ventures identifying marketplace needs and capable of transitioning from research to product development to market, aiming to sustain business success over time.
Venture Investors is a Midwest-based venture capital firm that funds seed, early, and growth-stage startups and provides incubation financing. It concentrates on university technology transfer opportunities, particularly in the Midwest, and invests across healthcare, life sciences, agriculture, technology, clean tech, materials, energy, and hardware, including software and digital health. The firm backs companies licensed to research universities, including institutions such as the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and seeks opportunities with significant market potential and solid fundamentals. Seed investments typically range from 0.25 million to 2.5 million, with larger follow-ons possible, and the firm aims to lead rounds while also co-investing. It favors preferred equity and/or debt with warrant coverage and pursues exits through initial public offerings or sales after about five to seven years. Established in 1982, Venture Investors is headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, with additional offices in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Michigan Rise is a venture capital firm focused on funding Michigan technology startups to commercialize innovative technologies and spur economic development. Established in 2020 and headquartered in East Lansing, it operates as a subsidiary of the Michigan State University Foundation and administers the Pre-Seed Fund III with support from the foundation and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Through capital investments, coaching, and grant-funding assistance, Michigan Rise supports entrepreneurs across Michigan in sectors including advanced automotive and mobility, advanced manufacturing and materials, agricultural processing technology, alternative energy, homeland security and defense technology, information technology, life sciences, therapeutics, and medical devices. The firm partners with Michigan's tech ecosystem, including programs like Red Cedar Ventures and Spartan Innovations, to advance commercialization of new intellectual property and strengthen the state's economy.
Firebrand Ventures is a venture capital firm founded in 2016 and based in Kansas City, Missouri, with additional offices in Austin and Boulder. It concentrates on early-stage investments in software and technology startups, with a preference for companies in the United States and Canada and for opportunities arising in communities underserved by traditional venture capital. The firm supports early-stage companies as they scale, focusing on software and technology 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.
Founded in 2012, Cultivation Capital is a venture capital firm based in Saint Louis, Missouri. The firm focuses on early-stage investing in life sciences, health technology, software, IT, agriculture tech, and geospatial tech sectors.
Tappan Hill Ventures is a venture capital firm founded in 2014 and based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, pursuing seed, early-stage and rare later-stage investments with a focus on software, network connectivity, and the Internet of Things.
Red Cedar Ventures is a venture capital firm founded in 2014 and headquartered in East Lansing, Michigan. It makes early‑stage investments in high‑tech startups commercializing intellectual property created at Michigan State University, supporting the commercialization of MSU research through its connection to the MSU Research Foundation as a wholly‑owned subsidiary. The firm focuses on Michigan-based technology ventures, helping entrepreneurs bring university-origin innovations to market.
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.
Rock River Capital Partners is a Madison, Wisconsin-based venture capital firm that concentrates on early-stage and growth investments in the Midwest. The firm targets companies across sectors that demonstrate initial product-market fit and potential for growth, with a preference for technical disruptors, particularly software-focused opportunities. It aims to be the lead investor, often taking a board seat to actively support portfolio companies, and plans for follow-on funding to back later rounds. The team seeks founder-aligned terms and collaborates with large Midwest venture financiers to help portfolio companies scale. While industry-agnostic, the firm emphasizes software and technology-enabled markets and seeks companies positioned for measurable growth.
Evergreen Climate Innovations, originally known as Clean Energy Trust, is a nonprofit organization based in Chicago, Illinois, that focuses on providing catalytic capital and support to entrepreneurs and startups developing impactful climate technologies. Founded in 2010, Evergreen's mission is to foster innovation in the Greater Midwest by aligning philanthropic and corporate contributions through its 501vc® Investment Fund. This approach aims to deliver significant environmental, economic, and social impact. Over the past decade, Evergreen has successfully invested in numerous startups, achieving an impressive leverage of $41 raised for every $1 invested. The organization is dedicated to cultivating a robust ecosystem of investors, donors, and collaborators to advance climate solutions in the region.
TechNexus Venture Collaborative is a Chicago-based venture collaboration platform and investment entity that connects corporations with startups to co-create new business models, products, revenue streams, and scalable market access. Founded in 2007, it combines capital investment, incubation, and collaborative engagement to accelerate opportunities and support the growth of innovative ventures across sectors including audio and consumer electronics, B2B software, health and wellness, manufacturing, mobility, media production, and retail. It has facilitated partnerships between dozens of corporations and more than 600 startups, making it one of the most active venture investors in the United States.
Biosciences Research and Commercialization Center (BRCC) is a venture capital firm based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, established in 2003 by the Michigan Legislature and affiliated with Western Michigan University. It focuses on funding startups in the life sciences sector, specifically targeting pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and diagnostics. The BRCC aims to support companies with a significant presence in Michigan, particularly those linked to Southwest Michigan. With investments typically ranging from $25,000 to $250,000, the center provides essential startup and gap funding to entrepreneurs and scientists as they transition their innovations into the commercialization phase. Drawing on Kalamazoo's rich history in the pharmaceutical industry, the BRCC is well-positioned to leverage local scientific talent and expertise, contributing to a dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem in the region.
Right Side Capital Management is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm founded in 2010 that invests in early-stage technology startups. It specializes in pre-seed and seed rounds for capital-efficient companies, with a focus on the United States and Canada and occasional activity in Western Europe, Israel, Australia, and New Zealand. The firm typically makes 75 to 100 investments per year, with round sizes from 50,000 to 500,000 and pre-money valuations ranging from 1,000,000 to 3,500,000. Portfolio companies are typically located outside the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City, and the firm aims to provide a clear yes or no on opportunities within about two weeks.
Arboretum Ventures is a Michigan-based venture capital firm, founded in 2002 and headquartered in Ann Arbor. It focuses on seed-, early-, mid-, and growth-stage investments in the healthcare sector, including services, medical devices, diagnostics, healthcare information technology, therapeutics, life science tools, and technology-enabled health care delivery. The firm makes investments across the United States, with emphasis on the Midwest and Michigan, partnering with companies at various stages to support growth in healthcare. Arboretum Ventures operates as a specialized investor in healthcare, aiming to back companies developing novel tools and technologies that advance patient care.
SOSV is a global venture capital firm that supports early-stage startups through active, founder-first development programs. Its flagship initiatives HAX and IndieBio provide facilities, engineering resources, services, and laboratory equipment to accelerate product development and prepare companies for subsequent funding rounds. SOSV focuses on deep technology across health, environmental, and cross-border software sectors, aiming to solve human and planetary health challenges. In addition to providing capital, the firm emphasizes intensive programmatic support to help portfolio companies move quickly from seed toward growth, including customer acquisition and scale. The firm operates globally with a bias toward startups targeting rapid international expansion, especially in Asia, and tends to back a small cohort of high-potential companies to accelerate their progress and attract leading investors.
Founder Equity is a venture capital investment firm founded in 2013 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It focuses on early-stage technology and digital-sector opportunities, including web and mobile communities and digital platforms, and seeks to support companies with high growth potential and liquidity prospects.
NCT Ventures is a Columbus, Ohio-based venture capital firm focusing on Midwest technology startups, providing seed and early-stage funding and selective growth capital. Typical investments range from $250,000 to $1 million in early rounds and up to $5 million in growth rounds. The firm has more than 20 years of entrepreneurial experience and offers hands-on operational support to help portfolio companies succeed.
DRW is a diversified trading firm that combines technology, research, and risk management to capture trading and investment opportunities. It operates with its own capital and bears its own risk. Headquartered in Chicago, it maintains offices in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia, reflecting its global reach. The firm trades across fixed income, equities, foreign exchange, commodities, and energy, and has expanded into non-traditional strategies such as real estate, venture capital, and crypto-assets. DRW emphasizes autonomy, rapid decision-making, integrity, and ongoing innovation, supported by rigorous risk management and analytics to navigate regulatory and market challenges.
Founded in 2015, FJ Labs is a New York-based venture capital firm focusing on stage-agnostic investments in marketplaces and consumer-facing startups. Their investment range varies from $50,000 to $5,000,000, typically at seed or series A stages.
A venture capital and private equity firm founded in 2012, headquartered in Park City, Utah, with an office in Kansas City, Missouri. It focuses on early‑stage investments in technology and technology‑enabled startups, as well as retail, consumer goods, and health and wellness, primarily in the Mountain West, Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and California. The firm typically invests between $0.1 million and $1 million in seed and early rounds ranging from $0.75 million to $5 million, and takes director seats to help shape boards. It targets under‑capitalized markets and seeks to provide strategic guidance to its portfolio companies.
Tamarind Hill is a venture capital firm headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, founded in 2017, with additional offices in Ann Arbor and Columbus. It backs early-stage B2B software and information technology companies, including healthcare IT and enterprise software, emphasizing SaaS business models, across the Southeast, Midwest, and Great Lakes regions.
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.
Founded in 1999, OCA Ventures is a Chicago-based venture capital firm focusing on early-stage investments primarily in technology and highly-scalable services businesses. The firm's investment focus areas include digital health, fintech, consumer software, and enterprise software.
KB Partners is a venture capital firm based in Illinois, with roots in Highland Park and the greater Chicago area. The firm focuses on early-stage investments in sports and technology, taking an active role in helping entrepreneurs and experienced managers build market-leading companies. It fields seed, first- and second-round opportunities and, in some cases, growth and mezzanine investments, often targeting equity investments in the range of roughly $1 million to $5 million. While the firm principally pursues opportunities in Illinois, the Chicago area, and the Midwest, its portfolio spans technology products and services, communications, software and hardware, internet and data analytics, medical products, consumer goods, and related sectors, including sports tech. KB Partners emphasizes a hands-on partnership approach to develop enduring enterprises.
4490 Ventures is a Madison, Wisconsin-based technology-focused venture capital firm founded in 2014 that concentrates on early-stage investments in technology companies. The firm targets Series A and B rounds and focuses on companies located in the Midwest, with an emphasis on web3-enabled enterprise software, health technology, Internet of Things, and software-as-a-service sectors. Typical investment sizes range from $5 million to $8 million per company, supporting growth-oriented startups as they scale. The firm operates across the Midwest and maintains a broader geographic reach including the Midatlantic and West Coast regions.
Synetro Group is a Chicago-based private investment firm established in 2000 that makes seed and Series A investments, pursues venture buyouts, and engages in private equity by acquiring and turning around software, business services, and manufacturing companies. It targets sectors including B2B and B2C internet, SaaS, software, distribution, and manufacturing, and invests across early-stage to mature opportunities, including minority, majority, and control stakes. The firm primarily deploys capital from its balance sheet, with a geographic focus on Chicago and the broader Midwest markets.
Ohio Innovation Fund is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Ohio that backs technology companies across the United States. It focuses on medical technology, biopharma, augmented and virtual reality, advanced manufacturing, SaaS, artificial intelligence and machine learning, cybersecurity, and mobility, along with software and business products and services. The firm seeks to partner with bold founders to build disruptive companies and typically makes initial investments ranging from $250,000 to $500,000, with the potential for up to $1.25 million based on milestones.
TitletownTech is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Green Bay, Wisconsin, formed in 2019 through a partnership between the Green Bay Packers and Microsoft. It supports bold entrepreneurs solving meaningful problems by leveraging a collaborative ecosystem that includes investors, in-residence partners, industry advisors, higher education, and a dedicated team to provide tailored guidance. The firm invests across six verticals: sports, media and entertainment; digital health; agriculture, water and the environment; manufacturing and construction; supply chain and logistics; and cross-industry technology, with a focus on the United States and the Midwest. Its approach blends capital with hands-on support to help founders scale, and it operates within a network that connects startup teams with resources across its regional ecosystem.
Established in 2015, VCapital is a venture capital firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It focuses on investing in early-stage companies within the information technology sector, including software-as-a-service, mobile applications, big data, cleantech, digital health, life sciences, and education technology across the Midwest region.
Starting Line is a Chicago-based venture capital firm founded in 2018 that backs early-stage consumer startups across the United States, including marketplaces, services, products, and software infrastructure, with a preference for opportunities anchored in Chicago and a focus on democratizing access to technology, products, and experiences for the 99% of Americans.
Distributed Ventures is a Chicago-based venture capital firm founded in 2018 that backs bold founders at the frontier of risk. It makes seed and Series A investments in FinTech, InsurTech, Digital Health and Benefits, and Employer Solutions, leveraging deep subject matter expertise to inform investment theses and provide operational support that accelerates B2B go-to-market momentum for portfolio companies. The team comprises former founders, investors, and operators who help startups navigate early growth and real-world market challenges from day one.