Lakewest Venture Partners

Blitsy, Inc., founded in 2011 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, is an online retailer specializing in arts and crafts supplies. The company provides a comprehensive shopping platform that offers a wide selection of craft supplies, tools, and instructional videos for various DIY projects. Blitsy aims to enhance the online shopping experience for creative individuals by offering curated, limited-time sale events that feature unique products and competitive prices. Additionally, the company supports craft suppliers with digital promotion services, helping them reach a broader audience in the arts and crafts market. As of 2017, Blitsy operates as a subsidiary of Nicole Crafts LLC.

Shiftgig, Inc. is a technology company that operates a workforce management platform designed to connect individuals seeking temporary work with businesses requiring on-demand staffing. Founded in 2011 and based in Chicago, Illinois, Shiftgig serves a variety of industries, including food service, hospitality, retail, healthcare, and experiential marketing. The platform allows businesses to post job opportunities while enabling workers to browse and claim shifts that align with their skills and schedules. By collecting data on hiring requirements and worker qualifications, Shiftgig facilitates timely matching and effective event management. The company also provides mobile applications for both Android and iPhone, enhancing accessibility for users. With additional offices in cities such as Milwaukee, Atlanta, Dallas, and New York, Shiftgig aims to streamline staffing processes and optimize workforce management for its clients.

Bucketfeet is a direct-to-consumer shoe brand based in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 2011 by Raaja Nemani and Aaron Firestein. The company collaborates with a global community of artists to design limited-edition shoes, allowing each artist to create unique shoe designs that are printed on sneakers once ordered online. This responsive commerce model enables Bucketfeet to disrupt traditional manufacturing cycles by letting the community select styles they’d like to purchase and wear, thereby informing demand. In addition to shoes, Bucketfeet offers tees, hoodies, and socks, all available for purchase through its online platform. The company aims to spark meaningful conversations and create a brighter world by empowering artists to share their stories and perspectives using art on footwear as their canvas.

Popular Pays, Inc. is a technology company that operates a platform designed to connect brands with content creators, facilitating the production of engaging and shareable content. Established in 2013 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with an additional location in New York, Popular Pays offers a comprehensive marketplace where brands can browse, apply, and collaborate with creators. The platform features tools such as a brief builder, creator profiles, in-app messaging, and API integrations, which streamline the collaboration process and enhance communication between users. By providing powerful analytics and workflow tools, Popular Pays empowers brands to effectively manage campaigns and select the right creators to tell their stories.

Packback is an education technology company that provides an AI‑driven online discussion platform used by college professors to assess and enhance students’ critical thinking. The platform, known as PB Questions, facilitates structured, peer‑reviewed conversations that quantify learning outcomes. In addition, Packback offers PB Books, a digital textbook rental service that delivers course materials on demand. By combining artificial intelligence with evidence‑based pedagogy, the company enables educators to scale interactive learning and helps students develop a stronger voice in their studies.

Blitsy, Inc., founded in 2011 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, is an online retailer specializing in arts and crafts supplies. The company provides a comprehensive shopping platform that offers a wide selection of craft supplies, tools, and instructional videos for various DIY projects. Blitsy aims to enhance the online shopping experience for creative individuals by offering curated, limited-time sale events that feature unique products and competitive prices. Additionally, the company supports craft suppliers with digital promotion services, helping them reach a broader audience in the arts and crafts market. As of 2017, Blitsy operates as a subsidiary of Nicole Crafts LLC.

Founded in 2010, Luxury Garage Sale is a Chicago-based boutique that specializes in the resale of luxury designer clothing, shoes, accessories, and jewelry. It operates physical stores in Illinois and Texas, as well as an online platform, offering customers high-end fashion at affordable prices.

Bucketfeet is a direct-to-consumer shoe brand based in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 2011 by Raaja Nemani and Aaron Firestein. The company collaborates with a global community of artists to design limited-edition shoes, allowing each artist to create unique shoe designs that are printed on sneakers once ordered online. This responsive commerce model enables Bucketfeet to disrupt traditional manufacturing cycles by letting the community select styles they’d like to purchase and wear, thereby informing demand. In addition to shoes, Bucketfeet offers tees, hoodies, and socks, all available for purchase through its online platform. The company aims to spark meaningful conversations and create a brighter world by empowering artists to share their stories and perspectives using art on footwear as their canvas.

Shiftgig, Inc. is a technology company that operates a workforce management platform designed to connect individuals seeking temporary work with businesses requiring on-demand staffing. Founded in 2011 and based in Chicago, Illinois, Shiftgig serves a variety of industries, including food service, hospitality, retail, healthcare, and experiential marketing. The platform allows businesses to post job opportunities while enabling workers to browse and claim shifts that align with their skills and schedules. By collecting data on hiring requirements and worker qualifications, Shiftgig facilitates timely matching and effective event management. The company also provides mobile applications for both Android and iPhone, enhancing accessibility for users. With additional offices in cities such as Milwaukee, Atlanta, Dallas, and New York, Shiftgig aims to streamline staffing processes and optimize workforce management for its clients.

NuCurrent is a Chicago-based developer and manufacturer of wireless power technologies, founded in 2009. It designs, fabricates, and integrates wireless power antennas, surface-mount inductors, and inductive coils for low- and high-frequency systems, and provides custom-designed prototypes. The company offers high-efficiency antennas and components suitable for a range of applications, and supports rapid prototyping and integration for OEMs and system integrators. Its wireless power solutions comply with major standards including A4WP, Qi, and PMA, enabling collaboration with automotive, consumer, industrial, IoT, mobile, and wearable device manufacturers. By focusing on optimized designs and manufacturing techniques, NuCurrent aims to deliver higher efficiency, smaller form factors, greater durability, and lower costs in wireless power deployment.

Telnyx develops and provides global carrier-grade communication solutions via its cloud-based platform. It offers voice, messaging, video, wireless, fax, and identity services, accessible through APIs and Mission Control Portal. Established in 2009, Telnyx operates globally with offices in Chicago, Dublin, Amsterdam, Warsaw, and São Paulo.

Packback is an education technology company that provides an AI‑driven online discussion platform used by college professors to assess and enhance students’ critical thinking. The platform, known as PB Questions, facilitates structured, peer‑reviewed conversations that quantify learning outcomes. In addition, Packback offers PB Books, a digital textbook rental service that delivers course materials on demand. By combining artificial intelligence with evidence‑based pedagogy, the company enables educators to scale interactive learning and helps students develop a stronger voice in their studies.

Earshot, Inc. is a Chicago-based company that specializes in a precision-based social media marketing platform aimed at enhancing brand engagement and customer acquisition. Founded in 2012 and originally named Evzdrop, Inc., the company offers innovative solutions such as Earshot Pulse, an engagement platform featuring a real-time analytics dashboard; Earshot Precision, a programmatic paid media solution that provides custom audience segmentation and precise targeting; and Earshot Insight, which delivers tailored intelligence reports on locations and competitive analysis. A key feature of Earshot's platform is the patent-pending Decibel Level, a customizable real-time relevancy score that allows brands to prioritize social media posts based on various factors, such as location and content. This approach helps enterprises convert social media interactions into actionable insights, thereby improving their marketing effectiveness.

Blitsy, Inc., founded in 2011 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, is an online retailer specializing in arts and crafts supplies. The company provides a comprehensive shopping platform that offers a wide selection of craft supplies, tools, and instructional videos for various DIY projects. Blitsy aims to enhance the online shopping experience for creative individuals by offering curated, limited-time sale events that feature unique products and competitive prices. Additionally, the company supports craft suppliers with digital promotion services, helping them reach a broader audience in the arts and crafts market. As of 2017, Blitsy operates as a subsidiary of Nicole Crafts LLC.

Founded in 2011, SpotHero is a leading independent marketplace for parking reservations in North America. It offers a mobile application and website that enables drivers to locate, price, compare, and reserve discounted parking spots from various garages and lots.

Visibly is a healthcare technology company based in Chicago that provides online eye examinations and digital vision care services. It offers remote refractive assessments to determine prescriptions for glasses or contact lenses and supports optical businesses with online vision testing, prescription renewals, and integrated digital tools. The company serves consumers, eye care providers, insurers, online health platforms, and optical retailers through e-commerce channels, enabling convenient access to vision care and streamlined operations for practitioners. Formerly Opternative, it rebranded as Visibly in 2018 and was founded in 2013.

OpenMarkets operates a collaborative marketplace for medical capital equipment procurement. It negotiates prices for clinical items like anesthesia machines and imaging equipment, along with commoditized equipment such as laptops and furniture. Additionally, it offers Indigo, a cloud-based mobile engagement platform for customer and employee communication. Founded in 2010, OpenMarkets is headquartered in Skokie, Illinois.

Bucketfeet is a direct-to-consumer shoe brand based in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 2011 by Raaja Nemani and Aaron Firestein. The company collaborates with a global community of artists to design limited-edition shoes, allowing each artist to create unique shoe designs that are printed on sneakers once ordered online. This responsive commerce model enables Bucketfeet to disrupt traditional manufacturing cycles by letting the community select styles they’d like to purchase and wear, thereby informing demand. In addition to shoes, Bucketfeet offers tees, hoodies, and socks, all available for purchase through its online platform. The company aims to spark meaningful conversations and create a brighter world by empowering artists to share their stories and perspectives using art on footwear as their canvas.

Packback is an education technology company that provides an AI‑driven online discussion platform used by college professors to assess and enhance students’ critical thinking. The platform, known as PB Questions, facilitates structured, peer‑reviewed conversations that quantify learning outcomes. In addition, Packback offers PB Books, a digital textbook rental service that delivers course materials on demand. By combining artificial intelligence with evidence‑based pedagogy, the company enables educators to scale interactive learning and helps students develop a stronger voice in their studies.

Popular Pays, Inc. is a technology company that operates a platform designed to connect brands with content creators, facilitating the production of engaging and shareable content. Established in 2013 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with an additional location in New York, Popular Pays offers a comprehensive marketplace where brands can browse, apply, and collaborate with creators. The platform features tools such as a brief builder, creator profiles, in-app messaging, and API integrations, which streamline the collaboration process and enhance communication between users. By providing powerful analytics and workflow tools, Popular Pays empowers brands to effectively manage campaigns and select the right creators to tell their stories.

NextSpace Coworking & Innovation, Inc. is a provider of shared workspaces located in various cities, including Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Berkeley, San Jose, Culver City, and Chicago. Founded in 2008 and based in Santa Cruz, California, the company caters to freelancers, entrepreneurs, and creative professionals by offering both physical and virtual workspace solutions. Its facilities include desks, private offices, conference rooms, and amenities such as high-speed internet, printing services, and community programming. NextSpace focuses on fostering a collaborative environment that serves as a hub for networking and inspiration, while accommodating diverse workstyles through flexible options like day passes and dedicated workstations. The company operates as a subsidiary of PBC Management LLC.

Blitsy, Inc., founded in 2011 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, is an online retailer specializing in arts and crafts supplies. The company provides a comprehensive shopping platform that offers a wide selection of craft supplies, tools, and instructional videos for various DIY projects. Blitsy aims to enhance the online shopping experience for creative individuals by offering curated, limited-time sale events that feature unique products and competitive prices. Additionally, the company supports craft suppliers with digital promotion services, helping them reach a broader audience in the arts and crafts market. As of 2017, Blitsy operates as a subsidiary of Nicole Crafts LLC.

Desktime, LLC is a Chicago-based company founded in 2011 that operates a SaaS platform designed for coworking operators and businesses with extra capacity. The platform facilitates the sharing of workspaces by allowing users to manage availability, resources, and payments, as well as integrate with third-party software and hardware systems. Users can rent shared spaces, including desks, conference rooms, and entire offices, on a flexible basis—by the day, week, or month. Additionally, Desktime features a directory that lists various coworking spaces, helping independent and mobile workers connect with suitable environments for their work needs.

SimpleRelevance Inc. is a marketing technology company based in Chicago, Illinois, that specializes in providing a personalization platform for digital marketers. Established in 2011, the company focuses on enhancing customer engagement through personalized and automated marketing across various channels, including emails, digital advertisements, and mobile applications. By leveraging machine learning technology, SimpleRelevance enables businesses to optimize their marketing messages using both internal and external customer data. This approach allows for tailored communications that consider factors such as customer behavior and preferences, resulting in improved conversion rates and return on investment. SimpleRelevance caters to a diverse clientele, ranging from small businesses to large Fortune 500 companies in sectors such as media, finance, and retail. In December 2015, the company was acquired by Rise Interactive, further integrating its innovative technology into the broader marketing solutions offered by its parent company.

OpenMarkets operates a collaborative marketplace for medical capital equipment procurement. It negotiates prices for clinical items like anesthesia machines and imaging equipment, along with commoditized equipment such as laptops and furniture. Additionally, it offers Indigo, a cloud-based mobile engagement platform for customer and employee communication. Founded in 2010, OpenMarkets is headquartered in Skokie, Illinois.

Shiftgig, Inc. is a technology company that operates a workforce management platform designed to connect individuals seeking temporary work with businesses requiring on-demand staffing. Founded in 2011 and based in Chicago, Illinois, Shiftgig serves a variety of industries, including food service, hospitality, retail, healthcare, and experiential marketing. The platform allows businesses to post job opportunities while enabling workers to browse and claim shifts that align with their skills and schedules. By collecting data on hiring requirements and worker qualifications, Shiftgig facilitates timely matching and effective event management. The company also provides mobile applications for both Android and iPhone, enhancing accessibility for users. With additional offices in cities such as Milwaukee, Atlanta, Dallas, and New York, Shiftgig aims to streamline staffing processes and optimize workforce management for its clients.