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.

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, Inc. is an education technology company based in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 2014. It operates an artificial intelligence-powered discussion platform designed for college professors to enhance student engagement and assess critical thinking skills through online discussions. The platform includes PB Books, which provides online textbooks for rental, and PB Questions, which facilitates digital discussions among students. By leveraging proprietary AI technology, Packback aims to foster a love for learning, promote personalized educational experiences, and enable students to develop their voices through mastery-based learning.

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.

Luxury Garage Sale is a retailer that operates both physical stores and an online e-commerce platform, specializing in the sale of luxury designer clothing, shoes, handbags, accessories, and jewelry. The company sources these items through consignment and offers them to consumers at discounted prices, providing access to high-end fashion brands at more affordable rates. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Luxury Garage Sale has physical locations in Chicago, Highland Park (Illinois), and Dallas (Texas).

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.

NuCurrent, Inc. is a Chicago-based company specializing in the design, fabrication, and integration of high-efficiency wireless power antennas and surface-mount inductors. Founded in 2009, the company develops antennas for both low and high frequency systems, catering to a variety of applications such as power electronics, RF electronics, and frequency synthesis. NuCurrent's innovations adhere to industry standards set by the Alliance for Wireless Power, Wireless Power Consortium, and Power Matters Alliance. The company collaborates closely with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and integrators to deliver custom-designed prototypes that enhance performance while reducing costs and sizes. Its patented technologies effectively address high-frequency challenges, resulting in improved efficiency and durability for wireless power applications.

Telnyx LLC is a cloud communication platform that specializes in providing carrier-grade voice and messaging solutions. Incorporated in 2009 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with additional offices in Dublin, Amsterdam, Warsaw, and São Paulo, Telnyx operates on a private, cloud-agnostic IP network. The company offers a range of services, including SIP trunking, programmatic messaging, embedded communications, and international numbering solutions, all accessible through its robust API and the award-winning Mission Control portal. As an internationally licensed carrier, Telnyx ensures secure, high-fidelity connectivity, catering to a diverse clientele that includes major organizations such as Cisco and Philips. The platform is designed to support real-time communications while providing clients with complete control over their telecommunications infrastructure, thus enabling efficient and low-latency interactions.

Packback, Inc. is an education technology company based in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 2014. It operates an artificial intelligence-powered discussion platform designed for college professors to enhance student engagement and assess critical thinking skills through online discussions. The platform includes PB Books, which provides online textbooks for rental, and PB Questions, which facilitates digital discussions among students. By leveraging proprietary AI technology, Packback aims to foster a love for learning, promote personalized educational experiences, and enable students to develop their voices through mastery-based learning.

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.

SpotHero Inc. is a leading provider of parking reservation services in North America, enabling drivers to easily locate and secure parking spots through its mobile application and website. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with an additional office in Detroit and operations in Toronto, the company allows users to compare prices and reserve discounted parking in garages and lots. The SpotHero application connects various parking facilities, including garages and valet services, facilitating seamless data exchange and payment processing. By streamlining the parking experience, SpotHero aims to make urban areas more accessible and enhance connectivity for drivers.

Visibly, Inc. is a healthcare technology company based in Chicago, Illinois, that specializes in online eye examination services for patients across the United States. Originally known as Opternative, Inc., the company rebranded in November 2018. Visibly offers a refractive eye exam to measure prescriptions for glasses and contact lenses, providing a digital solution for vision care. Its products cater to a variety of sectors, including e-commerce employers, eye care providers, insurance companies, online healthcare platforms, and optical retail. By offering a virtual vision testing technology, Visibly ensures that patients can conveniently renew their prescriptions and address their eye health needs from anywhere at any time, enhancing accessibility to essential eye care services.

OpenMarkets LLC is a healthcare technology company based in Skokie, Illinois, that specializes in providing a collaborative marketplace for capital medical equipment. Founded in 2010, OpenMarkets focuses on helping healthcare providers save money on clinical capital items, such as anesthesia machines and imaging equipment, as well as commoditized items like laptops and furniture. The company offers a cloud-based software platform that enhances visibility into supply chain needs, aids in budgeting and planning, and facilitates better communication between healthcare providers and vendors. In addition to its software as a service (SAAS) offerings, OpenMarkets provides outsourced sourcing services and aggregates hospital demand to create volume savings opportunities. The company generates revenue through subscription fees for its software and transaction fees based on savings achieved.

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, Inc. is an education technology company based in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 2014. It operates an artificial intelligence-powered discussion platform designed for college professors to enhance student engagement and assess critical thinking skills through online discussions. The platform includes PB Books, which provides online textbooks for rental, and PB Questions, which facilitates digital discussions among students. By leveraging proprietary AI technology, Packback aims to foster a love for learning, promote personalized educational experiences, and enable students to develop their voices through mastery-based learning.

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.

OpenMarkets LLC is a healthcare technology company based in Skokie, Illinois, that specializes in providing a collaborative marketplace for capital medical equipment. Founded in 2010, OpenMarkets focuses on helping healthcare providers save money on clinical capital items, such as anesthesia machines and imaging equipment, as well as commoditized items like laptops and furniture. The company offers a cloud-based software platform that enhances visibility into supply chain needs, aids in budgeting and planning, and facilitates better communication between healthcare providers and vendors. In addition to its software as a service (SAAS) offerings, OpenMarkets provides outsourced sourcing services and aggregates hospital demand to create volume savings opportunities. The company generates revenue through subscription fees for its software and transaction fees based on savings achieved.