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.

The National Science Foundation is an independent federal agency in the United States that funds and supports research and education in science and engineering. It funds fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering and administers non-dilutive funding programs to aid early‑stage technology development, helping translate discoveries into commercially viable products and services. Through grants and fellowships, the NSF supports researchers, educators, and startups, contributing to innovation and U.S. competitiveness. The agency operates with a substantial budget to advance science, engineering, and STEM education nationwide.

The U.S. Department of Energy is a government agency established in 1977, located in Washington, D.C. Its primary mission is to ensure the security and prosperity of the nation by tackling energy, environmental, and nuclear challenges. The Department focuses on promoting transformative scientific and technological solutions to address these issues, thereby supporting the country's energy needs and environmental sustainability.

Pritzker Group Venture Capital, established in 1996, is a venture capital firm that supports entrepreneurs in building and growing technology companies. Based in Chicago, Illinois, with additional offices in Los Angeles, California, the firm invests in information technology companies across various stages, from seed to late-stage, with a focus on Series A and B rounds. Pritzker Group Venture Capital typically invests between $2 million and $8 million initially, with a total commitment of up to $20 million per company. The firm concentrates on sectors such as commerce, enterprise applications, consumer technology, healthcare IT, and emerging technologies. With a portfolio of over 150 companies, Pritzker Group Venture Capital has facilitated numerous successful exits, including Fleetmatics, SinglePlatform, and Playdom. The firm operates as a subsidiary of Pritzker Group and is known for its flexible capital structure and strategic guidance provided by its experienced team of investment professionals and entrepreneurs.

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.

Advantage Capital Partners is a United States‑based venture capital firm that provides growth equity, debt, and mezzanine financing to small and mid‑market companies, with a focus on underserved communities and state and local economic development. The firm invests across sectors including manufacturing, technology, business services, life sciences, and energy, and also supports real estate development projects with equity and debt. It typically makes initial investments ranging roughly from half a million to ten million in companies with modest sales, and may participate in larger follow‑on rounds or co‑invest with other firms. It uses senior debt, mezzanine debt, subordinated loans, and government‑guaranteed lending, and often pursues equity positions through preferred shares or convertible notes. Advantage Capital operates nationwide in the United States, with roots in New Orleans and offices in multiple states, and has backed thousands of jobs and housing projects as part of its mission to expand inclusive economic growth.

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.

Alumni Ventures Group is a venture capital firm based in Manchester, New Hampshire, with offices across North America. It provides access to venture investing for individual accredited investors, particularly alumni networks, by offering diversified portfolios of venture opportunities and allowing members to invest alongside fellow alumni in ventures led by peers. The firm backs early-stage and later-stage opportunities across technology, consumer, healthcare, financial services, and other sectors, with a sector- and geography-agnostic approach. It typically invests between $10,000 and $3 million per deal and emphasizes the involvement of alumni connections and an institutional lead investor in opportunities. Alumni Ventures also offers focused funds to broaden participation, enabling accredited investors to access venture portfolios diversified by type, sector, stage, and geography. The model aims to democratize access to venture capital while maintaining rigorous selection standards through alumni networks.

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.

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.

Cleveland Avenue is a venture capital firm based in Chicago, founded in 2015. The firm makes investments across seed, early, later, and growth stages, with a focus on food and beverage companies, lifestyle consumer brands, AgTech, and technology businesses. It provides capital and strategic support to startups seeking to scale product offerings, expand into new markets, and build operational capabilities. As an investment adviser, Cleveland Avenue combines financial backing with hands-on guidance to help portfolio companies achieve long-term growth.

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.

7wire Ventures is a Chicago-based venture capital firm founded in 2011 that concentrates on early-stage investments in digital health, healthcare IT, mobility-enabled services, and other technology-enabled solutions in the United States. The firm provides funding and operating guidance to portfolio companies to help transform innovative ideas into scalable, world-class businesses. Its approach leverages mobility, connected devices, cloud computing, and analytics to advance sectors such as healthcare and education and to challenge conventional solutions.

Goldman Sachs is a global financial services firm that provides investment banking, securities, and investment management services to corporations, governments, financial institutions, and high-net-worth individuals. It advises on mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, and other corporate actions; underwrites public offerings and debt; and helps clients raise capital through various markets. The firm engages in market making and client execution across fixed income, currencies, commodities, and equities, and offers securities services including financing and lending to institutional clients. Its asset management and wealth advisory businesses manage assets and provide investment solutions for a broad client base, including institutions and individuals. Headquartered in New York, the company serves clients worldwide and operates across multiple business lines to support capital formation, risk management, and investment activities.

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.

Jump Capital is a venture capital firm founded in 2012 and based in Chicago and New York. It pursues seed and Series A investments through a thesis-led, sector-focused, operating-centric approach, backing data-driven technology companies across FinTech, B2B software-as-a-service, IT and data infrastructure, media, and related areas in the United States. The firm seeks partners with experienced management teams and provides an operating platform and resources to support growth. Initial investment checks typically range from 2 million to 10 million. Jump Capital emphasizes practical, hands-on involvement and aims to align with entrepreneurs seeking a trusted partner with real-world operating experience.

Bain Capital is a Boston-based multi-asset alternative investment firm that sources, funds, and manages investments across private equity, venture capital, credit, and public equity. Founded in 1984, it operates globally with specialized units focused on growth and buyout investments, life sciences, and impact-oriented opportunities. The firm backs companies across sectors including healthcare and life sciences, technology, software and data services, financial services, consumer, manufacturing, and industrials, spanning from early-stage ventures to growth equity and large-scale acquisitions. It emphasizes value creation through strategic support and partnerships, leveraging deep operating experience and a global network. Its life sciences arm targets pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and diagnostic companies; the Double Impact unit pursues market-rate returns alongside measurable social and environmental benefits; Bain Capital Ventures backs technology-enabled businesses from seed to growth across enterprise software, infrastructure, and services. The firm maintains offices in Boston and major markets worldwide, aiming to deliver competitive returns while supporting innovation and economic development.

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.

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.

Second Century Ventures is a Chicago-based venture capital firm that focuses on real estate technology and related sectors. Founded in 2009, it backs early and mid-stage companies in real estate tech, software as a service, big data applications, digital media, fintech, and business services. The firm aims to promote innovation in the real estate industry and supports portfolio companies with strategic resources. It is backed by the National Association of Realtors, a nationwide trade association with extensive industry reach, enabling access to a large network and expertise to help portfolio companies scale. The firm emphasizes collaboration across regions including North America, Europe, and Asia, and seeks opportunities that leverage technology to transform real estate processes and services.

Founded in 2000, General Catalyst is a venture capital firm specializing in early-stage and growth equity investments. It focuses on accelerating ideas, careers, and companies towards success by providing ongoing momentum and mentorship based on deep experience.

G Squared is a venture capital investment firm founded in 2011 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It partners with portfolio companies throughout their lifecycle, providing primary capital to sustain growth and transitional capital to deliver liquidity to early investors, current and former employees, and other sellers as private companies stay private longer. The firm targets a broad mix of sectors, including B2B and B2C software, financial services, information technology, SaaS, mobile, e-commerce, data and cloud technologies, insurtech, IoT, marketing and education technology, legal technology, mobility, real estate technology, and restaurant technology. Its portfolio includes prominent names such as 23andMe, Coursera, Instacart, Lyft, Pinterest, Spotify, Asana, Blend, Bolt, Brex, Capsule, Flexport, Impossible Foods, Toast, and Turo. G Squared operates as a registered Investment Adviser.

Founded in 2014, Math Venture Partners is a Chicago-based venture capital firm focused on early to middle-stage investments. They specialize in technology companies across the United States and Canada, with a particular interest in software, healthcare tech, and e-commerce sectors. The firm forms deep partnerships with entrepreneurial teams that have customer acquisition as part of their core strategy.

Baird Capital is a global investment firm that makes venture capital, growth equity, and private equity investments across regions worldwide. It partners with management teams and entrepreneurs to build growth‑oriented companies in sectors including healthcare, technology-enabled services, financial technology and services, industrial technology, and other B2B technology-driven industries. The firm seeks opportunities in lower middle‑market and middle‑market companies and aims to create value through active ownership and strategic support. With origins dating to 1989, Baird Capital maintains a global footprint spanning the United States, Europe and Asia through its affiliated platforms and regional teams.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) leads initiatives in food, agriculture, natural resources, and rural development. It aims to expand markets for agricultural products globally, foster alternative markets domestically, improve rural infrastructure, enhance food safety, promote nutrition education, and manage public lands collaboratively.

Founded in 2010 and based in Chicago, Illinois, Listen Ventures is a venture capital firm specializing in seed and early-stage investments. It focuses on consumer-focused technology sectors.

EVC Ventures is a private equity and venture capital firm established in 2014, with its headquarters in Miami, Florida, and additional offices in Chicago, Illinois, and Gurgaon, India. The firm focuses on early-stage and mid-stage investments, primarily in sectors such as EdTech, Artificial Intelligence, SaaS, mobile applications, security, augmented and virtual reality, drone technology, robotics, e-commerce, and gaming. EVC Ventures typically invests between $0.1 million and $5 million in its portfolio companies, and it operates two accelerator programs that provide funding ranging from $5,000 to $100,000 in exchange for equity. The firm prefers to back companies built on its I-MADE program, supporting entrepreneurs with both capital and strategic guidance to foster growth and innovation in the tech landscape.

New Enterprise Associates is a venture capital firm founded in 1977 and based in Menlo Park, California, with offices in the United States, India and China. It makes investments across technology and healthcare startups at multiple stages, from seed to growth, including software, cloud, data, internet services, fintech, AI, e-commerce, and enterprise technology, as well as healthcare information technology, life sciences, medical devices, and biopharma. It also considers energy technology and infrastructure opportunities, such as solar, batteries and smart grids. The firm pursues a global approach, with activity in the United States, Asia and other regions, and supports companies through rounds of financing ranging from small to sizable investments as they scale. NEA focuses on building portfolios in software, IT services, consumer technology, and healthcare technology, backing ambitious entrepreneurs across sectors and geographies.

Founded in 1983, Silicon Valley Bank specializes in providing diversified financial services to emerging growth and mature companies in the technology, life science, private equity, and premium wine markets. With a global presence through offices in the U.S. and international operations, SVB offers industry knowledge, financing solutions, treasury management, corporate investment, and international banking services.

Founded in 1999, Origin Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in high-growth software, marketplace, and consumer businesses. With multiple funds ranking in the top 5% on realized performance, they have facilitated successful exits such as Grubhub. The firm typically invests $500K to $8M in Series A rounds for companies demonstrating product-market fit.

Founded in 1995, SOSV is a global venture capital firm headquartered in New Jersey. It focuses on seed-to-growth stage investments in deep tech innovations, primarily in bio-tech/life sciences and hardware/robotics sectors, with a commitment to human and planetary health.

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

Impact Engine, established in 2012, is a Chicago-based venture capital and private equity firm. It invests in companies that aim to generate positive outcomes in areas such as education, health, economic empowerment, and environmental sustainability.

Founded in 1946, Fidelity is a leading privately-owned investment manager offering a wide range of services including IRAs, retirement planning, wealth management, and securities execution. It serves individual investors, businesses, financial advisors, and institutions worldwide, managing equity, fixed-income, and balanced mutual funds through global public markets.

Revolution is a Washington, D.C.–based venture capital firm founded in 2005 by Steve Case, with an additional office in San Francisco. It backs technology-enabled startups that disrupt traditional industries and supports both early-stage and growth-stage companies, often taking leadership roles in financings and serving on boards. The firm operates a family of funds, including Revolution Ventures and Revolution Growth, and seeks opportunities across sectors such as consumer internet, software and services, media, financial services, healthcare, and other technology-enabled businesses. It emphasizes geography, aiming to back high-potential ventures in regions beyond traditional hubs by pairing capital with hands-on involvement and broad entrepreneurial networks.

H.I.G. Capital is a private equity and alternative assets investment firm that provides both debt and equity capital to small and mid-sized companies. It pursues a range of strategies, including leveraged buyouts, growth equity, recapitalizations, distressed situations, and corporate carve-outs, with an operationally focused, value-added approach. The firm targets mid-market companies across sectors such as consumer, business services, manufacturing, healthcare, technology, and financial services, with investments in the United States and Europe. It typically makes control or minority investments and can deploy various forms of capital, from equity to senior debt, to support growth, restructurings, or turnarounds. Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Miami, the firm maintains a broad footprint with offices in North America and Europe as part of its private capital platform.

50 South Capital is an alternatives asset management firm that provides investment advisory and asset management services to investors seeking exposure to hedge funds, private equity, and real assets. It operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Northern Trust Corporation and focuses on private equity and hedge investment activities, with a particular emphasis on technology and life science companies in the United States. Established in 2015 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the company pursues growth through strategic mergers and acquisitions.

8VC is a technology and life sciences investment firm that partners with founders to develop transformational technologies and create long-term value. Its activities span sectors such as healthcare, logistics, software, energy, manufacturing, enterprise IT, and life sciences, with a focus on supporting early-stage and growth opportunities in the United States and beyond.

Lakewest Venture Partners is a Chicago-based venture capital firm founded in 2013 that invests in seed and early-stage technology companies across the United States, and operates as an affiliate of Lakewest, Inc., a real estate and private equity company, led by Buzz Ruttenberg, David Mann, and Jonathan McCulloch.

Valor Equity Partners is a Chicago-based growth investor that provides hands-on operational expertise to help growth companies scale across the United States. The firm partners with management teams to accelerate growth and transform markets through investments in technology and technology-enabled businesses, as well as consumer products, engineered products, and services. It supports early-stage, expansion-stage, and growth-stage companies with substantial capital to drive rapid growth, often targeting software, SaaS, manufacturing, and other high-growth sectors. Valor emphasizes long-term partnerships, disciplined performance improvement, and strategic transformations to help portfolio companies achieve sustainable competitive advantage in North America.

First Analysis is a Chicago-based private equity and venture capital firm founded in 1981 that concentrates on early-stage investments in the United States. Its sectors include technology and software, healthcare, services, and clean-tech/chemicals. The firm supports growth by working closely with management on strategy, recruitment, sales and marketing, and corporate development, and it generally makes lead investments or participates as a syndicate partner with typical checks of 3 to 10 million. It emphasizes in-depth industry research and aims to help portfolio companies become profitable leaders in large markets. The firm operates as a registered investment adviser.

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.

Google is a multinational technology company renowned for its search engine, offering services such as Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs, and YouTube. It specializes in advertising solutions through Google Ads and mobile operating systems with Android, while actively innovating in artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Franklin Templeton is a global investment management organization, established in 1947. It offers conservatively managed mutual funds, specializing in bond funds under the Franklin brand, international funds under the Templeton brand, and value funds under the Mutual Series brand. The company serves individual investors, corporations, and financial institutions worldwide.

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

Founded in 2000, Mosaix Ventures is an investment partnership focused on supporting innovative companies with exceptional potential. It primarily invests in medical devices, technology-enabled services, and applications sectors.

DNS Capital, LLC is a private equity firm based in Chicago, Illinois, that specializes in making long-term investments in middle market companies across various sectors, including industrials, business services, consumer products, agriculture, retail, and real estate. Founded in 2012, the firm primarily focuses on the United States but also considers select international opportunities. DNS Capital typically invests between $25 million and $100 million in companies with EBITDA ranging from $10 million to $50 million. As a family office investment firm, it aims to build strong relationships with business owners and management teams, fostering collaboration to create lasting value.

Founded in 2015, Avathon Capital is a private equity firm based in Chicago. It focuses on investing in growing lower-middle-market companies within the education and workforce management sectors.

Salesforce is a cloud-based software company that provides enterprise customer relationship management software and applications on a subscription basis. It designs and develops cloud-based enterprise software for sales, customer service, marketing automation, e-commerce, analytics, and application development, offering a comprehensive suite including Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Commerce Cloud, MuleSoft for data integration, and the Salesforce Platform. Its Customer 360 platform unifies customer data across systems, apps, and devices to help organizations sell, service, market, and conduct commerce more effectively.